VERDE CREATIVES Hold "Rainbow Voices: Mga Mukha at Boses ng Bahaghari" Event

June is Pride Month and with the way things are now, it has to be reiterated, that the occasion is and still is a protest.

It was an opportune time to talk about what the current status of primary concerns are of the community. This is why the folks from Verde Creatives held an event called "Rainbow Voices: Mga Mukha at Boses ng Bahaghari" (The Faces and Voices of the Rainbow). The platform seeks to have a place for community members to talk about what is important, like the good and bad things about what is happening with the LGBTQIA+,  brothers and sisters, and the phenomenal horrors on why the SOGIESC Equality bill is still not approved. 

I asked them bluntly about how it might have been all frustrating, and they said a resounding YES. Though they assured me, they never will get tired. They promise to continue the fight, but it has to be an effort done with YOU, me and the rest of the community. It'll have a huge impact when we do things together, and I've seen it happen in recent years. I'm glad it's not just the bad things that were discussed, but the good things too. 

Here's the talk on video, this was held at the Dark Roast Coffee House in Maginhawa Street, so listen in!

Verde Creatives very own Ms. Bemz Benedito, Ms. Gigi Marie Garcia of the Society of Trans Women of the Philippines (STRAP), Mx. Patrick Espino of LADLAD Partylist, Ms. Venus Ancheta-Lane, an HR Professional who is also part of the Society of Trans Women of the Philippines (STRAP), and Atty. Juliane Paul Tabarangao shared their expertise on the topic to explain where we are and how we are with regards to the causes we need to support.

Ms. Bemz reiterated "LGBT rights, trans rights are human rights. It is still not being accepted, just tolerated. It is important to celebrate Pride, it is a protest, it is important to discuss it, in platforms like Verde, to have a place to discuss things that may not be allowed in public. Thanks for giving us the voice, for letting us fight, to give solutions, but even if the faces have changed, we need to support the cause to protect LGBT or us Filipinos."

Ms. Gigi Marie Garcia adds "It's time for Trans people to change their name, markers and legal ID's for legal gender recognition. This would be a big help and our coalition will be pushing for legislation, government support for the passage of SOGIE bill. We hope this would be enacted as law, while we partner with more people to support our cause. Preferred names and gender identity is important for government transactions, and with it, we get recognized including the non binary individuals too. Our trans sisters even get offloaded because of it. STRAP hold sessions and hear so many stories about it, but names affirm the persona of the person."

Patrick Espino also shared "June is Pride month, but it has been used so many times that it is starting to be used. At times, they still call us names, but where are we now, still not where we want to be. Hate must be eradicated, it must be stopped."

While we are making progress as a society, there is still a long way to go. This effort by Verde Creatives is a really huge help to make those issues and put those points across. I hope this would put an even better perspective on letting all us know where we are, and perhaps find more ways on how we can help. I love how they pointed out that these issues are not designed to mock or put aside the fun during Pride events, because we need to celebrate our huge and small wins. 

Happy PRIDE!

Regal's PROJECT BABY Mirrors Modern Families and Unconventional Relationships

Watched the movie PROJECT BABY of Regal Entertainment Inc. This is directed by Eric Quizon, who had their premiere night at Eastwood Mall Cinemas. This stars multi-faceted actress Sue Ramirez and rock icon Rico Blanco. They also had Matt Lozano (who wasn't there because of work), Arra San Agustin, Yasser Marta, Alex Calleja, Kimson Tan, Christian Ty, Charuth, Drei Arias, Jonathan Perez, Jazzil Sarinas and the living vampire Ms. Alice Dixson. 

The plot is interesting because it delves on genuine relationships, modern ones, and the concept of parenting. Does it need to be perfect? Does it need to be planned? Or maybe have the heart involved? 

Would you do it for the sake of relationships? Pro creation? Or weigh things of what's moral or not? 

There is also a kid involved in the story where you have to understand whether the parents are taking on the responsibility or not, or firmly follow the contract?

Then it also gets complicated, finding the right mix of doing right, listening to opinions of friends, family, the bio father and her own thoughts.

This would all be answered in the movie PROJECT BABY. Will she succeed in actually making a baby? A Boy or a Girl? Do they need to do what is right? or will they live in sin and break all the rules of love and relationships?

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I'd gladly rate this a 4/5, it was a bit stiff in the beginning but became more au naturelle later on the story. Aside from the main stars, you'll love the character of Matt Lozano who's funny and fluffy in all the right corners. The story is going to be the main selling point, you would want to know what would happen next. It's cute, not complicatedly told, and a very happy material to watch. Though it's the first time that they've been paired on screen, you can feel how they wanted to encompass emotions, including that much needed kilig we always ask for. 

It's now showing in theaters nationwide! Go watch it today!

HOME ALONG DA RILES DA REUNION: Same Family Love But Different

Spent a few hours at the Makabagong San Juan Government Center, the huge new building of the city of San Juan. It was special because of the event we had to witness there, a Family Day for the folks from around the community. Kids, their parents and guardians spent the whole afternoon watching and participating in a Volleyball match, games prepared by the folks from Home Along Da Riles Da Reunion. They also gave them food and refreshments from the good people of Rebisco. Honestly, I saw genuine smiles from the kids and the parents, they really enjoyed seeing the stars of the film interacting with them through the program that afternoon.

Then we were able to interview the whole cast in the late afternoon. They had a whole marching band and the Mayor himself Francis Zamora who welcomed everyone before the Mediacon started. The theater was huge! And if I'm right, we're probably the first few ones who got to use it for a very special reason, because yes, the COSME's are back! The family that lived at the side of the train tracks. Though yes, this is going to be different because the legendary DOLPHY, BABALU won't be around. But they promised you'll feel them in every scene, and you'll be seeing their lives after Kevin Cosme's passing. You'll also see the dynamics of the family, of how things have changed, stayed or become even crazier! 

Here's the full press conference, you must listen to the small stories they shared:

Some interesting things in this reunion:

There were actually 15 SUNOG BAGA members but only 4 were found. One passed hence 3 were seen in this presscon. (May they rest in peace!)

Ms. Nova Villa prays a lot, and spends her life serving the church. She was always the one who prays for everyone during taping days of Home Along Da Riles, that never stopped!

Vandolph Quizon met his wife Jenny in the show, and he mentions that she is the love of his life, credits the show for it. 

Boy2 Quizon aka Dos was given the task of being the Director of this film, and everybody agreed how good he did it. Dolphy would be so proud!

They tried to put in everyone from the sitcom to the series so you'll be surprised when you watch the film. Wether you're an 80's, 90's or 00's fan of the show, or new to the classic show, you will LOVE the movie equally because it is about family, caring for each other and the Filipino way of life, good manners and some crazy fun. The movie will have a premiere night on June 15th but will have the movie out on June 17th. It's going to be fun! 

29 Years of THRIVING: Forest Lake Development Inc.!

It felt good seeing Forest Lake Development Inc. hold recognition for their sales people at Okada Manila last April 21st. It was their National Sales Convention, with over 550 attendees and the theme "THRIVE: Ani ng Tagumpay". At a record breaking 5.5 Billion in sales this year compared to 3.8 Billion last year, there definitely is a reason to celebrate for this big corp. All their employees, partners and stakeholders from around the country went there including their CEO Alfred Xerez Burgos III. 

They are the leading memorial park developer and now have transformed into an entity providing total memorial care. With services like Libre Burol, Libing Anywhere, Memorial Chapels, Columbarium a d Cremation, they've surpassed their goals and continue to partner with 41 funeral homes to this day. They now have 42 memorial parks all over the Philippines and plan to launch a few more in the near future. They also got SEC approve their capital stock fom 1 Billion to 4 Billion as they plan to expand and invest in tech for their properties too.

They were also entertained by Gary Valenciano.anf PPOP boy group AZTER which got the folks excited. Top performers were also given incentives like trips to Bangkok that is all expense paid. They are now 29 years in the business, and plan to have their services make an impact in the years to come. 

Congratulations Forest Lake Development Inc.!