NEW YORK – The Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) commemoration climax for this year’s 115th anniversary of the declaration of Philippine Independence – the Philippine Independence Day on Sunday, June 2, 2013 gets to showcase another world renowned, multi-awarded star with the return of the now globally-famous Dinagyang Street Dancers from Iloilo City, fresh from their 3rd consecutive win of the coveted Philippine national “Festival of Festivals” Aliwan Fiesta Street Dancing million-peso championship prize.

The last time the Dinagyang Street Dancers graced the billing card at the Philippine Independence Day in New York was in 2011 under the then-PIDCI-President Joji Jalandoni’s wing when they electrified  the New York region Filipino, Filipino-American and mainstream communities swelling the number of celebrators for the day to a record 100,000 people.

NEW YORK CITY, NY --  The grand opera “Noli Me Tangere” has edged one step closer to the American mainstream.  At a special dinner held in Manhattan in late March 2013, leaders and advocates of the Filipino American community in the Northeastern U.S. have pledged to do their part to invest funds and raise public awareness for the highly anticipated New York premiere of the “Noli” — a landmark opera based on the great novel by the Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal.

Hosted by U.S. industrialist Loida Nicolas Lewis at her Fifth Avenue residence, the evening affair was intimate and one-of-a-kind.  Conversations delved deep into the subject of how a classical music piece from the Philippines could garner global appreciation from opera aficionados and Western centers of culture.  The New York dinner also offered a unique opportunity for lead sponsors and potential investors to personally meet Bayani Mendoza de Leon, the son of Philippine National Artist for Music composer Felipe Padilla de Leon who wrote and completed the opera in 1950.

“Lovers of Philippine culture would have heard of Rizal's classic novel,” says Loida Lewis, the project’s lead producer. “When they hear the ‘Noli’ opera sung in the Filipino language, Filipino Americans everywhere will be curious and amazed that this masterpiece could be presented in New York.”

MANILA -- With a bang and a drumbeat, the youth demand to be heard.

Independent musicians and mainstream artists from Karl Ramirez and Talahib  to Datu’s Tribe and Kate Torralba, cheered on by a crowd of young students as well as curious onlookers, took part in the call for clean, transparent elections in an event that lasted well beyond midnight on Friday, at Morayta University Belt, Manila. Poetry readings from members of KM-64 and other artists segued between band performances.

NEW YORK – “Don’t Stop Believin: Everyman’s Journey,” a film directed by Filipino American filmmaker, Baltimore-based Ramona Diaz made its simultaneous premier screening on March 8 in various theaters in New York City, NY; Los Angeles/Orange County, CA; Honolulu, HI; Chicago, Il; Boston, MA; San Francisco, CA; Washington, D.C.; San Diego, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; , Santa Fe, NM; New Haven, CT; , Richmond, VA;, Memphis, TN;, Columbus, OH. The film will also be shown in other dates in Anchorage, AK; Rockland, ME and in various cities in Japan.

NEW JERSEY – Filipino American politician and businessman turned stand-up comedian and show producer, Phil Peredo, who was born in Jersey City, has made a tremendous leap into the entertainment world.

Since relocating to Las Vegas , the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and an internationally renowned major resort  as “The Entertainment Capital of the World, “ Peredo has embraced a new life being a stand up comedian.

Peredo has performed at the Louis Anderson Theater at Palace Station, the Rio Hotel & Casino, the Bonkerz Comedy Club, the Royal Resort and the Sapphire Comedy Hour as well as other venues off the Strip including Reset at Lucky’s Lounge.

NEW YORK -- Les Misérables alumni Adam Jacobs (Disney’s The Lion King, Once on this Island), who played the role of Marius in Les Misérables return engagement on Broadway in 2006-2008, and Ali Ewoldt (“West Side Story,” Disney’s “Aladdin”), who played the role of Cosette in the same production, top bill A Heart Full of Love: A Concert at The Town Hall (123 West 43 St.) on Saturday, February 23 at 8 p.m.

In A Heart Full of Love, Jacobs and Ewoldt, both of Filipino descent, will be singing an array of musical theater favorites including selections from Les Misérables, West Side Story, and The Lion King; as well as contemporary pop songs, kundiman (traditional Filipino love songs); and an exciting repertoire of new works by today's rising musical theater writers and composers.

NEW YORK --  She has fought for five years now against being returned to her former status as the mistress of a Philippine congressman.  It has meant transborder harassment, stalking, imprisonment by ICE and repeated trauma for herself and her children. And now Grace Grande faces extradition on the basis of an uninvestigated allegation by the congressman’s employee that she stole items allegedly worth $43,000.

Still on bail, Grande joins the final talk-back panel of the “Honour” Production at the La Mama E.T.C. on Sunday, Dec. 16th , 2:30 pm.

NEW YORK CITY, NY --  Bold, daring works from a United States national exposition of theatrical designs assembled for the 2011 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space will be exhibited in December at La MaMa La Galleria in New York City.  An opening reception is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, December 6, 2012, with many of the featured designers, theater artists and curators in attendance.

FROM THE EDGE: PERFORMANCE DESIGN IN THE DIVIDED STATES OF AMERICA is a one-of-a-kind installation of photographs and work processes from 37 politically compelling productions from across the country.  Commissioned by USITT, "From the Edge" represented the United States at last year's Prague Quadrennial, the world celebration of performance design and theatre architecture held every four years in Prague since 1967.  This showing in New York introduces this exhibit to a new audience.

New York, NY — In the international tradition of crowd-pleasing comedy musicals like Mamma Mia and Rock of Ages, comes I Do Bidoo Bidoo the acclaimed blockbuster from the Philippines that celebrates young love, family values, and the hit songs of the Apo Hiking Society (the Philippines’ answer to The Beatles).

Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Chris Martinez, “I Do Bidoo Bidoo” stars the Philippines’ top singing superstars Gary Valenciano, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Ogie Alcasid and talented comedienne Eugene Domingo, along with up-and-coming bright new talents Sam Concepcion and Tippy Dos Santos.  A surprise hit in Manila, the film is that rare musical where Hollywood meets Bollywood: it’s a toe-tappin’, hand-clappin’ combo of the most entertaining kind.

CHICAGO (jGLi) – Marilyn Z. O. Doromal, a retired Filipino American teacher of Columbus, Georgia, is a friend of Ed Navarra, national chair of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations. Marilyn was introduced by Maritoni Luetgers of GFI, Inc., a non-profit group, to James McSweeney, Atlanta, Georgia’s Southeast Archivist of NARA (National Archives and Records Administration), the nation’s record keeper.

Mr. McSweeney is putting together a southeast project, regarding the “First Filipino settlers in the southeast, the Filipino veterans, the history of medical professionals and educators.”

However,  Doromal, NaFFAA region 4 member, was blown away when asked, “Who will” discover the “first settlers?” “That ‘who will’ question brought me to the info-desk of Joseph Lariosa (Chicago News).”

CHICAGO (jGLi) – The timing of its encore leaves much room to be desired but for the Bayanihan Dance Company, the ambassador of cultural songs and dances of the Philippines, the show must go on.

When the dance troupe founded in 1957 by Sen. Helena Benitez and officially designated as the National Folk Dance Company of the Philippines only on 2000 by an act of Congress embarked on a two-city tour starting last Thursday (Nov. 1) in New York’s Broadway’s Jazz at Lincoln Center when its residents were still reeling from superstorm Sandy’s devastation, it should have been postponed for another day in deference to the suffering of the people as did President Obama and former Gov. Mitt Romney suspend their presidential campaigns.

NEW YORK – Obie-award winning stage, TV and film actor, and accomplished director, Ching Valdes-Aran, presents a solo exhibition of her paintings for the first time in the United States.  Entitled CHING VALDES-ARAN: NEW AND SELECTED WORK, the exhibition will be on view at the Philippine Center Gallery in New York City from October 22 through November 2nd, 2012.  The Philippine Center Gallery is located at 556 Fifth Avenue, between West 45th and 46th Streets. An artist’s reception will take place on Monday October 22 from 6 to 9 p.m.

NEW YORK -- The Philippine Consulate General is spearheading a get-together of all alumni of Philippine-based colleges and universities at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center on Saturday, October 13, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 

The special event, which is dubbed as "Homecoming sa Konsulado: Sama-Sama sa Kaunlaran ng Pilipinas" invites all alumni of Philippine-based colleges and universities. Live musical performances will be held as well as Karaoke Singing Challenge are in store to take place during the event.  There will also be several contests and prizes that await all participants.

Those who are planning to attend are requested to register and join their school's alumni association.

NEW YORK  -- Fr. Benigno P. Beltran’s latest book, “Faith and Struggle on Smokey Mountain: Hope for a Planet in Peril” will be launched October 17 at the Philippine Center in Manhattan 6:00 p.m.  Consul General Mario de Leon, Jr. as well as other dignitaries and members of the community will be in attendance.

According to Pauline Santos, one of the organizers of the event, this is Fr. Beltran's second visit to New York this year.  Previously, he accompanied the cultural artists from Smokey Mountain, Tondo, Manila in their Sigaw ni Inang Daigdig (Cry of Mother Earth) USA Tour.  About 23 children performed at several events in New York and New Jersey to the delight and appreciation of their audience.  Included in their repertoire were dances from the different regions of the Philippines set in colorful costumes as they interpreted the culture and tradition of their respective communities.

NEW YORK -- At the invitation of the newly launched US-Philippines Society in Washington, DC, the world-renowned Bayanihan, the national dance company of the Philippines, comes to the Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, Time Warner Center, New York City on November 1 at 8:00 pm with a fabulous repertory to thrill audiences once more.

Inspired by the Philippines’ indigenous Chinese, Spanish and Islamic cultures, the Bayanihan will offer five suites featuring a spectacular display of Philippine culture throughout the country’s 7,000 islands.

NEW YORK CITY, NY -- In celebration of Filipino American History Month, a band of performers and writers will share the stage in "Tagalogue, volume 2," a theatrical evening of original creative works and poetic voices of Filipino Americans to be held at the Nuyorican Poets Café at 236 East 3rd Street, New York, NY on October 12 and 13.  The show begins at 7pm.

These original works document and write history as these are stories that question being Filipino, American, Filipino American, and more.  Their stories create a snapshot of what it is like to be Filipino American in New York City in 2012.  The performers relive experiences, share ideas, and pose meaningful questions while they celebrate their heritage.

MANILA — Arguably, Carmen “Nanay Mameng” Deunida of the urban poor group Kadamay is one of this century’s most popular and most endearing woman activist. Staunch. Fiery. Passionate. These are just a few words that describe how she speaks in public whether in rallies or in small gatherings. Her mere presence delights everybody. No one else can utter scathing remarks against presidents of the republic the way she does, 84 years old at that.

To make a film about Nanay Mameng may sound easy. Why not? Her life is nothing short of colorful. She’s been through 13 presidents. She has marched thousands of times toward Mendiola, Liwasang Bonifacio, Plaza Miranda and EDSA and toward every possible mass demonstration venue in Metro Manila. She has spat at corrupt government officials’ names millions of times. She commands attention wherever she speaks. Her speeches are always full of “quotable quotes” that the media pick up all the time. She has a melodramatic family life fit for the movies, having liberated herself from an abusive husband. And yet, when the whole country watched her life at the boob tube, in a television anthology few years ago, it seemed completely wrong. Perhaps, it is not really easy to make a movie about her- a powerful, almost larger than life little woman who has seen histories unfold in front of her eyes and chooses to keep on fighting. Perhaps, that is one of the reasons why the new documentary Nanay Mameng, by Adjani Arumpac and Kodao Productions is much awaited and highly anticipated.

MANILA – A lot of people claim that the golden age of theater was long gone with the advent of mass media, mainly television and the new media. But the Philippine Educational Theater Association disagrees. In their newest play “Bona,” the theater group proved that these platforms could be corroborated to provide a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience.

“Bona” was originally a Lino Brocka film shown in 1980. Nora Aunor, one of the country’s premiere actresses who played the lead role, was obsessively in love with a Gardo, played by Philip Salvador, a struggling actor in the Philippine show business industry.

In today’s adaptation, Bona, played by Eugene Domingo, is a hardworking call center agent who supports her family, including the schooling of her sister’s children. Just like in the film, she leaves everything behind, including her family, friends and her job, to be with Gino Sanchez, played by Edgar Allan Guzman, a contestant in a talent search program on television. It was directed by Soxie Topacio and written by Layeta Bucoy.

Prior to the staging of “Bona,” several news articles came out asking Eugene if she thinks she would be able to surpass the kind of acting that Aunor gave into the film. There is, however, an astounding difference between how the two actresses “attacked” their characters because one was melodramatic and other was funny yet ironic.

Funny and serious

This is not the first time that Eugene acted on stage though she is more known now for her comedy films that were box office hits. In both film and stage, she showed how versatile an actress she is. Eugene brought her charms and wit on the stage.

There were several scenes when it is hard to tell if Eugene is ad-libbing or if it is still part of the play. “Looks like our neighbors are having barbeques again,” Eugene said in Filipino, while trying to get rid of the smoke coming from the fog machine. The audience roared with laughter.

Even Edgar himself was laughing candidly or at least he appeared to be while Eugene delivered some of her lines.

The play “Bona” has a different take from the film because it is laced with comedy. But when the dramatic scenes were called for, both Eugene and Edgar pulled it off.

When the character Bona finally comes to her senses, she pours boiling water on Gino. It was the most famous scene in the film yet when rendered on stage, the audience still acted surprised, thrilled and chilled to the bones when it happened. The building of tension among the characters, along with the acting, music, lighting, among other technicalities of the play, blended smoothly leading to that climactic scene.

Brutal friendship

Although the story revolved mainly about Bona’s obsession with Gino, the play also portrayed a kind of friendship that, this writer thinks, every Filipino should have. It is the genuine yet brutal kind of friendship that Bona has with her gay friend Baldie, played by Joey Paras.

They constantly annoy and even humiliate each other. But in times of need, they are there for each other, including waking up Bona from her fantasies that is destroying her each passing day.

Another is the undying love that Bona’s landlord and suitor Bert, played by Julienne Mendoza, offered to her. During the press preview of Bona, Mendoza received one of the loudest cheers from the audience for the compelling and touching role he did for the play.

“Bona” is a must-watch play. It would make you laugh, make you want to scream or even make you cry. But at the end of the play, it would not be hard to contemplate that there is indeed a tiny Bona in all of us. It could be anything that fixates you and drives us away from our dreams, hurt people we care about and even our very own selves. We can either accept the bitter pill with open arms or fight it just as Bona did. (Bulatlat.com)

MANILA – A few years ago, renowned director Joel Lamangan and Palanca-awardee scriptwriter Bonifacio Ilagan teamed up with Ricky Lee to film the Flor Contemplacion Story, a movie based on the life of an overseas Filipino worker who was sentenced to die in Singapore. Her death amplified the costs of labor migration.

Yet recently, Lamangan and Ilagan teamed up again to film another gripping portrayal of the continuing poor working conditions of overseas Filipino workers.

“Flor’s story was a film on one individual’s life. But now, (in this film) you will see the bigger problem. It also focuses on how groups like Migrante are helping OFWs in other countries,” Lamangan said. The film, he added, is “telling the truth of how our local embassies in other countries are not helping that much.”

SINGAPORE – APEC invites the region’s photographers to submit pictures that best capture the organisation’s priorities.The photos should be inspired by four themes: 1) trade and investment liberalization, and regional economic integration; 2) strengthening food security; 3) establishing reliable supply chains; and 4) intensive cooperation to foster innovative growth. These themes reflect the policy priorities that APEC has set for 2012.

“The photographic interpretation of APEC’s work at the grassroots helps inform our decisions as we move towards a more integrated region,” said Ambassador Muhamad Noor, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat.

“Based on the outstanding photos we reviewed last year, I am confident that in 2012 we will see even more compelling visual representations of APEC’s priority work areas.”

The contest is open to all amateur and professional photographers in APEC’s 21 economies. Contestants can submit up to four entries during the submission period, which ends on 1 August 2012. Submitted photos must be the photographer’s original work. Those who wish to enter the contest must submit the application and their photos to contest@apec.org.

Three winning photos will be chosen by a panel of international judges including Eric Baradat, AFP Photo Editor-in-Chief (Worldwide); Vladimir Baranov, RIA Novosti’s Head of Visual Information Department; Palani Mohan, Reportage by Getty Images Photographer; Ambassador Gennady Ovechko, Russian APEC Senior Official and Ambassador Muhamad Noor, the APEC Secretariat’s Executive Director.

Over S$5,000 will be awarded to the winners. Winning shots will be selected based on the quality of the photograph, composition, overall impact and artistic merit – as well as how well they exemplify APEC’s 2012 priorities.

APEC Facebook fans will also have a chance to vote for their favorite photo under the Popular Choice category. The public voting period begins on August 8 when the top ten photos will be displayed at www.facebook.com/APECnews.

Public voting ends on August 22. The photo with the most votes on the APEC Facebook page will win S$1,000.The winners will be announced at the start of APEC Economic Leaders’ Week on 2 September 2012 in Vladivostok, Russia.

For further contest information and submission details, please refer to the APEC 2012 Photo Contest website (http://www.apec.org/photocontest) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/APECnews).