Annette Gozon Abrogar: From the Courtroom to the Spotlight

I'm sure the worlds of law and showbiz may seem to intersect at some points because of their flair for flamboyance, but in doing the nitty-gritty details of really managing a major film studio like GMA Films, getting a lawyer to do the actual job may seem weird at face value.  But since Annette Gozon Abrogar is the daughter of Atty. Felipe Gozon, president and CEO of GMA Network, now we have two trained lawyers in positions of influence and power to change the programming and entertainment landscape of the Philippines.

I don't really watch local TV since rarely does a local program speak about my life but I do watch local movies, and GMA Films' latest production, The Road, has introduced me to several contract stars of GMA 7.  Anyhow, anyone can go into film producing since we are all, at heart, movie buffs, and we all have stories to tell, so I'm sure Ms. Gozon-Abrogar will find the right talent and right material to make into movies and entertain the Filipino people.

Lalaine Chu-Benitez: Showing the Way for Filipinas in the Middle East

For any Filipino who has traveled or lived abroad, the stereotypes and discrimination of us being Filipinos continue to abound - and it was these things that Lalaine Chu-Benitez sought to change as she saw how her, being Filipina, was being devalued in the eyes of her co-workers and by the people of her host country.   

Through the past 20 years that she has been based in Dubai, she established the magazine, Ilustrado, to show the people in that part of the world, that Filipinas are not only just maids or sex workers, but are competent professionals in any field they choose to work in.  Because of her assertiveness, many of her kababayans have proudly shown their employers that Filipinas can be as good if not even better, than their white counterparts.  By fighting the stereotype, she has opened doors for other Filipinas to shine in their respective fields - in a place where even the native women are constricted to do as they please.

Myla Villanueva: Filipina Entrepreneur Par Excellence

To someone like me who saw no other recourse but entrepreneurship, I was greatly inspired by the story of Myla Villanueva, a US-educated tech entrepreneur who chose to build her legacy here in the Philippines in the 80s when almost everything in the cards would have forced her to say no!  I read about her in the Philippine Star Sunday magazine and she would’ve been a very good role model for me since we are almost the same age.  Yes, it’s not easy to do business in this country since we don’t have the financial backing most developed countries have but Ms. Villanueva used her persuasive powers to show to the movers and shakers here that that was the way to go, if we ever wanted to be at par with the technology in most developed countries.  I do hope to hear her speak one of these days.  I’m sure to learn a lot from it.

Good Luck Shamcey!

It's already Sunday and the Miss Universe pageant is just around two days away. Well, it's time to say good luck to Shamcey Supsup.  By now, the Top 15 has already been decided so let's just hope she made it to the list, so that in the contest proper, we have something to cheer for. 

Looking Forward to Nora Aunor's New Work

Ok, ok!  I am a true blue Noranian, and even though I also like Vilma Santos' movies, it was Nora's movies that I really line up for when I was still growing up.  It's great that she has decided to come back here and work again.  I am one of those looking forward to see her new work.  I hope it does equal or even surpass what she has already done for Philippine cinema and television.

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Rosa Rosal: A Life Dedicated to Charity Has Never a Dull Moment

Rosa Rosal is an award-winning Filipino actress who is known for her years of voluntary service with the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC). She was born Florence Danon in 1931 in Manila and started her film career in 1946, which continued throughout the 1950s, and was named FAMAS Best Actress in 1955 for “Sonny Boy”. Among the notable films she starred in were Lamberto Avellana’s “Anak Dalita” (1956), Tony Santos’s “Badjao” (1956), and Manuel Silos’s “Biyaya ng Lupa” (1959). She had a brief marriage in 1957 and had a child, Toni Rose Gayda, who later worked on television.[1]

            Rosal became the first woman volunteer of the Philippine Red Cross at the height of her popularity and conducted her first official blood donation in 1950. Ordinary people then had to be persuaded into giving blood because of the misconception on the harmful effects of bloodletting.[2] She was later elected to the body’s Board of Governors in 1965 and has continuously promoted blood donation in the Philippines. Rosal helped start bloodletting programs inside campuses and military camps and lobbied for support in upgrading Red Cross facilities from political leaders and foreign embassies. She also initiated a Women’s Crisis Center within the PNRC, which assisted unwed and needy pregnant mothers and found homes for unwanted children. Rosal also worked out a college scholarship fund for poor but deserving students from pork barrel fund donations of members of Congress. The “Damayan” and “Kapwa Ko  Mahal Ko” public-service television programs, which she has hosted, has solicited financial and medical aid for needy patients.[3] Rosal has faced many challenges in the course of her work in the Red Cross, which include the acquisition of a refrigerated centrifuge through her appeal to then President Ferdinand Marcos and her asking for blood via the airwaves and delivery of emergency supplies to hospitals during the 1989 coup d’etat.[4]

            According to Rosal, she leads a simple but meaningful life and very seldom attends social functions. She spends her weekdays on her various charity works and projects, while Saturdays are get-togethers with old friends and Sundays are exclusively for the family. She considers being asleep by 10 in the evening a luxury. Rosal is happy that more people are aware more than ever before of the activities of the Red Cross, but because of the ever increasing population, needs have also risen, and the task of raising funds has become extremely challenging. However, she makes it a point to be always well-dressed and fully made up when she goes about her work because people somehow expect her to have the bearing of a movie star at all times. When Rosal visits foreign cities, she makes it a must to locate and drop by a Red Cross office for the sharing of experiences and learning about the latest equipment in the field.[5]

            Rosa Rosal was named the Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Public Service in 1999 for her lifetime of dedicated voluntary service that has inspired her countrymen to put the needs of others ahead of their own. The Order of the Golden Heart with the rank of Grand Cross for a lifetime of public service work was also bestowed on her by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2006. The Ading Fernando Lifetime Achievement Award was likwise given to Rosal at the 22^nd PMPC Star Awards For TV in November 2008.[6]

            Philippine Red Cross officials acknowledged and celebrated the 60th anniversary of the volunteer Red Cross work of veteran actress-social worker Rosa Rosal in July 2010.  She and other volunteers have been recognized as the moving force behind charitable institutions, churches and non-government organizations because of their selfless service to those in need.[7]

            Rosa Rosal is one of those remarkable human beings who see the ultimate value of a life that is other-oriented. While the world recognizes the value of individuals who strive for self-development because their examples inspire people, it also grateful for those who basically strive for the betterment of others, because through them, many lives have been set right and saved.

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[1] “Rosa Rosal”, Wikipedia, 17 May 2011, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Rosal>

[accessed 14 June 2011]

[2] Sol Jose Vanzi, “Rosa Rosal Recalls Her Magical Visit to Hollywood”, Philippine Headline News Online,

31 July 2002, <http://www.newsflash.org/2002/07/sb/sb002315.htm>  [accessed 14 June 2011]

[3] “Rosa Rosal”

[4] “Actress Rosa Rosal Celebrates 60^th Anniversary as Red Cross Volunteer on July 4”, Bayanihan,

  2 July 2010, <http://bayanihan.org/2010/07/02/actress-rosa-rosal-celebrates-60th-anniversary-as-red-cross-volunteer-on-july-4/>  [accessed 24 June 2011]

[5] Sol Jose Vanzi

[6] “Rosa Rosal”

[7] “Actress Rosa Rosal…”

Shamcey Supsup: Beauty and Brains

            Shamey Supsup is a new name for the ears of the many. She’s just owned the crown of Bb. Pilipinas - Universe 2011 held last April 10, 2011. She is a beauty queen title holder, meaning she got the beauty plus the brains! And not just the brains on stage, but the brains she carries every time. She is quite an achiever. Not to mention that she graduated as a magna cum laude in the most prestigious University of the Philippines – Dilliman in her degree in Bachelor of Science in Architecture. She even topped the June 2010 the Architecture Licensure Examination in July 2010. She is currently seen as a judge who gives out smart comments to the contestants in Showtime, aired in ABS-CBN before noon. For this pride of Filipinos, good luck to her in the upcoming Miss Universe 2011 pageant in Sao Paulo,Brazil on September 12, 2011. Make Filipinos more proud!

Jana Valencia: Beauty and Brains Summa Cum Laude from UP

I also finished in UP so I know how hard it is to get a passing grade there, but to get a GPA of 1.08, and be that beautiful, now that's something.  Anyhow, I read this article today on Jana Valencia, the daughter of one of my idols when I was younger, Tina Revilla, who achieved that impossible to get GPA, and in BS Psychology, to boot!  Not an easy group of teachers to please, mind you!  The Revilla women have always been known for their classic beauty and I see now that it has continued onto the next generation, this time though, they now have a summa cum laude added to the mix!  Tina must really be proud!

Women Bus Drivers: Why Not?

The MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority) apparently wants to enforce a rule wherein women bus drivers ply the EDSA route.  Why not?  With all the accidents in EDSA being caused by drunk or wayward bus drivers - and of course, all men, the MMDA, I guess, feels that if women were on the wheel, those accidents can be avoided.  I'm all for this idea!  I've seen women drivers abroad and I don't really mind that it's a woman at the wheel.  These women will also have to get professional driver's licenses anyway, and since they're a novelty, all eyes will be on them to perform well, or at the very least, avoid any untoward accidents.