Manuel Baldemor holds exhibit in Oslo

World-renowned Filipino artist Manuel Baldemor will hold a three-day exhibit at the groundfloor of the Norway’s Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs in connection with the celebration of the 110th Philippine Independence and the year-long commemoration of the 60 years of RP-Norway diplomatic relations.

Dubbed, Images of the Philippines and Norway, the exhibit will run from 2 – 4 June 2008. The show also coincides with the celebration of Norway’s Cultural Diversity 2008.

The exhibit was first shown to the members of the diplomatic corp on Friday, 30 May 2008. Ambassador Victoria S. Bataclan welcomed the guests during the initial show and introduced Mr. Baldemor as the “real ambassador” saying his numerous exhibits abroad have greatly helped promote not just his works but the Philippine country as well.

For his part, Mr. Baldemor expressed his appreciation for his participation to the Norway’s program of Cultural Diversity 2008. Read the rest of this entry »

Eight New Philippine Airports to open by 2010

The government will be opening eight more international airports by 2010 in anticipation of the growing passenger traffic to the country, the Transportation Department said Thursday.

By 2010 the Philippines will have more airports of international standards to ease traffic and reduce business cost,” Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza said during the opening of the two-day Expo on International Transportation and Logistics held at the World Trade Center.

Mendoza said that this year alone three airports will be open soon and these are the controversial Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, the Clark or Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, and the Busuanga airport scheduled to be operational in November.

For 2009, Mendoza said they are looking at opening the Davao-Iloilo terminal, Silay-Bacolod airport, the Laguindingan airport and the the Panglaw airports in Bohol. Read the rest of this entry »

Joe Datuin : A Filipino artist wins prize for Beijing Olympics sculpture artwork 　

A Filipino artist has won the grand prize for the sculpture category of the Olympic Sports and Art Contest of the International Olympic Committee and his works will be on display at the Olympic Expo in Beijing.

Joe Datuin, who is from Dagupan, Pangasinan in northern Philippines, bested other artists from 36 countries and regions for his masterpiece entitled “Dancing Rings”, said the report.

Inspired by the 2008 Olympics emblem “Dancing Beijing,” Datutin’s “Dancing Emblem” which looks like a man (in white) dancing and surrounded by the color red would be rewarded 30,000 U.S. dollars and a diploma, according to the report.

This is not the first award from the Olympics of the Filipino artist. Read the rest of this entry »

Ruffa Gutierrez joins the cast of “Yo Soy Betty La Fea” Philippine Version

TV host Ruffa Gutierrez will join the cast of the much-awaited television series “Yo Soy Betty La Fea!” with actress Bea Alonzo as Betty.

The exclusive official announcement was made through ABS-CBN’s “The Buzz.” Gutierrez will play the role of Daniella.  Aside from Alonzo, Gutierrez is another big star chosen to be part of the cast.

The production’s casting is still ongoing, as well as the voting in unofficial polls for the role of the leading man, Armando. When Bea found out that Gutierrez would join “Yo Soy Betty La Fea,” her reaction was simple. “She’s perfect for the role! I love it.”

Gutierrez’s scenes with Alonzo is something to look forward to. It is exciting that an international beauty queen will be Alonzo’s co-star in the program.

Gutierrez is also excited since “Yo Soy Betty La Fea” will seem like a fashion show as she will wear fabulous clothes, shoes, bags and jewelry. Read the rest of this entry »

Filipina wins Emirates Business Women Award

A Filipina chemist, who went on to become an engineer and now chief executive officer of Geoscience Testing Laboratory in Dubai, was among the eight winners of the Emirates Business Women Award (EBWA) 2008 honoured at a gala dinner held recently in Grand Hyatt Dubai.

The professional and business awards were handed over to the winners by Shaikh Saeed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The Filipino awardee, Mary Jane Alvero-Al Mahdi, bagged the first runner-up in the Professional Category, which made her the first Filipino to receive such a prestigious honour in the UAE.

Married to an Emirati, Al Mahdi is a holder of Master in Quality Management degree from the University of Wollongong in Dubai and Master in Engineering Systems Management from the American University of Sharjah. She is also a certified ISO lead auditor, a dedicated certified trainer and one of the founders of the Filipino Digerati Association that assists Philippine emissaries in Dubai to train Filipinos in computer applications for free in the UAE. Read the rest of this entry »

Marvin Raymundo represents the Philippines in Manhunt International tilt

Coverboy member Marvin Raymundo will represent the Philippines in the 2008 Manhunt International World contest in Seoul, set for Monday, June 2, with more than 50 countries competing.

In 2004 and in 2007, Marvin was named one of the Cosmopolitan Bachelors. Marvin stands 5’11″ and weighs 160 lbs. A member of the ASAP Coverboys (together with Zanjoe Marudo, Jake Cuenca, Victor Basa, Rafael Rosell, Jon Avila, John James Uy and Haroun Morales), Marvin is also an endorser for Smart, Globe, Oishi, Cali, Cream-O, Greenwich, Modess and Jollibee.

A Kapampangan, Marvin is the youngest of three children (one brother and one sister). He finished grade school and high school at Don Bosco Pampanga (where he was a member of the tennis team) and BS Human Resource Management at La Salle-College of St. Benilde. “Why that course?” asked Marvin. “Because it’s people-oriented. I’m interested in people.” Read the rest of this entry »

Charice Pempengco sings with Josh Groban and other US stars, wows Vegas

By REYMA BUAN-DEVEZA
abs-cbnNEWS.com

Young singer Charice once again proved her singing prowess as she got two standing ovations for her performance with musician-record producer David Foster’s discoveries for a benefit concert at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas last Friday, May 23rd.

For the event entitled “David Foster & Friends” in front of an audience of almost 10,000, Charice sang a medley of Whitney Houston’s hits- “I Will Always Love You” and “I Have Nothing”.

These songs are from the original sound track of “The Bodyguard” which was produced by Foster. “And I Am Telling You” is from the original soundtrack of “Dreamgirls”, also produced by Foster. Read the rest of this entry »

San Miguel Pale Pilsen is Asia’s Best Beer

San Miguel Pale Pilsen is the best tasting beer in Asia, according to a popular US Magazine which recently gathered major beer brands from China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Philippines for a taste test. The iconic brand of San Miguel Brewery, Inc. (SMB), San Miguel Pale Pilsen bested six other international brands in all categories – appearance, aroma, taste and finish — used by the magazine to determine the best tasting beer.

In the article entitled “Far East Beer Showdown” by Derek Buono published in Beer Magazine’s March to April issue, the lone Filipino beer brand has been described as having “the most flavor and tasted better than all the other beers of the region.”

“The SMB family is truly inspired by the recognition given to San Miguel Pale Pilsen. We are glad that our very own product stands above the rest and for us Filipinos, that’s something worth celebrating for,” said SMB management. Read the rest of this entry »

Filipino teen becomes the World’s Youngest Chess Grandmaster

At 14 years old, Wesley So is the world’s youngest chess grandmaster, and the seventh youngest GM in chess history.

Wesley So is a fine chess prodigy. With a FIDE rating of 2540, he is the highest ranked chess player in the Philippines, only sharing the top spot with legendary Filipino GM Eugene Torre.

Born in Manila on October 9, 1993 to accountants William and Eleanor So, Wesley So was raised in a conservative Filipino family. He was aged 6 when his father taught him to play chess, and aged 9 when he started to compete in junior active chess tournaments. His aggressive style caught the attention of professional chess players, including former Philippine chess champion IM Rodolfo Tan Cardoso. Cardoso remarked, “The young lad… would sacrifice a queen or any other pieces in his arsenal to get a winning attack.” He also noticed that So did not have the full sponsorships enjoyed by the other chess prodigies, saying “He cannot afford a decent training given by well known GM-coaches and has to rely on his pure talent, diligence…before competing.” Read the rest of this entry »

Six Filipino Mountaineers joining Everest marathon

Six Filipino mountaineers - including Mt. Everest veteran summiteers Noelle Wenceslao, Carina Dayondon and Erwin “Pastor” Emata - are among some 101 adventurers from all over the world who will participate in a marathon to reach the summit of the world’s tallest mountain this month.

Former transportation and communications undersecretary Arturo Valdez, calling from the Mt. Everest Nepal base camp at the south col or slope of the mountain, told The STAR they have already undergone high-altitude alpine mountain climbs in the Himalayan mountain ranges to prepare for the 3rd Hillary-Tenzing Mount Everest Marathon that will start on May 29.

“We’ve been working very hard to prepare for the start of the race. We’re looking forward to race day. We’re excited and also nervous,” Valdez said. Read the rest of this entry »