What is Tom Hardy's Fight in "Warrior?"

Ok. Ok. There you got me. Who would have thought I'd be crying my eyes out towards the end of the sports drama film "Warrior" by director Gavin O'Connor. Tom Hardy as Tommy Riordan charging with a broken shoulder at his brother Brendan Conlon (played by Joel Edgerton) just about did it for me. WTF, UFC with a story to boot! :)

For all the high testosterone running in the film, the film surprisingly sets you up for an honest-to-goodness tearjerking moments towards the end. And it is unabashedly unapologetic for it. And one is definitely won over because of it. One's initial reaction to it would be, oh no, not another Rocky film. But no, this is definitely richer in story. If you are going to be conscious about crying openly watching it, it is best advised to watch this alone. 
Mark Isham's scoring for this hits the mark. And director O'Connor has definitely made this film, despite its drama, an ode to joy.

Joyce Penas Pilarsky's Hot Cocktail Dresses in Fashionweek Spring/Summer 2011

Last October, I watched the Ready-To-Wear fashion show during the Philippine Fashionweek Spring/Summer 2011 at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia.

The show highlighted the works of twelve designers namely Emi Alexander Englis, Harley Ruedas, Jian Lasala, John Guarnes, Louis Claparols, Mike Lavarez, Nixon Marquez, Reian Mata, Ricky Abad, Simon Ariel Vasquez, Ziggy Savella, and Joyce Penas Pilarsky.

Very summer-ready and eye-catching are the 10-piece collection presented by Germany-based Filipina artist/fashion designer Joyce Penas Pilarsky. On seeing the cut-out patterns on the colorful taffetta and matte-silk cocktail dresses, I was at once reminded of Bulacan's famous pastillas wrappers. And my hunches were proven right when Joyce Pilarsky confirmed this herself after the show, saying that she has drawn inspiration from the said wrappers and its intricate designs, among others.

Joyce Pilarsky also volunteered that she used laser to cut the design patterns into the cloths. I would say that Pilarsky's adaptation of the idea of the colorful pastillas wrappers as something that one can, in fact, wear for the summer/spring, is noteworthy, ingenuously tweaking "delicateness" and "intricateness" as something one can actually slip into, adding freshness and choice to an otherwise drab wardrobe. The collection also tastefully put "pride of place" as the message of the inspiration behind the dresses, without being preachy about it. Interestingly, Pilarsky also designs her own accessories, and these accessories wonderfully accentuated each collection, with the models emerging onto the catwalk as summer/spring goddesses of sorts.

At the finale of the 12-designer RTW show, Pilarksy came out wearing a version from her collection: a cocktail dress in radiant fuchsia and lemon yellow hue. 

Email Joyce Pilarsky at jpilarsky@yahoo.com

See photos below:

Joyce Penas Pilarsky at the end of the show

In Laiya, San Juan, Batangas

This long weekend (Aug. 29 being a National Heroes Day holiday and Aug. 30, Eid ul Fitr), I had the chance to hie off to Laiya in San Juan, Batangas for a white beach experience in that area. And yes, to bond as well with my cousin Meilani and nephews.

The Rizal statue in front of the municipal building in San Juan, Batangas,
and the landmark right before you turn for the Laiya beaches.

Acuatico Beach Resort was fully booked when we got there, and so we had to find a night's accommodation at the nearby White Cove.

We had a fill of the waves by the beachfront of White Cove.

The next day, we went back to Acuatico Beach Resort (http://www.acuaticoresort.com.ph/  ) where my cousin and nephews stayed for two more nights while I headed back to Manila with my sisters.

I'd recommend Acuatico Beach Resort to anyone wanting a kind of a Boracay experience (though a quieter one) in  Batangas, that is without crossing the sea to get to an island. The travel to San Juan takes all of 3 hours, good traffic allowing.

For details on getting there and other stuff such as rates and rooms, check the Acuatico Beach Resort web site: http://www.acuaticoresort.com.ph/ 

Cagayanos' Days of Faith

MANILA, Philippines — The image of Our Lady of Manaoag in a procession with the images of Our Lady of La Naval, and Our Lady of Piat? In June this year, Cagayanos and visitors to Tuguegarao City witnessed anew the parade of 12 famous Marian icons from the northern part of the country during the “3rd Marian Voyage of Peace and Love” from June 28-30.


The said voyage was the fitting centerpiece event of the 428th “Aggao nac Cagayan” (Araw ng Cagayan) or Cagayan foundation day whose over-all celebration was presided over by Governor Alvaro T. Antonio playing up the theme “Fiesta ta Bannag,” which means “feast at the river.”


The Voyage was organized by the Cagayan North Convention & Visitors Bureau (CNCVB), the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao, and the Department of Tourism (DoT), in cooperation with the provincial government, as a project to bolster Cagayan’s campaign as a pilgrimage center.


Department of Tourism, Region 2 Regional Director, Blessida Diwa said that the 12 Marian Images have been stationed at the following Tuguegarao schools and are open for public devotion: Our Lady of La Naval from Antipolo, Rizal at St. Paul University Philippines; Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage from Antipolo, Rizal at University of Cagayan Valley; Our Lady of Manaoag from Manaoag, Pangasinan at Cagayan State University;  Our Lady of Namacpacan from Luna, La Union at the University of St. Louis Tuguegarao;  Our Lady of Badoc from Badoc, Ilocos Norte at Linao National High School; Nuestra Senora del Mar de Cautiva from Sto. Tomas La Union at Tuguegarao Northeast Central School; Our Lady of Charity from Agoo at La Union- Tuguegarao East Central; Our Lady of Fatima from Valenzuela City, Metro Manila at Medical Colleges of Northern Philippines; Nuestra Senora de Caridad from Bantay, Ilocos Sur at Tuguegarao West Central School; Our Lady of Guibang from Gamu National Shrine- Isabela at Cagayan National High School;  and Our Lady of Immaculate Conception from Malolos, Bulacan at Tuguegarao North Central School.


At the helm of the Marian icons is the brown-skinned image of Our Lady of the Visitation from Piat, Cagayan, patroness of the Cagayan province (the only other popular brown Marian image in the group is Antipolo’s Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage).

Read more from Manila Bulletin where it was originally published.

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/

PHL's First Sentro Rizal Created by NCCA

On the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Jose Rizal, The National Commission for Culture and the Arts formally opened the country's very first Sentro Rizal at the NCCA Building in Intramuros, Manila on June 28, 2011.

The event was witnessed by NCCA Board Commissioners, diplomats, and National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose.

Senator Edgardo J. Angara, who delivered the keynote message, said that the Sentro Rizal would greatly help Overseas Filipino Workers who are the "invisible minority" abroad.  "Sentro Rizal will be invaluable in fostering international exchange, dialogue and understanding. Today, we have the capability to bring the greatness of our heritage to the world."

Last June 12, Angara himself was in Madrid, Spain to open the first Sentro Rizal abroad. The second Sentro Rizal outside the country was opened in Prague on June 19.

The creation of Sentro Rizal is in accordance with Sec. 42 of the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009 or R.A. No. 10066, which specifies a center " whose main purpose is the promotion of Philippine arts, culture and language throughout the world."

The Sentro Rizal, envisioned as the Philippine counterpart of France's Alliance Française, Spain's Instituto Cervantes, and Germany's Goethe-Institut, is expected to offer Filipino language courses for children and adults, as well as exhibits, small concerts, poetry reading, Philippine cuisine lessons in all Sentro Rizal branches.

The creation of Sentro Rizal at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts building is seen to encourage the creation of other Sentro Rizal centers not only throughout the country, but also in other countries "where there are children of overseas Filipino workers who need to be educated about their roots, as well as developed countries where there are large Filipino communities."

Download the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009

A roundtable discussion followed the opening of the Sentro Rizal on the following topics: "The Role of the NCCA in the 21st Century" by NCCA Chair Felipe M. de Leon, Jr.; "The Role of the Cultural Worker of the 21st Century" by Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera; "The Role of the Artist of the 21st Century" by F. Sionil Jose.

Also, an exhibit of oil works by Filipino artist Leonardo Cruz was opened at the NCCA Gallery. The said works depict key scenes in Jose Rizal’s "Noli Me Tangere," and were originally exhibited in 2007 at the Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago, Intramuros, Manila, during the 146th birth anniversary of Jose Rizal.

Local libraries, offices, and groups with the capacity to create a Sentro Rizal and independently undertake its stated goals are encouraged to open such a center. For details on setting up a Sentro Rizal in your localities, please get in touch with the office of Ms. Marlene Ruth Sanchez, NCCA Deputy Executive Director at info@ncca.gov.ph or at tel. (02) 5272193.

The Street Art of Brian Barrios

I only started noticing these eyecatching street art late in 2010 dotting the McArthur highway (Valenzuela) on my way to and from my Manila office. One day, in February, I finally had the chance to photograph most of it and immediately posted most of it in my facebook account. It soon got comments including one from poet Angelo Suarez who had been most helpful in helping me identify the artist behind it. Angelo suggested that I get in touch with Pilipinas Street Plan (PSP), specifically Mark Salvatus, a cross-disciplinary artist based in Manila and a core member of an artist-run initiative called TUTOK, as well as co-founder of PSP under the Boy Agimat tag. Salvatus has been instrumental in helping me get to know finally the mystery Valenzuela street artist. Most of these street art/post-graffiti (http://www.theroguesgallery.net/post-graffiti/ ) are casually in wall spaces where MMDA art are, or walls of ruins that most often does surprise the passersby. On closer inspection, one would find that they are drawn on Manila paper, then wheatpasted on the walls instead of drawn or spraypainted directly on the walls (via stencil) much like the famous works of Banksy. To my mind, this being the artwork's material, and considering the pollution and weather it is subjected to daily, makes these works of art poignantly ephemeral. Brian Barrio's works capture spontaneous moments of individuals and groups, and for me, are always emotionally charged: a father carrying a son on his shoulders, a father hugging a son, a mother carrying her child, and always drawn in a manner that (at least, to my mind) sculptor Napoleon Abueva would have drawn in had Abueva chosen the medium (not meant to disparage Abueva here, I love Abueva). And these works coming from a 16 year old teener! Interesting, too, to note is that most of the drawings feature characters that are smiling. And then I came upon Brian Barrio's blog site, which explains the "smiles." I am glad to have captured a photo of most of his works in the streets of Valenzuela while they are still intact. Valenzuelanons, take note, Brian Barrios is a fellow Valenzuelanon after all! (and have your photo ops with the works while you can before the July rain takes them away).

And am the more glad because I was able to engage Brian Barrios in a short light interview, which I am posting here:

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Rei Alba (RA): Anu ba modelo mo? Actual na tao or sa isip lang?

Brian Barrios (BB): May reference ako. Pictures.

RA: Bat ayaw mo na pintahan mismo ung pader?

BB:  Hindi pa ako sanay. Magprapraktis nga ako mag-paint sa canvas ngayon e.

RA: Ah oks. At saka mas matagal kang andun nakatayo, masita ka pa for graffiti nga :)

BB: Oo. Tama.

RA: Panu un? May dala kang balde ng pandikit at tambo ng walis?

BB: Oo.

RA: Anu time mo ba usually nilalagay?

BB: Gabi po.

RA: Super gabi?

BB: Hindi naman, basta dumilim na. Mga 6 o 7.

RA: Buti di ka nahuhuli. As in super bilis mo lang magdikit?

BB: Hindi naman ako natatakot mahuli e. Sa tingin ko hindi naman ilegal ang ginagawa ko.

RA: May mga naninita ba sayo?

BB: Wala

RA: Ikaw lang talaga ang nagdidikit? Walang barkada?

BB: Wala e. Wala kase akong kaibigan na interested sa ginagawa ko. Isa rin sa dahilan kaya ako nag-street art ay para mgakaroon ng mga kaibigan na mahihilig sa art.

RA: Ba't un bang mga kaibigan mong iba, anu hilig?

BB: Computer. Dotadota

RA: Nag dodota ka rin ba?

BB: Hindi. Internet lang.

RA: Nagba-bastketball ka rin?

BB: Oo.

RA: Ga'no katagal ka magdrawing ng isang tao or figure?

BB: Isang buong araw. Minsan dalawang araw, kalahating araw. Depende sa gagawin ko

RA: Sa salas nyo?

BB: Sa kwarto ko, kwarto namin. Parang studio ko na rin.

RA: Nag-background music ka ba habang drawing? O walang istorbo?

BB: Radyo. Ahaha. Simple lang. Ahahha.

RA:  Nagbe-break ka naman para kumain or tuloy tuloy?

BB: May break syempre.

RA:  May sketch ka muna sa pencil? Tapos pentelpen ba ung black?

BB: Paint po yun, latex paint. Opo sketch muna.

RA: Nakaka ilang lata ka ng latex paint? Ung maliit lang ba un? Puro black lang ?

BB: Actually, 2 lata ng maliit lang ang nauubos ko ngayon. 2 lata palang sa ngayon.

RA: Ilang brush meron ka para magawa un?

BB: Apat: Number 1, 3, 7.

RA: Tapos alin dun sa na piktyuran ko ang pinakauna mong nagawa?

BB: Eto
http://prodyeksmile.blogspot.com/2010/10/i-just-need-somebody-to-love.html
Medyo hindi pa ayos yung gawa ko dyan.

BB: Yung Smile Project pala, positivity ang motibo ko dun. Kaya ginawa ko yun, kase karamihan ng mga street artist ngayon, medyo negative ang tingin sa kanila. So, naisip ko mas mganda kung gagawin kong medyo postive yung ipinararating nung mga gawa ko.

RA: Alin na ung first na work mo na part ng Smile Project?

BB: Yung sa may Fatima.

RA: Yung may camera?

BB: Oo kasali din yun, pati yung mag ama.

RA: Mga kelan pa yun?

BB: Mga October 2010.

RA: Panu mo pinipili ang space mo pala?

BB: Basta pader na maraming makakakita.
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So, without further ado, here are Brian Barrios' works.
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Location: near RT before PSB bank coming from Malanday.

Location: by the Honda store across Novo (coming from Malanday)

Location: Junkshop in Karuhatan after Sabino Funeral house.

Location: BBB post near BPI bank. (Status: Gone forever, discarded)

Location: Malanday

Location: at the landing of the footbridge across South supermarket (McArthur highway).

Location: Malinta, before Security Bank

* Most recently, Brian Barrios participated in his first group exhibition with co-PSP members titled "RepubliCAN: an Exhibition of Spraycans and Works Based on Street Art" last April 8, 2011 at The Collective in Malugay Street in Makati City.

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For the latest on STREET ART, read Beyond Graffiti.

Alter Space, a Filipino-made Online Game for the Environment

Well, someone in this planet soon enough would have thought of it.

There's now Alter Space, the first Filipino-made environmental awareness Facebook game (http://www.facebook.com/AlterSpaceGame)

And AZKALS' Anton del Rosario even endorses it 
 



ALTER SPACE is a Facebook game developed by Cleanergy of AboitizPower. AboitizPower, Philippines' major producer of Cleanergy.

Basic energy-saving tips are said to be gained by young students in the said online game such as the following:

(1) Turn off the lights and other appliances when not in use.

(2) Do not plug in so many wires in one socket.

(3) Use fluorescent lights instead of light bulbs.

(4) Defrosting our ref and freezers when thick ice starts to build up because it consumes more power.

(5) Open the windows to breathe in fresh air, rather than using the airconditioner all the time.

Read more: The Intersections & Beyond: Alter Space: new Filipino Facebook game that can save our planet http://www.vintersections.com/2011/02/alter-space-new-filipino-facebook-game.html#ixzz1FKLfsXIK
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

Emily Abrera on EDSA 25 (People Power)

Emily Abrera, current Chair of the board of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and one of the commissioners of the Edsa People Power Commission (EPPC), gave a talk before the employees of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in Intramuros, Monday, 21 February 2011.

The talk was part of the commemoration of events leading up to February 25 or what is now known as EDSA People Power anniversary. This year, the title and theme of the celebration is “EDSA 25: Filipino Ako, Ako ang Lakas ng Pagbabago.”

“And to think that people were able to walk up and offer flower in the face of these gigantic metal machine, if you think about it, it is so ephemeral and so poetic a gesture. That is art, is it not? And art in that time could stop army tanks dead in their tracks. Art is more powerful than we think. So the kind of work you are involved with is so powerful,” says Abrera.

In closing, Abrera recited an ecumenical prayer, which she said she was tasked to prepare, and will be delivered on Feb. 25. Here we quote briefly: “Father of all ages / You gave us the discernment to tell right from wrong / The strength of will to change for the better  / The fortitude to surmount challenges  / The perseverance to stay at the back of goodness. / Father,  you gave us the freedom to shape our own destiny / In unity and solidarity / And you sent us the heroes to light our way / 25 years ago, / We showed you Father  that these gifts you generously gave us were not in vain / When we, your people rose as one and in loving trust took our first step towards transformation.”

Abrera is part of the now seven-man team of commissioners sworn into office by President Benigno Aquino III on Feb. 3.  The other members of the Commission include its chairman, Executive Secretary Paquito “Jojo” Ochoa, Jr. , former Trade Secretary Jose Pardo, actor-singer-composer Ogie Alcasid, Milagros Kilayko, Christopher Carrion, and former Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) chair Cesar Sarino.

Executive Order No. 82. (s. 1999) created the EDSA People Power Commission to institutionalize the legacy of the EDSA People Power Revolution.
As a dedicated organization, the EPPC is tasked to institute activities and concerted action that will serve to enshrine EDSA People Power as a continuing and permanent source of inspiration for future generations.

On December 22, 2010, President Aquino issued Executive Order No. 17, which streamlines the role of the commission and whittled down the number of its members from 25 to just seven.
EDSA People Power has become a historic uprising in February 1986 that toppled the decades-old Marcos regime and catapulted Corazon “Cory” Aquino, the President’s mother, to the presidency that time.

See Video

My Travel to Cebu!

Roman orator Seneca once said that “travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” And indeed, this Christmas season break affords one the best time to fulfill that much-hoped for travel around the country as there is nothing like a new place to enliven work-weary bodies for the coming new year.

Cebu, for one, is a great start for a new traveler, Cebu being synonymous with the Magellan’s cross, the crispy lechon (which according to celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain is the best slow roasted lechon he had tasted), the Sinulog Festival, the nine-day fiesta celebration in honor of Sto. Nino falling on the third Sunday of January. Tagged as the Queen City of the South, Cebu is also a well-known trading center even prior to the coming of both Magellan and Legazpi in its shores. Cebu (Sugbo) is the name given to the city, the metropolis, the island, the province. This Visayan province is made up of 48 municipalities and five thriving cities: its capital Cebu, Toledo, Lapu-lapu, Danao, and Mandaue.

This writer, for one, happily had a chance to revisit Cebu anew during the 11th San Miguel Brewery Inc's National Beer Drinking Contest held at the Parkmall in Mandaue City last November 19.

On our first day, we headed out for a river cruise in Bgy. Bojo in Aloguinsan, the Cebu town, which is known for its Kinsan Festival or the annual festival held on the second Sunday of June celebrating the place’s harvest of the grayish-colored fish abundant only in its waters. The 1.3 km. long Bojo River, which is fed by the headwaters from Kawasan and the spring of Bojo, serves as the feeding and breeding ground for fishes in the town because of its thick mangrove cover. When overfishing plagued the river, eco-tourism saved the community with its fishermen afterwards trained on river cruise tourism and bird watching skills. Our group was welcomed with local songs by the members of the community, and served with welcome drinks of fresh buko juice while we listened to a short lecture on the river cruise, on the 71 species of local birds, and on the objectives of the 52-member Bojo Aloguinsan Ecotourism Association (BAETAS) (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Aloguinsan-River-Eco-Cultural-Tour/321967567122), which runs the tour. Afterwards, an interesting short local ritual called “palina,” involving an incense-smelling smoke wafting from dried coconut husks, was performed for all the guests as a way of requesting the river spirit to give the visitors a safe passage through the river. One rides a small banca for a P100 peso and the fishermen-turned boatmen inform its passenger on the different mangrove species in the area along with its bird population. One’s ride experience beautifully peaks as the boat nears the end of the river and is paddled further out into the Tañon Strait, which cinematically reminds one of a scene from Lord of the Rings.

Afterwards, our group had a hearty lunch of humba and tinolang manok at the nearby The Farmhouse, which is also the community’s model for natural farming, and waste management in the area.

For the night, our group headed out to Mango Avenue in Cebu City to get a taste of the area’s night life, first warming up with cold San Mig Light and Red Horse beers at Numero Doce bar before transferring to the very chic Z bar, the first full-scale organic architecture designed by design maven Kenneth Cobonpue, in Banilad, Cebu. Guests will always be amazed by its local interior, which is impressively defined by a latticework of bamboo twigs, and black-painted steel that warmly “cocoons” its guests.

On our second day, our group visited the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in Cebu City, the very church that has housed the famous image of Sto.Niño since 1565. The icon is also the oldest Catholic relic in the country. History-wise, it was the Catholic Cebuano’s devotion to the Santo Niño de Cebu that started the long line of devotions to the Child Jesus in the country because the Augustinians from Cebu brought the devotion to Manila, Iloilo, Laguna and Tacloban. Now, no Catholic house’s altar in the country is without an image of the Sto. Niño or the child Christ.

Next, our group proceeded to Fort San Pedro or Fuerza de San Pedro, a military defence structure, built under the command of Miguel López de Legazpi in 1738. Located in the area now called Plaza Indepedencia, in the Pier Area of Cebu City, the fort is the smallest, oldest triangular fort in the country, and calls to mind Fort Santiago in Manila.

Our group then visited the Parian (one of several ones spread around the country) area, the old Chinese district of Cebu, which started out as a small community of Chinese traders in the 16th century until it grew into the residential headquarters of the most dynamic entrepreneurs of Cebu and also where the wealthiest families of the city resided. The Japanese occupation during World War II though left only a few houses and structures in the present Parian: a small chapel nearby dedicated to San Juan, which pales in comparison to the once grand church of San Juan Bautista, a fire station where the church's convent once was, and the Yap-San Diego ancestral house originally owned by Chinese merchant Juan Yap, and is currently under the name of San Diego descendant, and dance artist Val San Diego. The latest main attraction to the Parian area is the grand bronze tableau done by artist Eduardo Castrillo in 1997, which visually re-tells Cebu’s history from Rajah Humabon’s time to the beatification of Cebuano martyr Pedro Calungsod.

Lunch was mouth-watering as usual in one of the “dampa”-style seafood restaurants near the Lapu-Lapu shrine in Punta Engaño, Mactan. One, of course, should not miss ordering the delicious “saang” or spider conch here. After the lunch, we were able to finally see the 20-meter bronze statue of Lapu-lapu, the native chieftain of Mactan Island who defeated Ferdinand Magellan during the historic Battle of Mactan in 1521. Lapu-lapu is represented here dressed in loin cloth, with a sword on his right hand, and a shield on his left. Interestingly, the Lapu-Lapu Shrine is inside a plaza known as the Magellan Shrine Park that speaks volumes of the conciliatory nature of Cebuanos. Later, some of us even had a relaxing massage at Essence Spa along the highway on our way back to the city. Some even took to shopping in the Taboan market for the dried “danggits” (spinefoot fish), and squids as “pasalubongs” back home.

Perfectly capping our last night in Cebu was the 11th San Miguel Brewery Inc's National Beer Drinking Contest held at the Parkmall in Mandaue City. We witnessed how all the national finalists of this one-of-a-kind beer drinking event in the country psyched themselves up for what seemed to be the biggest contest of their lives, huddling quietly and praying intensely together before proceeding on stage, enduring last minute jitters, men of diverse economic background, staking their all in this night of nights to drink up the fastest for a chance to win an average of P100T per person. In the end, ”Team Naunsyame” (in English, Team Derailed) of Caloocan City prevailed by clocking a group beer drinking record of 53.8 seconds with no penalties. Team Naunsyame is composed of team members Ramil Asistio, Roberto Aban, Rommel Monzon, Rolando Monzon, and Paul Peregrino, prevailed. The team bagged the 500,000 grand cash prize. The looks on their faces, of course, were priceless!

As for me, with such memories to take back home, I definitely left Cebu feeling like I was half a million richer, too!