Aren@P|us Makes NBA and US Dreams Come True

After holding one of the biggest parties for VIP's last year, the good folks from Aren@P|us stay true to their word by giving away 2 all expense paid trips to the United States and arrangements for shopping, touring, and the best NBA experience they could possibly do. 

The first winning VIP did it with his wife and children, which they did across different states in the US, from New York to Los Angeles where he stayed at the Trump Tower Hotel and Marriott LA. He met Jordan Clarkson, and also had dinner with him before seeing him play at Madison Square Garden. He said "I was super happy because it was my first time to be there, and see Jordan Clarkson in the flesh! It's way different than seeing him on TV! I will not forget this experience!"

In LA, he was able to join the 2026 NBA All Star weekend at the grand Intuit Dome where he also saw performances by Ludacris and the rest of the NBA players. He had so much fun because he was able to experience time with the players and the energetic crowd too. Then he did the best thing for his family by taking them to the loveliest luxury shops and outlet stores so they get to take home something for themselves. He adds "This experience is surreal and I can't thank them enough for the experience, the shopping and tours we did here. Thank you to everyone who made this possible!"

The second VIP winner on the other hand stayed at the nippy city of Chicago. He stayed at the Trump Tower Suite and did it for his favorite team the Chicago Bulls. He met Derrick Rose who signed his merch, and as a person who collects cards and outfits, it was something he wouldn't forget.  He says "I was just starstruck seeing them all at the NBA. We also did the Chicago Barrel Run and finished it off in KTV's in the evening. I really am so thankful for it!" 

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the surprises they have for VIP's, and the Aren@P|us community. Stay tuned because they've definitely got more up their sleeves. 

After Bullying Ordeal: VARGAS' Kid Shows Tough Form in Swim Meet

Proud Mom Yasmine and Dad (multi awarded actor) Alfred Vargas just posted super good news on their socials as their son Cristiano got back on the tank, something he's been looking forward to doing after the bullying ordeal he went through months ago. 

Ms. Yasmine described the time as lost opportunities since their young kid wasn't able to compete in his favorite sport, and they knew how he felt disheartened (at the time), but now surprised how he came back ready, better than ever! 

This was during the recent Milo Swim Competition where he raced with bigger kids at the 9-10 year old event. He was able to improve his previous time in different events, and came back clocking new personal bests, a feat which surprised even those who have been supporting him. They (Mom and Dad) dubbed him as their "Comeback Kid", and proudly saw how the fruits of his labor have all come true. In the meet, he was given the Most Outstanding Swimmer award in his category (Category A), this is also his second one as he won the same thing last year. 

Councilor Alfred and Ms. Yasmine credits Cristiano's new coach Mr. Manny Thruelen who went back from years of retirement just to make sure he gets the needed training for the sport. His previous team and the swim community at that time also showed their support for the kid. They were overjoyed at the sight of people, including his previous coaches Gary and JM who were there and supported him too. 

Here's their post!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 🌸 Yasmine E. Vargas 🌸 (@yasmine_vargas2307)

They're extremely happy and profess this as the handy work of God, and give all praises to the one above for doing this after the ordeal he went through. Congratulations Cristiano! Mom and Dad will SURELY stay behind you, and continue to LOVE you no matter what! 

PS. Quezon City has programs against bullying together with the Department of Education to make sure there are enough safe and inclusive spaces so please ask about it with your LGU's if you need help!

MAM ELMA Cries at MADDOX JEWELRY Visit: Is This About SER GEYBIN?

Social Media Vlogging royalty Mam Elma was found crying at the Maddox Jewelry showroom when she visited Ms. Charo Cordial in Marikina a few days ago. She's the long time girlfriend of Ser Geybin (aka Gavin Capinpin) and a former educator, who's also been in entertainment news recently. 

At Maddox Jewelry in Marikina, they pleasantly talked not about her personal life, but her dreams and how she shows her love for her family. Because Ms. Charo was easy to talk to, she opened up about how she wished to earn a doctorate degree in education and still make it successful in the content creation field. It's where she began to cry.

See, it was a very hard decision to actually leave her regular job as a teacher, more so because her parents were strongly against it. But she wanted to delve into content creation years ago, so she went ahead and did it. Even so, she plans to continue her studies so she had something to fall back on. She didn't want her family to worry. 

Mam Elma and Ms Charo also talked about her relationship with social media phenom Ser Geybin. Particularly the things they're enjoying before they begin thinking of getting married. It's a serious step and felt the need to still prioritize education as said by their parents. 

Here's their conversation on video: 

If you're keen in watching the heartwarming story, subscribe to their YouTube channel Maddox_Jewelry and their official social media accounts. You'll love watching their exciting live streams and interaction with celebrities.

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!