Efren Penaflorida: CNN Hero of the Year 2009
The Philippines is on a winning streak!
After Manny Pacquiao’s victory against Miguel Cotto, another Filipino has won in the world stage. This is in the person of Efren Penaflorida, who was honored by CNN as the 2009 Hero of the Year for the trailblazing work of his Dynamic Teen Company in Cavite to educate young people in slum areas, through the use of a pushcart full of books.
In rites at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, Efren was awarded a trophy and $100,000 to continue his work.
Congratulations Efren! This is not only the victory of Efren, but also the victory of the large online community of Filipinos who voted for him. Count in people from other races and nations who also believed in Efren’s cause of education and equality for all.
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Who will be Miss Earth 2009 tonight?
Update: Miss Larissa Ramos of Brazil is Miss Earth 2009. Full list of winners here
Miss Earth 2009, an annual pageant where beauty queens from different countries espouse the environmental cause, will hold its pageant and coronation night in the world-famous island of Boracay tonight. There are about 80 of them vying for the prestigious crown of Miss Earth, Miss Earth-Air, Miss Earth-Water and Miss Earth-Fire.
Sources say the Philippine bet, Sandra Inez Seifert, has a strong chance of winning after she was named Best in Swimsuit and Best in Long Gown in the pre-pageant competitions. She was previously disqualified from Binibining Pilipinas because of her sexy photos that appeared in men’s magazines FHM and Maxim. I have to say Miss Seifert is lovely, but the other ladies are equally as stunning.
We were able to take a close look at the Miss Earth 2009 contestants in the Long Gown Competition held at the PAGCOR Grand Theater last week. Some of those who made an impression: Miss Brazil, Miss Spain, Miss Korea, Miss Cuba, Miss Czech Republic, Miss Venezuela and a lot more.
Here are some of the photos I took backstage. Was testing my new toy, the Panasonic Lumix LX3. Results were good, but I felt like I should have used the Canon DSLR and a bazooka lens, since the stage looked so far away 
And the winner for round one is… Team Jinkee!
I hate this Manny-Krista-Jinkee thing. It’s even outshadowing Pacman’s historic brutal bruising of the Sydney Olympian Miguel Cotto.Me and my friends and everyone else just can’t help but talk about it.
I still believe the Pacman-Krista affair wouldn’t have been blown out of proportion if only they possessed one thing that celebrity public figures should always be conscious about: discretion.
Pinoys will always love the underdog, and public sympathy appears to be tilted now towards Pacman’s aggrieved wife who’s stood by him through dimes and diamonds, Secosana and Chanel. In fact, the whole situation has given rise to an unofficial group called Team Jinkee.
Coming in a close second to Team Pacquiao, Team Jinkee stands for long-suffering, ‘martyr’ Filipina wives who have to endure the pitfalls of marriage in a macho, male-dominated society like the Philippines.
My friend Penelope says “ the Poveda slash Ateneo- schooled babe must be the bomb to come in between this lovely family…..” (pics courtesy of strictlypinoy)
After Pacquiao vs Cotto, it’s now Jinkee vs. Krista?
Some people just couldn’t help but be tickled with the latest rumor in the winning Pacman’s life. His reported love affair and romantic involvement with the aspiring actress named Krista Ranillo.
Beth Celis of the Inquirer, quoting people close to Manny Pacquiao, wrote last Friday, Nov. 13: “Not only does she [Krista] wipe his face and body during workouts, she also feeds him like a baby during mealtimes,” said the well-informed source.”
Not a few people saw the two of them in romantic Baguio City where Pacquiao trained for weeks.
Sources in the sports community now chorus “totoo talaga.” (yes, it’s true)
We can only say: yes it’s true. Manny Pacquiao and Krista Ranillo will be seen together in the forthcoming movie Wapakman, to be shown during the Metro Manila Film Festival 2009
Who is Krista Ranillo and why are people suddenly curious about her?
Pamela Bianca Manalo a favorite in Miss Universe 2009
Photo via missuniverse.com
Hopefully she will not be another Thank You Girl Miss Philippines (and Bb. Pilipinas-Universe) Pamela Bianca Manalo is a strong contender for the Miss Universe 2009 which will be telecast to a global audience in a few hours from the Bahamas. We watched the preliminary swimsuit competition and I must say the 5′10 stunner, who’s a flight attendant of the Philippine Airlines, did well.
It has been decades since we’ve had a Filipina for a Miss Universe (sigh). For Chrissakes, our last winning titleholder, Margie Moran is a grandma already. Personally, kinda find it an anomaly that most of the time Miss Venezuela wins. Maybe there’s such a thing as a Miss U mafia or Miss U cartel. LOL.
Anyhoo, most of my gay friends are just crazy about this pageant and follows each and every development. My buddy Ogie opens only three websites in the internet and that’s missuniverse.com, youtube, and Friendster, hehehe. Here are his expert picks on will land in the semifinals later (more like a fearless forecast). Take a look:
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Maricar Reyes, all dressed up in the August issue of Metro magazine
Couldn’t help but take a second look at the August issue of Metro magazine which has aspiring actress Maricar Reyes on the cover. As it turned out, looking at the cover wasn’t enough, so the next thing I did was buy it. 
Stunning photography by Sara Black, although the article written by Francine Medina Marquez refuses to say anything about the video scandal that has every tongue wagging for weeks on end. Perfectly understandable, since the questions were reviewed by Maricar’s handler.
I still find it hard to understand how fast this girl recovered from the controversy she figured in with the cad named Hayden Kho. But it looks like Dr. Maricar, a general practitioner, used reverse psychology on the public. Instead of hiding, she’s now raring to hog the limelight as an actress in the movie May Bukas Pa, the teleserye Gaano Kita Kamahal and the Filipino version of Lovers In Paris.
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Cory Aquino, 11th President of the Philippines,dead at 76
The country goes in mourning today with the announcement of the death of former President Corazon ‘Cory’ Aquino, the 11th President of the Philippines and symbol of the historic EDSA People Power Revolt. She was 76.
The official announcement was made by Cory’s only son, Sen. Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino Jr. who said his mother died of cardiorespiratory arrest at the Makati Medical Center in the early hours of Aug. 1 (exactly 3:18 a.m.) She had been suffering from colon cancer for six months.
“She would have wanted us to thank each and everyone of you for all your continued love and support. It was her wish for all of us to pray for one another and for our country,” he said.
Tita Cory, who was married to the martyred former Sen. Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino, is survived by their five children Maria Elena A. Cruz, Aurora Corazon A. Abellada, Noynoy, Victoria Eliza A. Dee, and actress-television host Kris (Kristina Bernadette) Aquino, married to basketball player James Yap.
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Face-to-face with world bowling champion Paeng Nepomuceno
I still have to personally meet Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao, but I was certainly glad to mingle face-to-face with Paeng Nepomuceno who, in his heyday, brought pride to the country by being a World Bowling Champion SIX TIMES. Still lithe and limber at 52, Paeng is pushing for a different advocacy. he’s now working to include bowling as an Olympic sport, starting with the 2012 London Olympics.
“Bowling is truly an Olympic sport. It entails mental and physical precision, superior hand-eye coordination, unwavering muscle memory and tremendous stamina and endurance,” says he.
We were able to catch up with the great bowler at the family-owned Paeng’s Midtown Bowl in Robinsons Manila and he was game enough to answer some questions about his present lifestyle.
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Yes to Pacquiao, the boxer; no to Pacquiao, the politician….
My Facebook status says it all: why would Manny Pacquiao run for congressman…. why?
It is something that continues to confound me, two days after Pacman, the greatest Pinoy boxer who ever lived, smashed to smithereens the British pug Ricky Hatton.
The obviousness of Pacquiao’s political intentions is signified by the formation of his political party People’s Champ Movement and his introduction in the Las Vegas boxing ring as being from Sarangani province where he’s touted to run next, after being beaten in the last elections in his hometown of General Santos City.
On the issue of his entry to politics, my Facebook friends are divided on the matter.There are some like me who wonder why he has to enter the tarnished world of politics.It sorts of breaks the illusion. Some of us would rather preserve the image of El Pacquiao being the resolute boxer that he is, instead of the traditional politician whose ilk are blamed for bleeding the country’s coffers dry.
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If you’re running in the 2010 elections & you’re not on Facebook, are you cool?
Sen. Mar Roxas is cool. Looks like he updates his Facebook status himself. And he added me as a friend, hehe. The better to be apprised of this promising presidentiable’s activities.
Whoa! Sen. Chiz Escudero has too many FB accounts, you’d never know which is which. I’ll go by the one where we have a lot of mutual friends
Not to be outdone is Among Ed Panlilio, the likeliest of the unlikely candidates.
Blogging since 2004 and recently married to Mr Z. I can't live without coffee....and brown sugar.
