Sarah Geronimo ecstatic over back-to-back Disney projects

 Entertainment
Jan 202015
 
Sarah Geronimo ecstatic over back-to-back Disney projects

Sarah Geronimo (MNS photo) Pop star Sarah Geronimo expressed her joy over portraying Rapunzel from “Tangled” in Disney’s 2015 calendar to be released in Southeast Asia, following the release of her version of the Disney tune “The Glow” in December. “Siyempre when I was told na gagawa ako ng project with Disney, sabi ko ‘Wow, totoo ba ito?’ Siyempre hindi ako makapaniwala at first, pero, ‘yun, very, very happy and thankful sa Disney kasi kinonsider tayo ng kanilang campaign, ng project nila at not just one project kung hindi dalawa. So, talagang nagpapasalamat ‘yung puso ko,” Geronimo said. The calendar features 12 Disney Princess characters for each month, including ABS-CBN star Kim Chiu as Mulan. Actresses from Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia were also tapped for the project.According to The Walt Disney Company, Geronimo and Chiu were chosen for “embodying positive values and serve as good role model for children.” Referring to her rendition of “The Glow,” the official Disney Princess theme song that debuted in 2011, Geronimo added: “Siyempre naka-record ako ng song for Disney. Makita ko naman ‘yung sarili ko as a Disney Princess ay sobra-sobra na, sobra-sobrang blessing na sa akin so I’m very, very happy.” Asked for her reaction to feedback that she fits the role of Rapunzel, the singer replied: “Thank you, thank you, siyempre may kanya kanya silang take sa mga bagay-bagay pero ipagpapasalamat ko po yung positibong kinokomento nila.” “Maraming salamat po na na-appreciate nila na ako ang nag-represent ng character ni Rapunzel dito Read More …

Papal nuncio relays Pope’s thanks to Pinoys for successful papal visit

 Entertainment
Jan 202015
 
Papal nuncio relays Pope’s thanks to Pinoys for successful papal visit

Pope Francis comforts Glyzelle Palomar, after sharing her experience as a former street child, during the youth encounter at the University of Santo Tomas Sunday. Thousands of Catholic faithful, mostly young people attended the celebration at UST. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – Pope Francis on Monday thanked all those involved in his recently concluded five-day visit to the Philippines. The Pope relayed his thanks through Papal Nuncio Giuseppe Pinto, who spoke at a media conference after a chartered plane bringing the Pope to Rome took off. “Thank you, in the name of Pope Francis,” Pinto said. For his part, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said the clergy and laity “will implement the message of the Pope.” In Malacañang, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda thanked Filipinos for their “solidarity” in ensuring the safety of the Pope. “From the thousands who patiently lined the route of the papal motorcade; to the organizations that encouraged mindfulness and helped maintain order during the public engagements of the Pope; and to the millions who participated in the papal activities. We recognize the dedication of the different church groups that worked hand-in-hand with government. Their cooperation, as they kept in mind advisories for all the events, contributed to fostering an organized and peaceful papal visit,” he said. Lacierda also thanked media for playing a vital role in the dissemination of relevant information and for promoting government-issued advisories. He also thanked telecommunications companies for their cooperation in “ensuring security for all and advising the public accordingly.” Also, Read More …

Militant group sees challenge after Pope leaves PHL

 General
Jan 202015
 
Militant group sees challenge after Pope leaves PHL

Pilgrims brave rain and strong wind as they wait at Tacloban airport for Pope Francis to arrive on Saturday. About two million people are expected to attend an open-air mass in Leyte, which is still struggling to recover from Super Typhoon Yolanda that killed more than 6,000 people in 2013. (MNS photo) MANILA   (Mabuhay) – Meanwhile, militant umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said a bigger challenge awaits Filipinos after Pope Francis leaves. Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said his group thanked Pope Francis for “consistent advocacy of the poor and his liberating message of breaking the bonds of injustice and oppression.” However, Reyes said the bigger challenge is putting into practice the words expressed by the Pope, now that he has left. Reyes particularly referred to the Pope’s statements on poverty, inequality, social exclusion, and corruption, and the need to give a voice to the poor. “The message may have fallen on deaf ears with the Pope’s audience in Malacañang, but certainly it resonated with the millions of Filipinos who lined up the streets and gathered in Luneta and Tacloban. The Pope’s message to the poor should inspire the people to organize and struggle for better wages, for social services, for pro-people rehabilitation in Yolanda-affected areas, for education, health care, for the resumption of the peace talks, and for the release of political prisoners,” Reyes said. Reyes also said the Pope’s message was “liberating and in many ways, even subversive because it was critical of the prevailing social order where Read More …

Assignment of a lifetime thrills ‘Pope Caster’

 General
Jan 192015
 
Assignment of a lifetime thrills ‘Pope Caster’

One member of Pope Francis’ Philippine security team earned a special introduction yesterday from President Aquino himself. Pope Francis grinned and gave his blessings after being introduced to “Pope Caster” – the moniker earned by Special Police Officer 3 Jaime Castro after several days of acting as the pontiff during security dry runs. A member of the police contingent in the Presidential Security Group (PSG), Castro looked thrilled yesterday as he got to kiss the papal ring and received the special blessing. Aquino was overheard telling Pope Francis that Castro – known as Caster in the PSG and Malacañang – served as the pontiff’s food taster throughout his visit and is “the most religious” member of the presidential guards. Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, who knows Castro personally, was seen saying something to the pope, who grinned and thanked the police officer for his work. Castro performed the same function for Aquino’s late mother Corazon during her presidency. Under the current President Aquino, Castro heads the PSG’s food and beverage security unit. As Aquino waited at the Kalayaan lounge of Villamor Air Base for the pope’s arrival yesterday morning, he was overheard saying he would introduce Castro to the pontiff. Castro studied commerce at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran. He received police intelligence training in detecting toxic substances in food and beverage. During the visit of Pope John Paul II in the Philippines in 1995, Castro was part of the Philippine National Police team that provided covert Read More …

‘Gary V’ rocks Pechanga Resort & Casino March 8

 Entertainment
Jan 192015
 
‘Gary V’ rocks Pechanga Resort & Casino March 8

Internationally acclaimed singer, Gary Valenciano, popularly known as ‘Gary V’ will rock the theater of the famous Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California through a concert slated on March 8 at 7 p.m. Pechanga Resort & Casino is well-known for hosting the best and the brightest Filipino entertainers and performers such as Megastar Sharon Cuneta, the singer/actress and Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, popular comedian and actor Vice Ganda, winner of “Star Power Search 2011” Angeline Quintos, international actress and top endorser Anne Curtis, and Pop Star Princess Sarah Geronimo – who all gave wholesome entertainment to the delight of the crowd. Aside from fine dining, relaxation and entertainment, Pechanga Resort & Casino wish to provide the ultimate experience especially, to Filipino-American patrons. Thus, Gary V, with 31 years of solid international exposure in the field of singing and dancing will ‘wow’ the crowd in this year’s opening extravaganza. Gary V, a singer/songwriter/musician, was born to a Puerto-Rican mother and a Filipino father. He remain consistently visible in the public eye since he began his career in 1983. At 18, he first burst on the Philippine music scene with look-a-like antics of Michael Jackson and Al Jarreau’s pyro-techniques. To date, Gary V has released 32 albums including those released in the USA and the Asian Region. The Pop idol has the most illustrious track record in the Philippine recording scene winning a total of 12 Awit (Song) Awards (US counterpart of Grammy Awards) in the Best Male Recording category Read More …

Pope Francis back in Rome after 5-day PHL visit

 News
Jan 192015
 
Pope Francis back in Rome after 5-day PHL visit

Pope Francis arrived in Rome early Tuesday morning, organizers of his five-day visit to the Philippines said over social media. Shepherd One, the callsign for the Philippine Airlines Airbus 340 which flew the Pope to Rome, took off from Villamor Air Base in Pasay on Monday morning after a send-off ceremony led by President Benigno Aquino III and Vice President Jejomar Binay.  On Sunday, Pope Francis celebrated a mass at the Quirino Grandstand that was attended by a crowd of from 6-7 million. Before that, he had a meeting with religious leaders and the youth at the University of Santo Tomas. On Saturday, he flew to Leyte to celebrate a mass at the Tacloban Airport and to visit nearby Palo town. Leyte was among the areas worst hit by Typhoon Yolanda in 2013. On Friday, the Pope paid a courtesy call on President Benigno Aquino III, celebrated a mass at the Manila Cathedral, and held an Encounter with Families at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Despite the pomp and preparations surrounding his visit to the country, the Pope was described as down-to-earth, opting to travel in an open Popemobile so people lining the route of his motorcade could get a better look at him. He also frequently deviated from prepared speeches, at times doing away with them altogether, so that he could speak from the heart. — JDS, GMA News

Low oil prices, strong $ won’t dent OFW inflows

 General
Jan 192015
 
Low oil prices, strong $ won’t dent OFW inflows

MANILA, Philippines – The declining oil prices and the strengthening dollar are not expected to put a dent on the steady flows of remittances to the Philippines, a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas official said. BSP Deputy Governor Diwa C. Guinigundo told reporters that overseas Filipino workers usually have a fixed amount they send home, thus, they tend to remit more whenever the dollar is stronger or less when the greenback is weaker. “They need to maintain the peso value of their remittances. Their expenses are in peso. I think that’s the psyche of most OFWs (and) we see this in the data,” Guinigundo said. Latest central bank data showed cash remittances increased two percent to $2.122 billion in November from $2.08 billion in the same month in 2013. This brought the 11-month figure to $21.911 billion, up 5.7 percent from the $20.796 billion a year ago. On the declining oil prices, Guinigundo said that oil-producing firms in the Middle East are not seen cutting jobs so this should not have a significant effect on remittances. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “They didn’t bring down production, (and besides) it’s harder to lay off people than rehire them. These companies can operate at a loss. They would rather absorb the cost of transition rather than absorb the cost of rehiring,” Guinigundo said. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in November has kept its output target unchanged, further sinking oil prices in international markets. Asian benchmark Dubai crude has Read More …

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