♥ Paulino Alcántara
Alcántara, Philippine born Barca player was one of those players that deserves a special place in the hall of fame. Record he accomplished is unlikely to be surpassed anytime in the close future. All in all, Paulino scored 357 goals in 357 games wearing FC Barcelona shirt.
Needles to say, he was the club`s first star back in the 20s and he was renown for his deadly shot and prowess in front of the goal, reputation that went well beyond Barca borders.
One particular incident marked his way to an instant legend. April, 1922. an international match Spain-France. Alcantara hits the ball so powerful that it literally ripes the back of the net.
It is said that long after he scored that goal youngsters tried to emulate their idol`s feat.
Paulino Alcantara finished his career in 1927 to become a doctor. This still wasn't his goodbye to Barca as he was on the directors board from 1931-34.
(Iloilo, Philipines, 1896 – Barcelona, 1964) is the highest goal scorer in the club’s history with 357 goals in 357 games.
His characteristic deceptive appearance made him popular with the fans to the point of being the first star of the club in the golden ages of the twenties, alongside Samitier, Zamora, Sagi, Piera and many more.
His ability to hit the most powerful of shots crossed frontiers on the 30th April 1922 when, in a game between Spain and France, he hit a shot so hard that it ripped right through the net. For many years after, children from Barcelona would recall that moment and would wish to do the same as the man from the Philippines.
He hung up his boots on the 5th July 1927 in order to become a doctor. However, this was not his goodbye to football. He was on the board of directors between 1931 and 1934 and Alcántara was one of the first footballers to write memoirs of his playing days.
♥Anna Bayle
The first Asian "supermodel". Became in the 1980's one of the top ten models of the world in only 2 years. Touted the “Model of the 80s.” Worked for all the major European designers and was a muse to many important designers. Became one of the highest paid--and one of the top 3 models of that time. Worked for all the New York designers and became a design consultant to some established fashion houses. Did national & international campaigns for fashion houses and major department stores. Did calendars for Elite Modeling Agency and Shiseido Cosmetics. Featured in numerous Fashion Books: Mugler, Chanel, Scaasi, Valentino, Versace, YSL, Dior, Fashion Illustrations by Antonio, etc. Photographed by many of the top fashion photographers including Helmut Newton, Norman Parkinson, Sante D' Orazio, Peter Beard, David Seidner, Olivero Toscani, Arthur Elgort, Patrick Demarchelier, Peter Lindbergh, Skrebneski, Alex Chatelain and Paolo Roversi.
♥Jaja Bolivar
A T.V. and events host, comedienne and singer. She was born and raised in the Philippines until she migrated to the United States at the age of 23.
She was first known as Kikiam Defensor, the headline field reporter in the news gag tv show called Wazzup Wazzup. Her brilliant spoof of the Philippines most feisty and highly intelligent senator, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago earned Jaja one-on-one interviews with Philippine celebrities and newsmakers such as Senator Miriam Defensor- Santiago herself, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and world boxing champion, Manny Pacman Pacquiao.
She also hosted a youth-oriented debate show, Y Speak, of which Jaja Bolivar was known to provide comedic and meaningful insights for the Filipino youth audience.
Fast forwarded to the US, she is once again catapulted to the limelight as she hosts Adobo Nation, a premier lifestyle magazine television show catering to the Filipino-American community aired globally on The Filipino Channel.
Apart from television, she hosts and sings for live stage events and shows as well as private parties.
Jaja Bolivar continues to go out of her comfort zone to pursue greater heights for her entertainment career; thus making her the most promising celebrity of the Filipino-American community today.
♥Charmaine Clamor
is America’s leading Filipina jazz and world vocalist.
With two consecutive albums in the JazzWeek World Music Top-10, including the rare feat of simultaneously making Top-5 on both the World (#2 ranking) and Traditional Jazz (#4) radio charts, Charmaine has earned unprecedented praise for introducing American audiences to Filipino languages, melodies, and instruments – and for sharing a once-in-a-generation, astonishingly expressive voice.
Recognized today as “one of the important and original jazz singers of the decade” {Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times}, a “dynamic new compass point in World Music” {Christopher Loudon, Jazz Times} and “one of the finest singers to come around in a long time” {Jerry D’Souza, All About Jazz}, Charmaine Clamor began her musical journey at age 3, entertaining passengers -- whether they liked it or not! -- in the back of buses traveling to Manila. Originally from the provincial town of Subic-Zambales, Philippines, young Charmaine provided piano accompaniment while her mother sang kundiman (Filipino torch songs) and English-language classics. These childhood memories inspired Charmaine’s enduring love of American music.
After immigrating to the United States as a teenager, Charmaine graduated as valedictorian of her high school class and went on to earn a Masters Degree in Physical Therapy from Cal State-Northridge. Throughout her college years, Charmaine worked as a “KJ” (a karaoke hostess). She was discovered by the musical director of CRESCENDO, a vocal jazz harmony quintet, while singing Whitney Houston songs at a Filipino fried chicken restaurant.
In 2005, following nearly a decade of ensemble singing, Charmaine made her solo recording debut with Searching for the Soul, and her “bedroom eyes voice” instantly garnered comparisons from critics and disc jockeys to legendary vocalists such as Nina Simone, Nancy Wilson, Julie London, Lena Horne, and Cassandra Wilson. Several pundits dubbed her “the Filipino Sarah Vaughan.”
Charmaine's critically acclaimed second album, Flippin’ Out (2007), brought her international recognition. On this landmark recording, she blended the soul and swing of American jazz with traditional Filipino folk music, languages and instruments, creating a new hybrid genre called jazzipino. Charmaine’s artistry was featured on BBC’s “The World” and NPR’s “Weekend Edition,” which described her music as “the perfect bridge of two cultures.”
Her third album, My Harana: A Filipino Serenade (2008), revived the ancient Filipino courtship tradition of harana – serenading a lover beneath her window – but with a twist: this time it was the woman doing the serenading! Charmaine’s bold vision and sublime vocal tenderness landed her on numerous magazine covers and TV newsmagazine shows in her native Philippines, and solidified her role as her birth country’s most celebrated international musical ambassador.
Indeed, because of her presence on American radio and concert appearances around the nation, Charmaine has been credited with introducing authentic Filipino musical culture to mainstream listeners. To further her lifelong goal of bringing the music of the Philippines to ever larger audiences, Charmaine served as one of the founding members of JazzPhil-USA, a non-profit organization that promotes jazz artists of Filipino descent in the United States. For five consecutive years, she has lent her notoriety to the popular Filipino-American Jazz Festival, held annually in Hollywood, at the Catalina Bar & Grill Jazz Club, where Charmaine’s appearances with fellow Fil-Am jazz luminaries inspire standing-room-only crowds.
In 2009, Charmaine was signed to a multi-record deal with Viva Records, one of the largest pop music labels in Asia. As Viva’s first and only jazz artist, her debut album, appropriately entitled Jazzipino, brought Charmaine’s unique sound to millions of new listeners on Filipino radio and television.
In 2010, Charmaine appears on David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's "Here Lies Love" (Nonesuch), with a cast of celebrated female vocalists, including Cyndi Lauper, Tori Amos, and Natalie Merchant. Charmaine was the only jazz singer selected for the project.
Charmaine resides in Los Angeles, California, where she tends to an organic vegetable garden and volunteers for environmental organizations that promote green living.
♥Olivia "Bong" Coo
A Filipino tenpin bowling athlete. She is a 4-time World Champion, winner of the most gold medals in the Asian Games by a Filipino athlete, with five, and was the first Filipino athlete listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.
She is the only bowling athlete who has won the All Events titles in regional level, Asian Zone level and world level championships in major quadrennial and biennial bowling competitions as well as owned the All Events records on those tournaments at one time in 1986.
• The world's premier amateur event the Quadrennial World Championships (Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs), consecutive in 1979 and 1983 [1]
• Quadrennial Asian Games, consecutive in 1978 and 1986
• Biennial Zone Championships (Fédération Internationale des Quilleurs), 14 years apart 1972 and 1986
• Biennial South East Asian Games, consecutive in 1981 and 1983
Her career with the national team has earned for Philippines 78 medals broken down to 37 gold, 23 silver and 18 bronze, and won a total of 135 championship titles with least one Masters title for 28 consecutive years. She is the most bemedalled Filipino athlete per Philippine Republic Act 9064 "Athletes Incentives Act of 2001".
In 2000, she was voted one of the Philippines Athlete of the Millennium and was awarded an Achievement Diploma by the International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch in recognition of her outstanding contribution in promoting the development and participation of women and girls in sports.
♥Jethro Dionisio
AKA Jethro Tan Dionisio
He is the fastest steel shooter alive today. Nobody will argue with Jethro T. Dionisio's impressive championship record that includes three Steel Challenge (World Speed Shooting Championship) crowns (1990, 1992, 1993) and three World Shoot-off Championships (1993, 1994, 1995). His six world titles stand as the most dazzling string of world shooting championships in the 1990s.
• 1st Filipino world speed shooting champion
• 1st Filipino three-time world champion in the Steel Challenge, World Speed Shooting (1990, 1992, 1993)
• 1st Filipino three-time world champion in the World Shoot-off Championship (1993, 1994, 1995).
♥Gabriel "Flash" Elorde
He is one of the greatest fighters to ever come out of the Asia-Pacific region. Every year from 1952 to '67 he was involved in a national, regional or world title bout. Elorde, who turned pro in 1951 at age 16, had his first 11 fights in his hometown of Cebu, Philippines, winning 10 and suffering one KO loss.
He branched out the following year and continued his success, eventually winning the national bantamweight title in Manila then, traveling to Tokyo, where he won the Oriental bantamweight crown via 12-round decision from Hiroshi Horiguchi. In 1953, he lost a bid for the national featherweight crown, dropping a 12-round decision to Larry Bataan in Manila and later dropped a 12-round verdict to Japanese junior lightweight champ Masashi Akiyama in Tokyo.
His quest for success at higher weights finally bore fruit in 1954. After dropping another 12-round nod, this time to Shigeji Kaneko, for the Oriental 126-pound belt, he beat Tommy Romulo in Manila to win the Philippines junior lightweight crown. Despite losing the national title in 1955, he surprised everyone when he outpointed reigning featherweight king Sandy Saddler over 10 rounds in a non-title fight in Manila.
With his newly won status as a world-ranked fighter Elorde traveled to San Francisco in Jan. 1956 for a rematch against Saddler, this time with the title on the line. The challenger fought brilliantly, but a cut over his eye forced the bout to be stopped in the 13th round, with Elorde ahead on the judges cards. It was also Saddler's last title defense.
Although Elorde didn't get another title shot for the rest of the decade, he remained a ranked contender and eventually won national and regional titles as a lightweight. In March 1960, he won the world junior lightweight title with a seventh-round stoppage of Harold Gomes in Quezon City, in the Phillipines.
Over the next eight years he had the most prolific reign at the weight. He had 10 successful defenses and twice pushed Carloz Ortiz to the 14th round in a bid to win the lightweight belt from the future Hall-of-Famer.
Elorde's fall began in June of 1966 when he lost the Oriental lightweight title to Yoshiaki Numata via 12-round verdict. A year later, Numata relieved Elorde of the world 130-pound crown with a 15-round points verdict.
Elorde fought and lost his next fight. He was inactive for a year-and-half before resuming his career, but retired for good after winning just six of 10 bouts.
Elorde was a very talented and popular left-handed boxer who compiled a career record of 88-27-2 with 33 knockouts; During his career, he captured the Super Featherweight Championship of the World, the WBC Super Featherweight Championship of the World, the WBA Super Featherweight Championship of the World, the OPBF Lightweight Championship, the GAB Lightweight Championship of the Philippines, the GAB Super Featherweight Championship of the Philippines, the OPBF Bantamweight Championship and the GAB Bantamweight Championship of the Philippines
"Flash" defeated such men as Sandy Saddler, Ismael Laguna, Harold Gomes, Vicente Derado, Johnny Bizzarro, Ike Chestnut, Auburn Copeland, Vicente Rivas, Sakuji Shinozawa, Kenji Iwata, Fujio Mikami, Joey Lopes, Frankie Narvaez, Giordano Campari, Teddy "Red Top" Davis, Tommy Romulo, Masashi Akiyama, Hisao Kobayashi, Keiichi Ishikawa, Teruo Kosaka, Kang Il Suh, Sergio Caprari, Sonny Leon, Hiroshi Okawa, Tanny Campo, Hiroshi Horiguchi, Al Cruz, Solomon Boysaw and Tsunetomi Miyamoto
Elorde was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1988 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993
♥Pedro Flores
The Flores yo-yo was the first yo-yo manufactured in the United States, it's originator was Pedro Flores. Pedro Flores is considered the original yo-yo guru. Mr. Flores was the singular most important person in introducing the word "yo-yo" to the United States. Although the yo-yo as a toy (known as a bandalore) has been used for centuries, even existing in the United States for years prior to Mr. Flores, as one astute observer noted in the late 1920's "we've all done the yo-yo before but we never had a name for it."
Pedro Flores was a native of Vintar Ilocos Norte, Philippines. He came to the United State in 1915. He attended the High School of Commerce in San Francisco 1919-1920 then he took up the study of Law at the University of California Berkeley and the Hastings College of Law in San Francisco.
Flores dropped out of school for reasons unknown and moved to Santa Barbara, California. He worked at odd jobs for years and at the time of starting his yo-yo business he was working as a bellboy.
He developed his vision for the yo-yo's potential when he read about a man selling a ball attached to a rubber band who made a million dollars. He remembered the game yo-yo which was played for hundreds of years in the Philippines and he thought it had a good market possibility in the U.S. Mr. Flores was quoted saying "I do not expect to make a million dollars, I just want to be working for myself. I have been working for other people for practically all my life and I don't like it."
In early 1928 Flores came to Los Angeles and asked some wealthy Philippine for assistance in manufacturing yo-yos. His friends thought him crazy and he returned to Santa Barbara with only his dream. Being a true entrepreneur, at the age of 29, on June 9th 1928, he applied and received a certificate of conducting business for the Yo-yo Manufacturing Company in Santa Barbara. On June 23, 1928 he made 1 dozen yo-yos by hand and began selling them to neighborhood children. By November of 1928 his company had 2000 yo-yos and he was able to attract two American financiers, James and Daniel Stone of Los Angeles. Now with the ability to produce machine made yo-yos, four months later, over 100,000 yo-yos had been produced. By November of 1929 three factories were making 300,000 yo-yos daily and employing 600 workers. These companies were the Flores and Stone, Los Angeles; The Flores Yo-yo Corporation, Hollywood; and the Yo-yo Manufacturing Company, Santa Barbara.
♥Daniel Arca Inosanto
Born July 24, 1936, is an international martial arts (FMA) practitioner and instructor from California. He is most widely known as a former student of the late Bruce Lee and one who had authority on “Jeet Kune Do” concepts.
Movie Highlights:
• Big Stan(2008) …. Knife Guy
• Redbelt (2008) …. Joao Moro
• Big Trouble in Little China (1986) (as Daniel Inosanto)
• Game of Death (1972) (Filipino fighter)
• Escape from L.A. (1996) (stunts)
• The Green Hornet (1 episode, 1966) (fight double)
As a Filipino, he was determined to help promote the Filipino Martial Arts, and helped brought several obscure forms of the Filipino Martial Arts into the public eye and saving them from extinction.
Dan teaches The Art and Philosophy of Jeet Kune Do, Filipino martial arts, Shoot wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, Silat, mixed martial arts and other arts at his Marina del Rey, California school, the Inosanto Academy of Martial Arts. He received a shodan from and was an instructor for Ed Parker in American Kenpo Karate before becoming a student of Bruce Lee. Inosanto is one of three people allowed by Bruce Lee to teach his Martial Arts system, and the only one to be given Instructorship in Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do of the third level. Inosanto also studied with dozens of martial art masters elsewhere in the United States, Southeast Asia, and Europe, including Johny Lacoste (Kali, or Kamong Lihok), and Chai Sirisute (Muay Thai) After Bruce Lee's death, he has become the principal spokesperson and historian for Jeet Kune Do. He has had minor roles in a number of movies, including Bruce Lee's uncompleted last film Game of Death (1972). During this time period (1973-75), he also taught physical education at Malaga Cove Intermediate School in Palos Verdes Estates, California.
Always a student himself, he continues to train with many highly regarded martial artists. Consequently, he holds Instructor or black belt level ranks in numerous, different martial arts. In addition, he is well known for promoting the Filipino Martial Arts. He is responsible for bringing several obscure forms of the Filipino Martial Arts into the public eye such as Silat, a hybrid combative form existing in countries as Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.[citation needed] He has recently acquired his black belt in the Machado Family style of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
♥Cecile Licad
Called a pianist's pianist by The New Yorker, Cecile Licad's artistry is a blend of daring musical instinct and superb training. Her natural talent was honed at the Curtis Institute of Music by three of the greatest performer/pedagogues of our time: Rudolf Serkin, Seymour Lipkin and Mieczyslaw Horszowski. Licad's large repertoire as an orchestral soloist spans the Classical works of Mozart and Beethoven, the Romantic literature of Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Schumann and Rachmaninoff, and on to the 20th century compositions of Debussy, Ravel, Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Bartok.
Licad's recent U.S. highlights include performances with Seattle Symphony, Honolulu Symphony, Virginia Symphony, Tucson Symphony, and at the La Jolla Chamber Music and Eastern Music festivals. In Europe she toured in Germany with the Wurtemburg Philharmonic playing Beethoven's No. 2, appeared with the Freiburg Orchestra performing the Shostakovich Concerto for Piano and Trumpet, and performed a series of piano/cello duos with Alban Gerhardt in Germany and the United States.
Licad has appeared in North America with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, National Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and many others. In Europe she has played with the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Bayerisches Rundfunk Orchestra, and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. In Asia, she has performed with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic, Tokyo's NHK Symphony and her native Philippine Philharmonic. Among the conductors with whom she has collaborated are Claudio Abbado, Andrew Davis, Charles Dutoit, Kurt Masur, Sir Neville Marriner, Zubin Mehta, Seiji Ozawa, Andre Previn, Mstislav Rostropovich, Gerard Schwarz, Michael Tilson-Thomas, David Zinman, Pinchas Zukerman, as well as the late Sir Georg Solti and Eugene Ormandy.
♥Lisa Macuja
Lisa Teresita Pacheco Macuja-Elizalde is a Prima Ballerina. She was born on October 3, 1964. She is the first Philippine ballerina, and first foreign soloist who ever joined the Kirov Ballet in 1984. She is regarded as the most phenomenal ballerina the Philippines has ever produced. In the Philippines, she is the Artistic Director of Ballet Manila and Vice-Chairman of the Philippine UNESCO National Commission. She was also the Commissioner of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women. Macuja-Elizalde is also Directress and faculty member of the Ballet Manila School – a training center for ballet professionals who are steeped in the Russian Vaganova method. Lisa Macuja has performed the principal roles in over 200 full-length and contemporary ballets in some 81 cities, spanning five continents. Her repertoire as principal includes: Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Giselle, La Bayadère, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Le Corsaire, La Fille Mal Gardée, Coppélia, La Sylphide, Romeo and Juliet, Les Sylphides, Carmen, Pineapple Poll, El Amor Brujo, Serenade, and the role of Cio-Cio San in the world premiere of Thomas Pazik's Madame Butterfly. Several contemporary Filipino ballets have also featured her in the lead role, or have been created especially for her.
Lisa Macuja uniquely combines lecture and dance in mini-ballet concerts conducted in schools and communities. She also regularly performs in corporate events and other special shows. Hailed as the "ballerina of the people", Lisa Macuja is committed to bringing ballet closer to the hearts of the Filipino masses.
* 1st Filipina Ballerina to win a Laureate Prize - a silver medal from the Asia-Pacific Ballet Competition in Tokyo (1987)
* 1st Filipina Ballerina to win the 1st major international award in ballet for the Philippines
* 1st Filipina Ballerina to join the Kirov Ballet in Russia (1984)
* 1st Filipina Artist-in-residence at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (1986)
* Founder of Ballet Manila
♥Brillante “Dante” Mendoza
He was born in San Fernando, Pampanga. A Filipino movie director who has won international awards for his independent films shot in digital video. He is the first Filipino to win the Best Director plum at the Cannes International Film Festival for his full-length film Kinatay (The Execution of P).
Films directed:
1. Kinatay (The Execution of P) (2009)
2. Serbis (2008)
3. Tirador (Slingshot) (2007)
4. Foster Child (2007)
5. Pantasya (2007)
6. Manoro (2006)
7. Kaleldo (2006)
8. Masahista (2005)
Under the name Dante Mendoza, he began working on films as a production designer. In this capacity, Mendoza was awarded for his work on his first two films. He was also highly regarded as a production designer for commercials and music videos.
With the financial backing of a friend, he was able to make his first movie, Masahista (The Masseur), at the age of 45. This was followed by Foster Child , Tirador (Slingshot), and Serbis, which were all entered in the Cannes Film Festivals.
In 2009, Mendoza was chosen to participate the Hong Kong Asian Film Financing Forum along with twenty-seven Asian directors. On March 23 to April 13, he competed with directors from Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam in the Hong Kong International Film Festival. In the same year, Mendoza received the Best Director award at the 62nd Cannes film fest for his film Kinatay (The Execution of P). He won the award over distinguished filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Basterds) and Ang Lee (Taking Woodstock). Like Serbis, the said film also received mixed reviews from various film critics who described him as the "love-him-or-hate-him" director.
♥Jose Pitoy Moreno
As a young and budding fashion artist, Pitoy designed costumes for the world-famous Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company. He introduced the words jusi, pina and lepanto to world fashion on international fashion pages of the Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Holiday and Le Figaro. The Filipina bride in a Pitoy Moreno wedding ensemble became the centerspread in the pictorial history of Philippine fashion.
His career reads like a significant chapter in the history of local fashion. He is one of the earliest exponents of the Maria Clara, inspired by the paintings of Damian Domingo, Fabian dela Rosa, Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo whose works he studied at the University of the Philippines. His costumes for the world-famous Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company as a young designer oriented him in the various Filipino Customs and traditions, an immersion which would influence his future work.
He was president of the very first association of Manila designers ever organized, the Philippine Couture Association. He is credited as the founder of the Karilagan International, a fashion-cultural organization which promoted Filipino fashion design here and abroad. His local shows were marvels in their time and his participation in the fashion exhibition at the Seattle World’s Fair and the New York World’s Fair is still the record to reckon with.
His collections have circled the globe: Paris, London, Rome, Madrid, Copenhagen, Athens, Barcelona, Sweden, Viennna, Moscow, New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Teheran, Morocco, Honolulu, Tokyo, Hongkong, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, China, and many more. Wherever his collections were shown, it was met with praise with critics and patrons alike.
First Ladies of the Philippines have always been dressed by Pitoy, in his trademark ternos.
Fashon Czar Of Asia - that is "Pitoy".
♥Paeng Nepomuceno
He is a six-time world champion and is acknowledged worldwide as the greatest international bowler in the history of the sport. In recognition of his achievements, Juan Antonio Samaranch personally awarded Paeng with the prestigious IOC Presidents' Trophy which is the first for the sport of bowling. The International Bowling Hall of Fame displayed a glass encased 7-foot photo of Paeng at its bowling museum entrance based in St. Louis Missouri, U.S.A. The Guinness Book of World Records commencing with its 1994 edition, listed Paeng as having won the most number of World Cups which were achieved in each of three different decades. The World FIQ, the governing body of the sport, named Paeng as the “International Bowler of the Millennium” in behalf of 100 million bowlers.
In the Philippines, Paeng became the first athlete to be bestowed both the Legion of Honor medal which is the highest award for a Filipino; and the Presidential Medal of Merit. The Philippine Sportswriters Association named him as "Athlete of the Year" for an unprecedented 5 times; made him the first athlete to be enshrined in their PSA Hall of Fame and subsequently named him as "Athlete of the Century”. Both houses of Congress named Paeng as the "Greatest Filipino Athlete of All-Time".
Paeng is a legend in his own country and considered as a national sports hero. He became the first Filipino to win in a competition not using weight divisions or age groupings.
He was the first athlete to be enshrined in the Philippine Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame after naming him five times as Athlete of the Year. He was subsequently named as Filipino Athlete of the Century in 1999 which confirmed President Marcos' naming him earlier in 1984 as the "Greatest Filipino Athlete of the Century".
Both houses of Congress named him as the "Greatest Filipino Athlete of All-Time".
He has been featured in the covers of international magazines worldwide including the internationally prestigious Bowlers Journal International magazine where he has been in the cover for an unprecedented fifth time.
Dita Sandico Ong
Showcased her Black and White Spiro collection for Spring-Summer 2010 recently in Paris.
The show featured Ong’s signature wraps appliquéd with circular and spiral accents. French fashion critics saw the collection as bold and refreshing. European fashionistas and buyers alike responded favorably to Mariposa, Ong’s version of the traditional panuelo.
Ong’s high-profile clients, Contesse Marina Tenderes and Count Gaston d’Ansenbourg of Luxembourg, praised her vibrantly colored wraps that can be worn in a variety of ways. The Countess was delighted to come across the fabrics derived from the banana/abaca plant, expressing her admiration for the designer who supports local farmers, weavers and related communities. She has has invited Ong to hold her fashion event at her castle next year.
On Nov. 15, Ong will show at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, California. The show will benefit the Philippine International Aid Fund for disadvantaged youth.
Ong’s collection is on display at 35 Wilson St., Greenhills, San Juan.
♥Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao, or Manny Pacquiao, nicknamed Pac-Man, is a Filipino professional boxer. He is currently the IBO Light Welterweight Champion, WBO Welterweight Champion and the pound-for-pound #1 boxer in the world by The Ring Magazine. Pacquiao was born on December 17, 1978 in Kibawe, Bukidnon, Philippines.
Pacquiao is the only Asian boxer to win seven world championship titles in seven weight categories. He is also the first boxer to win the lineal championship in four weight classes. He was a WBC Flyweight Champion, an IBF Super Bantamweight Champion, a Ring Magazine Featherweight Champion, a Ring Magazine Super Featherweight Champion, a WBC Super Featherweight Champion and a WBC Lightweight Champion, and currently the IBO Light Welterweight Champion after defeating Ricky Hatton on May 2, 2009.
On November 14, 2009, he became the WBO Welterweight Champion after defeating Miguel Cotto by TKO in the 12th round at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. With this win, Pacquiao captured his seventh world championship - which is an unprecedented feat in boxing.
♥Charice Pempengco
On first glance, Charice looks like any other teenager: pretty, petite, filled with energy and a wide and engaging smile. But when the sweet-faced 17-year old opens her mouth to sing – with a profound, rich and soaring 10 decibel voice from every inch of her 5 feet 1 inch body – the audience quite literally gasps. And as 13 million hits on YouTube tell us, that audience is growing at a staggering pace. As Oprah Winfrey said during a recent Charice performance on her show, “You are a force to be reckoned with. That voice comes from something bigger than yourself. You’re pulling it up out of some place deeper than your little body.” Producer David Foster concurred and instantly signed Charice to his 143/Reprise Records.
Born and raised in the Philippines, Charice is no newcomer to the stage. Her talent was discovered at age 4 when her mother, a singer herself, noticed her daughter’s loud, rather enthusiastic version of “Happy Birthday” and decided to teach her proper vocal technique. By age 7, Charice was competing in local contests and belting out songs by Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion.
In 2007, a web-savvy fan began posting a series of Charice’s performances on YouTube. These included her performances of “I Will Always Love You” and “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” from the “Dreamgirls” soundtrack – both of which were broadcast on the Filipino talent show Little Big Star. That led to a performance on the popular South Korean talent show Star King. Once that appeared on YouTube, she became an authentic internet sensation. Charice soon attracted the attention of American TV shows and appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Several months later, she appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show bringing Oprah and the audience to tears when she sang.
Enter 15-time Grammy winning producer David Foster who invited Charice to perform on his David Foster and Friends PBS Show at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas alongside such star studded names as Michael Bublé, Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, Katharine McPhee and Josh Groban. When the David Foster and Friends show returned to the Mandalay Bay this spring, Charice received no less than six standing ovations. In between the two Vegas appearances, Charice went on to perform with Andrea Bocelli (“The Prayer”) in Tuscany and Celine Dion at her Madison Square Garden show in New York City.
Arnel Pineda
The new journey - (taken from his official site)
For Arnel, his whole life has just been given a reboot. Everything reloads into a new start. He now embarks on a journey that will take him physically to different countries, theatres and arenas. The task ahead can both be mentally taxing and physically exhausting; yet there lies the challenge and excitement. As he has intimated before, he is out there to enjoy the fellowship, the celebration and the legacy of a life he has embraced and has embraced him in return. His uphill climb was a tough one but it had proved to be a worthy one. Twenty five years of performing and this single year could well be the defining moment for Arnel. I have seen my brother pulled through really tough times. While there may be hordes of unforeseen revelations. I can sense that he is up to the call of showcasing his talent and proving his worth. I believe 25 years are sufficient enough badge of achievements and proof. And the next 25 to come may just well be moments of validation.
♥Efren "Bata" Reyes
He is often referred to as the "Magician" because of his skills and ability to control the cue ball to places least expected by his opponents on the table.
"The King of Billiards" is our very own Efren Reyes.
Reyes was born in Pampanga in 1954 and moved to Manila with his family, at the age of 5. In Manila, he worked as a billiards attendant at his uncle's billiards hall, where he started learning the various cue sports. Because he was not tall enough to reach the pool table, he played while standing on Coca-cola cases that he moved around. At night, while he was dreaming of playing pool, the pool table was his bed.
He is called "Bata", which is Filipino for "Kid", because there was another older pool player named Efren when he was young. To determine which Efren onlookers were referring to, he was nicknamed Efren Bata or the "Kid".
At a young age, he played for money, and in the sixties and seventies, played carambola billiards (also known as three cushion billiards). After establishing himself as a winner, he was discovered by promoters. This gave him the opportunity to compete in big time tournaments.
Reyes began winning a number of tournaments in the U.S., Europe and in parts of Asia. Thus, he started to gain attention and recognition worldwide. In fact at the start of his career he would use aliases to hide his true identity just so as to be allowed to compete. By the mid-1990s, he became one of the elite players of the Philippines alongside Jose Parica and Francisco "Django" Bustamante.
Numerous fellow professional players have credited Reyes with being the greatest living player in the world. During ESPN television commentary on a semi-finals match the between Reyes and Mika Immonen at the 2000 Billiard Congress of America Open 9-Ball Championship, veteran professional Billy Incardona stated that Reyes was "indisputably the best player in the world—especially when you consider all games—he can play any game as well as anyone, maybe better than anyone.... In my opinion we're watching probably the greatest player in my lifetime and I've been watching pool for the better part of forty years."
♥Charo Ronquillo
A Filipina model , born 1988 in Cabuyao, Laguna, Philippines. She is the first in the entire 25 year history of the Ford Supermodel of the World Search selected from the far east. She was described by Bill Ford as, "that unique look from the Philippines".
Ever since she was 12 years old, she dreamt of becoming an international model. Ronquillo was discovered shooting hoops at an arcade in Robinson's mall in Laguna province by a local agent Elmer Torralba, a good one foot above everyone else. Before entering high school she ticked off, “short hair, ugly teeth, tomboyish and always picking a fight,” as her main traits. Only when she started paying attention to her looks was the modeling seed lodged.
Hoping for her big break into the world of modeling, she worked hard, attended numerous castings and joined various model competitions for the next 5 years. At 17 years old, Ronquillo joined and won the Supermodel of the World Philippines 2005 Search. She went on to the Supermodel World Finals 2006 in New York City and placed 3rd with a $100,000 contract with Ford Models.
Since her win, Ronquillo graced the catwalks of New York Fashion Week modeling for top labels and designers including Lacoste, Lela Rose, Nanette Lapore, Zero Maria Cornejo, Tory Burch, Antonio Berardi, Kenneth Cole, Mac Cosmetics Barbie Collection, Zaldy by Gwen Stefani, BCBG, Sisley and Benetton. She was one of Chloe Dao's models on the finale of Project Runway season 2. She also appeared on numerous fashion and beauty editorials for Spanish Vogue, Teen Vogue, Marie Claire Paris and US, Glamour, Macy's, Old Navy and Sak's Fifth Avenue among others.
- She was discovered shooting hoops at an arcade in her local mall.
- She placed 3rd in the Ford Supermodel 2006 contest.
♥Rhap Salazar
Child singing sensation Rhap Salazar continued the Pinoy winning streak in the World Championship of the Performing Arts (WCOPA) by bagging the Junior Grand Champion title. Rhap competed against 28 other performers in the 13th WCOPA held last July 11 to 19 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Rhap, a 12-year-old ABS-CBN talent, bested contestants from 20 countries to be hailed as Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World.
Aside from bagging the Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World title, Rhap also won gold medals in five junior division categories, namely vocal Broadway, vocal gospel, vocal open, vocal pop, and vocal R&B/soul/jazz. Fellow Filipinos Young Voices of Negros also won the Junior Grand Champion Group Vocalists of the World prize.
Rhap Salazar first wowed audiences when he became the grand winner in the Little Division of the ABS-CBN singing contest Little Big Star in 2005. That same year Sam Concepcion became the winner in the Big Division while Charice Pempengco, now an international recording star, placed third. Rhap also proved his acting talent when he was made part of the cast of the top-rating fantaserye Kokey in 2007.
The Philippines began sending delegates to WCOPA in 2005. Since then, five Filipino artists have bagged the top prize as Grand Champion Performer of the World. Recording artist and ASAP ‘09 mainstay Jed Madela won as Grand Champion Vocalist of the World and Grand Champion Performer of the World. In 2006, the Cercado Sisters were proclaimed Grand Champion Group Vocalists of the World. In 2007, two Pinoy artists emerged victorious with Reymond Sajor winning as Grand Champion Vocalist of the World and Aria Clemente as Junior Grand Champion Vocalist of the World and Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World. Last year, 13-year-old Catherine Loria also bagged the Junior Grand Champion Vocalist of the World and Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World.
♥Lea Salonga
A Filipina singer and actress who is best known for her musical role in Miss Saigon.
She was born on February 22, 1971 in the Philippines.
In the field of musical theatre, she is recognized for having won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, and Theatre World Awards, the first to win various international awards for a single role. She was also the first Asian to play Eponine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway.
Salonga is the singing voice of Princess Jasmine from Aladdin in 1992 and Fa Mulan for Mulan and Mulan II in 1998 and in 2004, respectively.
Salonga's big breakthrough came when she was selected to play Kim in the megahit musical Miss Saigon in 1989. Unable to find a strong enough Asian actress/singer in the United Kingdom, the producers scoured many countries looking for the lead role of this major British production. For her audition, the 17-year-old Salonga chose to sing Boublil and Schönberg's "On My Own" from Les Misérables and was later asked to sing "Sun and Moon" and "Over the Rainbow" to test the compatibility of her voice quality with the songs in the musical. The members of the panel were impressed with Salonga's rendition of the songs, noting that from Salonga’s very first note, they already knew they had a potential Kim. She competed with childhood friend and fellow Repertory Philippines performer Monique Wilson as they were tested with songs from the musical, which included "Too Much for One Heart", a number replaced by the duet "Please" right before the musical opened. She was offered the lead role, with Wilson as the alternate (who was also assigned the role of bar girl Mimi).
For her performance as Kim, Salonga won the Olivier for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical for the 1989/1990 season. From its original London home, Miss Saigon moved to Broadway in April 1991. Lea subsequently garnered the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and the Theatre World Awards for the same role. Between 1993 and 1996, she was asked periodically to play Kim on Broadway to boost ticket sales. In 1999, she was invited back to London to close the musical, and in 2001, at the age of 29 and after doing the Manila run of the musical, Salonga returned to Broadway to close the Broadway production.
Between opening Miss Saigon in 1989 and closing it on Broadway 12 years later in 2001, Salonga became involved in other musical productions and projects.
In 1990, Salonga performed in a major homecoming concert in Manila entitled A Miss Called Lea. She also received a Presidential Award of Merit from Philippine president Corazon Aquino.
♥Alex Tizon
He is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and a Knight Fellow currently living in Manila. He is a former Seattle bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, a longtime correspondent for the Seattle Times, and a contributor to Newsweek, 60 Minutes and Sierra magazine. He writes a blog for the International Center For Journalists, based in Washington, D.C.
His stories have covered aspects of some of the biggest news events in recent times, including the 9/11 attacks, the war in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina. He has contributed to the coverage of two presidential campaigns, and has written profiles on heads of state, activists, murderers and poets. His reporting has taken him to every corner of the United States, and to Canada, China, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines and the Arctic Ocean.
Tizon was a regular guest faculty at the Poynter Institute for ten years. His lectures at Harvard’s Nieman Narrative Journalism Conference were anthologized in the book, Telling True Stories (Plume, 2008). One of his essays, "Love and Shame," was reprinted in the anthology Choosing To Emerge (HarperCollins, 1994)
He earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science at the University of Oregon and a graduate degree in Communications at Stanford. As a Jefferson fellow, he traveled and studied in China and Japan; as an Asia Pacific Journalism Fellow, he studied in Taiwan. The U of O honored him with the 2000 Outstanding Young Alumnus Award. Filipinas magazine named him among the 100 most noteworthy Filipino Americans of the 20th century. He has won more than a dozen national journalism awards.
♥Eugene Torre
Eugenio was born November 4, 1951. He is a chess Grandmaster. He is considered the strongest chess player the Philippines has ever produced during the 1980s and 1990s period, following the heels of Fischer era Filipino chess champions NM Ramon Lontoc, IM Renato Naranja, IM Rodolfo Tan Cardoso and the deceased GM Rosendo Balinas, Jr. Super GM Wesley So is currently the top Philippine chess player.
Torre has the distinction of being the first Asian player to earn the much coveted title of International Grandmaster. Torre qualified for the Candidates Matches for the 1984 World Championship. In that preliminary stage, the contenders play matches against each other to determine who will challenge the world champion. Torre was eliminated when he lost his match against Zoltan Ribli by a score of 6-4.
Torre was a friend of Bobby Fischer. He worked on Fischer's team in his 1992 rematch with Boris Spassky in Yugoslavia. Much later, Torre conducted interviews on Filipino radio with Bobby Fischer. Those interviews gained notoriety for Fischer and despair for his fans. Torre continues to play actively in local and international tournaments.
