ILLUSTRADO Magazine Jan 2009

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EDITOR’S NOTE

The Value of Vision in 2009 Majority of people around the world - economic pundits, businessmen and regular folks alike, seem to be in agreement that 2009 is a year where the outlook is unnervingly bleak. Perhaps not the best milieu to be moving onto a new phase in our lives - but certainly one that could be most interesting.

For those who are eternal optimist, or those seasoned by survival through tough moments in their lives – this year is really about managing expectations and riding strong in the eye of the storm. Look for signs around you and indications on how the strongest are coping during these so called ‘desperate’ times. Businesses continue despite struggles in liquidity; Henry Sy is still building his enormous malls; the Philippine economy still grew albeit lesser than the original forecast; amidst fears of widespread OFW retrenchment, the Department of Labor recently reported that 5,000 Filipinos still leave the country for work abroad every single day; and our BPO sector is still poised for growth, despite expected business loss from the US. To take a cue from the business world – it is those who persist despite a bearish year that will emerge successful during such challenging periods.

So should we carry on in our personal lives. We have to strengthen ourselves to overcome the negative influences on our psyche and therefore our actions – the bad news we read in the papers and see on TV day in and day out, the depressing spam emails that always seem to find their way into our inboxes, our friends who have become ‘toxic’ by endlessly complaining about how difficult life is these days, and most importantly, that niggling sense of worry that creeps inside of us every time the end of month payments come. Sometimes these negative vibes are more harmful than the variables of real life because they drive our very actions.

And it doesn’t stop there. The whole point of moving on from that which weighs us down is so that we can progress into bigger and better things.

In this transformational year when the world is changing drastically, and the odds are stacked against us, never has it been more important to have vision - the ability to see beyond what is tangible before our eyes today, to reach out to greater possibilities. The capacity to still dream, matched with the belief that you will achieve. Consider this – when you set out to travel to a certain point, you don’t actually see the place before you, except for the road ahead and yet, you know you’re going to get there - somehow. We should be able to see with our mind’s eyes and trust with both our head and heart. We need to be able to spot opportunities in times of adversity and look at different angles to reach our goals. The global catchphrase of the year is ‘change’ – and change we must to get the best out of this challenging scenario. Just as great inventors have churned out some of the world’s greatest innovations as a product of need during times of great difficulty, so must we all employ foresight, creativity and passion. This year absolutely requires it.

This month’s Illustrado welcomes 2009 wholeheartedly by piquing your imagination with features on Pinoy innovation - from our little known electronics manufacturing and BPO prowess to fuel inventions that hold a promise for the future, to a more experimental take on style in our fashion pages. We also talk about the life of Third Culture Kids and provide you with our usual staple of entertaining, informative and empowering articles including sound resolutions for this time of the year. Most importantly, to get you into a more positive frame of mind, this month’s issue is anchored by the 2009 Philippine outlook – presenting this year’s economic perspective on our homeland, which is in no way bleak.

We wish you hope, faith and the unwavering belief that this year will be a very successful and prosperous year, by all accounts.

A very happy 2009, my dear Illustrados.

TAAS NOO, Filipino!

LALAINE CHU-BENITEZ Publisher and Editor-in-Chief

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Send your letters to: editor@illustrado.net since, and I cannot help but admire the contents. I have one comment though, please do something about your cover because the layout is really boring and all the same since your first issue. An Dear Editor, international magazine like yours should have a Happy 2009! catchy and international style on the cover page. I can Thank you for publishing another inspiring success give you samples of my collaboration with my team, story of an OFW - in Illustrado Profile featuring just send some pictures and captions for a trial cover the Isabel Warren. With all the hardships she and I can send you up to three samples. encountered, look at how successful she is right now. It seems that she was also brought up by her Thank you. family with generosity - to share their blessings not only within the family, but also with their Efren Cabrera community. I’m sure that this is the main secret Dear Efren, of her success.

Thank you for your comments. We welcome both Keep on featuring this kind of story as it really positive and negative feedback as this helps in inspires us a lot. And I know all your readers will reinforcing our offering to the community, while at agree with me on this; I think it is your magazine’s the same time somehow validates that Illustrado has advocacy to inspire us OFWs to do better and help become a successful communication platform that has captured the interest of Filipinos like you. each other.

If you are interested to join our team of talented contributors, you may send your portfolio or relevant Keep inspiring us Illustrado! sample works to: admin@illustrado.net.

Keana Mendez, Dubai to Illustrado!

Wendell Reyes, Ajman

Dear Editor, It’s my 2nd year of spending Christmas here in Dubai. On my first year, it was not so sad because it was only a couple of months back since I first arrived here. But this year it was totally sad. All the memories of Christmas back home flooded my thoughts - especially when I received an email from one of my aunts telling me how much they are missing me. I couldn’t control my tears at that time. I remembered how we always would prepare for the holiday season back home. And how busy people are over there buying gifts for their loved ones. It’s really a long preparation before the big event. Every family, rich and poor, has their own way of preparing for the feast.

So thank you Illustrado for also bringing back those memories in your previous issue – which I read with much longing. Reading your magazine makes me feel that I’m somehow at home. I especially liked you article on Pinoy Gift-Giving and the one entitled ‘Down the Christmas Memory Lane.’

Rose Ed Gemino, Dubai …………………………

Dear Illustrado, I love what you are doing for the Filipino people in the Middle East! It’s such a joy to have a magazine that is truly ours. All of my friends read the magazine and we all love it! We like it not only because of the beautiful pictures but also because of the interesting stories found inside.

Please keep on giving us Filipinos what we need!

Sheila Amparo, Abu Dhabi ……………………

Christmas is the time when I miss my family the most. With all the special occasions that happen during the season, it’s really not the same. I like that Illustrado gives me a taste of home. It eases my longing for the Philippines, even just a little bit. Reminders of how I used to spend Christmas back home. It was very nostalgic. Thank you for the wonderful issue that evoked wonderful memories.

I wish for more of the same in 2009! More power

…………………………

Best regards, I am writing this letter from Manila. My father, Ed who works in Oman, told me about this magazine. …………………………

Imagine my surprise when I found a copy right here in our country! It was everything my dad said Dear Ms. Lalaine, It’s probably one of the most difficult times I’ve ever it was — entertaining, informative, enlightening. experienced in my three years here in the emirates.

It’s great to have something like this that is proud We are all going thru a rough patch with the global of being Filipino. I think this is an aspect that recession. I have a couple of friends who were many people take for granted. I am thankful that working in real estate who have been given notice Illustrado exists for those who really believe in this of termination – so this has become a very stressful time for all of us. People say that the real estate cause. Keep up the good work, Editor! business is down – so I can’t understand why rent and the prices of goods still seem to be increasing all the Andrew Marquez, Manila time. We feel like we’re getting literally squeezed. …………………………

Dear Editor, I really like your magazine. I think the aesthetics are very sound. The photographs, especially the fashion page, are beautiful and very attractive. The articles are well-written and have well thoughtout ideas behind them. For these reasons, I am a fan of your publication.

I think it is on par with the other top magazines in the Philippines, but this is for us outside of the country specifically. It makes me proud to be Filipino.

But I do believe in what you said that we have to be more positive at this time – we should not allow ourselves to give in to depression because that is just so defeatist. So what are we going to do?

Sulk? Wait for the axe to fall on us? Pack-up and go home? I don’t think so. We all have to be strong because we have our families back home counting on our success. It might be hard for a lot of people to swallow but we really have to just “grin and bear it.” We have to go on and that means putting on the right attitude as well.

Lea Marie, Ras al-Khaimah …………………………

Happy New Year, no matter what …

Lina Concepcion, Abu Dhabi …………………………

Dear Editor,

We love Annie B!

I’m always looking forward to every issue of your magazine – mainly for your Kabuhayan column which teaches us how to handle money, how to invest and how to set-up various businesses. As an OFW, I am looking forward to that day when I can have my own business too. A business that I can share with my family and relatives, and one that can also help the community. This is what our country needs, more well-meaning Filipino entrepreneurs.

Yun lang, Lily and Peepz …………………………

Thank you Illustrado.

Dear Ms. Editor, Whatever will happen to Annie B next? My friends and I are always waiting for her chronicle episodes to see what this Super Pinay is up to. The way your writer tells her story is sooo funny. Actually most of the stuff you write about is true – talaga! But you guys present it in such an amazing way that never fails to make us laugh.

Rojo Andrade, Sharjah Dear Ms. Benitez,

Thanks Illustrado entertainment.

I have been an avid fan of your magazine ever

Edward E.,Dubai

for

this

much-needed

CONTRIBUTORS Alfred A. Yuson

Victor Sollorano

Parc Cruz

Francisco J. Colayco

David Poarch

Alfred A. Yuson Alfred ‘Krip’ Yuson has authored 22 books: novels, poetry collections, short fiction, essays, children’s stories and biographies. He has also edited many other titles, including multiple travel and corporate coffee-table publications. He has earned many distinctions in his writing career, like the Southeast Asian Writers Award for lifetime achievement, an elevation to the Hall of Fame of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, and a shortlisted entry in the Man Asian Literary Prize. He also serves as Philippines Editor for MANOA: A Pacific Journal of International Writing, published by the University of Hawaii and as a columnist for The Philippine Star and Philippine Graphic. Yuson also teaches fiction and poetry at the Ateneo de Manila University, where he held the Henry Lee Irwin Professorial Chair.

Victor Sollorano Business Mirror Editor and Illustrado Contributor Victor has lived in Thailand for over a year and in Europe for eight years where he did freelance writing, editing and photography for several local and international organizations. He has previously worked for Knight-Ridder Financial News and AP-Dow Jones News Service, as well as various Philippine dailies. He has held fine art photography exhibitions both here and in Thailand and was the Director’s Choice for the Ayala Museum ArtistSpace in 2007.

Francisco J. Colayco Author Francisco J. Colayco is an entrepreneur, venture developer and financial advisor. The Chairman of of the Colayco Foundation for Education (CFE), he is a prime mover of the financial literacy movement in the Philippines. He is also the founder and chairman of the Kapatiran sa Kasaganaan Service and Multi-purpose (KSKSMP) Cooperative, an investment cooperative formed by active OFWs who are

Karen Galarpe

KC Abalos

mostly based in Hong Kong, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, and retired OFWs back in the Philippines.

He has over 40 years of experience covering diverse business fields with specialization in banking and financial services. Among his published books are - Making Your Money Work (a 2005 National Book Awards - Business and Economics nominee), Pera Palaguin Workbook and Money for Kids.

Karen Galarpe

Isabelo Samonte

Jesse Edep Even as a reluctant glamour photographer, he leaps into this issue’s cover shoot with indistinguishable passion. He is mostly identified for his cinematic approach and has reinforced that unorthodox techniques may also be on the nose. Parc’s images are not just merely pictures with nary a story; they usually create familiar scenes that awaken sensibilities.

David Poarch

Karen Galarpe has been writing and editing magazines for a long time now. She was previously Editor-in-Chief of Philippinebased magazines Smart Parenting and SME Insight, and home and family editor of Good Housekeeping Philippines. Now she does copy editing for Food and Foodie magazines while blogging about business for Inquirer. net’s Open for Business blog. Her idea of unwinding includes eating dark chocolates and having kapeng barako or chai latte while reading a book in a quiet corner, and having a relaxing massage in peace.

Contributor David Poarch is a veritable legend in the Filipino blogosphere, with thousands following his adventures between the Philippines and the USA via the internet. He was featured in ABS-CBN’s ‘Nagmamahal Kapamilya’ when he decided to leave behind the American Dream to find his roots in 2006. His journey of rediscovery and choice to live the simple life in his home country struck a chord in many a patriotic Filipino’s heart. Forced by circumstance to return to the States, David shares the complex life of a Third Culture Kid in this month’s issue.

Isabelo Samonte

KC Abalos

Isabelo Samonte is a freelance writer, consultant and PR practitioner. He has been fortunate to have been involved with several publications all over the world, including the ILO World of Work in Geneva and the Asian Review of Business and Technology in London. Isabelo has taken multiple graduate courses both in the country (at Centro Escolar University and Ateneo de Manila) and overseas (DePaul University in Chicago and ILSI in Islamabad). This month, he writes about noteworthy Filipino innovations in the field of automobiles and fuel.

Parc Cruz A self-taught photo-hobbyist who has carved his own niche in the local Philippine photography scene for the last three and a half years, Parc remains a student of the Arts.

Contributor KC has a colorful imagination.

Her dream occupation is to be a secret agent for a top spy organization that has her posing as a professional belly dancer.

In truth, her life is probably just as exciting.

She goes from being a philosophy professor to the editor of an online poker magazine, showing how her interests are eccentrically varied. But it’s in her writing where she finds the freedom and the means to reveal to the world who she truly is. She sure leads a colorful life — almost as colorful as her taste in shoes.

Jesse Edep

Jesse Edep is a researcher at the Business Mirror, a Philippine-based broadsheet.

He is also a contributing writer of Summit Media’s Entrepreneur Magazine and the Alumni Magazine of the Asian Institute of Management.

Publisher & Editor-in Chief Lalaine Chu-Benitez Assistant Editor Mikkel Bolante CONTRIBUTING WRITERS UAE, Philippines, USA JR Bustamante Aby Yap Jude Cartalaba Anna Lorraine Balita Karen Galarpe Bernadette Reyes KC Abalos Chayie Maligalig Krip Yuson David Poarch Mike Martin Excel Dyquiangco Shar Matingka Francisco Colayco Sherry Tinorio Isabelo Samonte Sonny Guzman Ivan Henares Vic Lactaoen Jeffrey ‘Ximo’ Ramos Victor Sollorano Jesse Edep Jonie Jose ART DIRECTORS Paula Lorenzo Ron Perez CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS UAE Illuminado Ong Pot Ph Mariyah Gaspacho Mac Antonio Melandro Sanggalang PHILIPPINES Dr. Marlon Pecjo Parc Cruz CONTRIBUTING STYLISTS & FASHION TEAM UAE Zekundo Chu Anna de Leon Basil Yunting PHILIPPINES Janet dela Fuente PUBLISHER - UAE Illustrado Communications FZ-LLC 2nd Floor, Building 2, P.O. Box 72280 Office 20C Dubai Media City, UAE Tel: +9714 365 4543, 365 4547 Fax:+9714 360 4771 E-mail: admin@illustrado.net, info@illustrado.net Web: www.illustrado.net, www.illustrado.agilaglobal.net PHILIPPINE OFFICE ILLUSTRADO MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS INC. 1100 88 Corporate Exchange Center, Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati City, PHILIPPINES Tel: +632 754 8016, 754 8017 Fax: +632 754 8000 PRINTERS PRINTWELL PRINTING LLC P.O. Box 18828 Dubai, UAE Copyright Illustrado Communications FZ-LLC 2006-2009. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Illustrado Communications FZ-LLC.

CONTENTS

Jan.09

FEATURES

RP: Sailing Resilient into 2009’s Economic Headwinds 10 Made in the Philippines 14 Philippine Fuel Innovations 16 Third Culture Kids, One Culture World 20

COLUMNS

Editor’s Note 1 Letters to the Editor 4 Contributors 6 Illuminati 12 Famous Filipinos 18 Kabuhayan: Kaila Bags 24 Kabuhayan: Financial Resolutions for the New Year 28 Usapang Kanto 30 Successful Pinoy: A Successful New Year’s Solution – Now 32 Community 51 Illustrado Living: Stepping up to the New Year 52 Onli in da Pilipins 72 The Annie B. Chronicles 74

FASHION, ARTS & CULTURE

Si Malakas at si Maganda 34 Project Fashion 50 Caught in the Flame of Flamenco 56 Mideast Snipers: Photography Renegades in the UAE 58 The World Through Soler’s Eyes 64

34

Top Pinay mannequin Isabel Roces and Filipino-British model Jon Hall pose high above Makati’s exciting skyline in this month’s fashion editorial in Si Malakas at Si Maganda

64

PLACES

Bakasyon Grande: The Promise of Panglao 67 Trippin’: Mall of Asia’s Sunset Strip: San Miguel by the Bay 70

ENTERTAINMENT DirekG: Genghis Jimenez 77

56

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10 FEATURE

© Donsimon | Dreamstime.com

RP: Sailing resilient into 2009’s economic headwinds BY: VICTOR SOLLORANO

Unlike the 1997 Asian financial crisis that hit Southeast Asia quite hard and caused the collapse of many financial institutions as well as realty and property development companies, Asia excluding Japan would likely be spared from the current global financial onslaught that brought the economies of the US, Europe and Japan into recession.

Economist, financial consultants and economic managers in unison have pronounced that Asia would be “last in, first out” as the world drifts into the uncertainties of 2009.

The buzzword among them is resilience, especially as American, European and Japanese economic managers scramble for strategies that could turn around a seemingly hopeless situation in the form of rescue packages that would cause their taxpayers trillions of dollars — the

US$1,000,000,000,000 aid package being crafted by the team of incoming US President Barack Obama being the most ambitious thus far.

Being spared though has its price — no smooth sailing all the way to recovery.

In the case of the Philippines, prospects of riding out 2009’s gloom-doom scenario seem promising. It’s financial system is currently one of the healthiest in the region, despite the export sector’s

predicament as orders have dropped by more than 30 percent by now and still counting as demand from its biggest trading partner the US have been canceled and all but dried up.

Its transactions with the rest of the world posted a surplus of US$1.5 billion in the first nine months as measured by the balance of payments — this, despite a US$350 million deficit in the third quarter, according to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas figures released on December 24. Bangko

FEATURE 11 Sentral Gov. Amando Tetangco Jr. explains in a statement that the country paid more in foreign exchange transactions that include trade, investment and remittances than what it received during the three-month period.

Of this measure’s current account or the net amount of traded goods and services went into a deficit of US$546 million in the three months to September from a surplus of US$1billion in a year earlier, considering that merchandise imports rose by 14.3 and merchandise exports dropped by 4.2 percent. The numbers are seasonal in nature as merchants stock up on supplies for the Christmas holidays, except that this time around exports should have also registered growth than a contraction.

On the other hand, the measure’s financial and capital account or the net amount of investments that flowed into the country posted a surplus of US$480 million in the same period, but a surplus that narrowed nearly 90 percent from a year-earlier’s surplus of US$3.3 billion. Again the numbers reflect the seasonal nature of investments as portfolio managers usually cash in on gains from the stock market, but the gravity of the contraction point to a recession in the global financial markets.

The foreign exchange inflows remain present in the Philippine financial system, “but not as strong,” according to Lito Biacora, Treasury Vice President of Bank of the Philippine Islands, commenting on how money sent by Filipinos who live and work abroad had been supporting the peso in spot market trading. Remittances from more than 8 million overseas Filipinos are expected to reach over US$15 billion this year, accounting for about 10 percent of the economy.

Philippine banks, of course, mirror the financial system’s condition. The banking industry’s capital adequacy ratio at about 13 percent remains above the 10 percent required by the Bangko Sentral. The ratio is a measure of how much banks can cover their liabilities.

As preventive measure especially because of the global financial crisis, Philippine banks have been allowed by the Bangko Sentral to protect their balance sheets through an accounting entry called mark-to-market. By allowing banks to reclassify their securities holdings such as investments in shares of stock and enter the amounts in ledgers at the time these were purchased — in this case from January to July — instead of their current and deflated values, the Bangko Sentral is in effect giving banks the option

to pare losses until such time when the markets have recovered and gains could be registered once more. As a Bangko Sentral official who requested not to be named, as he was not authorized to comment on such matters said, “These are extraordinary times and we need extraordinary measures.”

experience a slowdown in our business as our clients experience lower sales, or as they experience a slowdown that has obviously had somewhat of an impact in our numbers.

“But what we are finding is that there is more interest in outsourcing,” he adds.

The Development Budget Coordination Committee, a Cabinet-level policy-setting body in the Philippines, in a revised estimate has placed economic growth for 2008 at 4.1 percent as measured by the gross domestic product. The numbers compare with a 30year high of 7.2 percent in 2007.

CEOs, according to Tuchman, have come to realize that core aspects of their business could be “turned over to professionals who could partner with them and can deliver and do the job faster, better and at a lower cost.”

Economic growth estimates for the Philippines’ US$117-billion economy vary for 2008, from the official 4.3 percent- 4.7 percent to 3.9 percent to 4.1 percent. The consensus points to a gross domestic product growing and not moving into a recession. The gross domestic product measures how much goods and services a country produces in a given period.

Because of this new realization, TeleTech is expanding its Philippine operations by 22 percent to 25 percent this year.

The numbers translate into hiring more people — call center agents mostly — that would bring the company’s total to 25,000 from 21,000 employees. Its Philippine operations roughly accounts for 30 percent of TeleTech’s US$1billion global business.

Strategies and ways of doing business would have to change, because the ripple effect of the US-Europe-Japan recession has made a tremendous impact on demand for goods and services in global terms.

The company expects new business to come from “all English-speaking regions of the world,” says Tuchman.

An industry that would likely be able to survive and do well into the recessiondominated scenario of 2009 is business process outsourcing (BPO). The Philippines is banking on the industry to churn out US$13 billion in gross revenue for the country by 2010.

TeleTech, whose president and CEO Kenneth Tuchman was in Manila last December to party with employees of its Philippine operations, reads this year with cautious optimism as companies around the world rethink their position and go on cost-cutting mode to tide the slump.

Recession officially started in the US in December 2007. “We think the eye of the storm is in the first quarter,” says Tuchman in an interview with Illustrado. “We see it.”

As a consequence of the global financial meltdown that brought about the collapse of Wall Street, the US automobile industry, and American factories and businesses cutting down payrolls by as much as 533,000 in November alone, many people would wake up in January with the realization that recession has indeed come to town as Santa’s visit a month earlier.

“We don’t think anyone is going to escape this slowdown,” Tuchman says in an interview with Illustrado. “We do

“One could argue that (the global economic slump) is potentially a stimulus for more people to accept that this is happening,” says Tuchman in the interview. “This would create a catalyst for executives to go off the doubt and make decisions.

“So we are seeing a multitude of things happening,” Tuchman adds. “One, companies who said ‘we are outsourcing only 30 percent of our business, the rest we must maintain internally,’ we are now seeing that number go to 60 percent and in some cases a hundred. Two, companies that used to say ‘over my dead body—I’m not going to outsource’— are now saying ‘we need to talk.’”

Asked for business projections in money terms for 2009, Tuchman says “it’s so difficult to crunch numbers now because there are so many variables and abstracts, but because we are the biggest in this space, we are the most financially healthy in this space, we are going to be invited to the dance floor. With the consolidation of the small players, we believe that we are going to reap the benefit and will continue to win more business.”

“That is why we have been so successful in the Philippines. We are the fastest employer in the country not just in our space, but in the whole country,” he adds.

12 ILLUMINATI

Counting our blessings BY: KRIP YUSON

We’ve been so used to hearing mostly bad news, complaints, protest, gripes and rants, that sometimes any triumph that does the Pinoy proud gets so blown out of proportion.

I won’t cite the latest Manny Pacquiao triumph among those, as it truly was historic.

What struck me, while joining a thousand others in watching the fight live on pay-perview at a modern venue — one of countless made available in Metro Manila — was the composition and demeanor of the crowd, and how it all seemed so pleasant, that it felt as if one was in a Manila of the future.

These were healthy Pinoys in joint attendance, in casual dress, many in shorts, some with jackets in affirmation of the effective air-conditioning. Bonding buddies, sweethearts, dating couples, families, men and their young sons constituted the crowd, decidedly of an upper-income mix albeit not exactly of the elite leisure class.

After all, most managed to afford the price of the ticket, which was four times more than for a movie. Then too, there was the usual sprinkling of staffers and charity cases, which only complemented the paying customers in providing a range of new-millennium Pinoys out for a sporting Sunday, in communion with the rest of the globe while tuning in on Fight Night in Vegas from across an ocean of shared destiny.

We all cheered wildly and turned ecstatic with Pacman’s victory. And after, we filed out with gleeful faces, knowing that the Pinoy stood tall in the eyes of the world at that very moment.

As a brotherhood of joy, we exchanged high fives and streamed out into the glorious sunshine of a December noon, then went our own ways and did grocery duties at the SM Hypermarket across, or had coffee at Starbucks or McDonald’s nearby.

Many settled in for lunch at any of the restos on the Frontera Verde Drive strip or at the home-cooking food court at Tiendesitas of the same commercial complex serving Valle Verde and Pasig residents, balikbayans and foreign tourists. The latter gravitate to the relatively new landmark for souvenir items, hardwood furniture, local art and curios, regional delicacies, and the attractions of a daily tiangge or flea market.

The weekend scene was undoubtedly replicated in other strip malls and ‘mega’

centers all over the metropolis, from the Mall of Asia by Manila Bay to the cushier confines of Alabang. And even at the lowerdemographic SMs in Manila proper, the same happy picture of a Sunday outing for families, lovers and brethren surely made itself more memorable with one Filipino boxer’s multi-million-peso victory.

Daily, other Pinoys do us proud throughout the world. Their feats are only overshadowed by the seasonal charges of endemic anomalies and corruption that apparently characterize public service.

Thus, the Cecile Licads, Lea Salongas and Charice Pempengcos, the Jessica Hagedorns, Ninotchka Roscas and Miguel Syjucos (‘Chuck’ Syjuco is the recent winner of the Hong Kongbased 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize for the Novel for his draft manuscript entitled ‘Ilustrado’), and a legion of other world-beaters in the arts and sciences, educational and environmental processes, and whatever other areas of human endeavor may be there to challenge us a race — inclusive of our indomitable seafarers, caregivers and domestic helpers — turn into occasional footnotes that only grace telecasts and broadsheets as human-interest features, instead of rightfully becoming the subject of the mainstream news.

No, it can’t just be ship and landslide tragedies, devastating storms and flooding, terrorist attacks and kidnappings, bank robberies, and the usual exposés on kickbacks involving a government honcho or agency that should be the staple of contemporary reportage and documentation.

The main story is how we keep strengthening and enhancing our culture, how we keep evolving, even as we move from toddler phase in the world stage of history’s timeline.

This last Yuletide, a Filipina scholar in Madrid e-mailed me to say that it would be her first Christmas abroad, where alone, she geared up for the loneliness and keening nostalgia for home. It dawned on me that we do have the strength of culture — and

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it’s only partly because we have the longest Christmas celebration in the world. During that time, we share what we have, even transcending our extended family and support system. And we make merry with what we have.

Washed over hourly by Christmas songs in Pilipino and English, captivated by colorful lights and lanterns and swooning over fireworks displays, trooping to dawn Mass and filling up on puto bumbong and bibingka, getting together for media noche or the midnight feast however modest, we smile heartily and preserve the good cheer.

We sing together and laugh together, despite all the pressing concerns.

This is the culture we have built up, even as we keep rediscovering ourselves every day.

And this is why our legions of modern-day Hobbits engaged in the diaspora all do their best to be part of the traditional holiday picture, by sending remittances, donations and gifts home from wherever they are.

And wherever they are, they feel the poignancy of being far from home — that homeland that taught us to care for one another always.

The inspiring narrative exemplified by the Gawad Kalinga efforts, drawing even the involvement of foreigners who taste of the genuine warmth of sacrifice and caring, is the real story — together with all the unfolding little histories created by our heroes everywhere: our musicians, poets and artists, our engineers and designers, our doctors and nurses, our teachers and scholars, our supervisors and workers.

The collective view then should be of a glass even more than half full, especially since we know that our politicians, in being the perpetual laughing stock, only help provide us with the impetus to steadily do away with that cultural aspect of greed and cavalier governance. For now they also offer a source of undying humor as much as of contempt.

And we know we will continue to laugh and sing with inexhaustible spirits and collective good cheer.

Mabuhay pa rin ang Pinoy!

14 FEATURE

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Made in the

PHILIPPINES BY: JESSE EDEP

Most people describe the Philippines as a backward third world weakling of a country.

That perception, however, is merely an old wives’ tale.

The Philippines is an English-speaking nation, which provides us, in this Englishspeaking society, ascendancy much larger than our size. It is noted to have 95 percent of its population who can deliver fluency and understand English effectively.

Illusion of an American agent This gives the Philippines a head start in terms of the quality of its customer service — apart from patience and hospitality — as if the Philippine value is in its ability to present a chimera of an American agent— but friendlier.

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The country is the 12th largest in the world. There are 160 countries in the globe smaller than the Philippines.

Metro Manila alone is bigger than half of all the countries of the world. To put that into perspective, a country that is double the size of 90 percent of all the

countries in the world is certainly not puny. A country whose largest city is larger than most countries is hardly weak. Moreso, a nation which is the polestar for multinational electronics giants and a growing force in the global Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, is in no way - backward.

Dan Reyes, president of Sitel Philippines, says Filipinos are unequalled when it comes to the way they speak English as a second language. They are also patient in handling calls, says Call Center Association of the Philippines Executive Director Jojo Uligan.

“Majority of our calls come from the United States which gives us not much problems in dealing with them,” says Reyes.

“With a long history of contact with the United States, including several decades

FEATURE 15 have its presence in the country. He enumerates: “Intel produces Pentium microprocessors here. Texas Instruments creates digital signal processor here.

One hundred percent of the brain of Nokia mobile phones is made here by Texas Instruments.”

“We are keen and passionate when it comes to design and product development,” he reckons. Lexmark employs a growing number of Filipino printer-software designers. Intel and Texas Instruments tap Filipino engineers for integrated circuit packaging design. Rohm Semiconductors uses Filipino engineers to design the internal circuits themselves.

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of American colonial rule, Filipinos are more attuned to Western culture than most Asians are. We do not only find it easy to relate to Westerners but are also quick to adapt to a variety of accents.”

The Philippines, together with India and China, is now gaining a quick share in the customer-service call center industry, which is a steadfast business in the world today.

In 2007, the 25 leading operators of contact centers in the Philippines had an aggregate revenue of $1.7 billion.

To put it simply, the figure was slightly higher to the amount sent home by overseas Filipino workers through the banking system.

“This gives us a better sense as to how large the contact-center sector, which is driving the business process outsourcing industry, has become,” says Rep. Joseph Santiago, chairman of the House Information and Communications Technology Committee.

Lauro Vives, chief analyst of Canada-based research firm, XMG Global, believes that too much is being made of the ‘Americanness’ of Filipinos. Other reasons, in particular, include the country’s pool of qualified information-technology graduates and its telecommunications infrastructure, which is said to be better than India.

The hub for electronics producers On the other hand, the electronics and semiconductor industry is the country’s most important export industry, directly employing 460,000 workers and accounting for more than 60 percent of the country’s total merchandise exports last year, with sales of about US$31 billion. Philippine

producers supply bits and pieces for consumer, computer, communications, automotive, medical and industrial products.

The Philippines has long been a polestar for multinational electronics producers, where Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Toshiba, Dell, Panasonic, Acer, Fujitsu, Samsung and Lenovo all have significant production establishments.

Cebu Mitsumi, the biggest single employer in the Philippines, is employing almost 20,000 workers in Cebu City to produce computer peripherals and optical pick-up devices. Epson and Lexmark, producers of terminal printers and printheads, also have strong Philippine-based operation. Amkor Annam retains almost 10,000 workers to produce integrated circuits for global markets.

The Philippines supplies half of the world’s requirements for 2.5-inch hard disk drives and 10 percent of the 3.5-inch hard disk drives manufactured by the top three global suppliers, which are Fujitsu, Toshiba and Hitachi. One hundred percent of the Nokia digital signal processors and 80 percent of Siemens’ and Ericsson’s are manufactured

by Texas Instruments.

But, the country’s electronics export value is equivalent to only 2 percent of the total worldwide production. The Philippines falls behind its Asian neighbors — China, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and even Thailand — in terms of volume production.

Ernie Santiago, Executive Director of Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines, says most key electronics companies

One point why these multinational companies remain in the Philippines is that they know the topography of the country.

In 1974, Intel established an assembly and testing facility in the Philippines. Later, many of the then-small-now-big global chipmakers followed, including Philips, Sanyo and Rohm Semiconductors.

Industry analysts note that a highly advanced, dependable supply chain is at the crux why the majors have continued to exist in the Philippines.

Santiago explains that they have urged the development of various Filipino-owned suppliers of top-line components. These include Integrated Microelectronics, PSi Technologies, Fastech, Ionics, and Team Electronics, among others.

Last year, investments stood at $1.4 billion or an 87-percent increase over the $747 million worth of projects registered in 2006. He said this was the first time the industry exceeded the $1billion mark for investments in recent years.

Santiago, who expects to hit the $1-billion mark anew by the end of this year, said that during the past few months, a number of companies have been visiting the country taking a second look at the Philippines as a strategic choice for doing electronics business. These are small, medium and large semiconductor and electronics manufacturing companies, including support and allied industries.

With an average annual growth of 17 percent over the last four years, the electronics and semiconductor industry in the Philippines is now worth more than a trillion dollars.

So who says the Philippines is small and weak? It’s about time we start thinking differently about our country, despite those old wives’ tale.

18 FAMOUS FILIPINOS

PIN

YS

IN THE

FAST LANE Angelo Barretto Angelo Barretto is a veteran Filipino racer who has competed in various events all around the world. He has achieved great success, especially in Europe where he, alongside a teammate, almost won the Rookie Championship in his debut season at the European Sportscar Endurance Championship. He and his team won the inaugural Le Mans Classic in France. He has also participated in the American Le Mans Series in the USA. He was recently part of the first Filipino team to complete the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill endurance race, finishing 12th overall in the event.

Robbie Montinola Montinola is a Filipino-American racecar driver based in the US. He raced in the Formula Dodge series where he won multiple awards including the Most Improved Driver and Western Champion. He has also competed in the Formula BMW USA and Pro Star Mazda series.

He was part of the three-man Filipino team that competed in the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill race.

Tyson Sy Tyson Sy was the youngest Filipino driver in the Asian Formula 3 series, entering the competition at the tender age of 16. After finishing second overall in the 2006 season, he moved on to race in the 2007 Star Mazda series with the California-based Team G.Fro. Tyson is the Filipino racer with a plan. With ambitions to be the first Pinoy to race in Formula One, he carefully selected the Star Mazda series because it gives him realistic steps toward the famed Indy Car Racing series — which is one step away from F1. His daring racing in the series had the track announcers dub him the ‘Thrilla from Manila,’ a nickname we hope will make it in Formula One in the future.

Gaby Dela Merced Filipina racer Gaby Dela Merced’s claim to fame was a strong performance in the Asian Formula 3 series in 2006. She finished first runner-up in the Philippine National Formula Championship that year. Her popularity skyrocketed though after she appeared in a shampoo commercial. She flirted with show business after appearing in the reality TV show, Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition and even landed herself on the cover of the raunchy magazine FHM. Gaby, though, stayed true to her racing roots. She was recently part of the first Filipino team to finish the longest endurance race in the USA — the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill event. The team finished in 6th place in their class, and 12th overall; a pretty impressive finish in the 68-car event. It was her first time to race in an endurance race.

Michelle Bumgarner Filipina racer Michelle Bumgarner is one of the more known personalities in the Asian racing scene, sporting the monicker ‘Asia’s Karting Queen’ for quite some time. She has raced in the Asia-Pacific Karting Championships, the Asian Karting Open Championship and the Italian Masters Series. In the 2005 Italian Open Masters, she finished 11th in her class, besting 169 other cars. She has also competed in Asian Formula 3 and the Star Mazda series. In September of 2008, she became the first female champion of the Rock Island Grand Prix, the world’s largest street kart racing event. A month later, it was reported that she had signed a five-year developmental deal to race in the Indy Lights series. The program has plans of eventually taking her to the prestigious Indy Car Racing series — a few steps away from Formula One.

20 FEATURE

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Third Culture Kids, One Culture World BY: DAVID POARCH

With the world becoming an increasingly smaller place, where people move at ease from one part of the world to the other and as multiracial interaction has become commonplace, the challenges faced by globally nomadic kids has become more relevant than ever. Illustrado contributor David Poarch delves into the complex existence of Third Culture Kids and finds resonance with the lives of other cultural hybrids.

Fresh off a two-year journey of self-discovery and catharsis in provincial Philippines, I found myself returning to the paved tracks of the American Dream and resuming my role as a college student in another school and yet another new state. This brought back memories of my volatile childhood as a son of an American Navy Senior Chief. Fifteen minutes before lecture was scheduled to begin, I entered class and sat at the righthand corner of the room with at least a chair separating me from the rest of the students.

This social gap was normal for me and even representative of my life as an outsider; plagued with a yearning to coalesce but with an inability to connect with the majority.

Such is the plight of the Third Culture

Kid — or a TCK — as termed by sociologist Ruth Hill Useem in the 1960s. It refers to someone who spent their formative years in one or more cultures other than their own. Elements of that culture, plus their own birth culture, integrate to form a third culture, thus the term.

I was born in Subic, Zambales to a Filipino mother and a Caucasian American father.

I lived in the Philippines until I was eight years old, which was around the time when the Philippine Senate put an end to the days of the US military bases in the country.

Subsequently, we relocated to the States — where I had to deal with small doses of culture shock as our families moved states at least once a year. My life as a TCK, a global

nomad, had officially begun.

Where Are You From?

This is a question that troubled many a TCK, and was certainly not uncommon when I was attending grade school. Throughout the part of my childhood spent in the US, I used ‘the Philippines’ as my response, never giving it a second thought. As I continued moving from state to state, I felt my environments gradually molding who I am. I started thinking then — what was it really asking and in what context?

I was born in the Philippines, yes, but does that mean I wasn’t from the state I just moved in from? Does it mean I’m from

FEATURE 21

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many different places? Doesn’t my passport country, the United States, officially designate where my home is? Or does the question “where are you from?” really mean “why do you look different from us?”

would understand me is another TCK who shares the same blend of a third culture that I do, which is exceptionally hard to come by.

They say you know you’re a TCK when there’s more than one reasonable answer.

This attempt to develop self-identity from a background of diversity and cultural confusion is a major challenge that most TCKs face.

As a result of this unstable relationship with the outside world, my life for the most part revolves around my direct family.

This is typical of the TCK profile that is independent, self-reliant and family-centric.

Though this has formed a strong and closeknit family bond, it does not come without disadvantages. Sociologists have discovered that TCK family members are thrown back psychologically on one another in ways that is not typical of geographically stable families. This leads to parental quarrelling (due to cultural differences), detached sibling relations (due to inept social abilities) and other psychological and emotional problems; many of which I continue to face today.

Despite feeling like an outsider, I did make attempts to befriend others. Studies show that TCKs tend to get along with people of any culture, although they also tend to isolate themselves within their own subculture, sometimes excluding the native kids. Stats show that while 90% of TCKs feel as if they understand other cultures better than the average American, 90% also report feeling out-of-sync with their peers. In my case, I am rather accepting of most cultures, but my xenophilic nature did not necessarily mean I would be accepted in my adopted cultures.

I often approached anyone I observed any hint of connection with my culture, Filipinos especially. My attempts would prove futile, however, as many Filipinos I met were no longer or never were the traditional Pinoy, but rather an Americanized version. It has yet to happen that I find someone I really click with because it seems the only one who

Tracking the Positives The social isolation and cultural confusion prevalent in TCK life do breed conditions for positive and progressive pursuits.

Growing up in a sheltered and out of touch with my peers allowed me devotion to my academic and career endeavors, where the self-imposed pressure and expectations ultimately led to successes.

When the quest for perfection inevitably failed (as it always does), the mental and

emotional stress became overwhelming. I felt as if my whole world was falling apart — and thus temporarily veered off course to seek renewed motivation in life only to return a couple of years later with more vigor and maturity.

Similar to my academic path, statistics show that TCKs don’t usually earn their degrees until after the age of 22 and only after attending multiple universities. However, they are eight times more likely to go on and earn an advanced degree as compared to the non-TCK population. Moreover, research also shows that teenage TCKs are more mature than non-TCKs, though they take longer to grow up in their 20s.

Finding Home Most TCKs feel a sense of ‘rootlessness’ throughout their lives, as they generally have trouble defining where home is.

In terms of nature versus nurture, the living environment and upbringing has an indelible impact on the formation of the unique third culture that stands as the person’s identity.

Genetics, though, play a major role in the TCK’s life. Genetic lineage hands down permanent physical features that lead to a TCK’s racial categorization, which may or may not match the racial majority of their adopted culture. I had attempted to fit into both of my parents’ birth countries.

22 FEATURE

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However, I was neither white nor black or even Hispanic ‘brown’ so my appearance made it difficult for others to understand me.

Perhaps due to my formative years in the Philippines, I never did quite connect with my American peers socially either. It was a connection I sought to recover when, upon dropping out of college, I returned to the Philippines. I did feel much more at home in my motherland, but my foreign features was something many locals could not help but take advantage of.

I liken myself to a cultural chameleon, trying to change colors to keep up with my constantly varying environment, but am inevitably discovered by the residents of both cultures. I never quite fit perfectly in either the Philippines or the US. Meeting the Challenge It seems that the greatest challenge for maturing TCKs is forming a sense of personal identity through the varying environments to which they’ve been exposed. Though the identity struggle of the TCK can be difficult, meeting the challenge can be their greatest strength. Adapting to third-culture life by reaping the fruits from a range of cultural experiences and developing a sense of who they are give a TCK a certain steadiness amidst the instability of the world around them: this is a classic feature of the TCK — seeming above it all.

This trait is probably best epitomized by 2008 Time Magazine Person of the Year Barack Obama. He was a TCK born to American and Kenyan parents, spent many of his formative years in Indonesia and Hawaii before settling in Illinois, becoming a US Senator and eventually, the current President of the country.

Being linguistically adept and holding an international understanding from their exposure to different societies, TCKs have a globalized culture and a sense that all countries of the world are connected. I, personally, view myself as a global citizen with Filipino social values and American moral ideals. I harbour a passion for seeking common good not only for both my kadugo [blood] and kababayans [countrymen], but also for our kapwa tao sa buong mundo [fellow people around the world].

With the necessary tools for diplomacy, international relations and global leadership, the Third Culture Kids just might hold the answer to tackling the major international crises facing the world today.

ILLUSTRADO Q

On being a TCK Dubai-resident, Art Director Dan Villanueva has lived in at least five different countries outside the Philippines, while Joan Tuano, whose family resides in Abu Dhabi is now attending college in Manila. The two share with Illustrado the nuances of life as a third culture kid.

How did you become a TCK? DAN: When I was seven, my family relocated to Hong Kong due to my dad’s posting with the Philip Morris Asia Pacific HQ. Then at 16, once again my family had to move to Melbourne, Australia where I had the best times in high school. At 19, I moved to Los Angeles California without my family for College and started my career in advertising there. I was also heavily in and out of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. And now I’m in Dubai.

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JOAN: Both my parents are CPAs and wanted international experience. After researching, living for awhile and sort of ‘scouting’ Abu Dhabi, my parents were able to land good jobs and before we knew it, the family moved to the UAE. I was five years old then and my younger brother was two.

How was it like to grow up as a TCK? DAN: It’s strange, but in my younger years I best identified with groups comprised of very dissimilar people. I liked the challenge of getting along with people who don’t look like me, talk like me and who grew up in different environments. I never really liked cliques. In almost all the places I’ve lived in, there were Filipino cliques and Asian cliques but I never felt the need to belong to them. In Australia, I never preferred hanging out with Asians versus Australians and vice versa. My best friends in Australia were Italian, Sri Lankan and Greek actually.

In Los Angeles my best friends were Polish and Puerto Rican. Although I did have really close Filipino friends in Hong Kong we were all hanging out with the rest of the other different nationalities. It’s just more fun that way. Lunch time was most especially fun because it always felt like an international pot luck party. It was fun and educational trading my lunch for kimchi, samosas, carbonara, tempura, souvlaki or gazpacho etc. Why on earth would I want to trade my chicken adobo for pork adobo? Although I must admit after years of doing this, I do miss a bit of Filipino companionship - which is why I’ve been trying to get back in touch with my roots recently.

FEATURE 23 JOAN: When I was in Grade Eight, I became homesick. Not really for Jollibee or my relatives back in the Philippines, but for the company of fellow Filipinos. I was tired of being with my non-Filipino friends at school because I somehow knew, deep inside, that they’d never see me at the same ‘level of friendship’ they saw their own compatriots.

And so my parents sent me back to my former school - Miriam College, but this time of course, high school.

Right: Dan Villanueva Below: Joan Tuaño

Honestly, that was the worst year of my life.

Everyone had their own barkada and new people from different countries just didn’t have a place in those groups. So I made friends with fellow transferees from abroad.

I did not feel welcome. Even if we were told to speak English in the school, whenever I did, my classmates would think I was being ‘mayabang’, and they labeled me ‘conyo’ just because my accent was different. I definitely felt at extreme odds with my roots.

I’m actually really sad because all I wanted was to be around my own ‘kababayans.’

That was a point in my life when I actually felt alone. So after a very difficult year, I returned to continue my high school studies in the UAE. Here in the UAE, I did gravitate towards people especially those with a certain mindset. I have identified (and I still do) with Africans - I love them! They are people who actually look at the person inside, not the material physical appearance. My best friends are Somalian and South African.

What’s the worst or most difficult thing about being a TCK? DAN: Filipinos here in Dubai are very cliquey.

I’ve never heard this term ‘kabayan’ used so much before till I moved out here. Not once did I ever hear it in California. Filipinos here are probably more comfortable when they see someone like themselves. This is troublesome for me because when they see a very Filipino face like mine and a name like Danilo Vicente Villanueva on my credit card, but I can’t speak a word of Tagalog, smiles turn into frowns. Suddenly, the moment I speak a word of English, I’m an outsider to them. Suddenly I’ve been labeled as one of those arrogant ‘Amboys’ trying to impress all the cute Filipina girls around with his superior green card and his fake accent.

This gets old and tiring especially when all you want is a Chicken McNuggets meal at McDonald’s. Now this is just in Dubai. My mom always tells me not to open my mouth whenever I visit her in Manila or I might get beaten up. To me this is the toughest part about being a Filipino TCK. And yes I do feel at odds with my roots at times because of the language barrier even though, like I mentioned before, I’ve been trying to get

also gain a better understanding of others who aren’t exactly like yourself whilst retaining your identity - or maybe just a slightly altered identity.

closely back in touch with it: I know almost all the Filipino food joints in town, I go out with my Filipino colleagues often, I’m a fan of Eraserheads (a late fan, but still a fan), I watch cheesy Filipino movies from time to time, and I even got myself a Filipina girlfriend. But no matter what, it’s still difficult not to feel like an outsider.

JOAN: If you’ve lived abroad through mostly the first part of your life, you can feel awkward when you’re back living with your ‘kababayans.’ For me the most difficult thing about being a TCK was trying to adjust that year in Miriam, because I finally realized that I was different from my countrymen.

It was the hardest but most rewarding part because I learned to get up and be proud of myself through that challenge.

Another drawback to being a TCK is that you can lose touch not only with your language, but with your heritage - some of my halfFilipino friends don’t even call themselves Filipino. You can hate your own culture, because you don’t know it. And because you don’t understand it, you will never love it.

What’s the best thing about being a TCK? DAN: The best part about being a Filipino TCK or any TCK for that matter is that you get to experience, learn other cultures and

JOAN: As a TCK you get free social studies and geography lessons - without you knowing. You have the opportunity of learning different languages and cultures.

You have friends who come from all over the world who can teach you about their countries and who could even be useful contacts in the future. You also get the benefit of international education. But the best thing of all is that I have learned to love my country so much more now than I think I would have if I was not a TCK. Having spent so much time living and learning with people from so many different places, has taught me how to appreciate my country better.

What tips would you give to other TCKs? DAN: As usual, like in all self-help books: be yourself. Always keep it simple and low key. Just because, to some, it’s a privilege to have grown up and be educated elsewhere outside the Philippines, don’t let it corrupt you.

JOAN: Keep going back to the Philippines!

Or keep in touch with our country - read news, keep ties with your family back home, buy a history book and do your projects as much as possible on happenings in the Philippines. Cook Filipino food at home and speak Filipino at home. Share the Philippines with your friends from elsewhere. You’re already abroad! Help the Philippines in your own ways, regardless how small. The Philippines is amazing, and everyone should know!

If you feel like the culture back at home is not at terms with your way of life, don’t be ashamed of it or shy away from it. It is part of how your culture came to be your culture.

Hence it is a part of you. Be proud of it. I am. You aren’t alone.

24 KABUHAYAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Kaila Bags BY: BERNADETTE REYES

I’m tired of joining bazaars,” Jonathan Ong remembers telling his wife Melanie in 2003 after years of joining trade fairs took its toll, eating up the couple’s time that was supposedly for their children and not giving them a steady source of income to last all year round. The couple gave themselves a last chance in the business and joined a bazaar which fell on All Saint’s Day. “We were offered to join a bazaar scheduled to run between October 28 to November 2. We didn’t realize the dates fell at a time when most people are expected to be in cemeteries than in malls doing some shopping,” he says.

Nevertheless, the couple pushed through with the activity since they had already paid in full. Little did they know this would be the beginning of something great. “For the first day we were able to sell almost all our products. We had to work double time on production if we want to sell more for the succeeding days. Up until the last day of the bazaar our bags were selling like hotcakes,” he says. It was at this point the couple decided to put up a business that manufactures bags.

Jonathan confessed the first few months prior to the opening the business was marked by a lot of trial and error. Melanie had no formal training on bag-making or even the basic knowledge on sewing but she possessed such passion for bags that he felt going in the bag business was the right move. “My wife really likes bags.

She would always buy bags with her sister, Mary Jean Gabriel, disassemble the parts then put them back together to form new pieces,” he says. In 2004, as soon as the couple learned the ropes of the business, they opened their first branch at Marikina

Riverbanks which sells bags under the brand name Kaila. Sales were impressive booking a gross income of PHP300,000 for the first month alone. Two months after they opened their first store - the business branched out into Robinson’s Metro East and the business just kept on growing since then.

Confident in their product, the couple together with Mary Jean decided to open their business to franchise that same year. With the help of a consultant they worked on a franchise agreement that would benefit both the franchisor and the franchisee. A franchise package costs PHP350,000 inclusive of franchise fee, PR and post operating assistance, site assistance, training, stall racks and shelves and PHP100,000 worth of inventory.

For those working on a tighter budget, a package cost of PHP300,000 may be availed of with inventory cut down to PHP50,000.

No royalties are collected from franchisees to allow them to recoup their initial capital

in less than a year. ”We are not after the profit of our franchisees. We wanted them to earn while we just wanted to make the brand known with their help,” says Jonathan. To make the package even more enticing, the agreement offers to franchisees the privilege to renew the contract after five years free of charge, as long as the franchisee commits to buy stocks from the franchisor. They believe opening up the business to interested franchisees is the way to go to ensure they are able to maintain the best business practices at all times. “For a business to prosper, the owner must be able to carefully look after its operations. If we try to saturate the market with only companyowned businesses, we will not be able to give each branch the necessary attention it needs that’s why we decided to offer the provincial outlets to franchisees,” he explains.

In 2005, the first-ever franchise outlet of Kaila opened at Nova Mall. The business has grown so fast it now has 19 branches, 12 of which are franchised outlets while

ENTREPRENEURSHIP KABUHAYAN 25

the rest are company-owned. Kaila outlets are found in Robinson Ermita, Robinsons Galleria, Robinsons Metro East, Robinsons Place Imus, Robinsons Place Lipa, Robinsons Bacolod, Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall, River Banks Center Mall and Robinson Nova Market, Centro Escolar University Credit Cooperative, Limketkai Mall in Cagayan de Oro, Robinsons Star Mills in Pampanga, NCCC Mall in Davao, The Pointe in Ormoc City, Pavilion Mall in Laguna, Malabon City Square, Metropolis Star Mall in Alabang, Elizabeth Mall in Cebu, and St. Francis Square in Ortigas.

To make its presence stronger in the market, it also has distribution in Shopwise Supercenters nationwide.

With the proven effective business model of Kaila, the business has also caught the attention of an OFW couple based in Saudi Arabia looking to own a franchise in the Philippines. They sent money to their daughter to acquire a franchise business in NCCC Mall in Davao. This way, the couple earns additional income while maintaining their respective careers abroad. Another OFW, Pamela Bohol, is an Abu Dhabi-based nurse in her early twenties who acquired a franchise business situated in Metropolis Star Mall in Alabang and asked her best friend to manage the business while she is away. The store, which opened in May, has been making headway since then. “Our franchise is a good opportunity for OFWs and business-minded individuals based in the country to earn additional income because we have a business model that works,” says Jonathan.

With bigger bag manufacturers supplying bags to the Philippine market, Kaila manages to thrive in the industry given its competitive price advantage — without

sacrificing the quality of its products. Its designs are so versatile, the couple claims, that it captures the B, C and D markets with ages 12 to early thirties as its most frequent customers. “We see to it that our bags are very trendy yet affordable. Even at a time when inflation has pushed up prices of basic commodity, we have bags that sell at PHP99.95,” Jonathan says. All bags sold in all of the Kaila outlets retails for no more than PHP350 to make sure they are able to maintain the brand’s image as the low-cost yet fashionable bag maker.

With the success that Kaila is reaping, the owners never forget to play a part in helping society through the exercise of corporate social responsibility. They thought of supporting a charity as a way of giving back to the country and people that allowed them to make their dreams come true. Today, they dedicate a percentage of their sales to Bantay Bata 168 to help the children under its care. “It feels good when we make profit but it feels better when we are able to help in our own little ways,” Jonathan says. They plan to include other charitable institutions as beneficiaries as their business moves forward.

While working on this worthy cause, they are also working on building the brand further. The couple hopes to make the brand a household name in the country — and perhaps later gain international recognition as well — but they are waiting for the proper time. “We want to become a household name like Bench. We are not rushing,” says Jonathan. The business has already caught the attention of interested parties to distribute its bags outside the Philippine in places such as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, London and Japan but they decided to hold off negotiations until they

are ready for international expansion. “We are overwhelmed with the attention we are getting and we wanted so much to grab these opportunities but we declined them.

Local operations might suffer if we enter such negotiations at this point in time,” they say.

For now the owners are content with the success they are enjoying. The right mix of talent helped Kaila grow through the years. Mary Jean takes care of production, Melanie works on the designs, merchandising and sourcing of materials while Jonathan manages the franchises and keeps tabs on deliveries and marketing. “I led them into the business. Of us three, I’m the most business-minded ever since high school days,” he says. With the hard work that they put on the business, Jonathan believes the business will be able see more success. He recalls how his wife would wake up in the middle of the night to work on bag designs. “At times she will wake up past midnight to make sketches. If she lets it pass, she will no longer be able to remember it the next day,” he says.

Looking back, Jonathan, Melanie and Mary Jean can only look back with pride at that they did and how they did not give-up as entrepreneurs during the times when they felt exhausted. “We were surprised at how things turned out after we almost thought of leaving everything behind. We worked hard on building this and we are determined to continue giving our best effort in the business. Yet somehow we believe that all of the growth and achievement we are receiving wouldn’t have been made possible if it weren’t for God,” they say.

Definitely, their perseverance has paid off in dividends — and the rewards have been well worth the sacrifice.

26 REAL ESTATE ADVERTORIAL

Heading South

Looking for an exciting new place to settle in? Illustrado features some of the best developments in the country located on the road heading south of the metro. only at TCLV, where you can pursue your every passion.

For inquiries, visit www.atAyala.com.

At the Verandas, you are encouraged to build roofcovered, open-aired living spaces like terraces and porches to maximize enjoyment of the fresh breeze, soothing landscaped scenery and congenial atmosphere of the neighborhood. Celebrate the joy of open-space living and experience tranquility and serenity in the picturesque surroundings of the community. For inquiries, visit www.tagaytayhighlands.com.

Two Serendra Bonifacio Global City, Taguig Imagine all the benefits of suburban living — deep in the heart of the city. Two Serendra at Bonifacio Global City allows its new residents to bridge the gap between urban living and suburban sprawl — defining a brand new place that these urbanites can truly call home.

It features a full complement of residential and lifestyle amenities: enjoy leisurely walks along the beautifully landscaped gardens, unwind in the elegant function rooms or cut loose and sweat it out in the development’s showcase of fitness and dedicated children’s amenities.

What’s more you can dine and hang out at Serendra’s numerous high-end establishments, or shop at Bonifacio High Street right across the road, or go a hop and a skip away to Market!Market!

This is suburban living in the heart of the city made tangible. Work where you live, and live where you play.

That’s what you can expect from Two Serendra. Two Serendra is a project of Community Innovations, Ayala Land’s standard-bearer for innovation in residential living. For inquiries, visit www.atAyala.com.

The Columns Legazpi Village Makati Think there’s nothing exciting about living in a condo anymore? Well, innovations in condo lifestyle are about to change your mind.

TRIbeca Private Residences Sucat, Paranaque The powerhouse partnership between investment house ATR KimEng Land, Inc and resort developer, Landco Pacific Corporation, has created an exciting new condominium development. Located near the intersection of Sucat and the South Expressway corridor, TRIbeca gives its residents convenient access to the Makati and Alabang Central Business Districts, the airport and various commercial centers.

Envisioned to raise the bar in condo living, TRIbeca is a unique urban residential condominium community which espouses an active lifestyle. The home is a place which should offer a change of pace, and the Landco development reflects this philosophy. It’s a place of refuge where one can spend quality time with one’s family and one’s self.

Featuring 15 mid-rise residential towers, each TRIbeca tower will house around 200 trendy studio, onebedroom, and two-bedroom units that will redefine urban living. Amenities include the 1,800 square-meter multi-activity Aqua Park and the 3-hectare Central Park with various Active Spaces. Aside from these, a wealth of technology elements is built into the security architecture of the development: electronic security access via transponder, high-tech perimeter security system and CCTV cameras. It will also have the WI-FI zones and internet and cable connections that every urban sophisticate can no longer live without. For more information, please visit www.tribeca.com.ph.

The aptly-named Community Innovations serves up a complete lifestyle package in The Columns Legazpi Village (TCLV), a prime residential complex conveniently located along Makati’s premiere business and leisure destinations, at the corner of Arnaiz Avenue and Amorsolo Street. In TCLV, boardroom battles and fashionable haunts are both within reach.

TCLV is an excellently-planned development loaded with all the amenities a resident could ask for. With unit availability ranging from studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, two-bedroom bi-level to loft — the possibilities are limited only by one’s imagination.

Work-minded individuals can have their 2-bedroom bi-level unit transformed into an office extension. The leisure-oriented can convert the very same thing into a virtual game room. Fitness buffs will relish the 2,000sqm fitness hub that features state-of-the-art equipment

Plantation Hills Tagaytay Highlands As the world continues to get more complicated by the day, it’s nice to know that some places continue to keep it simple. Plantation Hills is a leisure farming community in Tagaytay that is dedicated to fostering the pleasures and benefits of being close to Mother Nature. The rustic, organic setting is a reminder of life at its purest.

Plantation Hills is a 90-hectare ecological haven.

Strategically located at the heart of the Highlands complex, one can take advantage of the provincial breeze and a healthy mix of traditional living on your farm lot, and the creature comforts provided by the Highlands and Midlands Golf and Country Clubs. For inquiries, visit www.tagaytayhighlands.com.

The Parks at Saratoga Hills Tagaytay Highlands The Parks at Saratoga Hills stands for the strengthening of family ties and promoting family values. It hold true to this through the creation of venues that make this all possible. The Parks at Saratoga Hills is a residential development that features American country homes in several clusters. Each cluster has a courtyard to serve as a centerpiece, which blooms with life amidst any season.

The Verandas Tagaytay Highlands Take a trip back in time to the laidback lifestyle of the American South; to bygone days of simple family living.

It was a slow, idyllic time — and a sharp contrast from the frenetic pace of the modern world. The Verandas at Tagaytay Highlands takes its inspiration from this era and offers you a refuge from the hustle and bustle of the urban routine.

For every house, spacious lawns are there for the children to play in, or for family picnics. Again, enjoy the benefits of a simple life while taking advantage of the modern comforts of the Tagaytay Highlands and Tagaytay Midlands developments. For inquiries, visit www.tagaytayhighlands.com.

ADVERTORIAL 27

Top : Saladmaster Machine Left : Claire Manglicmot, Managing Director of Essential Health Canada, doing a cooking demo in the UAE.

Now in the UAE

Changing lives through delicious healthy cooking It’s the time of the year again to seriously consider how to live a healthy life after all the sumptuous meals during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Saladmaster has the perfect cooking solution to help you maintain an active and healthy lifestyle, while saving you time and money.

The world renowned Saladmaster Complete Cooking System is now available in the United Arab Emirates. Through the partnership of Claire Manglicmot, Managing Director of Essential Health Canada, and Dubai-based professional and entrepreneur Redd Valdehueza, Filipinos and other expatriates will be introduced to a healthier food preparation solution by hosting lunch or dinner for at least four couples or eight individuals.

According to Claire, hosting lunch or dinner is easy and so much fun. You get rewarded just for opening your home and allowing us to cook for you. “We’ll cook an entire lunch or dinner for you and your friends with absolutely no obligation! We bring the food, do all the cleaning and reward the hosts with a Saladmaster Machine.

All you need to do is invite friends and supply the beverages. It will be an activity to remember.”

The original Saladmaster Machine, simple to use and easy to store, was the company’s first product. This handy shredder with a 5-cone slicer has repeatedly proven itself over the years. The success of its innovative design created a demand for cookware as functional as the Saladmaster Machine itself.

Saladmaster is changing lives and making dreams come true by providing the absolute best quality products and career opportunities. Saladmaster is bringing the enjoyment back into cooking. The Saladmaster Complete Cooking System provides a lifetime of benefits in: health, time, energy, money, quality products, and the “Spirit of Success” opportunity.

For those who are just learning to cook, as well as cooking enthusiasts, Saladmaster offers four sets to meet your needs.

The cooking system enables you to cook low-fat, nutritious meals that taste incredibly delicious. It also enables you to fry meat without a drop of oil and cooks only at medium temperature - never high heat - thus preserving the food enzymes which give the natural flavor.

Furthermore, you can cook low salt dishes or without salt compared to normal cooking when a lot of salt and spices are used. As a result when you eat healthy food, you look better, feel better and live longer.

The cooking system is made out of 316Ti surgical stainless steel which is of a much higher grade and sheen than the stainless steels used by other cookware companies. Saladmaster is the only 316Ti surgical stainless steel cooking system.

In fact, 316Ti is widely known and respected in the medical field for its high performance and durability, and is used to make the world’s finest health equipment For more information about Saladmaster, please visit the website www.saladmaster.com, or email claricem2@ yahoo.com / reddvaldehueza@gmail.com, or call +971508824680/1049813. For cooking demos outside the UAE such as in Qatar and Bahrain, please provide Claire or Redd at least two to three weeks lead time.

28 KABUHAYAN MONEY

FINANCIAL RESOLUTIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR BY: FRANCISCO COLAYCO

We greet 2009 with a lot of dreams and wishes together with some apprehension on what will happen to our lives. We all make our New Year’s resolutions but most of the time, these resolutions are general and related to habits and attitudes.

Unfortunately, as the year moves on, these are forgotten and before we know it, we are again at the beginning of a new year. Let us change the habit this year and focus on two financial resolutions and let us put everything in writing.

Studies show that plans that are written are most likely to be implemented than those that are not written.

FIRST FINANCIAL RESOLUTION Know where you are financially NOW! Draw up your Personal Statement of Assets and Liabilities (SAL) and your Personal Income and Expense Statement (PIES).

With your SAL, you will have your present total personal Assets and your total personal Liabilities and your personal Net Worth. Thereafter, you should have your Personal Net Worth in your head, AT ANY GIVEN TIME. The objective is for you to know how near or how far you are from your goal, which we will work on in your second resolution below) so that you can take the necessary action on a daily basis.

You can make your PIES on the basis of a week, a month, a quarter or a year depending on your available information. It is best to make it for a shorter period and you can also use it for your budgeting purposes.

Don’t worry. There is a simple way and you do not need to be an accountant to do this. You can get the forms for this in my books or in the website www. colaycofoundation.com.

It is also good for you to have a simple filing system to put your personal financial records in order. Your financial filing system should contain (as much as possible) the original supporting documents of your assets and liabilities in an organized and easily accessible manner. It would also be good to keep in your file important receipts like payslips, electric bills, phone bills etc.

There are several clear benefits from doing these statements. First, it gives you the means to plan out and actually execute realistic plans that will give you eventual financial security. I am almost sure that most of you will be surprised to find out that you are really worth more than you think you are! Informal surveys show that not even 20% know their real Net Worth.

They focus only on their actual cash. Worse, they do not have a real understanding of their financial situation.

Second, when you go over the detailed listing in your PIES and SAL, you will reach a clearer understanding of how you spend your money. You may find out that you have been overspending in clothes or food or other assets you bought which are non-earning at all.

Remember when you SPEND, you are not following the first rule “PAY YOURSELF FIRST.” You are actually PAYING OTHERS FIRST, at the expense of building up your retirement money.

SECOND FINANCIAL RESOLUTION

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The second resolution has to do with promising yourself to actually set your personal financial goals by the time you retire 30 or 40 years from now! This is very simple.

MONEY KABUHAYAN 29

Just ask yourself: How much do you think you will need to support your lifestyle when you retire?

When you estimate this amount, think of your present lifestyle and how much it costs you. Is this the lifestyle you want or do you want better? Remove the present expenses that you will not have when you retire.

For example, perhaps, you will not have children studying anymore or the same telephone bills, etc. Add whatever extra expenses you think you will need when you retire. Chances are you will need less than your present expenses when you retire. In so computing, you will need to factor the average inflation rate between now and your expected retirement day.

This will give you the realistic amount you need to build up your net worth to at your retirement day. (The Pera Palaguin Workbook shows you how to do this.)

When you have the amount of inflationadjusted yearly expenses you think you will need when you retire, MULTIPLY it by TEN! This is your financial goal in absolute amount that you will need to accumulate upon retirement. You do this because you can assume that you can invest your money in an instrument that will earn you at least 10% p.a. The 10% p.a. that you will receive is what you will spend when you are already retired. Yes, you can earn 10% p.a. on a long-term basis. This approach would be the most practical and useful way of getting started.

The following example would be one way of determining your personal wealth target as described above. Review it yearly and make changes in accordance with your changing situation and your own personal judgment: 1. Present earnings per year: PHP 240,000 or PHP 20,000 monthly. For those who have higher or lower earnings, you can estimate or write us giving complete info. To convert present earnings to the retirement earnings, assume that you can reduce your expenses by around 30% upon retirement.

2. Number of years to retire: 30 years and 40 years. For those with a different number of years, you can just estimate or you can write us giving complete info.

3. Average inflation rate: 6%. Below, is how much your actual retirement

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expenses will be, using this inflation rate.

Today’s abnormal inflation rate is a high of 12% but you can use the 6% average rate for the 30 to 40 years.

better be liquidated and instead invested.

Depending on how much this amount is you may find your required monthly savings to be significantly reduced.

4. Personal net worth targets: Future value of present earnings upon retirement if reduced by 30% (i.e. desired yearly earnings during retirement):

Either way, you can see that achieving your desired wealth upon retirement is WITHIN YOUR REACH! This is particularly true since you should be able to increase your active income over the next 30 to 40 years. You can also see how important it is to start saving earlier! This way, you will have happier new years in the future!

Php 965,000 per year (in 30 yrs) Php 1,730,000 per year (in 40 yrs) If you will earn 10% per year on your investments, you will need to accumulate PHP9.6M 30 years from now. This will require that you save and invest PHP4,700 every month for the next 30 years. This is equivalent to 23% of your present salary of PHP20,000 per month.

Should you still have 40 years before retiring, you will need to accumulate PHP17.3M. To achieve this you need to save and invest every month the amount ot PHP3,200 or 16% of your current PhP20,000 monthly salary for the next 40 years.

The above assumes that you have no other assets to invest as lump sum to start your investing journey. But if you have your financial house in order, you will most likely find some assets that can

30 USAPANG KANTO Illustrado talks to Filipinos from different walks of life and asks

What would you do if you had lots of money?

COMPILED BY JONIE JOSE

Given a chance to have lots of money, I’ll put up a business in the Philippines near our place so that there is no need for me to work abroad just to make a decent living.

With this, I can spend more time with my family and help others by employing them in my business.

GRACE JANE GARCIA

If I will be in the position to have enough money, the first thing that I will do is to give 10% of it to the church as thanksgiving and another 20% to the poor and the needy. The remaining part of it will be invested in business.

ELMER SANCHEZ First of all, I will allot it for my children’s education. I will also see to it that I can send my parents off for a special vacation abroad. I would like them to unwind and enjoy even for a couple of weeks.

As thanksgiving to whatever blessings that will come, I will donate one set of musical instruments to the church. I am also planning to sponsor all of my eldest niece and nephew’s education.

VERONICA CACABELOS

If I had enough money, I would buy a ticket home and have a simple church wedding. I would start a restaurant and boarding house business. I would buy a car, a house and lot, gifts for my relatives and friends back home. I would give some money to the needy.

If I have enough money to do all these, I will go to Saint Mary’s, light a candle and thank God. LEXNEIL CARABLE

I will stop being an employee and become an employer. It is better to start on my own and take control of how I can be successful in the field that I really want.

ARIEL ABREA

I will treat myself to a trip to Europe - because travelling and the experience is just overwhelming! It’s like you’ve refreshed the soul when you see new things, people and places.

JENNIFER SANTOS

If ever I have enough money, I’ll get a driver’s license, buy a car, go home to the Philippines and spend my holiday with my family. And then I’ll rent a flat in Deira to start a new business.

JOSE CARLO LANTIN

32 SUCCESFUL PINOY SUCCESS PRINCIPLES

A Successful New Year’s Solution – Now! BY: JEFFREY ‘XIMO’ RAMOS

Start your year right

Boom! Ka-boom! Happy New Year sis and bro!

Bagamat may economic crisis tayo, kalimutang pansamantala habang sinasalubong ang bagong taon! Yes, it is true that you can not make this present crisis go away because you have no control over it. But YOU have control over your life – the way you will think and the manner you will act towards a new successful year. So I encourage you to make not mere token resolutions but real solutions to face the challenges ahead!

Nagtatalon ka ba nung unang oras ng bagong taon? Nagpakalansing ka ba ng barya sa bulsa? Naglagay ka ba ng bilog na prutas? Nagsuot ka ba ng bagong damit sa pagsalubong mo sa taong ito?

I also believe in the intentions of Feng Shui. Let me explain. Ang Feng Shui ay naka ayon sa tamang pag-lulugar ng mga bagay sa iyong paligid at tamang attitude ng tao sa pagharap sa tagumpay. I see it as the ‘Chinese way of visualization.’

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Tingnan mo: Kapag tumalon ka on New Year’s Eve, tataas ka ba talaga? Hindi!

Pero ang tataas sa iyo ay and iyong energy level and the happiness that you are exuding while you are jumping. Ang pagkakalansing ng barya mismo ay hindi magbibigay sa iyo ng pera but because you have touched and heard the sound of money, it gives you the feeling of what it is to have ‘money’ – the feeling of having plenty and the joyous sound money creates when you have a lot (sige, subukan mong mag-lagay ng dalawang bente singko at saka mo ikalansing… malakas pa ang tunog ng hininga ng daga ‘dyan!)

Ang paglalagay naman ng maraming bilog na prutas ay visualization lang rin ng kasaganahan. Hindi ba habang tinititigan mo ang maraming prutas nakakaramdam ka ng ‘abundance’? Kahit na nga hindi mo na kainin masaya ka - basta may nakalagay sa hapag kainan. Even wearing new clothes or freshly washed clothes gives you that comfortable happy feeling, ‘di ba? Malinis at mabangong pakiramdam to welcome the New Year. Subukan mong isuot uli ‘yung pina-malengke at pinang-luto mo nuong umaga, mapapa-aga ang putokan sa iyo!

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Even the predictions sa bagong taon, pansinin mo na iisa lang ang ending ng bawat Feng Shui expert: “Ikaw pa rin ang gagawa ng iyong kapalaran. Depende sa iyong kasipagan, pagkilala sa sarili at pananalig sa Maykapal.” Also look at your new year’s resolutions from previous years as well. Ang ibig sabihin kasi ng ‘re’ is ‘again.’ Kaya paulit-ulit mo tuloy ginagawa – for example, ‘re-diet’ ulit; o kaya naman ‘refinance’ as in “hindi na ako mangungutang ngayong taon na ito, effective February, kasi babayaran ko pa ‘yung utang ko sa paputok at ham.” This time, alamin mo na ang mga dapat gawin. Develop good habits. Hindi na ‘re-solution’; you should

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES SUCCESFUL PINOY 33

now commit to a ‘solution’ – one time and permanent.

This year is your year. You can still start it right. Start arranging your things, start changing your attitude and start fulfilling your planned solutions para tunay na masabi mo na Happy New Year!

Start now Successful Pinoys and successful people all over the world did not become triumphant overnight. May umabot ng buwan, taon, limang taon, tatlompung taon, o higit pa bago nila tinamasa ang ‘matamis na tagumpay’. All of them had a dream, they struggled, some succeeded early, some failed but got back up again – mayroon ding pinanghinaan ng loob but were strengthened by circumstances. But however different they are, and whatever they experienced – they have one common thing - lahat sila, nag-umpisa!

Kaya kung gusto mong magpapayat, ‘huwag mo nang isubo ang cake sa harapan mo ngayon, magbihis at mag-exercise na; kung gusto mong makapagsulat ng libro, kumuha ng papel at magsulat na pare ko; kung gusto mong maging restaurant manager, mag-apply kahit na taga-punas ng mesa and then work your way up; kung gusto mong maging doctor, mag-aral ka ng mabuti; at kung gusto mong maging professional speaker, umpisahang magsalita sa inyong simbahan, eskuwelahan o sa harap ng iyong mga kaibigan. The thing is - you have to start doing it now.

Sabi nga natin, ang bukas ay walang hanggan at hindi ka naman puwedeng mag-umpisa kahapon, so, the best time to start is now! Yes, you can. Wait not for your resolution to commence – do it now!

In fact, in your very seat, you can start now.

Close your eyes and ask Him to lead you to your dream and let Him control your feet, your hands, your mouth, your heart… then, stand up and start moving!

“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”

- Abraham Lincoln, US President

It is said that, “if you will wait for the perfect condition to happen before you act, you will never get anything done.”

Perfection can only happen if you start doing that ‘something.’ Kung hindi mo uumpisahang ilagay ang buto sa lupa, hindi mo ito madidiligan, malalagyan ng pataba para ito ay tumubo, mamulaklak at mamunga.

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Kagaya mo na nangangarap maging mayaman – if you will not start putting money aside, how can you say that you have savings? How can your make more money if you won’t work, invest and make your money grow? You have to move habang nangangarap ng gising. It’s great to dream, pero kung lagi ka na lang tulog, paggising mo, ganuon pa rin ang sitwasyon – hindi mo pa rin makakamit ang pangarap mo.

At kung sa tingin mo naman na sa iyong paghihintay ay may makukuha ka paggalaw mo later on, it is your call. Maaaring mayruon nga pero tira-tira na lang ng mga nauna sa iyong mag-umpisa!

He started with a broom It was Ricky’s dream to study so he can put up a business eventually. So he went to his neighborhood school and tried to enroll. Pero dahil wala namang sapat na pera, hindi siya tinaggap dito. So he thought about getting a job to earn money first. Nakita niya ang isang parlor na sikat sa kanilang lugar and he thought - “Hindi rin naman nakapag-aral ang iba sa kanila.

Kung kaya nila, kaya ko rin.” So he applied for a job and he got accepted. Ang binigay sa kanyang gamit – walis. That’s how he started – taga-lampaso, tagalinis.

Sa araw-araw niyang pagwawalis, he would watch the professional beauticians and hairstylists – how they would work and kung paano sila makipag-usap with their customers. The day came na si Ricky ay nabigyan ng pagkakataon na humawak ng gunting at makapag-gupit sa una niyang customer. Isa, dalawa, tatlong customer ang dumating ; isa, dalawa, tatlong hair style ang natutunang niyang gawin – until he learned more and more styles and his customers increased.

Ricky patiently saved money until he was

able to open his own parlor. It was small at first, pero kilala dahil sa kanyang pangalan.

He was able to hire people and to go to other countries to learn his craft even more. From there, Ricky’s business grew.

Kahit hindi pormal na naka-pag aral, nag pakadalubhasa si Ricky sa kanyang kaalaman.

He became known to movie stars and famous personalities in different industries.

Nakaipon siya ng malaki at naka tulong sa mga magulang at mga kaibigan. Until one day, unexpectedly, the school where he wanted to study before closed down and was put up for sale. Binili ni Ricky iyon at ginawang “tahanan sa mga gustong magumpisa ng kanilang pangarap.”

Ricky Reyes now, owns branches of Ricky Reyes Salons all over the Philippines and conducts hairstyling and make-up clinics through his own ‘Suklay at Gunting’ project. He also has a program ‘Gandang Ricky’ which can be seen on Philippine TV. This 2009 will be a challenging year.

But I tell you now that when you stand firm to right values and beliefs, correct directions and success principles and a deep faith in God, you will be triumphant and victorious! So samasama lang tayo sis and bro - mag tulungan, magpalakasan – hanggang makamit natin ang matagumpay na taong inaasam!

Photography: Parc Cruz & Ku Manahan of Studio Phos Graphis Styling: Sydney Yap Make-up: Diane de Castro Hair: Ali Benson Models: Isabel Roces and Jon Hall

AND SO THERE WERE TWO TWO RAYS OF LIGHT WHICH WANDERED AWAY FROM THE SUN DIVERGING AND WEAVING IN A SOLITARY WORLD OF THEIR OWN TWO RIVAL ENERGIES DESTINED TO BELONG THE END OF THEIR JOURNEYS WAS THEIR BEGINNING…

SIMALAKASAT SIMAGANDA

FASHION 35

Black garter dress by Estien Quijano; white belt from Trunkshow

36 FASHION

Plum top with black blazer by Odelon Simpao; grey jeans from 8 and a Half

FEATURE 37

Silver lame button down top by Rajo!; black ruched skirt

by Randy Ortiz; silver ankle boots by Ilaya

38 FASHION

FEATURE 58

Plum top by Odelon Simpao; grey jeans from 8 and a Half

40 FASHION

Black blazer by Odelon Simpao; grey jeans from 8 and a Half

FEATURE 41

Black garter dress by Estien Quijano

42 FASHION

FEATURE 43

Beaded navy jersey dress by Rajo!; silver cuffs from the House of Laurel; platform sandals by Maco Custodio

44 FASHION

On Isabel - black and white shift dress from Religioso; bangles from the House of Laurel; white ankle strap flats by Vivienne Westwood for Melissa. On Jon - garter hoodie by Estien Quijano; white pants from Religioso; studded belt by Neil Barrett

FEATURE 45

46 FASHION

Grey and white top from Rajo Man; grey jeans from 8 and a Half

FEATURE 47

48 FASHION

On Jon - silver blazer by Odelon Simpao; black pants from Religioso On Isabel - stretch tulle turtle neck top with silver wrap top and silver brocade shorts, accented by black patent belt, all from Rajo!; black lace up sandals from Trunkshow

FEATURE 49

SHOPGUIDE Rajo! from the House of Laurel Randy Ortiz from Myth at Greenbelt 5 Ilaya at Rockwell Powerplant Mall 8 and a Half at Tresorie Estien Quijano - + 63973241010 Maco Custodio - +639228886226 Odelon Simpao - + 639175520914

50 FASHION

Project Fashion

Milan, Paris, New York and now — Manila? Is our nation’s capital ready to face the tough, competitive world of fashion? Is there enough talent, interest and drive in the metro to conquer couture?

BY: KC ABALOS

Probably that the best way to answer that question is by looking into one of the telltale signs of a thriving industry in today’s modern culture: the inception of a reality TV show on the matter. In this case, we’re talking about the local version of the Heidi Klum-hosted franchise Project Runway (PR).

The show, produced by Solar Entertainment Corporation and Unitel Productions which premiered on July 30, 2008 on cable through ETC Entertainment Central and on free TV through SBN 21, had many people surprised, though considering how many people followed the original Americanbased series, maybe it shouldn’t have come as such a shock.

Project Runway Philippines came with a built-in audience (all the young career women with the purchasing power for the occasional shopping spree on clothes, shoes and bags) but the question on everyone’s lips then was if there was a solid enough foundation in the local fashion industry to make Project Runway successful. However, after a whole season of 14 episodes, countless blogs, a captive audience and ‘cattle call’ for its second season in November and December 2008, it looks as though the show has proven that there’s enough fashion inclination in the country to sustain a less-than-popular reality TV concept.

A quick look at Pinoy reality programming will show that the most popular reality shows in the country are the talent searches.

The likes of Pinoy Big Brother, Philippine Idol and Pinoy Dream Academy, modern versions of the Tawag ng Tanghalan and Bagong Kampeon of old have a successful formula as the entertainment industry is always on the lookout for potential superstars. However, runway is a totally different animal and the question at the onset of the show was whether Filipinos are fashion-conscious enough to follow a show dedicated to design.

Former Project Runway Philippines insider Yvette Tan thinks so. “I think the country is

very fashion conscious. Even with regular Pinoys, you can tell there was a lot of thought put into that outfit and you don’t put a lot of thought into what you wear if you’re not a fashionista,” she says. Tan is a multi-awarded writer who has been lauded by the Palanca and the Philippine Graphic/ Fiction Awards. She is also an editor of multiple magazines and was once named as one of Manila’s most creative young minds.

She was part of the team of writers tapped to provide the scripts for the Philippine edition of the show.

Challenging Couture We know how it goes. The contestants of the show go through many design challenges before their clothes are paraded in front of a distinguished panel of judges — composed of a veritable who’s who of the fashion industry. In the Filipino adaptation, the jury is made up of host Teresa Herrera, top fashion designer Rajo Laurel, veteran model Apples Aberin and a guest judge that changes from week to week. The contestants were mentored by School of Fashion and the Arts (SoFA) educator Jojie Lloren, who played the Tim Gunn-role excellently. The show was helmed by young director Marie Jamora.

We asked her what it was like to be part of what was probably the most fabulous show in town. “Of course, it was a big honor to be involved in Project Runway. It’s a popular, well-respected show overseas and to be part of the team responsible for bringing it down to the local level was really exciting,” she says. “We were a pretty good team. Jojie Lloren was a joy to work with. I came out of the show with a lot of admiration for Teresa.

She knew the show inside and out and was a marvelous host. Rajo and Apples were sweethearts who always looked at things in terms of design.”

Still, the show must have had its share of dilemmas behind the scenes. “The challenges were no different from the ones any reality show must face. We wanted to preserve the look of the original PR without sacrificing local flavor,” she says. She admits to worrying if there would be a sufficient amount of drama but as can be seen in the episodes, it was not a problem. “All the young designers were characters and they let their quirks shine through.” Surprisingly,

none of the challenges involved anyone oncam. I guess the talk about fashion industry people having attitudes was maybe a bit of an exaggeration.

Walking the Walk It’s important to note that Pinoy fashion designers have achieved some measure of recognition around the world for their talents and skills. But for any trade to mature, a stage has to be set for the next generation to shine and eventually add on to what their predecessors have already accomplished.

Project Runway might prove to be a good platform for young designers like eventual winner Aries Lagat to showcase their wares.

Lagat was the winner of the 2006 Mega Young Designers Competition, sponsored

by Mega Magazine, and a scholar of designer Ben Ferrales, before making his name in the reality show.

Does the success of the television show support the idea that Pinoys are fashionconscious by nature? Pinoys are essentially a jeans and flip-flops kind of people, but that could be due to the economic challenges that invariably affect our most basic pursuits, The weather, too, is an excellent excuse to not put in the extra work on our outfits. And yet, we copy every last design that comes out of New York or Paris (and eventually find it on the streets of Divisoria). Marikina is a place that even the finest shoe connoisseur would feel comfortable in. Even our dingiest ukayukays and tiangges show an aspiration towards the Louis Vuittons, Hermes, et al of the rarified world of design.

Tan agrees, “We’re constantly looking overseas for fashion inspiration, and at the same time, innovating our traditional designs to make it wearable worldwide.”

She mentions design names such as Josie Natori, Rafe Totengco, Lesley Mobo and the Los Angeles brand Crispin and Basilio.

Even on the local front, things are looking up for designers. “Just look at Greenbelt 5 where they are all housed in the same building, together with foreign designer labels. Of course, we have young designers popping up all the time. It’s about time the Philippines got recognized for its fashion.”

The sense of style of Pinoys may still be in a developing phase but as long as there is a runway, you can bet Filipinos will be right there ready to strut their stuff.

COMMUNITY 51

Bayanihan 2008 The Bayanihan Festival 2008, the first-ever Filipino community year-end event organized by about 40 Filipino organizations and five Filipino schools in Dubai and the Northern Emirates was held on the 5th December 2008 at the Megabowl, Zabeel Park. The atmosphere of ‘bayanihan’ meaning ‘the spirit of working together’ was very evident during the family event where 8,000 Filipinos shared in the festivities which included fun games, a cheering show, chorale and ballroom dance competitions, a mini-bazaar and job fair, as well as an entertainment program featuring famous GMA-7 stars lead by Mark Herras and Jennilyn Mercado.

matches, fixtures and schedules were Karama-2 is one of the many innovations that will be Wow Pinoy Badminton while managed by Match Master and Tournament offered by Al Rostamani International Exchange. “We Manager – Donnie de Dios, backed-up by the are the first in the industry to open a branch dedicated Club Championship Wow Pinoy Badminton Club U.A.E. (WPBC) held its 1st RMA CUP 2008 Championship at Al Safa School Boys Gymnasium, Sheikh Zayed Road in late November 2008 with special guest Honorable Vice Consul Edwin Mendoza from Philippine General Consulate of Dubai. With the theme: Badminton Speaks – Teamwork and Camaraderie, the tournament saw 53 teams comprised of ninety players vie for trophies in four disciplines: Men’s Doubles (19 teams), Women’s Doubles (7 teams), Mixed Doubles (16 teams) and Singles category (11 teams).

The successful event was organized by the WPBC Pioneers’ Team headed by President Edwin B. Lasquite, Ariel Garcia, Francis Magdasoc, Deo Dacurro, Sherwin Roeger, Royce Bulado, Roy Pereña, Mario del Rosario and Mylene Mendoza,

Pioneers Team. Tournament patrons included major sponsor RMA – Renato Murcia Ajero, secondary sponsors - Bonna Nuñez, Josh Lozano, as well as UAE Exchange represented by Jonathan Cabrera.

for a specific segment of this multi-cultural and multiethnic population of the UAE. Once this takes off, we are also planning to put up branches that will be dedicated to Indians, Egyptians, Bangladeshis, and for other nationalities that are found to be the major customers of Al Rostamani International Exchange.”

ARIE Opens All-Filipino ARIE’s newly-opened branch has a distinctive Filipino theme with Filipiniana wall visuals, as well as Filipino Branch in Karama cable TV for the viewing pleasure of customers while Al Rostamani International Exchange (ARIE), has struck another milestone by being the first to open a branch dedicated to a specific segment of the society – the Filipino market. The new Karama2 branch will be the 19th branch of ARIE in the UAE, the second in the Karama district and the 13th in the emirate of Dubai. According to Caloy N. Serrano, Head of Philippine Remittance and Assistant Marketing Manager of the company,

they do their transactions. Aside from these amenities, ARIE Karama-2 will have a state-of-the-art remittance system that ensures fast, safe and reliable deliveries of monies to the Philippines and worldwide, whether it be via telegraphic transfer, drafts, or instant remit products. Al Rostamani International Exchange is the exclusive agent for Pag-IBIG Overseas Program, the Philippine government’s housing program for OFWs. SSS contributions can also be coursed thru ARIE.

52 ILLUSTRADO LIVING

Stepping up to the New Year We’re finally ready to move on from the challenges of 2008 into the New Year, with great intentions and lots of good attitude. Here’s the chance to set out plans to right our wrongs, enhance our lifestyles and change ourselves for the better. January is definitely a great time to:

© Ryzhkov | Dreamstime.com

Go back to eating healthy Had your fill of fiesta ham to last you for entire year? Are you huffing and puffing because of the excesses committed on the family’s holiday buffet table? Well, it’s never too late to go back to eating healthy – if only to kill the guilt that all of us seem to suffer from at the end of the year. Here are some tips to get you on the right track: Fall in love with fish - Visit your local fish market and get a good bargain from the day’s catch. Fish is an excellent low fat food which is a great source of proteins and other nutrients beneficial to the body. Not a fish fan? Perhaps you can start off with something more tempting than the usual ‘paksiw, pangat or pritong bangus’ – like clean fillet or steak cuts of salmon, herring, tuna and other fatty fish. These types are known to be a great source of Omega3 fatty acids which protect from heart disease. They’re not only healthy but are great to eat.

Think alternative healthy cooking – It’s really unhealthy when all you have time for is ordering fastfood delivery or slapping something into the frying fan. Experts agree that frying is the least healthy method of cooking because not only does it saturate food with a oxidized oils which are bad for your body, but the high temperature also produces cancer-causing substances. Contrary to popular belief, grilling or broiling may not be as good as we originally thought, for the same reasons. Instead, why not try your hand at steaming (cooking by steam), poaching (simmering in a little water), baking and stir-frying with very little oil. You would be surprised at the amount of delicious dishes you can cook quickly with these healthier methods that require little or no oil and preserve the nutrients in food. Even better, why not incorporate raw foods in your regular eating habit – goodbye lechong kawali dinner, hello Caesar salad!

Learn to ‘really’ eat veggies – Your nanay or mommy would have told you this again and again so we’re going tell you one more time.

© Eastwest Imaging | Dreamstime.com

It’s never too late to acquire the habit of eating vegetables. A lot of Pinoys are so much into meat (and more meat), unsurprisingly, it’s common in our community to suffer from high blood pressure, heart disease and etc. Veggies on the other hand are not only low fat-low calorie but also provide a myriad health benefits – from providing you essential vitamins, minerals and disease-preventing nutrients, to making your skin and hair look good, to supplying your body with anti-ageing agents. So this year, make sure you fill your plate with all sorts of these nutritious goodies.

Say yes to fitness If you’re like most Pinoys, chances are, you’re very body-conscious (our women are particularly known to be finicky when it comes to their figures). And if you’re like most Pinoys, chances are, you would have also binged and slacked all throughout the holiday season – which for us, really started in November. And it will never be a New Year’s resolution if it doesn’t include losing excess weight and getting into fitness, right?

Time to go back to the gym – Put on those work-out clothes and cross-training shoes and run to your neighborhood gym as soon as New Year’s done. There’s no time to waste. The longer you postpone getting back on that threadmill or elliptical, the lazier you will be. Get full on with your program – now!

Or start your fitness regime – If you’ve never gone on an exercise program before, this is the time to start. With the recession looming negatively affecting everyone’s mood and frame of mind, this is when you can really benefit most from those mood-enhancing endorphins which are released inside the body during exercise.

Look good and feel good by utilizing different exercise techniques.

These days, there’s so much exciting work-outs to choose from – like Body Pump, Pilates, yoga, spinning, Body Jam, Street Jazz, pole and belly dancing and so many others, apart from the usual cardio and strength training techniques.

ILLUSTRADO LIVING 53

© Victor Zastol`skiy | Dreamstime.com

© Monkey Business | Dreamstime.com

Exercise creatively - Can’t go to the gym? Then use other opportunities to exercise. If you’re one who takes the bus home, bring comfortable walking/running shoes with you and change into these before you head out of the office. It might not be your best corporate look, but your trusty ‘rubber shoes’ will feel comfortable and allow you to squeeze in some cardio within your busy day.

Alight from the bus at a good distance from your home and do the walk! If walking is a bore – how about an hour of dancing while carrying light free weights, alone in your room or with your flat mates if you’re so inclined. It’s good fun guaranteed to make you sweat and burn those stubborn calories.

De-clutter your home In these times when most things are beyond our control, take charge within your immediate sphere of influence starting with your home or living space. Having a clean orderly personal space is healthy and provides you a safe and relaxing haven for de-stressing after a hard day’s work. So prepare to do away with all the stuff you have collected through the years, and which you have convinced yourself, you can’t do without – remember those clothes you bought but never had a chance to wear, the collection of old CD’s, the anikanik’s and mementoes gathering dust on the shelves, the outdated shoes you can’t bring yourself to part with, the old receipts and ATM sheets you’ve been holding onto for the last decade?

De-cluttering can be a daunting task just for the sheer effort and the emotions involved, but as long as you do it properly, you can breeze through the process without breaking much sweat.

Keep, recycle, donate and throw – Go quickly through your things and immediately decide which ones to keep, recycle, donate and throw away. Part with stuff, especially clothes, which you have not used for a year – these might be useful to somebody else instead of just lying years on end in the cabinet. Be ruthless and conscientious at the same time.

One big effort, lots of small steps – If you make a real effort to de-clutter effectively the first time, all you have to do the next time is to maintain an orderly space by being careful on how you keep your things in the future. Prevent future build-up of clutter by ensuring that there’s a good place for everything in your home.

Apart from a few display items or curious you want out in the open, make sure that you have proper storage. Better yet, before you buy anything – make sure that you really need it.

Doing it in stages – If the process of complete de-cluttering is intimidating for you, or you don’t have much time, do it in stages.

Spend 30 minutes a day organizing one cupboard or area at a time.

Just persist and you will definitely finish your entire living space soon enough.

Whether you live in a house, a villa or a flat or share your space with other people – de-cluttering is one good thing you can do to promote a sense of wellbeing in your life in the New Year.

Start thinking and acting positive Anybody who’s read recent books from new age gurus, as well as the Philippines’ Bo Sanchez and our very own Ximo Ramos will know that some of the most recommended catch phrases in recent years include – ‘visualization’ and the ‘power of attraction.’ The very credible premise, which is lifted from ancient wisdom, goes that if you think something, it will come to you; that you attract the same vibes which you emanate – so negative outcome from negative feelings, positive results from a positive mindset.

So make 2009 the year that you change your psyche into something that’s more optimistic, confident, hopeful and grateful – the energy alone that this powerful frame of mind will generate will definitely energize you and change the way you feel and act. Cultivate that daily experience of happiness by paying attention to all your blessings and allowing yourself to feel thankful for your abundance inside.

Attract your dreams through focus and visualization knowing that things will only come to you if you want for them. Top that by sharing the goodness by doing random good deeds to others.

To complete your ultimate New Year improvement plan, you not only need to have a sense of wellbeing and cultivate a healthy body; it is also essential to nurture your mind and your spirit.

Say welcome to 2009 with a spring in your steps and a smile in your heart!

ADVERTORIAL 55

Celebrate Chinese New Year in Dubai on January 25!

Visit the House of Feng Shui and learn to change your luck Feng Shui (pronounced “fung schway”) is the idea that individuals should live in harmony with their environment. Literally translated, Feng Shui means ‘wind and water.’ The ancient Chinese believed that if we live in balance with the order of the world (Earth’s winds and waters), we could attract fortune and prosperity.

This year - 2009 - is the Year of the Earth Ox. This is a year when the earth’s energy stabilizes. Recovery and relief from previous years’ difficulties are possible to achieve.

Also, 2009 has an excellent balance of the five elements, comprising metal, wood, water, fire and earth; thus making it a very good and auspicious year. And, at the same time, the reigning number is the auspicious 9 which signifies prosperity, completion of dreams, and a time for expansion for those doing business.

Given the current global financial crisis, this year being a balanced year will be good and can definitely become better. Everyone could succeed and prosper provided they work hard, have faith, and keep a sharp eye as excellent Feng Shui luck will surely go a long way towards reaping huge success.

In 2009, more than ever, you must update the Feng Shui of your space and flow with the time changes of the period. Check your

astrological luck cycles and use element symbolism to make the best of a better year.

Know what’s in store for 2009 and know all the afflictions of the year. Take part in the House of Feng Shui’s Chinese New Year Extravaganza on January 25 and learn how to change your luck from bad to good and then to best, as we show you how to deal with energy change, subdue the year’s afflictions and strengthen growth luck potential.

The event will be held at the Sunken Garden of Wonderland Park near Dubai Creek Park, beside the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Gates open at 6 pm.

You cannot afford to miss this life changing event. Reserve now by calling +97150-9716997.

Only 500 people will be accommodated with the existing clients of House of Feng Shui in the priority list.

• Have as much food on the table for the Chinese New Year’s Eve. Fish, shrimps, noodles and sticky rice like biko or sapinsapin will be good as well, if tikoy is hard to find.

• Surround your place with lots of gold and sweets to signify wealth all around you.

• Make sure you get yourself a new wallet for the year to change your money luck. A Feng Shui wallet will be the best one to have to assure you of good flow of money coming in all year round.

• For those who are in business or who are in the field of sales, have an abacus with you for more sales luck.

• Create your wealth vase if you could for your future wealth. This is most auspicious for those who wish to start a business or to expand an existing one.

• Do not sweep the floor or cut your hair on the first day of the year.

In the meantime, here are things to do for the For more detailed advice visit the House Chinese New Year: of Feng Shui in Dubai at Unit 104, 1st • De-clutter and have a general cleaning of Floor, Al Bassam Center Bldg., near Clock your house or space before the 25th January, Tower in Deira; mobile no.: +971509716997, e-mail: houseoffengshui@ the eve of the Chinese New Year.

• Wear something red for more luck. Green yahoo.com. and purple are the lucky colors of the year, wearing any of these will be good as well.

• Put 12 round fruits and a pineapple at the center for prosperity all year round.

House of Feng Shui in Dubai offers element symbolism like crystals and metals.

56 ARTS & CULTURE

Caught in the Flame of

FLAMENCO BY: KC M. ABALOS

She heard a clap, a tap, and a beat on the floor. Following the sound along a corridor, what she discovered would be the passion that would shape her future. Meet Filipina-American Clara Ramona, the equivalent of a prima ballerina in Flamenco — the Spanish dance that is not only about beauty and grace, but also about strength and power.

The Basic Steps “I didn’t know what to think of it,” Clara recalls about her first flamenco experience.

“Except that I enjoyed it. It was very rigid.

There was the footwork, the posture and holding one’s self, and learning the simple basic footwork and the basic arm. It felt rigid but I felt, at the same time, that there was something special about it.”

She was at the end of her freshman year at the Boston Conservatory of Music and Dance when she first heard the flamenco sounds along a corridor. Before pursuing a degree in dance at the prestigious school though, she had already been a dancer of ballet, jazz, modern dance, and other forms of the art. She had been a student of dance since she was five.

“Somewhere, maybe my spirit wasn’t being fulfilled, I heard that clap and I thought maybe I should try that. It sounded interesting.”

For an amateur dancer like me, meeting and being able to interview Clara Ramona is a dream come true. We had been emailing back and forth for the past couple of weeks to set up the interview. I was supposed to audition for her dance company last summer but was too intimidated to actually go through with it even though she was so encouraging. Behind my recorder and pen, I was more comfortable in finally meeting the woman who single-handedly introduced the art of flamenco in the Philippines.

She had just come from a performance

in Hong Kong and was getting ready for an afternoon of teaching dance at a university when she granted me an hour of her precious time for an interview in her beautiful home in Makati where she also has her dance school, the Centro de Danza Flamenca. She led me up to her grand studio where, aside from the long mirror and the wooden floor, the flamboyant costumes and posters of her previous shows are displayed. No doubt about it, I was in the den of a flamenco artist. I was giddy and excited.

In a matter of weeks, that interest mushroomed into a love affair with flamenco. She loved it so much that she mastered everything she learned in class, and she wanted more. In a matter of months she was able to work with a group.

And within one year, she was already a professional dancer and, later on, a choreographer in the Ramon de los Reyes Spanish Dance Theater. Of course, that passion was made easier to develop — being that she fell in love with her professor. Clara good-naturedly admits that maybe she got a little special treatment in her class because of a budding affair with her teacher.

“A romance developed [with the professor], who will eventually become my husband and the father of my two children,” she shares with a smile. “Working together in flamenco, it’s going to be very difficult to not be romantic. Somehow, that crept in there.”

ARTS & CULTURE 57

Even with all the romance and the projects in the US, Clara knew that to be truly taken seriously as a Flamenco dancer, one needed to live in Spain and be a part of the Spanish culture. Clara Ramona was in Spain for about fifteen years where she immersed herself in the heart of flamenco.

The Complex Choreography “I got my own name, my own company, and my own school.” Clara says when asked what she was able to do while in Spain. “It wasn’t easy,” she continues, “A lot of it was very, very hard work, sacrifice, a lot of aches and pains, and many bitter disappointments as well.”

But for every little accomplishment that Clara was able to earn, she forgets the negativity that surrounded it. She shares that no matter where you are, whether in the States, Europe or the Philippines, being an artist is a struggle. And, it is doubly difficult when one is faced with the problem of discrimination.

“My whole career as a professional flamenco dancer was even made that much more difficult by the fact that I’m half-Filipina, half-American. Because I’m trying to break into a world that is a very cultural thing, I’ve had to fight that.” She passionately adds “and if anything else, I’ve had to be even better than if I were a normal Spaniard because I have to prove a point.”

Her former husband and partner Ramon has suggested time and again that she claim to be of Spanish descent since her mestiza features could easily pass for a native Español. This would have opened doors for her talent and skills in Madrid. To this well intentioned advice, she would always vehemently reply with, “I can’t. I’m very proud of my heritage. I’ve highlighted that my whole life.”

This stubbornness to cloak her FilipinaAmerican heritage may have made it harder for this artist to perform and present her masterpieces. But it also made her accomplishments taste even sweeter. From 1991 to 2003, she has produced, choreographed and performed in various dance productions, in collaboration with some of the best Flamenco dancers in and around Spain.

Her popularity and talent led her to perform at palaces, major theaters and dance festivals all over the world.

If there’s one thing she can proudly say it’s that she had accomplished it all without having to compromise her values. “I never lost touch of who I was,” she says.

The Art of Clapping “I came back because I want to share what I know, and to show that I’ve gone around the world, put on a show in 3 continents and I’ve come back home,” Clara answers when asked why she came back to her native country after being accepted as a true-blue Flamenco dancer in Spain.

Back home, Clara faces a new challenge.

How does she continue her art? How does she introduce the dance? How does she destroy the misconceptions about flamenco?

If you think that putting a flower behind your ear and fluttering your hands about makes you a flamenco dancer, think again.

In any dance, there is a history, a culture and a technique which takes a lifetime to learn.

One of Clara’s pet peeves is those who call themselves dancers just because they have taken a lesson or two at the local gym.

“I have too much respect for the dance, any kind of dance, as a matter of fact, and if you claim to be one, then at least you do some research and know more about it.”

With that depth and character, Clara sets out to educate people, more particularly her fellow Pinoys, in the art of flamenco. She not only has the experience and the education to teach, she also has the right to call herself an artist, and not just a simple performer.

She was on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory of Music and Dance and the Walnut Hill School of Performing

Arts and led seminars at the Harvard University Dance Program, Boston University School of Fine Arts, Bates College Dance Festival, among others.

She comments, “Everywhere I go in the many parts of the world, Filipinos are known for being good singers and dancers.

Yes, but up to what point? Yes, they’re all out there performing but they’re doing the mediocre work and only a few are excelling. We’re all good in general, but we don’t really excel.”

She may be demanding and a perfectionist but those are the values that helped propel her to the top of her game. She expects this much from herself, and her two sons, Isaac and Nino — also professional Flamenco dancers who currently reside in Spain — and her dance company members.

“Flamenco demands a different kind of personality and a different kind of character. Filipinos tend to be very soft and very shy, timid.” She reveals that she herself used to have these qualities. “I can say that I was passive but not any longer because I’ve ventured in an art form that requires it. Let’s face it. If you don’t have the fight in you, flamenco isn’t for you. It’s just a natural thing.”

To end the interview I asked her what it is about Flamenco that is not only appealing but also stirring. Is it the beat? Is it the moves? Is it the rich history?

“I think they see the passion behind it, the complexity, the rhythm, the beauty.

It is beautiful. And aggressive at the same time, so for women worldwide, it’s an art form where they feel that they are in command. You don’t need a partner. It requires a certain physicality, so it becomes challenge. It’s one of those moments when a woman can feel macho, powerful yet feminine at the same time.”

58 ARTWALL

Mideast Snipers:

Photography Renegades in the UAE BY: SHAR MATINGKA

The true mastery of an art form is only empowering when one has real passion for it. Photography is a more accessible craft to pursue in comparison with painting and sculpting. Anyone can decide on a whim to pick up a camera, randomly spot an eye-catching subject and with one click, a photo snap is taken. One-third of your neighborhood can easily claim “they’re into photography.” But we’re left with a sincere question: what makes a photographer a genuine artist and not just the eye behind the viewfinder?

One baby step at a time, the group attracted a numbers of enthusiasts, professionals and budding photographers until their photo excursions turned into monthly activities worth marking on the members’ busy calendars.

Eventually, in a short span of time, with the strengthened ties of common interests the group officially formed a non-profit organization in mid 2007 – the Mideast Snipers.

From left to right: Founders; Tet Bautista, Jef Vergara & Eric Fajut

A photographer becomes an artist when a

subject becomes more than what it should be, when there are endless possibilities of what might have taken place, when people sometimes wonder why they couldn’t take their eyes off a photo of the simplest of subjects and most especially, when an image evokes emotions in a subtle way. It doesn’t matter what, or how one takes the snap that would capture the moment; what matters most is how that instant is ‘brought to life.’ Thus is the philosophy of a certain group of Filipino photographers so unconventionally bohemian in their approach that they could be called renegades.

The Advent of the Snipers’ Movement A regularly visited online forum all about

photography – where amateurs and professionals exchange ideas on the latest photos uploaded for critique – opened the window of opportunity for a keen bunch of Filipino photographers to form an independent outfit with a more dynamic and interactive approach. Members of the ever popular Digital Photographer Philippines (DPP) organized offshoot groups commonly zoned in metropolitan cities. This partly urged the Snipers to create their own.

The Dubai-based group began as a troupe of twelve ‘snipers’ after a few meet-ups and photo treks led by founders Eric Fajut who is an architect by profession, Jeff Vergara - the protagonist behind the popular photo adventures featured at www.dubaichronicles.com, and Tet Bautista an adman bitten by wanderlust.

Falling in love with photography with the group’s irreverent visual art approach is easy.

What makes the team unique is their bohemian perspective. While most groups strictly follow a syllabus, the Sniper way is all about bringing out the artist in a photographer. The teaching method in workshops, some of which are conducted by renowned photographers and photojournalists from the Philippines through video feeds, values the creative responsiveness of a photographer towards his or her surroundings or in a certain field in photography and avoids the ‘yawn’ of the theoretical side of it by allowing participants to explore on their own. Here is a group of people who value, more than just the technical aspects of the art, the actual process of putting thought into vivid creation. The result – photos bursting with life, with a more edgy take on reality, sometimes funny and unexpected, but always visually stunning and thought-provoking.

Encouraged by online acquaintances, friends and families, the Snipers held the 1st DPP-Mideast Sniper Grand Eye Ball on October 13 to 14, 2007 at the picturesque Jebel Hafeet mountain in the rugged terrains of Al Ain, UAE. The event could’ve been dubbed as the Woodstock of Photography in the Middle East if only it had wide media coverage. More than sixty photographers from the Middle East and Philippines flocked to the scene to be part of this spectacular outdoor event off the media radar.

For the three heads of Mideast Snipers – Eric, Tet and Jeff – they barely felt the downside of stepping into the challenging and competitive

PHOTOGRAPHY by TET BAUTISTA

ARTWALL 59

JUMEIRAH COASTLINE

BOHOL-TOURIST

SZ_GRAND MOSQUE

NYC_MANHATTAN

PHOTOGRAPHY by JEFF VERGARA

60 ARTWALL

NFA

CADLAO

OLIVIA

LINAW

PHOTOGRAPHY by ERICK FAJUT

ARTWALL 61

LOST IN TIME

LAKE SIDE

AFGHAN

HABALLOON

62 ARTWALL 1

SNIPER OF THE MONTH WINNERS

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1. Joel Putian 2. Ed Soriano 3. Molimar Molina 4. Ferdinand Floresca 5. Marilen Oribiada 6. Jon Mancilla

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world of photography, as what every organization goes through in its infancy. They were driven by passion, inspiration and persisting moral support from those who believed in their potential and the good they can contribute to the community.

Art ‘Garage’ Online It wasn’t until February 2008 that the Mideast Snipers launched their virtual home – www. mesnipers.com. The website houses online

forums, mission of the month, updates on meet-ups, workshop and community works aptly named as Special Ops. The website is the snipers’ ‘garage’ where photographers can share ideas using a more dynamic and interactive platform. It is not surprising to find members of other local photography groups in the UAE participating in photo excursion, workshops and online discussions.

Since photography directly channels the art of realism in culture, events, technology and

societal diversities, the Snipers have this online activity called the Mission of the Month. Members compete based on the monthly theme posted to fire-up their imagination and technical skills to discover within themselves how a simple object can be transformed into a thought-provoking piece of artwork. The judging panel is made up of Mideast Sniper officers and guest judges. Only five finalists will make it to the Tribunal wherein all members can cast their votes. The winner will be featured on the main page as the Sniper of the Month along with the winning photo.

ARTWALL 63 11

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FEATURED MEMEBERS John Jolbe - 1

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Alex Arevalo - 2 Ross Pisuena - 3 Sandro Mendoza- 4 Rhocel Putian- 5

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watercolor portraits and impressionist landscapes with visible brush strokes. Most professional photographers would agree ever since digital SLRs overthrew manual cameras, real talent has become a blur.

The Mideast Snipers continue to work their way to bettering the community, one small step at a time, through Special Ops. The Snipers had helped raised funds for Gawad Kalinga and Baby Reem – a child who was terminally ill in Rashid Hospital last Christmas.

On the Evolving World of Photography From the camera obscura to the millennial jump into digital cameras, photography has swayed with the fast changing tides of technology. Photos can now be digitally transformed into Art Nouveau paintings,

But for Jeff, Tet and Eric, photography hasn’t really lost its essence in the digital era - regardless whether we still use film or prefer Digital SLRs. “When a photo is modified in photoshop, it becomes a completely different medium. It’s called graphic art,” said Jeff Vergara as we drew the conclusion of the interview.

Their advice to budding photographers: whatever camera you’re using at the moment, love it and maximize its functions. The brand of the camera is not the benchmark of quality photos. It takes skill, passion and creativity to give life, not just quality, to what seems ordinary to the human eye.

64 ARTS & CULTURE

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1. Leaves Series Tempera 20x24 in

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2. Soler Rainforest 32x48 in 3. Soler Stratus 003 Oil on Canvas

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4. Stone Garden Series Acrylic on paper

The world through

Soler’s eyes BY: KAREN GALARPE PHOTOS:COURTESY OF SOLER

Long before environmentalism became a catch word, the artist named Soler was already in on it. From the time he had his first one-man show (Leaves Series I, 1981, curated by no less than National Artist Arturo Luz at the Luz Gallery in Makati), Soler had already been fascinated with the world and the wonders of nature.

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As a fine arts student at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City in the early 80s, Soler got rave reviews for his paintings of multi-colored leaves in the colors of autumn. Using tempera on board and watercolor, he meticulously showed every vein, every detail of the leaves he would depict in his work, showing the glory of God’s handiwork in something as seemingly ordinary as a dried leaf.

From Leaves, he shifted to Grass and then to Roots in the 80s, with which he sealed his place in the arts scene with his moving paintings of gnarled roots of age-old trees. Then came his Rainforest series in the 90s, which allowed him to veer away from the melancholic browns of the Roots paintings.

In 2000, he introduced his Stone Garden paintings, which showed rocks in various forms and colors. Then came his Waterfall series shortly, wherein he brought to fore his interpretation of the cascading motion of water. Two years ago, he turned to his inner self and produced a series of intuitive paintings in his Reflection series, which seemed to combine elements culled from his body of work.

ARTS & CULTURE 65 5

In 2008, he widened his perspective, so to speak, and included clouds in his art. The current series called Stratus shows Soler’s take on the world, with plant life reaching out to the azure blue skies and cotton ball-white clouds. Stratus was curated by artist professor Chabet and shown at Finale Art File in SM Megamall last September to October 2008.

“I’ve always wanted to do clouds but I didn’t know how to include it in my paintings,” reveals the artist one fine morning at a coffee shop near his home and studio in Quezon City. After much thinking, he finally figured out in July and promptly started working on the series.

In his current work, he uses oil and mixed media and presents the images in various ways. “There are many possibilities”, the award-winning artist says.

It has been 27 years since Soler, now 48 years old, first started painting and holding one-man shows and joining group exhibitions. He was named a Thirteen Artist awardee by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and represented the country many times in art competitions abroad, the latest being the 11th International Biennial Print and Drawing Exhibition in Taiwan in 2004. For five times, he was a finalist in the Philip Morris Art Awards.

Soler says he owes a lot to his mentors. His painting teacher in UP, Chabet, taught him painting and concepts.

His father Malang, one of the most popular Filipino artists today, doesn’t say much about his work, but supported him from Day One. “He is very kind. If not for him, I would have been nothing when I started this career. He was all-out in his support,” says Soler.

Of Malang, Soler says he is very industrious, and this is what he learned from him. Today, Soler paints about 5 to 6 hours a day, which isn’t enough, he says. But he does look after the family’s art gallery, West Gallery, with wife Mona, also an artist, so he only gets to paint after dinner, from 8 p.m. to about 2 a.m. He wants to devote more time to painting especially since he already has a full schedule of shows in 7

5. reflection series mixed media 22x30 in 6. Soler Stratus 02 Oil on Canvas 58x51.5 in 7. Stone garden series Acrylic on paper

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66 ARTS & CULTURE 9

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8. Soler untitled mixed-media 36x36 inches 9. Roots Series Watercolor 10. Strtus 04 oil on canvas 12x9 inches 11. Soler Reflection Series mixed media 22x30

2009. One such exhibit he is preparing for is a two-man show with Mona in October 2009 at Finale’s new art space in Pasong Tamo, Makati.

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“I still want to explore new things and new possibilities. I don’t want to be stagnant,” says Soler. He has already mastered tempera and watercolor, his favorite media before, and prefers oil now. “Oil can be used for big works. You can do layering with oil. It’s a nice medium. As it gets older, it seems to be more beautiful. That’s part of oil’s mystery.”

Soler prefers doing big rather than small works, but he says doing big works can get exhausting now at his age. “That’s why I advise the young artists to make big works while they can,” he says.

For Soler, the world is a beautiful place, and while he still can, he will honor its Creator through his art. As he repeatedly says, the possibilities of doing so are endless. And so he continues.

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BAKASYON GRANDE 67

The Promise of

PANGLAO BY: KC M. ABALOS PHOTOGRAPHY BY: ALEKOS R. ORENDAIN

Because there are 7,107 uniquely beautiful islands in the Philippines, it is difficult for any one isle to truly shine. Many destinations in the country vie for supremacy in attracting tourists, both local and foreign, and the competition is tough. Sure they have the same white sandy beaches, offer similar exiting activities, and boast of the same wide smiles of the Pinoys. So what does an island have to do to be noticed?.

Pangaw-Panglao It’s said that the island got its name when Spanish explorers reached its pearly coast and found natives who were working with a fish-catching tool called ‘panggaw.’ Like most places in the Philippines, Panglao was named because of a simple if not funny misunderstanding.

At present, it is one of the most visited spots in the country all the while retaining its charm and country feel. Though resorts, hotels, and restaurants abound, it is still relatively rustic compared to more popular destinations like Boracay and Puerto Galera.

Maybe this is because the population of visitors are scattered among the many beaches of the island. The most wellknown is Alona Beach where the hotel

and cottage rates are cheaper compared to the other beaches like Dauis. But Alona has many things to offer that will cater to any kind of traveller — whether one is the laidback beachcombing type or the athletic party-goer.

Panglao is a small islet which can be geographically described as an offshoot of the island of Bohol. An hour or so away from Tagbilaran City — the capital of Bohol province and situated between the islands of Cebu and Leyte, Panglao is easily accessible via plane, boat or car, depending on one’s preferred mode of travel.

An Eyeful With hills and mountains at the back and the blue sea stretching up to the horizon in front, Panglao is a delight to the eyes. On your first day, beachcombing

is a must. Brightly-colored seashells and weird-looking seaweed dot the white sand. You might even get to rescue a blue starfish caught between the rocky crevices!

Warning: sea urchins are abundant, though they’re easy to spot with their needle-filled bodies.

Because of its varied flora and fauna, Panglao has been nominated by the Department of Tourism for the UNESCO World Heritage Site distinction, an honor given only to a few sites in the Philippines including the historic city of Vigan and the world famous Banaue Rice Terraces. The main reason as to why Panglao is such a strong contender is the fact that, according to the Panglao Marine Biodiversity Project, the island has more biodiversity than Japan and the whole of the Mediterranean Sea. A Bohol Road Trip Another great thing about Panglao is that it’s only a drive away from so many tourist spots. Rent a van for your group and get to visit the other spectacular parts of Bohol.

Start the day with a stop at Dauis Church.

It is right on Panglao Island so it has a view of the water too. There are other ancient churches in Bohol including the one in Loboc, Maribojoc, and Loon. But

68 BAKASYON GRANDE

Bohol’s famous Chocolate Hills

if you only have time to visit one, then the oldest among these and certainly the most majestic is the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception in Baclayon. Not only do the church walls team with history, the adjacent museum also tells of the town’s rich cultural heritage.

After the church stop, enjoy the ride along the extensive thoroughfare with the sea on your right and the mountainside on your left. You can stretch your legs at one of the pit stops, the sculpture of Sanduguan. With the aquamarine waters as a backdrop, the National Artist Napoleon Abueva artwork is a testament to Rajah Sikatuna and Miguel Lopez de Legazpi’s 1565 Blood Compact.

Then it’s back on the highway again for a trip inland towards the home of Bohol’s natural mascot, the Tarsier. The tarsier sanctuary is an important stop in this road trip. For a minimum fee, get up close and personal with the smallest primate endemic to the province. You are allowed to touch it but chances are they’re sleeping when you arrive since these babies party at night.

Content yourself with a picture beside the cute tarsier, as long as there are no flashes please.

It is probably noon by the time you finish the visit to the tarsier’s pad so drive a wee bit down the road to get to the barges of Loboc River. Not only are you in for a fun boat ride along Loboc’s waters, but a buffet lunch is waiting for you.

As you chow down on the yummy seafood and local delicacies, be entertained by a local band that will sing all your favorite songs. If the barge has foreign visitors,

On the road to Bohol

expect to hear Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, and even French songs. After the gastronomic boat ride, go back on the road and marvel at the changing landscape as the van brings you to a steep road. Before you know it, your vehicle is nestled in a dense curtain of towering trees. Another stop is needed for this spot definitely deserves a snapshot. The green light fills the space and you wonder how they built a road in the middle of a forest, until you learn that it is a man-made forest.

After the short stop, your van comes down and drives along fields once again. As the road continues, there are more and more hills surrounding you. You climb up once again and you see that you’re on top of one of the famed Chocolate Hills of Bohol.

There is a steep staircase that will lead you to one of the most spectacular views you The Tarsier

Take a boat ride on the waters of Loboc River

BAKASYON GRANDE 69

One of Bohol’s ancient churches.

The Sanduguan

out to have a healthy snack at the Bohol Bee Farm. You can also buy unique pasalubong items here including various honey-based products.

By the Sea During the rest of your stay, Panglao on its own will keep you more than occupied.

Apart from swimming, kayaking, banana boat rides and diving, there are many other things to do. will see in the islands of Visayas. Spend a few moments here and drink in the sight.

Chocolate Hills look like green mounds of vegetation during the wet months and chocolate kisses during the dry season.

By this time, you’re on tourist overload.

The sights, smells, and the experience are probably tiring. Sit back and relax on your way back to Panglao. But before the van drops you to your hotel or resort, take time

For those who like to ride the waves, Balicasag island is just a short banca ride away. The world famous diving site attracts hardcore surfers even during the rainy season. For those who like the dark, Hinangdanan Cave found in Bingag, Duis is a must. Hinagdanan is derived from the word hagdan, or stairs.

But an absolute must in your to-do list is dolphin watching. People who have never

been to a dolphin watching adventure in the Philippines will be surprised at how action packed it can be. A boatman will surely approach you during your stay. Their boats are ready to go at 5am, any later and the mammals you seek will go for cooler waters which are farther out so the earlier the better.

Dolphins are tame creatures but they are frisky so it’s always a challenge to see them up close. Along with other boats who wish to see the same phenomenon, the supposedly genteel activity of dolphin watching becomes a boat race — each boat signalling each other; boatmen trying to predict where our playful friends are going next.

Panglao, aside from its blue seas and beautiful flora and fauna, is definitely bursting with life and activity. But despite all that, it’s the people’s smiles that make for a promise well-kept.

70 TRIPPIN’

© Jonaldm | Dreamstime.com

Mall of Asia’s Sunset Strip:

San Miguel by the Bay BY: LORAINE BALITA

Nothing says welcome back to Manila better than a bottle of ice-cold San Miguel beer, a sizzling plate of crispy sisig and view of Manila Bay. The recently opened San Miguel by the Bay is the city’s hottest hang-out that boasts an endless array of bars, restaurants and shops with the view of the picturesque world-famous sunset.

Located along the shorelines of Manila Bay behind the Mall of Asia (MOA) in Pasay City, this 1.5 km dining strip draws people from all over the metro who have gone tired of the usual indoor stroll. The sights and sounds of this sprawling park offers an after work refuge for yuppies who want a quick escape from the maddening rush of this frenzied city.

The coconut tree leaves gently swaying with the bay breeze, the brick floors, splashing sounds of the waves hitting the rocks near the concrete walk and the aroma of grilled seafood creates a laid back atmosphere. At night this hang out with its ‘magic fountain’, fireworks display and Spanish fiesta songs blasted on the speakers all throughout the park is filled with a fiesta atmosphere.

The perfect time to come here though is in the afternoon, when the sun is already too weak to burn your skin back to your Pinoy complexion, but still strong enough to make the bay water sparkle.

I was taken aback when I first caught a glimpse of the view in the afternoon. Sure the bay has not been completely restored to its pristine condition but the view could make any Manileña feel guilty.

Guilty of endlessly complaining about the ills of the city without knowing that there are still sights like this here that we have failed to notice because we have been too busy complaining.

If you plan on walking from end to end it’s best to kick back your heels as it could take you more than 15 minutes to completely

TRIPPIN’ 71

© Hotduckz | Dreamstime.com

© Hotduckz | Dreamstime.com

go through and explore the different establishments. A lot of people come here to jog in the morning, walk their dogs or just stroll with friends before finally settling down on bar or restaurant.

Our male balikbayans would be thrilled to know that here in San Mig by the Bay is a branch of the famous Hooters sans the blondes with too much cleavage – with the more ‘conservative’ Pinay counterparts and pitchers and pitchers of beer. Other establishments that should welcome you back to the Philippines include the famous Razons of Guagua, Lydia’s Lechon and a colorful Magnolia Ice Cream parlor.

I happened to pass by a new bar and restaurant with an interesting theme. The waiters and waitresses of The Cruise Bar and Restaurant are dressed like sailors walking amidst the interior that’s supposed to mimic the interior of a ship. Other bars and restaurants include the Harbor View Bistro; C Front Resto Bar; Pier One Bar and Grill; and Padi’s Point for those looking to have a few bottles of beer with friends while listening to live bands perform. Coffee fanatics can go to Bona Coffee, Gloria Jeans and of course the coffee shop that has branches mushrooming all over Manila— Starbucks.

Q Power Station, an arcade center located in the middle of the strip should give kids their well-deserved entertainment after running around the open-air playground.

Aside from hotdog, and fruit shake stands, there are also restaurants that offer foreign

cuisines like Chiang Mai that serves Thai dishes, Hawaiian Bar B-Que and Binondo’s President Tea House.

At the far end of the strip is an accumulation of restaurants that we call here the seafood palutuans. After choosing a restaurant, you are free to go to the seafood market, also a part of this section, to buy fresh seafood and fruits and take it back to the restaurants to be cooked just the way you want it. Stuff yourself with baked tahong covered with cream cheese, inihaw na hito, rellenong pusit, pinaputok na pla-pla, buttered sugpo, steamed alimasag, sinigang sa miso and a plate of manggang hilaw with bagoong on the side. You can order rice in large bowls and a bottle of 1.5 liter soft-drinks for sharing. Best of all you can eat Pinoy style—with your bare hands. I bet you missed doing that.

If that’s not enough, most palutuans here also feature videoke machines for one of our favorite past times.

Also a part of the strip is a concrete structure separating the place from the shore. This I would like to call the ‘lover’s lane’. You’d often see a few couples facing the bay, lining the sides of the walk, star gazing. The concrete dividing the strip and the shore of the bay is wide enough to provide a perfect picnic cum star gazing spot.

One great thing about this place is the security. Aside from the police station situated right in the middle of everything,

there are guards in uniform who will shoo bystanders away after 2 am when the place is scheduled to close. There are also well lit comfort rooms with running water.

There is ample parking space, but you’d still see a long line of cars parked outside the vicinity along the sidewalks during weekends. If in case it rains you can always run back to the mall that is only a few meters away.

As of the time of writing, a part of the strip is still under construction which means that we should all watch out for more restaurants and shops that would take advantage of Manila Bay’s renowned view. Let’s just hope that along with the success of these establishments is the owners’ commitment to the complete maintenance and restoration of the Bay to its pristine condition. Places like these should be maintained so balikbayans of the future will continue to add MOA’s sunset strip to the list of places to go to when they get back home.

72 FILIPINISMS

Onli In Da Pilipins - 1. n. a phrase used to define anything or anyone that only exists anywhere in the 7,107 islands of the Philippines || 2. adj. a phrase used to describe a Pinas episode or a Pinoy persona so rare one would never find anywhere else in the WWW (whole, wide world). It merits a documentation of some sort.

The Best Things in Life …are tingi and free.

BY: ABY YAP

I respectfully call for the validity of this statement. And I’m sure many others would second, third, and ‘nth’ the motion. (If only voting for a president was as easy as this, no?

Oops, no politics here. We still have more than a year to go. Happy 2009! ) Well, it doesn’t really take a wise old man to make such a proclamation. One needs only to spend a day in Pinas to experience shopping for Liliputian buys and to get something extra at zero charge. ‘Heritage of smallness’ and freeloading, you say?

Not when you enjoy piso packets of sweet beans and a complimentary cup of warm sinigang soup during mealtimes as much as I do. That’s why I call these the gifts of resourcefulness and practicality—heavensent to Pinoys, which you can’t truly put inside the box.

Kahit Konti, ‘Pag Tingi Breakfast time and you can’t decide what your stomach desires? Just hand it to Aling Baby’s sari-sari store and she can give you a meal fit for royalty! Four slices of cheese, one scoop of margarine, a small pack of

peanut butter, three pieces of pandesal, half a dozen eggs, four pieces of tuyo, one cup of vinegar, two cups of cooking oil, a spoonful of salt, and a takal of rice.

Amazing, huh? You can have a variety of these edibles just by going around the street corner, without bothering your next-door neighbors if they have this or that.

And in case you need some dishwashing liquid, fabric conditioners, juice/coffee/ milk, or even, Marlboro cigarettes, chances are the nearest store/grocery also has them in colorful sachets. Yosi in a sachet! Bet you can’t believe it but it’s true. It has five sticks less than the slim box of tens, which you can get at half the price. Isn’t this a great way to help you curb your smoking urges? But if your New Year’s resolution is to, once and for all, care more for your lungs with a one-stickper-day habit and you’re always on the go, what you need are the trusty takatak boys. Armed with their clever and noisy wooden boxes filled with cigars, gums, and candies of local brands, they’re ready to serve motorists as they scamper to and fro on the fast road whenever the signal light goes red.

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FILIPINISMS 73

TV/radio commercial phrase yet should buy me a cheeseburger meal fast. On the house, ha!)

Accept it: on every special event— birthday, new job, promotion, first pay, split-up with a monster boyfriend, Ms. Right giving her sweet yes after ten years of courtship — you have to ready yourself for the Pinoy’s power of pangangantiyaw a.k.a. pagpapalibre.

They act as if they’re just teasing you, but you realize it’s serious teasing (because no one is going out to buy lunch).

But the funny thing is, it doesn’t take much to convince you to give in to your companions’ whim, i.e. no hair-pulling or body-dragging episode. And you know what’s even funnier? Buy them fish balls and dirty ice cream, and they’re sure to worship the ground you’re treading on.

Mababaw ang kaligayahan ng Pinoy - yes.

© Avava | Dreamstime.com

Now for lunch or dinner, you may want something more special. But maybe you’re too lazy to visit every stall in the talipapa/ market for the choicest and cheapest goods. For a quick boost, grab a PHP10cup of ready-mixed Extra Joss, available in four flavors. Or if you can cook your own food, look for pre-cut, pre-packaged veggies for chopsuey or pakbet. Imagine all the cash you’d otherwise spent had you bought these vegetables in full. Plus, the serving is just good enough for you. NO more fiesta mode or spoiled food stored in the fridge until next year!

Don’t think, though, that small-time vendors and street peddlers alone sell items in tingi-tingi; or that only us masa people shop in this style. Supermarkets have everything in sachets — from shampoo and shoe polish to ketchup and sandwich spread — ideal for travelling light at light prices. They also offer baby/ adult diapers per piece and detergent

bars per cut. Medicine tablets and capsules, you can buy per piece or banig from drugstores. Globe, Smart, and Sun have their tingi version of prepaid load, minimum is PHP10, as well as internet service providers with their prepaid internet cards for as low as PHP100.

Heck, even Rexona follows the traditional repak tawas with its chic deodorant stick. And if you’ve never looked at it this way before, you’re also riding the FX in tingi fashion — with a cab’s AC and convenience minus the PHP40 flag-down rate, pollution, and so much more.

Isang Libre, Isang Tuwa Get a haircut, speak some English, or simply inhale, and you’ll be asked to treat your friends to McDonalds.

Pa-cheeseburger ka naman! To the sabayang pagbigkas of everyone present, BURGER! BURGER! BURGER! (Anyone who hasn’t heard of this popular

So if there’s soup or dessert, no matter how watery or rubbery it tastes, that goes together with the meal at no cost, expect a long zigzag line of customers waiting in that eatery. Or notice the wide smile of kids and adults alike as they get their samples of centimeter-sized hotdogs on toothpicks inside the grocery. Make that a glued grin on the face if they chance upon a free Mongol pencil with a purchase of a five-kilo ham. Let’s not forget the joys, too, of bringing something home from conferences and seminars — and, of course, hotels and airplanes. Those tempting give-aways from notepads to t-shirts to shower caps and headphones…

Just about everything that can be had for free.

And it’s all because we enjoy the idea of getting stuff without rummaging through our pockets for a change. But, hey, who doesn’t? Even professionals (read: freelancers) maximize the benefit of free WiFi available at various coffee shops.

Here’s the trick, though, to make you look like an innocent customer: order a cup of espresso, sip it like a snail, and browse all you can. But if you came in at the café right after it opened, be sure to leave as soon as the night sets in or when you sense a gang waiting for you to get up.

Otherwise, you could be labelled a cheap parasite and forever be banned from the premises. Oh, well, you can always find another willing coffee shop to embrace you as its #1 freeloader.

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Chronicle

26

The Annie B (Batobalani) Chronicles

The adventures and misadventures of a ‘not so average’ Pinay trying to make it in the cosmopolitan city of Dubai.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARIYAH GASPACHO

The Great American Dream Their fairytale romance was written in the stars - pampelikula ika nga ng mga kapitbahay namin. My first cousin Chona Mae, was already pushing 39 - wala na sa kalendaryo, pero pasok pa rin sa Lotto - when she met Ford – 52, recently divorced….lampas na sa Lotto pero pasok pa rin sa Bingo – o di ba? They met in one of those online dating sites. Chona Mae, a certified tarsier and devoted afamista, knew as a little girl that someday she would marry a foreigner and live abroad. As a school girl in our barrio, she collected posters of Danni Vanni, Don Johnson and Tom Babauta – foreign actors who became popular in our country during the 80s. Ford, who majored in Asian History, always had a soft spot for Oriental women. His favorite sexy star is Asia Carrera and his favorite Hollywood star is Tia Carrere. Enough said and done. The day they swapped pictures in the internet, it was love at first sight! From that moment, their Facebook, Friendster, YM and Skype accounts were logged in forever - 24 hours a day, including holidays - buti na lang taga-PLDT ang neighbor nina ate Chona Mae kaya libre ang sagap nya ng Wifi Kapitbahay. Others call it destiny - for me it’s perfect timing and luck.

After almost 3 months of their web romance, they met in person. Ford visited Chona Mae in our hometown in Bataan and simultaneously fell in love with our province and its people.

He even donated 5 houses to Gawad Kalinga - plus 5 million pogi points for Chona Mae’s parents yun - which resulted in their instant engagement. After 6 months of knowing each other, they decided to tie the nut - sa States syempre, para mas bongang-bongga! Kaya eto ako ngayon, excited to be their Bridesmaid.

I figured, mas malaki rin ang chances ko in finding my Mr. Right kung sa Tate mismo ako maghahanap. I mean, may malaki na akong potential since nandun na si Chona Mae. I was told may tatlo na raw akong prospects among Ford’s side. One is Barry, his older brother, who is a widower. Kaya lang may pagka-alcoholic daw, labas masok na ng ilang AA groups.

Then there’s Dick, one of his colleagues who is an animal lover. Nangongolekta daw itong stuffed animals and is into Jungle Safaris and Asian explorations. Mala-Indiana Jones ang arrive. Exciting! And last but not the least, is Quincy, who’s into fashion retailing – mahilig din daw sa mga Asians. Big fan daw ni Vera Wang, Josie Natori at Jimmy Choo. Hmmm… medyo malansa pero malay mo, baka makajackpot din ako tulad ni cousin Chona Mae di ba? Pagkakataon ko na din itu. Dizzizit!!!

So heto ako may-I apply for a US Visa. This should be easy since I have already been to Paris recently which means I have a Schengen Visa na in my passport. Nakapag-Singapore at Bali na din ako which will prove that I am a well traveled person. Siguro naman formality na lang ito. So after paying for the nonrefundable application fee, I finally got my schedule for my interview. I love interviews – it gives me the chance to imfresh others by showing my personality. Pero completing all the requirements pala wasn’t easy as I thought – mas demanding pala ang pagaapply ng US Visa. But thanks to friends and some concerned benefactors, I was able to pull it off. So eto na: my passport valid for the next 6 months from the planned date of entry in the US - check! A completed Form

DS-156 – check! One photograph (5 cm x 5 cm) taken within the last 6 months with a white background (and photoshopped for a greater effect syempre) – check! An original, current letter of employment with job title, length of service, and monthly salary – check!

My personal bank statements for the last six months (syempre nilagyan ko ng pondo after ko mag-personal loan sa ibang bangko) – check! And my wedding invitation that shows my name as bridesmaid as my proof of invitation from Chona Mae and Ford, my sponsors – isang malaking check!

I also printed out pages from my Friendster and Facebook accounts to show them that I have a lots of friends who can treat me to free food and lodging in case my US$ 1,000 pocket money runs out. Impressive naman ang mga friends and contacts ko in fairness, most of them are nurses – OFWs like me who are doing a good job in making our country proud thanks to the millions of dollars we remit every month making our economy strong and stable – oh di ba pang Miss Universe na well versed sa Politics and Economy sa Q&A Portion ang dating ko? That’s right, Joe! You see, I’ve been practicing my possible answers for my forthcoming interview at the US Consulate.

And being aware of the current events and political views can definitely increase my chances in snuggling that US visa - uh huh?

Yo mutha……am no ‘ho…..get busyyyyy in da haus…..yan ang mga slang na Ingles na na-pick up ko sa kakapanood ko ng movies. For sure plus ganda points kapag ginamit ko yan mga yan – sasabihin nila kanang-kana na talaga ako.

Yes, yes, yo!

FEATURE 75

Sa totoo lang, kinabahan ako bigla sa interview ko. May mga narinig kasi ako from others na sobrang higpit daw talaga makakuha ng US Visa…iba’t iba raw ang tinatanong at hinihingi. Wala raw guarantee na mabibigyan ka ng approval. Hmm…di bale, may mga narinig din ako from friends na good news naman – yung mga nakapasa at nabigyan ng multiple entry with their US Visas. Yung iba, nagdrama ng husto on how much they miss their relatives – miski hindi naman nila kakilala since birth – may paiyak iyak pa nga…ayun - approved! Yung isa kong friend nga, sinagot lang nya sa tanong on why she wants to go the the States, sabi nya, “I want to go to Disneyland!” Ganun lang – aba - approved!!! So I thought mas mabuti if I will be true to myself (Magpapakatotoo ako, sister!) and by doing this, I am sure I will be able to imfresh them given my sunny personality and fresh aura. Ah basta, kaya mo yan, Annie B. Lakasan mo ang loob mo. Ang tatlong potential Mr. Right na nag-aabang sa ‘yo, remember…

Imagine all the perks and possibilities if I become a US citizen...I could be living in Wisteria Lane, living the life of a Desperate Housewife - wake up at six to cook breakfast for my husband and kids, then when they’re off to school and the office, I go to the gym and the spa and the salon, and then some shopping and lunch with my friend. Then back again at home before 6 pm to prepare dinner for my family. Yan, yan ang aking ultimate dream.

Simple lang naman di ba? O kaya pwede rin akong mag-audition sa American Idol. I will cook up a very interesting background para maging mabenta ako at kapansinpansin sa mga judges at producers - kunwari ampon lang ako na natagpuan lang sa pintuan ng kumbento noong sanggol pa lang. Tapos naglayas ako at lumaki sa karnabal kung saan ako nadiscover ng aking agent - pero nabisto ko agad na imbes na sa Maynila ako magkakaroon ng career eh sa Japan pala ako ipadadala upang maging bihag ng Yakuza - o di ba? Pang-Magpakailanman o Maalaala Mo Kaya ang drama ng buhay ko kunwari? For sure mata-touch ang mga voters nyan at ako ang itatanghal na kauna-unahang American Idol from the Philippines!!! Talbog sina Ramiel Malubay at Jasmine Trias nyan sa akin…ka-level ko bigla si Lea Salonga!

So alas kuwatro pa lang ng madaling araw ay gumising na ako at nag-novena para maging maayos at maswerte ako sa aking US Visa Application interview. Pinaghalong Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfinger at DKNY na puro nabili ko sa Outlet Mall ang aking outfit – para sa pananamit pa lang ay sabihin na nila na makaAmerikano talaga ako. Plus 500 ganda points.

Pagdating ko sa US Consulate sa World Trade Center ay kinabahan agad ako. Puro mga nakacorporate ang mga iinterviewhin - ang stiff ng mga outfits - di tulad ko na napaka-fashionista.

Di bale, bagay naman ang itsura ko sa aking profession bilang isang Fashion Executive - I’m

on the right track! Nang tawagin ako, bigla kong naisip si Maricel Soriano sa pelikulang “Pepe N’ Pilar” noong 80s – na nang manalo sya sa isang dance contest sa TV ay napunta sya sa San Francisco bilang grand prize at nakilala nya si Gabby Concepcion doon. Lalong lumakas ang loob ko, it’s a sign, sabi ko. A very good sign.

Gwapo ang nag-interview sa akin. He looksalike Clint Eastwood na may halong Redford White. Mukhang mabait at mukhang nagandahan sa akin. Napansin ko yun kasi hindi sya makatingin ng diretso sa akin - o di ba sign yon na type nya ako? So naging confidence ako lalo. Matagal nyang binasa at tinitigan lahat ng mga documents ko. Paulit-ulit nyang binasa ang mga ito at puro matitipid na sulyap lang ang ibinabato nya sa akin. Maya-maya pa, nagsimula na ang interview nya sa akin.

“So Miss Batow-bah-leyni….what brings you to the States?”

“Ahhh…ehem…you know my cousin, shes’s an afamista and tarsier. She get very lucky when she met her future husband – an American from Chicago. I teach her how to meet guys online – thru the net. Because of this she is thanksful to me and as her promise since we were kids, she is making me her bridesmaid in her fantasy dream wedding.”

“Just for a wedding? Is it absolutely necessary that you have to be present during that event?”

“You see, I also help them plan their wedding.

Actually it’s my concept. The theme will be ‘Under the Sea’ because the couple they both love the beach. Even the bride’s gown – it will be inspired by Dyesebel, the little mermaid version of the Philippines. The dress will be very complicated so I need to supervise the

making of it otherwise it might turn out to be a Siokoy dress. You know Siokoy? A male mermaid? If that happens it will be a disaster.”

“That’s it?”

“Oh well…(since mukha naman syang mapagkakatiwalaan, sinabi ko na rin yung iba ko pang agenda sa kanya). Actually I am also hoping to meet my dream guy over there. You see, there are already three guys that my cousin has arranged for a blind date when I arrive there. One is an alcoholic, one is an Indiana Jones and the last one a Metrosexual. Who know in a matter of time I might be the next

76 FILIPINISMS

bride and you could be interviewing soon my bridesmaid who will also come from Dubai?

I would like to believe it’s faith…or even just Serendipity - did you saw that movie?”

(Di pa rin ako nagpapigil…) Also it will be my chance of a lifetime to finally have an EB – you know an EB? It’s Eye Ball - where I can meet in person and in the flesh all my friends and contacts in Friendster and Facebook. Many of them I have accepted and approved to be my friends even if I don’t know them, eh. I said to myself this can be for future reference - and so this can be the perfect once in a fullmoon opportunity for me to meet them and get to know them.”

(Sayang naman, pero naisip ko baka makatulong din…) And you know what? (Nakakanganga lang sya…siguro sobrang imfreshed) You don’t know ha? It is been my ultimate dream to become an American Idol – yes, the first Asian winner of that contest. If you ask me, you will discover that I have so many talents – and singing and performing is one of them, well, two actually. I have been a consistent Karaoke singing diva here in Dubai – ask my friends they all request me to sing in the Karaoke everytime there is a party – a kabayan party. My average score is 98 – no fail! I have scored 100 many times but never under 95. So when computed my average score is 98 – and this I believe is my key to winning the American Idol title. If ever, there is a bigger chance for me to win the American Idol title here since many Filipinos have already almost made it like Jasmine Trias, Camille Velasco, Sway Penala, Ramielle Malubay and even Renaldo Lapuz right? You know them? They’re Owsome!!! But I think, I think ha? That I could be better than them. You want to hear me sing?”

“No...no, I don’t think that’s necessary, Miss Batow-bah-leyni.”

DENIED Isang napaka-lutong at madagundong na stamp ng madaling araw sa Karama eh walang gagawa ang itinatak nya sa aking documents. Sabay ng masama sa akin. abot sa akin ng mga ito.

Hindi bale. I will just charged this to “Thank you very much, Miss Batow-bah-leyni. experience. May araw ka rin, Redford White.

Next…”

Next time, sisiguraduhin kong ikaw na mismo ang magmamakaawa sa akin. Pagsisisihan mo Excited akong binuklat ang aking folder ngunit ang pag-deny mo sa akin. Pag nakita kita sa hindi ako makapaniwala sa nakatatak doon - D Jules Bar ako naman ang iisnab sa yo. Balang araw makakamit ko din ang US Visa na yan.

E N I E D ” Haaaaaa??? Bakeeeettt???

Just wait and see! I SHALL RETURNED!!

“Excuse me, sir…but…but…” baka maawa pa sya sa akin.

“I’m sorry. Next…”

Hindi na ako naka-apila pa. May ibang applikante nang sumunod na umupo at inentertain si Redford White.

Gumuho ang mundo ko. Nawala bigla lahat “I can also dance – all kinds of dances. From ng pangarap ko. Hindi na ako makakapagfolk dance to exotic dance. My last resort, if I bridesmaid sa kasal nina Chona Mae at Ford. don’t make it to American Idol is to apply at Paano na ang tatlong prospects ko? Sayang naman at hindi ko makaka-EB ang mga friends Hooters, you know Hooters?!!!” at contacts ko from Friendster at Facebook “Uh…yes, I know what Hooters is. Thank you from the States. Hindi na matutupad ang very much, Miss Batow-bah-leyni. I think we’re pangarap ko na mag-audition sa American Idol.

O miski sa Hooters. Paano naaaa????!!!! done with this.”

Dizzizit! Siguro naman naloka sya sa mga sinagot ko no? Not only was I truth to myself but I also confided in him my lifelong dream of becoming a star. Alam mo naman ang mga kano, sobrang bilib sa ating mga Pinoy yan pagdating sa talent natin sa pagkanta. Tamo nga nung nag-pa-audition sila for Miss Saigon, sa kinalayo-layo ng nilakbay nila sa buong mundo eh sa Pilipinas lang pala sila makakadiscover ng mga world class talents.

After one more look sa aking documents, dumating na din ang hatol. Blaaaggggggg!!!

Habang nasa taksi ako at pinipigil ang luha sa pagse-self pity ko, naisip ko ang arte naman ng pag-aapply ng US Visa na yan? Ano ba ang gusto nila puro barok at tambay na lang ang makapasok sa bansa nila? Eto akong napakaarticulte at talented eh inisnab nila. Hmp. Buti pa sa France, walang arte arte nung nag-apply ako ng Schengen Visa. Baket, mas maganda pa ba sa Paris ang Amerika? May Eiffel Tower ba sila??? Eh sa napapanood ko sa America’s Most Wanted at sa Oprah eh ang dami daming krungkrung doon. Ay naku nakakatakot! Dito na lang ako sa Dubai – miski maglakad ako ng alas dos

ENTERTAINMENT 77

DirekG:

Genghis Jimenez BY: SHAR MATINGKA

She gracefully lifts her arms towards the misty beams of light seeping through the huge cracks of an old medieval church. Her limbs stretch like rose petals coyly blooming in the beginning of a dark, bittersweet tale. Lean curves of her body obscurely curling into soft waves against the somber contrast of darkness and light, salute the beauty of isolation and undiscovered myths.

They call her the “Spirit Ballerina”. She was almost a dream, at least for a music video.

On the set of Jamie Rivera’s In My Life music video, ballerina Marielle Alonzo executed her poised ballet skills against the greenscreen later to be superimposed by computer graphics with a medieval church.

Genghis Jimenez, also known as Direk G, with the help of his dynamic crew, is the prime creative brain behind the sketches and blueprints of revolutionized and independent music videos.

Genghis was once Student Council President at the International Philippine School in Jeddah from 1997 to 1998. The faculty and his classmates always thought that one day he could be the next President of the Philippines. For young Genghis, it wasn’t just their funny expectations. It was a half-meant joke which he admittedly aspired for. In the idealistic mind of our hopeful vigilante at heart, little did he know, he would one day be an independent music video prodigy.

He briefly took his baby steps to becoming a political leader by taking up Political Science at the University of the Philippines.

A turning point in his life came during the 1st semester of his sophomore year.

Down by three units, he was forced to take a Sociology subject quite irrelevant to his Political Science curriculum. Struck

by the thought-provoking essay of Marxist Structuralist, Louis Pierre Althusser, on the notion that society shapes the individual into his/her own image, Genghis realized that he would have limited influence over the nation as a lawyer or political scientist.

The media appealed to him as the key to reach the heart of the public in a wider and more expanding scale. The Marxist legend played an important role in Genghis’ lifechanging decision to shift from his pre-law course to film.

to keep his feet on the ground as he evolved as a director. Sharing his blessings with others and humility is the key to honest success.

There were many times in Genghis’ early years as a novice when money was very scarce and the people close to him doubted his future in the industry. Sid was the significant character who encouraged him to hold on and persist.

Life Within Music Videos

Like A Love Affair Genghis’ discovery of filmmaking was like a love affair. He believes it was like meeting his one true love. Trials became the foundation of his passion. Discouraged by many, still he persevered and fought for for his calling. For better or for worse, the ‘love affair’ grew stronger as Genghis advanced and matured as a music video director.

Genghis the Commercial Director His current job involves swimming with the big sharks in the advertising industry as a commercial director. 2004 was a crucial year in his budding career as he entered into an apprenticeship under Sid Maderazo, a veteran commercial director. Sid mentored him about TV commercials and also life’s lessons. Genghis was constantly reminded

Directing music videos relieves Genghis from the stressful and demanding environment of advertising. Music videos are his private world where he can be creatively flexible and freely experiment on possibilities. He whole-heartedly shares his success and growing popularity with his crew.

Despite the toppling profits in the music industry as it tries to battle piracy, music videos are still being released but only for trend’s sake. According to Genghis, music videos are meant to sell records. With the gradual collapse in the industry, record companies hardly release handsome budgets to produce these videos. Instead, they scout for the cheapest offer usually available with the freelance crowd.

78 ENTERTAINMENT

Scenes from Direk G’s shoots.

Although at this point in his career Genghis has already directed a music video for world-class performer and legend, Lea Salonga, he owes much of his repertoire to independent bands and caters more to their underground popularity (oftentimes free-of-charge). At the beginning, he used to recommend himself or find his own contacts to build a solid network. It was his first music video, only PHP5,000 pesos worth in overall production, that made him the talk of the town among independent artists. “Doll’s Head”, a video for a popular independent gothic band, The Late Isabel, won MTV Pilipinas 2004 Best Indie Video Award. It was also nominated for 2004 MTV Pilipinas Style Awards for the Most Stylish Video Category and 2004 NU Rock Awards Best Video Category. Behind the scene: a very crude production set using outdated equipment became a deserving winner.

Direk G’s style manifests a hint of German Expressionism and his own signature technique which he calls ‘breaking the visual strains’. Fast cuts, blurred images and oddly framed tight shots are his formula. In his exact words, he describes his work dark, desaturated, high contrast, gritty, rustic, crooked and shadowy. To some extent, he could be the contemporary Filipino version of Tim Burton. Although he adjusts himself to the packaging and marketing of music artists, he still has the innovative prowess to symbolically infuse his emotions and how he sees the world.

There is no long-term uniformity in his style though. He does not want to be known as a

dark director in the entire span of his career.

He believes that education never stops in filmmaking. Art shouldn’t be suppressed by conformity and expectations.

of his crew. Through his enduring belief in artistic freedom that shouts for political change, Direk G will someday take the lead in a revolutionary media.

Whether he is Direk G on set or simply Genghis Jimenez, he has always been a levelheaded and faithful individual. Not many can be professional and personal at the same time. But he possesses the qualities of a good leader and a motivating charisma as one of the greatest individuals yet to shine.

Perhaps he might just be the next President someday or maybe not. What matters is he makes a huge difference as a role model taking shape.

Some of Direk G’s Music Videos: RULE #1 by Overtone HOW WILL I KNOW by Pack Of Wolvz TOGETHER YOU AND I by Lea Salonga YES LATELY by Maegan Aguilar LUV by Kinta IN MY LIFE by Jamie Rivera BARKADA KITA KITA by Midpoint MY FAVORITE THINGS by The Late Isabel PAANO by Glaiza de Castro A SONG FOR YOU by Chad Peralta DEKADA (NAKALIMUTAN KO NA BANG MAGMAHAL)

by Join the Club

He leaves us with this message to Filipinos home and abroad: “Never lose hope na makakabangon pa ang Inang Bayan. Filipinos can slug it out toe-to-toe against their international counterparts. Filipinos are really good sa kung anong field man sila ilagay. Kung yun potential na yun maibubuhos lang sa bansa natin internally, in a few years makakabangon tayo. Sacrifice lang. I long to see the next generation na hinde na umalis ng bansa para pakinabangan ng iba. Dito na lang. I long for the cycle of inexorable expatriation to cease someday. It is never part of the grand design na mahiwalay tayo sa ating mga pamilya’t mahal sa buhay sa panahon na tayo ay nabubuhay pa.”

It’s a long way to go for Direk G. But he has earned the respect of many, from the utility guys in his set up to top-level music icons. Most importantly, he is very proud

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