The GNP Team

Honest taxi driver returns 900k cash to owner through TV station

 News
Oct 022017
 

Driver Reymond Gonzaga of Davao City found the owner of Php900,000 cash left in his taxi after he turned in the passenger’s bag to local television station ABSCBN. Gonzaga related to the news network how he found the bag in the backseat of his taxi and decided to go to the local TV station to seek help on what to do with the bag. An ABSCBN report revealed the bag owner as Ruth Muntag Koitabashi, an overseas Filipino worker in Japan, who claimed her bag containing the cash, jewelry, her mobile phone and other important documents. Koitabashi thanked Gonzaga for his honesty and effort to return her belongings. The post Honest taxi driver returns 900k cash to owner through TV station appeared first on Good News Pilipinas.

Lance Busa wins Michael Bolton Talent competition

 News
Sep 282017
 

Filipino Lance Busa was handpicked by Michael Bolton as the winner of the premiere season of Bolt of Talent on Star World which concluded Wednesday. The singer from Butuan City in Mindanao won a record deal and will perform in Michael Bolton’s Asia Dream Tour as part of his prize. Lance will also be heralded as a Subaru Ambassador. After being announced the winner in the finale show, Busa said, “I think everything is a dream because everything started with my dream. That was my dream. I hope I made the Philippines proud and I hope I made my grandpa proud…” The 22-year-old Busa competed as the Philippines’ representative to the newest Fox Network singing competition hosted by multiple-Grammy recipient and singer-songwriter Bolton, after being scouted by the iconic artist himself in the show’s first telecast that featured the Philippines. The amateur singer went up against artists from Thailand, Malaysia and Taiwan. In the finale of Bolt of Talent, the Philippines’ bet sang a cover of Bolton’s iconic hit, “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You.” The post Lance Busa wins Michael Bolton Talent competition appeared first on Good News Pilipinas.

Bohol furniture maker’s success credited to local invention

 News
Sep 282017
 
Bohol furniture maker’s success credited to local invention

Bohol Furniture and Lumber Supply has risen from being a fledgling small lumber retailer to a major company, thanks to a local Filipino invention. Cirilo Sumampong’s company in Dauis now commands a gross income of PhP 1.16 million a month after using the Department of Science and Technology’s Forest Products Research and Development Institute’s (DOST-FPRDI’s) furnace-type lumber dryer (FTLD). Sumampong relates in a DOST release, “During our first years in the business, we were producing nothing but door jambs and air-dried lumber, and earning only Php 1,500 a month. Sales were good only between September and December each year. Now, with our kiln-dried wood, we make trusses, floor planks, doors, door jambs and all kinds of furniture – beds, chairs, dining sets. Thanks to our number one client – the hotels and beach resorts that have sprung all over Bohol in recent years – our products are in demand all the time.” The Bohol firm decided to expand in 2012, getting a Php 1 million help from the DOST Small Enterprises Technology Upgrading Program or SETUP. By 2014, the company grossed PhP 2.5 million. “Our product lines grew and because we knew that we were using quality materials, we gained confidence in dealing with our buyers,” shared Sumampong about their experience. The clients of the company multiplied and the company was able to pay back the grant after one year, eventually expanding its store and showroom. The dryer technology used by the Bohol furniture maker was also credited for helping create jobs for Read More …

75-year-old Susie Rose breaks 3 powerlifting world records

 News
Sep 212017
 

  The fact that Susie Rose is already 75 years old has not held her back from breaking world records at the Amateur World Powerlifting Congress (AWPC) World Cup held August to September in Idaho; the powerlifting grandmother even picked up 8 gold medals on her way to bagging 3 world best scores. The Filipino-American grandmother broke 3 world records at the AWPC in her age group: Dead lift – 220 lbs Back squat – 110 lbs Bench press – 77 lbs Rose previously qualified for the AWPC in June after setting an American Powerlifting Federation competition national record for dead lift of 209.4 pounds in her 65-plus age division. The Bulacan lass who studied at the University of the Philippines before moving to the United States, credits her fitness lifestyle to her 7 children and 37 grandchildren. “When my husband passed away, then my kids, they tried to help me channel my energy into something more progressive, because they didn’t want me to feel sad,” Rose shared on Balitang America. “Having so many grandkids, then I want to be fit and healthy to be able to help take care of them,” she adds. NBC News described Rose’s daily regimen: “Every morning at the crack of dawn, 75-year-old Susie Rose gets out of bed, makes herself a cup of ginger tea (a recipe from her grandparents when she was growing up in the Philippines) and heads to CrossFit Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) in Draper, Utah, with her son Paul. The two Read More …

Game designer Tobie Abad credited for 7th Sea ENnie wins

 News
Sep 212017
 
Game designer Tobie Abad credited for 7th Sea ENnie wins

When 7th Sea picked up its seven Gold, Silver, and Bests at the 2017 ENnie Awards, Filipino game designer Tobie Abad was credited for helping make the 2nd edition of the popular 90s role playing game (RPG) a successful RPG Kickstarter. Philippine-based Abad was part of the team of writer-designers charged with rewriting the game’s prison island for the book 7th Sea: Pirate Nations. 7th Sea game master Dan Waszkiewicz posted praises for Abad on the Facebook wall of the De La Salle University graduate: “You are too kind. I’m really glad you are getting the publicity you deserve. I legit tell people that you have one of the best minds in the industry!” “Personally, for me it was a dream-come-true moment. I know my parents aren’t completely clear about what a role-playing game is and why it has become such a passion for me, but to be able to let them know that I was part of a project that won such a huge award was something I’ve always wanted to offer back to them,” Abad revealed in a GMA News interview. The Indigo Games senior designer recounted to GMA his contributions to the 7th Sea 2nd edition: “I was tasked as a freelance writer to come up with the reimagination of La Bucca, the prison island that has turned into an independent nation of intrigue and freedom,” “This meant coming up with a somewhat similar yet new history for the island, locations of interest, plot hooks, and characters Read More …

Pinoys bring home gold from World Shoot 2017 France

 News
Sep 212017
 

Filipinos at the IPSC World Shoot 2017 brought home several medals from France after competing against 1,500 shooters from over 67 countries. Two teenage sport shooters brought home the gold and silver in the junior category, while older well-known shooters bagged silver and bronze medals. Kahlil Adrian Viray, 15, and Rolly Nathaniel Tecson, 14, finished first and second in the Juniors Individual Standard at the tournament. Well-known top shooter, Jeufro Emil Lejano, finished with a Silver in the Individual Classic category. Jethro “The Jet” Dionisio, considered a living legend of the action-shooting circuit, bagged the Bronze medal also in the Individual Classic category despite encountering jamming issues. Lejano also picked up the Silver in the Team Classic category together with teammates Bernardo Mari Alejandro V, William Magalong, and Wilfredo Martin Jr. The Filipino medal finishers at the 2017 IPSC: Jeufro Emil Lejano – Silver, Individual Classic Jeufro Emil Lejano, Wilfredo Martin Jr., Bernardo Mari Alejandro V and William Magalong – Silver, Team Classic Jethro Dionisio – Bronze, Individual Classic Grace Tamayo – Bronze, Ladies’ Individual Classic Israelito Pible – Bronze, Super Senior Individual Standard Kahlil Adrian Viray – Gold, Juniors Individual Standard Rolly Nathaniel Tecson – Silver, Juniors Individual Standard The Philippines came in 6th overall at the end of the 2017 IPSC. The post Pinoys bring home gold from World Shoot 2017 France appeared first on Good News Pilipinas.

Zaldy Goco wins Emmy for RuPaul’s Lady Gaga costume

 News
Sep 182017
 
Zaldy Goco wins Emmy for RuPaul’s Lady Gaga costume

Filipino-American fashion designer Zaldy Goco won a Creative Arts Emmy Award for “RuPaul’s Drag Race” episode, “Oh. My. Gaga!” Goco, known in fashion circles as Zaldy, was given a Creative Arts Emmy in the category for “Outstanding Costumes for Variety, NonFiction or Reality Programming” together with Perry Meek for the VH1 reality show. Zaldy, exclusive designer to the Emmy Award-winning show, actually designed for Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball concert series. RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Philippine-born costume designer said his Filipino heritage influenced his colorful costume creations. “It’s a very colorful and loud culture,” Zaldy said of his Filipino upbringing in an Emmy red carpet interview with ABS-CBN’s Showbiz Tonight reporter Yong Chavez. The Fil-Am designer recalled his family tradition of dressing up and partying. Zaldy has designed clothes in collaboration with Michael Jackson for his This is It world tour. He also worked with Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stefani, Mick Jagger, and the Rolling Stones. Zaldy’s work with RuPaul’s Drag Race spans the elimination-style reality contest’s seasons 1-9 which has developed a mainstream fanbase and transformed the art of drag. The post Zaldy Goco wins Emmy for RuPaul’s Lady Gaga costume appeared first on Good News Pilipinas.

University of Mindanao Chorale wins Busan fest Grand Priz

 News
Sep 182017
 

The University of Mindanao (UM) Chorale bagged the grand prize at the 13th Busan Choral Festival and Competition Grand Prix. The UM Chorale emerged triumphant in the finals of the international competition held September in South Korea, after winning two categories in the semis – Gold for Classical Mixed and Gold for Ethnic. The university choir group under conductor Peter Buaya brought home the Busan Festival grand prize of $20,000, besting other choral groups from 47 countries. The 24-member UM Chorale previously won the 9th Concentus International Choral Festival in Singapore in 2016. The post University of Mindanao Chorale wins Busan fest Grand Priz appeared first on Good News Pilipinas.

Mamasons Pinoy dirty ice cream delicious success in London

 News
Sep 182017
 
Mamasons Pinoy dirty ice cream delicious success in London

The iconic Pinoy dirty ice cream is now being enjoyed by Londoners with the establishment of Mamasons in Camden Town. About Time Magazine recommended the Mamasons Filipino Street Ice Cream and Coffee House in its list of “10 Things You Need to Eat in London This Week.” Writer Alicia Grimshaw highlighted the Pinoy dessert in the article introduction for the first Filipino ice cream parlor in London which is listed in 10th place. Grimshaw named the new North London spot of Mamasons which was opened in June in Camden Town by Omar Shah of Camden’s Bintang Restaurant. “Dirty ice cream is an endearing nickname used to describe ice cream sold on the Filipino streets by family run street vendors. They produce affordable and natural ice cream by using an age-old churning method of ice and salt, a steel pot and a whole lot of elbow grease,” wrote Grimshaw. About Time praised Mamasons signature flavor – the Ube (local purple yam) – “Its natural vibrant colour and unique earthy taste combined with a rich and creamy underlying sweetness is something Filipinos cannot get enough of.” The Mamasons bun – a Filipino baked pandesal (a traditional milk bun) filled with cool ice cream then sealed and toasted instantly became a summer hit. “With every bite you’ll get an explosion of hot, cold, sweet and creamy blended flavours.” Mamasons is a small batch producer specializing in flavors indigenous to the Philippines and its surrounding islands. Mamasons, using its team of authentic in-house flavor innovators has developed, Read More …

Mark Gonzalez inducted into Business of Fashion

 News
Sep 142017
 
Mark Gonzalez inducted into Business of Fashion

Philippine-based retail executive Mark Gonzalez of H&F Retail Concepts has made the elite Business of Fashion 500 list. Industry professionals who are shaping the global fashion industry. Gonzalez popularly known as Jappy in the industry was recognized for his accomplishments with the H&F Retail Concepts’ multi-brand stores Homme et Femme, Univers, and a number of monobrand stores including Comme des Garçons, Balenciaga, Lanvin and Y-3. BoF 500 cited the Filipino fashion retailer’s setting up in 1995 the concept store Homme et Femme which is now “one of the top luxury destinations in Manila, Philippines,” carrying labels including Dries Van Noten, Acne, Marni, and Margiela. “Subsequent years saw Gonzalez diversify into franchising by opening a number of monobrand boutiques under H&F Retail Concepts. He was responsible for bringing Balenciaga, Lanvin, Comme des Garçons and other high fashion brands into the country,” went the BoF 500 bio sketch of the local designer-retailer’s achievements. In 2011, he opened a second Homme et Femme store, Univers, in shopping mall Rockwell Plaza, designed by architect Eduardo Calma. As well as featuring up-and-coming labels and mixing streetwear and luxury together, the store includes lifestyle elements, with waiting lounges, a fragrance collection and a Comme des Garçons Black shop-in-shop concept space. In 2015 Gonzalez opened the first Ladurée store in the Philippines.” Gonzalez is one of the 99 new names selected for the 2017 edition of the BoF 500 index of people who matter to the $2.4 trillion fashion industry, joining two other Filipinos namely, Stephen Gan Read More …

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