Lakbayin ang Magandang Pilipinas- Buhay Pinoy

  Watch this intro video to "Buhay Pinoy" in the weekly show "Lakbayin ang Magandang Pilipinas," featuring NCCA's (National Commission for Culture and the Arts) very own Chairman Prof. Felipe de Leon, Jr., and Exec. Dir. Emelita Almosara.

 

LAKBAYIN ANG MAGANDANG PILIPINAS is a weekly program which airs every Saturdays, 8am - 9am, over PTV 4. Originally, this pioneering television program proudly showcases various local government units' advocacies and their exemplary practices in promoting effective local governance. It was recognized by the Anak TV Awards as it continues to strive up to display the positive side, innovations, challenges, and exemplary practices of local government with their dynamic leaders and supportive constituents. It also features stories on Filipino culture and traditions.

To date, Lakbayin ang Magandang Pilipinas has four segments. Out of the 4, one segment titled "Buhay Pinoy" of about 10-15 minutes features NCCA programs. It will show activities of the commission like projects emanating from the committees and other institutional programs, both from Manila and the regions.

For details, please contact RENE NAPEÑAS, Head of the NCCA-Public Affairs and Information Office (PAIO) at cellphone number 0927-5582656 / 09285081057 or at tel. nos. 527-5529. You can also call us at 527-2192 (loc. 612-615) or email us at ncca.paio@gmail.com.

Happy Feet Brothers Ramonito & Laudito Mata from Bukidnon

Theirs is a story worth hearing.

Two poor brothers from the faraway land of Bukidnon get to watch the "Happy Feet" film. They try imitating the tap dancing that they have seen, and eventually get enough courage to audition for "Pilipinas (and why does this not have an "'s" as it should have?) Got Talent." They perform without a formal knowledge of tap dancing, and worse, without the right shoes for it. One of the talent show's judges, the Comedy Queen, cries on learning the brothers' story, and promises on national TV that she will buy them their tap shoes if they get past the audition. The brothers get all three nods from the judges, and the Comedy Queen makes good her promise, flying over to Bukidnon to buy the tap shoes for the brothers herself. With the right shoes, the brothers display enough talent to proceed all the way to the grand finals. On finals night, they bag the second prize.

This is the story of Ramonito & Laudito Mata from Bukidnon. We await the next pages of their story. And, we pray, on happiest feet.

photo from http://happyfeetpgt.blogspot.com/

Ivan Roxas

This last Lent, I took to reading the book Understanding Art and I came across a hundred and one artists (French, Italian, English and American) from the 14th to the present century. I was amazed, among others, by Paul Delaroche's The Execution of Lady Jane Gray, and specially by the virtuosity of John Singleton Copley for doing portraits that appeared so real. I wondered suddenly if there was any Filipino artist, dead or living, who even had a bit of Copley or Delaroche in him. Then I remembered my officemate and artist Ryan Arengo telling me about seeing an Ivan Roxas painting up close, one that made the hairs on his arms stand. And today, googling Ivan Roxas, I came across this self-portrait: Died Broken Hearted. The silk around the man's waist so fools the eye, I am reminded of the curtain painted by Adrian Van Der Spelt (Flower Still Life With Curtain,1658) that looked so real one could thumb it. And the red cloth on the woman in this Roxas' painting recalls a familiar painting. Running through the other works of Delaroche, I saw the painting: Joan of Arc in Prison, 1824.

Here, I've posted Roxas' painting and that of Delaroche's.

Ivan Roxas,Died Broken Hearted


Paul Delaroche,Joan of Arc in Prison, 1824.


Ivan Roxas was born in Tanay, Rizal, Philippines, on June 26, 1978 and graduated at the University of Sto. Tomas, (a fellow Thomasian), College of Fine Arts, Major in Painting in 2000.

Carlos de leon Esguerra, the Filipino Photographer

Dec. 11, 2008- Last Dec. 11, I had the privilege of attending the lecture on "Landscape Photography" by renowned photographer Carlos de Leon Esguerra. He is a Filipino who was born in Taytay, Rizal, Philippines and is now based in Elmshurst, Queens, New York, USA.

He was recently in the Philippines to receive the "Pamana ng Filipino" award at Malacañang Palace. The simple ceremonies was held at the Rizal Hall in Malacanang and also marked the opening of the celebration of the Month of Overseas Filipinos and the International Migrants’ Day (Dec. 10).The Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas is a biennial event institutionalized in Dec. 1991 by virtue of EO 498.

His co-awardees include Amelita Besa and Romeo Dorotan, (New York); Bayani de Leon, (New York); Federico Hizon, (Singapore); Libertito Pelayo, (New York); Dr. Teresita Ramos, (Honolulu); and Engr. Nilo Villarin, ( Washington).

The awardees were evaluated by Philippine consulates and embassies prior to the final selection by the technical committee.

Esguerra studied Business and Economics at the University of the Philippines, and obtained his MBA from the George Washington University in Washington, DC. He worked for more than 30 years as a programmer analyst at IBM Corporation in New York and later founded his own company, CLE Systems, Inc. Since retiring from the said company, he has since devoted his time to his passion: photography.

Some of Esguerra's photos have been published in several international magazines and publications such as Interior Design Magazine, Photo Life Magazine, Best of Photography Annual, Spa Magazine, Popular Photography and Imaging, Photo Life Magazine, Hasselblad's FORUM Magazine and Shutterbug Magazine. He is recognized by many as the modern-day Ansel Adams.

In his lecture, he said that what he considers greatly in any photography, past all the technicalities, is still the "soul" of the picture or what takes in the viewer.

See samples of Carlos de Leon Esguerra's photography at his web site: http://www.carlosesguerra.com

Moymoy Palaboy, New Print Models for a Stomach Acid Product!

On my way to my LRT ride yesterday, I saw this mint new tarpaulin ad of the now famous Moymoy Palaboy!

The brothers behind Moymoy Palaboy are now print models for a new stomach acid product !

For those who do not know Moymoy Palaboy (yet), just key in the name MoyMoy Palaboy via google and you are bound to discover that Moymoy Palaboy is the name of the two lip-synching Filipino siblings: 25-year old James Ronald Obeso(a.k.a. Moymoy) and his younger brother Rofil (22 years old, and the one who dons the unruly wig). Moymoy Palaboy debuted on the Internet in February 2007 and has since had a cult following among netizens, capturing sizeable hits and views for their uploaded videos of lip-synched music.

The most-watched Moymoy video is still the brothers’ versions of the Spice Girls’ song “Wannabe,” now with more than 4 million views and counting.

Since launching their lip-synching careers from their Pasay apartment, the two have gained popularity and are now seen as mainstays in the Iyo Tube portion of Bubble Gang, a popular GMA-7 show. And to think they just did their YouTube gig on a whim!

My hats off to these two guys!


Here is the "Wannabe" video:

Imelda Marcos Portrait by Basuki Abdullah

Finally! Here is my photo with the famous portrait of Imelda Marcos, done in 1977 by Basuki Abdullah (Indonesian painter). This is a huge painting (288.53 cm X 171.45 cm) and is on display at the National Museum of the Filipino People, Philippines (until January 15, 2009). This was one of the paintings that was almost destroyed at the height of the EDSA Revolution in 1986. The painting is on exhibit as part of the exhibit "Days of Drawing, Portraits of Passage." Hurry, run, take a glider, and take a closer look! :)



The National Museum of the Filipino People is located at the Executive House Bldg., P. Burgos st. cor. Taft Ave., Ermita Manila,1000. Call 527-12-15 / 527-0278 / 528-4912. ENTRANCE FEES: Adults - P100.00 each, Students - P 30.00 each upon presentation of ID(For students enrolled in Philippine schools only); Open daily except Mondays and Tuesdays; MUSEUM HOURS:10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (NO NOON BREAK); FREE ADMISSION: Sundays (Walk-ins only; No Group Tours)

Reinerio Alba At Large