SPOTTED: Paullete Cambronero, the rising Celine Dion of the Philippines?

I was browsing through my Facebook News Feeds and I found this link of a lady singing Celine Dion's All ByMyself, inside a shopping mall, hitting grand slam high notes and belting out powerful vocals. Her name is Paullete Cambronero, and I must say she's sings great!

Video Courtesy: Facebook Page Basta Bisaya Gwapo og Gwapa, Magpaliwat Ka?

I can't help but feel my spine tingle every time she reaches up the peak. Definitely, one singer to look out for. Who knows, she could be invited by Ellen in her show? I guess I'm just so proud of the Filipino talent!

11 Filipino billionaires in Forbes 2013 list, mall tycoon Henry Sy leads

As the economy and stock market of the Philippines progressed and outperformed others, 11 Filipinos made it to the Forbes Magazine 2013 global billionaires' list, with five more Filipino billionaires added from a total of six last year.

Number 1 Filipino tycoon and business magnate Henry Sy, and his family, ranked 68th on the list with a net worth of $13.2 billion as of March 2013.

"The Philippines' richest man Henry Sy saw his fortune swell by more than $5 billion as shares of his holding firm SM Investments, the country's most valuable company, surged by over 50 percent, fueled by reports that it may merge its property units," Forbes said.

Lucio Tan, owner of tobacco, alcohol, airline and real estate firms, and his family ranked second in the Filipino billionaires list with a net worth of $5 billion. 

The new members of the billionaires' list are this year are Consunji and family, Ty and family, the Co couple, Coyiuto, Tan Caktiong and family, and Gotianun and family. 

Meanwhile, the biggest gainer title goes to Enrique Razon who debuted in the billionaires list just last year. Razon, owner of International Container Terminal Services (ICTS) which purchased various ports worldwide, saw his wealth hike by over $3 billion after Bloomberry Resorts,  his hotel and casino venture, joined the Philippine Stock Exchange.

The names and ranks of the Filipino billionaires worldwie in 2013 are as follows:

1. No. 68 - Henry Sy ($13.2 billion)

2. No. 248 - Lucio Tan ($5 billion)

3. No. 258 - Enrique Razon Jr. ($4.9 billion)

4. No. 345 - Andrew Tan ($3.95 billion)

5. No. 503 - David Consunji and family ($2.8 billion)

6. No. 554 - George Ty and family ($2.6 billion)

7. No. 736 - Lucio and Susan Co ($2 billion)

8. No. 931 - Robert Coyiuto, Jr. ($1.6 billion)

9. No. 1031 - Tony Tan Caktiong and family ($1.4 billion)

10. No. 1175 - Andrew Gotianun and family ($1.2 billion)

11. No. 1175 - Roberto Ongpin ($1.2 billion)

Forbes noted that all the 1,426 billionaires of the world saw an increase in its aggregate net worth from $4.6 trillion to $5.4 trillion, which is roughly near (hundreds of billions in dollars) the gross domestic product (GDP) of Japan or the GDPs of France and Brazil combined in 2011.

Together, the net worth of the Philippine billionaires this year totaled to $39.85 billion, around 16.75 percent of the Philippine economy in 2012.

FOR STUDENTS: No to campaigning on Commencement and Graduation Day

Sa mga kapwa po namin mag-aaral ng iba't ibang paaralan sa Pilipinas, pribado man o pampubliko, hinihikayat po namin kayo na maging mapagmatyag at aktibo ngayong paparating na halalan sa pamamagitan ng simpleng pagpapadala lamang ng mga kuha o litrato niyo ng mga politikong kandidato na kahit sa Commencement Exercises o maging sa Graduation Day (kung saan kayong mga magsisipagtatapos at mga kamag-anak, kapatid o kaibigan ng mga magsisipagtapos ang dapat na pinaparangalan) ay sila pang bibida-bida sa mga araw na ito.

Noong nakaraang buwan po'y may pinaikot na memorandum ang Department of Education (DepEd) na nagpaparating sa mga paaralan ng hindi pagsang-ayon sa mga politikong kandidatong gagamitin ang Graduation at Commencement Day bilang porum upang ipaalam ang kanilang mga plataporma at angking galing bilang pinuno ng anumang sekto ng lipunan.

Sa pagpapadala po ng mga litrato o video ng mga ito ay maipaparating natin sa kanila ang pagnanais nating kundenahin ang pakiki-sawsaw nila sa espesyal na araw na ito. Mahalaga para sa atin na maipagmalaki ang nagawa natin at hindi ang mga pangako at nagawa ng mga politikong kandidaton ito. 

Kung may makuha man po kayo, maaring ipadala po lamang ang mga ito sa spotlightphilippines(at)yahoo(dot)com(dot)ph. Higit po naming pahahalagahan ang confidentiality ng inyong ipapadala at maging ng magpapadala mismo. 

Nawa'y maikalat po natin ang mensaheng ito sa ating mga kaklase, kaibigan, kamag-anak at kung sinu-sino pa, nang sa gayo'y maiparating natin sa mga politikong kandidatong ito ang ayaw natin sa kanila.

Sa araw ng pagpaparangal, ilabas ang mga cellphones, camera o tablets bilang armas ng pagbabago, ipadala ang mga litrato o di kaya'y ipost sa Facebook nang malaman nang marami ang hindi katanggap-tanggap na pangangampanya ng mga ito.

Kayo, mga kapwa po naming estudyante, ang ugat ng pagbabago sa bansang ito. Nasa atin po ang mas progresibong pagbabago. Kung hindi tayo kumilos kahapon, dapat ngayon; kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?

Maraming salamat!

Cynthia Villar says 'sorry' to nurses

Liberal Party senatorial candidate Cynthia Villar has apologized to nurses for her highly criticized statement on national TV during a senatorial debate on GMA New TV's "Pagsubok ng mga Kandidato" two weeks ago.

For what she said, she had written a letter of apology to the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA).

Photo Courtesy: LP website

“I truly am sorry for having offended the feelings of your members. It was never my intention to belittle anyone, least of all, the valiant members of the nursing profession," she said.

Villar explained Monday that "lack of time and the complexity of the issue" regarding a closure order issued by the CHED years ago hindered her from answering the question "in a clear and concise manner."

“Mahirap po talagang pagkasyahin sa loob ng isang minuto at kalahati ang lahat ng gusto kong sabihin tungkol sa mga naging problema ng mga mag-aaral ng nursing noon at hanggang ngayon. Napakalaki ng aking paghanga sa mga nars, saan man sila naglilingkod kaya’t nalulungkot ako dahil nagkulang ang aking pagpapaliwanag," she said.

Aside from that, she was unable to complete her answer because the time limit for the first answer and the thirty seconds allotted for a follow-up reply "quickly lapsed."

“What I was trying to say during that media forum was that nursing students affected by a CHED closure order several years ago deserved concrete and better career and academic options other than just an abrupt closure of the institutions that they were currently enrolled in,” she said.

During that time, she was part of a legislative oversight committee that "had to intervene" to ensure that the welfare and rights of nursing students, their parents, and teachers were provided "sufficient thought and consideration" by CHED and the school owners.

To know what happened and why representative Cynthia Villar caused public outrage on the issue of nurses, read here.

-with reports from Kimerly K Tan of GMA News

Mario Maurer dating Cacai Bautista?

Some sites have been buzz blogging about the rumor that Thai superstar Mario Maurer and "Suddenly It's Magic" co-actor Cacai Bautista are dating. Well, if it's true then everyone must be happy for them.

They were spotted out in a dinner "date" in Bangkok, Thailand. In an ABSCBNNews report, Mario escaped from his shoot just to have dinner with Cacai. Citing the report,

Speaking on “The Buzz” where he is a host on Sunday, Abunda said his sources told him details about Bautista's recent visit to Thailand, where she reportedly had dinner with the Thai actor. 

His sources said Bautista supposedly invited Maurer for a dinner but the actor was disappointed when he learned that it won’t be just the two of them. 

“Ang unang dumating daw 'yung manager ni Mario. The manager was the one who first arrived tapos si Mario daw ay dumating. According to my sources, si Mario was a bit disappointed dahil akala niya sila lang ni Cacai ang magkasama. 'Yun pala nandoon ang kanyang mga kaibigan at kanyang manager,” Abunda shared.

Abunda’s sources also claimed that Maurer even escaped from his movie shooting just to see Bautista.

“When Cacai invited Mario to dinner – sobrang traffic sa Thailand -- dumating si Mario sa dinner, according to my source again, nakamotorsiklo at pawisan. Tumakas siya sa shooting para lang makasama si Cacai,” he said. 

Abunda said his sources told him that Maurer is really enamored by Bautista’s beauty and personality. 

According to Abunda, he tried to ask for Bautista’s side of the story but the actress chose to keep mum about the matter.

Is Cacai Bautista really the new girl of Mario after breaking up with his long-time girlfriend Gubgib Sumontip? Maybe all will be clear if both shows up live and admits it in public.

UAAP Season 75 Volleyball Finals, NU vs FEU, DLSU vs ADMU Results, Schedule

The results and the schedule of the Finals games in the volleyball clash between the NU Bulldogs vs FEU Tamaraws (Men's Division) and DLSU Lady Spikers vs Ateneo Lady Eagles (Women's division) in the UAAP Season 75 will be posted here.

MEN'S FINALS: 

NU smashes FEU at 1-0

Game 1 (March 2): NU catches FEU off-guard 16-25, 18-25, 25-13, 25-17, 15-8

Game 2 (March 6): 2PM | SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena | FEU Tamaraws vs NU Bulldogs

Game 3 (March 9): 2PM | Smart Araneta Coliseum | NU Bulldogs vs FEU Tamaraws

Best Scorer: Ron Jay Galang (Adamson University)

Best Spiker: Peter Den Mar Tores (National University)

Best Blocker: Mark Gil Alfafara (University of Santo Tomas)

Best Server: Arvin Avila (Far Eastern University)

Best Digger: Carlo Almario (University of the East)

Best Setter: Vince Mangulabnan (National University)

Best Receiver: Arvin Avila (Far Eastern University)

Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP):

Season Most Valuable Player (MVP):

Rookie of the Year:

WOMEN'S FINALS: 

DLSU takes first win, 1-0

Game 1 (March 2): DLSU aims at ADMU 20-25, 17-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-6

Game 2 (March 6): 4PM | SM Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena | Ateneo Lady Eagles vs La Salle Lady Spikers

Game 3, (March 9): 4PM | Smart Araneta Coliseum: |La Salle Lady Spikers vs Ateneo Lady Eagles

Best Scorer: Alyssa Valdez (Ateneo de Manila University)

Best Spiker: Myla Pablo (National University)

Best Blocker: Abigail Maraño (De La Salle University)

Best Server: Sheila Pineda (Adamson University)

Best Digger: Jennylyn Reyes (National University)

Best Setter: Jamenea Ferrer (Ateneo de Manila University)

Best Receiver: Jennylyn Reyes (National University)

Finals Most Valuable Player:

Season Most Valuable Player:

Rookie of the Year:

The Finals games for Volleyball Men's and Women's in the UAAP Season 75 will be aired live on Studio 23.

SPOTTED: RoboLolong, a crocodile robot made out of car parts

While the passing of the world's largest crocodile, Lolong, continues to drift away from our nation's memory - Lolong being found in the Philippines inspires us all how great our environment still is, another crocodile (or actually two crocs) are making the scene and stealing the spotlight all the way from Cagayan de Oro.

Photo Courtesy: Facebook user Ian Huerbana

Made from spare car parts, RoboLolong became the caption of one uploaded photo which shows two metallic molds of crocodiles. What pride-raising ingenuity had whoever made these crocodile robots given to us! Kudos to this artful masterpiece!

Daniel Padilla kissed by fan on the lips, #RespectDanielPadilla trends on Twitter

Princess and I teen lead star Daniel Padilla wasn't up for a surprise when one of his fans (a girl) accidentally kissed him on the lips during ASAP XV's March 3 episode.

While singing "Paniwalaan Mo" in his ASAP guesting, he approached the crowd of fan girls who had garlands on them. Attempting to move to the audience close, Daniel  was met with enthusiastic fans who placed garland and hugged him.

Video Courtesy: Youtube user Michael Angelo Pengson, ASAP XV

One of them then took this rare opportunity to quickly kiss Daniel (by the cheeks, I guess) but apparently landed right on the lips which caused an uproar (and possibly increase in hormonal levels, lol), to much shock.

Right after videos of it surfaced (aside from the fact that many viewers watched it), the girl was attacked in online portals for stealing that kiss, which for some felt, "should be kept to a girl who's special to him."

Not was she spared on Twitter when the hashtag #RespectDanielPadilla trended.

Some facts about the economy of the Philippines

According to World Bank country director Motoo Konishi, the Philippines "is no longer the sick man of East Asia, but the rising tiger." True as it may seem, PH has registered one of the highest growth rates in Asia since the Aquino administration started.

However, could the issue of 'inclusive' growth several years ago still be the same issue of today? There must be some truth in it. Here are some facts which that economic gains do not trickle down the bottom classes.

1. In 2009, about 25 million Filipinos or 1/4 of the population lived on $1 dollar a day or less.

2. In 2011, the 40 richest families in the Forbes wealthy list accounted for 76 percent of the total gross domestic product (GDP) of the Philippines. That's very high compared to Thailand's 33.7 petcent, Malaysia's 5.6 percent, and Japan's 2.8 percent.

3. In 2012, the two wealthiest people in the Philippines were worth a combined $13.6 billion, which is approximately six percent of the Philippine economy.

4. Minimum wages have not been increased to a point that could significantly impact the lives on the lowest social strata, despite corporate gains obtained by owners of profitable Philippine companies and corporations. Hence, the owners get increases, yet the workers don't.

5. Politics is a game-changer, with regards to effectiveness of public policy that negatively impacts PH capitalists and business owners.

6. Some sectors of the Philippine economy are under monopoly or duopoly; thus, prices of commodities (may it be goods or services) can easily be controlled and eventually directly affect the customer base - a big portion of which is powered up by the middle class.

SPOTTED: Vice Ganda spoofs Willie Revillame vs Ethel Booba, Ate Gay commotion

Popular comedian/actor Vice Ganda brought in humorous bursts during an episode of It's Showtime wherein the Kapamilya comic spontaneously re-enacts Willie Revillame's rage on the professionalism of Ethel Booba and Ate Gay during a live run of Wowowillie.

The video of Vice Ganda uttering words like "Sandali, i-cucut natin ito..." and "ginagawa natin ito para sa publiko... hindi niyo nakikita habang nagpeperform ako nasa likod lang ako, kasi back-up niyo lang ako... and you don't do that to me!" is found below.

Video Courtesy: Kapag ako naka-Move On, HU U ka sakin :")

Here is the original video of Willie Revillame, Ethel Booba, Ate Gay incident over professionalism issues of the latter two.

Video Courtesy: Youtube channel Pinoy Kapatid

SM City Manila 3-Day Sale

I am definitely looking forward to buying priced down items later at SM City Manila's last day of its vibrant 3-day sale from March 1 to 3, 2013!

Yesterday, customers wandering and shopping around SM Manila's Hypermarket were witness to joyful employees dancing to the beat of pop music! I was there, while people were busy flocking to different stacks of stuff they will need for the month of March.

Armed with credit cards and wallet cash, these shoppers definitely feasted on the festivity with lots of selling going on. Aside from checking out some slashed down prices of shoes, probably Nike, Converse or Adidas, I'll also prep up myself for deciding which designs I'd reward to myself.

Since today's the last day of the three-day sale, I'm actually expecting a large volume of shopper traffic flowing through the mall's passes. Can't wait to visit SM City Manila later! :)