Meanwhile at the Grammy's

CAN anyone tell me who Arcade Fire is? Magaling ba sila talaga? They won Album of the Year for The Suburbs at last night's Grammy Awards and I'm shocked that 'with-it' gal me hasn't heard of them. (OA! ;p I'm so not with-it I actually thought the band's name was The Suburbs! haha.) Of course I was rooting for Lady Gaga's Fame Monster and Katy Perry's Teenage Dream. These two artists have been the brightest lights in the US pop scene, especially the former - a really fantastic and intelligent performer.

I was mildly taken aback by Katy's live performance though. I cringed as her singing went off-pitch several times; if it were an audition at the American Idol, Simon Cowell would've probably trashed her.

(Lady Gaga's Fame Monster wins Best Pop Vocal Album of the Year at the Grammys. Photo from www.glamourvanity.com".)

Anyway, I'm glad that Gaga won for Best Pop Vocal album, despite her rambling thoughts about Whitney Huston, hehe. Again, in this category, I was rooting for either her or Katy.

The most fun performance of the night, I thought was by Cee Lo Green, who looked like he plucked out all the feathers of the NBC Peacock and wore 'em (good for him, the Grammy's were on CBS), w/ a flashy headdress/skullcap(?) to boot. He and actress Gwyneth Paltrow sang his popular 'F*** you!' with some muppets as back-up singers and musicians.



As you know, Gwyneth sang the GP rated version of his song ('Forget You!') on a recent episode of Glee. She's got some pipes, mind you. But she was a bit stiff, unable to really shake her booty (unlike those muppets!) no doubt due to her killer heels from Christian Louboutin. Anyhoo, that Cee Lo performance appeared to be an homage (or a rip-off) of Elton John's gig on The Muppet Show in 1977, where the latter sang Crocodile Rock, feathers, glittery skullcap and all. (Of course, the joke was Lady Gaga's egg hatched and out popped Cee Lo. haha!)

(Btw, in case you were wondering, this is what Gwyneth Paltrow was wearing at her performance at the Grammys - Christian Louboutin retro colorblock booties from the Spring 2011. Kaya nahirapan sumayaw ang ale, hehe.)

Another favorite performance was by Mick Jagger who sang some soul, and looked really fashionable in his threads. He may be an old dude, but he still is Mr. Cool.



But the biggest upset of the night was in the Best New Artist category, which everyone thought would be won by Justin Bieber. But sorry, biebettes, the lovely artist Esperanza Spalding took home the award. This lady is one of the best jazz singers/bassists today, although I was a bit surprised that she's still considered "new" since she's been around since 2007-2008? She even visited Manila and performed at the Philippine Jazzfest in 2009. Dunno if this is true but there were some tweets that Spalding's web site crashed soon after she won, perhaps due to the number of people googling who she was. (UPDATE: Apparently what happened was some of the Bieb's cheap loser fans sabotaged Spalding's wikipedia page. Tsk tsk.)


(Esperanza Spalding performing at the White House in Feb., 2009. Watch this and you'll understand why she beat the Biebs.)

Jazz rules. Always.

'Christmas na!'

(Having a good laugh probably over Vic Valdepeñas, Union Bank president and COO-2nd from right-not being in AEV uniform are from left: Jon Ramon Aboitiz, AEV Chairman; Cholo Bernad, EVP for Strategy and Regulations, Aboitiz Power Corp.; Sonny Carpio, EVP-managing trustee, Aboitiz Foundation; and Jovy Batiquin, EVP/COO of Therma Marine.)

MOST Filipinos know Christmas is just around the corner when the ’ber months kick in, and the Christmas carols start playing in malls.

Those of us in the field of business journalism—and I still am despite writing mostly lifestyle pieces for this paper—know that the Yuletide season is upon us because Aboitiz Equity Ventures (AEV) holds the very first Christmas party of the year for media. And, yes, this distinguished company from Cebu holds it in September!

Due to conflicting schedules, I’d not been able to attend these AEV parties in the past years. But last week, I just had to make sure not to set up any other appointment on the night of the event. It was just one of those times I direly needed a midweek break.

(Basti Lacson, AEV Chief Reputation Officer, tries his hand at darts. Don't ask me what his job title means...I'm stumped as well. Seriously, he seemed to have the most fans among the Aboitiz crew...aba, heartthrob!)

And who doesn’t need one? We all had been subjected to the frustration and negativity stemming from the government’s botched hostage rescue, so the party was really a welcome diversion. So, sure, what’s a round of fun and games with a reputable bunch of people—I’m talking about the AEV officials here, not my media colleagues...hahaha—to take our minds off a most depressing time under PNoy administration?

AEV dubs these September media get-togethers as its Media Lechon Party, because it flies the delicious lechon Cebu is well-known for (no sauce needed!) for us Manila-based media to feast to on. Also, I suspect it’s because its officials try to get back at our sometimes-mischievous stories by subjecting us to the pressures of their complicated ridiculous parlor games. In other words, nili-lechon kami!

(AEV head honcho Montxu Aboitiz coaxes his unseen team mate into becoming a Pinoy Henyo, who should guess the word stuck to the latter's construction hat. This was one of the most challenging games of the evening.)

But how could we not just get into the playful spirit of the evening when Erramon "Montxu" Aboitiz himself, AEV president and chief executive officer, wholeheartedly dove into the activities? There were games where we had to guess movie titles; a dartboard; Taboo word game (which got me saying “eff” most of the time, because the thesaurus in my brain seemed offline that night); ring toss; blackjack, where we had to sing while we computed those darned cards (epic fail for me again, being Math-handicapped); and Pinoy Henyo (a takeoff from a TV show).

(Un)fortunately, my Pink team, led by company execs Miguel Aboitiz and Ricky Lacson, failed to make it as contenders to the top prize—some huge amount of gift certificates, which I joked was probably from the Gaisano Country Mall. (To be fair, it was not, otherwise poor winner would need a plane ticket to Cebu just to do her shopping.) Only when we realized that the winning team’s members had to literally sing it out just to claim the top prize, and with AEV officers judging a la American Idol, did Miguel and I congratulate ourselves for our team not making it. Who knew all these new songs anyway?! Ach.

(At the Taboo word game, Miguel Aboitiz, SVP for Aboitiz Power-2nd from left-is as hard-pressed as the rest of our team mates about the word I'm trying earnestly to describe. But lovely arms, dontcha think?)

So while many were not so lucky to take home any prizes, we all went home very lighthearted and chatty, not to mention with full bellies. Loved the yummy spread that evening at the Manila Polo Club’s Turf Room by the way. I especially took to the dark chocolate truffles...woohoo!

That was quite an enjoyable evening, made more special by the top echelons of the company being unafraid to let their hair down. Congratulations to the AEV management and its media handlers Carol Ballesteros, Baby Dimalanta and Liza Almonte for a hugely entertaining soiree. See you next year!


(Txabi Aboitiz, AEV SVP/Chief Human Resources Officer - standing, far right - is cool as a cucumber as his team mates, including BusinessMirror's own Lenie Lectura, beside Aboitiz, work on their Pinoy Henyo skills.)

*A thousand apologies to AEV management for the erroneous photo captions in my column, Something Like Life, published in the Sept. 10-11, 2010 print edition of the BusinessMirror. Mercury's in retrograde, that's all I can say. Ooof! (Photos courtesy of AEV.)

Queen wants Adam!

(Will Adam Lambert be the new Freddie Mercury? Photo by Packers30gb)

OK, I'm obviously still suffering from post-traumatic stress because of Adam Lambert's loss in American Idol. One bit of news that perked me up and all his fans though is Queen's Brian May saying the band was interested in getting Adam as their frontman! Wow!

As you all know, Queen lost its lead singer and co-founder, the flamboyant Freddie Mercury, when he died of AIDS complications in 1991. Mercury, being of Indian descent, has been known as the very first successful rocker from Asia. Now, if this gig pushes through w/ Queen, this will be a big break for Adam, and revive the recording career of the almighty rock band. Click here for the story.

Check out Adam (and whatshisface) performing with Queen during the finale show of AI, and tell me who's got the best pipes.



Here's Adam on Fox and Friends the morning after the finale. He really is a swell kid. He has his feet on the ground and seemed genuinely happy at the results. Anyhoo, he knows he's a star. He also confirms the ongoing talks with Queen. I'm so glued to the news on this kid. He's going places!

'A night of surprises'

WITH that statement, American Idol host Ryan Seacrest opened today's season finale, and which I thought sounded ominous enough. I had read all the analysis last night of who might win, many columnists and bloggers also thinking it would be Adam Lambert, because of his fantastic vocal range, style, and consistent performances almost at par with most professionals. He had the IT factor, which unfortunately, most Americans didn't see, or refused to acknowledge. Well, this is why sometimes, democracy sucks, haha. Majority rules but is the majority correct?

No doubt about it, even the AI producers and judges were rooting for Adam. The show needed a star to make it current and relevant again. It had been losing out in terms of audience. Only a handful of the previous season's winners actually made good records w/c were commercial successes. The ones who have been breaking out were the losers like Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry.

(Adam Lambert is still my American Idol. Photo from AI web site.)
But then, Americans love the underdog. And bec. of all the fawning the AI judges and producers did over Adam, they made Kris the dark horse in the competition. Okay vocals, but no star power. As I said, he had forgettable performances. Now that the finale show is over, I don't even remember what he sang, and I don't think it's bec. I have another senior moment.

If you look at the finalists, Danny Gokey (who I thought was a more memorable and stronger performer than Kris) is the most similar in style to Kris. Cool, laidback, cute next-door type guys. Being voted out however, one would wonder who Gokey's supporters would be voting for next. The logical choice is of course someone closest to him in terms of performance, who is Kris.

Also, you can't discount the Christian fundamentalists' vote. Kris being a church leader, family man, looking oh-so-angelic, was pitted against the flamboyant and possibly gay theater performer Adam. (Someone just had to put out the photos of Adam tongue-kissing other men.) As was so evident in the vote on gay marriages, the Christian right has been working overtime to make sure their platform on values and moral issues are heard loudly. Kris, to his credit, said in an earier interview that he didn't want this to be a religious vote but a vote on who's the best singer. Ah well, Kris, you're definitely not the best singer but God seems to love you.

No matter, Adam Lambert fans, we all know who's the real star and who's gonna make the actual bucks. I can't wait what he'll do next. I see Broadway for him and several records. Adam is IT.

P.S. Great show btw, w/ performers like Fergie and the Black-eyed Peas, Rod Stewart, KISS, Cyndi Lauper, Lionel Ritchie and even Steve Martin playing his banjo and debuting a cute country ditty w/ two AI S08 singers. Now that was cute.

Who'll win American Idol Season 8?

(Adam Lambert photo from the Huffington Post.)

I THINK glam rocker Adam Lambert is it. The kid has terrific pipes on him, and has been consistently brilliant in his performances. He can twist any song any which way to make unusual covers of the original, and with that wide vocal range, will surely be a commercial hit whether or not he wins this contest. (I can imagine Simon Cowell counting the millions of dollars in his head if he ever gets a hand on Adam's career.)

Adam has a flair for the theatrics which turns off some viewers, but I think the kid has style. He's the bomb I tell ya. When he sang his own version of Cher's Believe, boy, everyone sure sit up straight and took notice. Amazing!

Kris Allen, on the other hand, is a cute singer with a nice voice, though not as strong as Adam's. He's like the cuddly puppy at the foot of your bed, loveable but clearly, will not bring in the bucks for any record company. His performances are far too forgettable. I don't remember any of the songs he sang. And seriously, there are far too many more talented acoustic singers than Kris, some of whom are in the Philippines. (Ever hear Chickoy Pura's acoustic version of Joe Jackson's Steppin' Out? Awesome!)

(Kris Allen photo from Riosoriano07.)

According to Dial Idol, the web site that claims to have been able to accurately predict the past seasons' AI winners, it's a close call between Adam and Kris but it puts the latter ahead in the voting by a mere one percentage point. Dial Idol supposedly measures the busy signal of the voting lines of the contestants to predict the winner. Unfortunately this doesn't measure the text votes cast. So hopefully, more texters were busy voting for Adam.

Who should be voted off the show really is that new judge Kara DioGuardia. Talks too much. And super OA. Come on, there can be only one OA Queen on that show and that's Paula! Haha. Btw, that was a lousy song DioGuardia composed for the finale performance show - houses and mountains and whatnot. Ngek.

I'll try to wake up by 8 am to catch the season finale. Exciting!

Speaking of auditions...

GLADYS Knight auditioning her "Pips." Super hilarious! Luvit!

And the winner of American Idol Season 7 is...

DAVID ARCHULETA.

Tonight's finals was a battle of who had the better song choice. Both Davids are good strong performers with very distinct bold voices. Personally, I was rooting for David Cook but tonight, his second (Dream Big..wha?) and third song (The World I Know...WTF?!) choices were just really banal. They just didn't show off the different "colors" (if I may borrow Paula Abdul's term) of his voice.

Why did he end with a slow song...especially a song that nobody even knows? It was like he didn't study his opponent, who is actually predictable when it comes to song choices. So what happened to Cook? Was he just too confident he would win? It was not a time to experiment and sing slower songs that are unpopular. Okay so maybe he was just being true to himself. Choosing songs that appealed to him, more than what would appeal to his fans. E mali sha dun. Kasi only a star does that and get away with it. It's still a contest, and if you want those votes, you have to sing the songs that are familiar and which will encourage your fans to vote for you. Hay kainez!

On the other hand, Archuleta was just terribly consistent, and exercised the power in his vocals even in the second song (In the Moment) not many are too familiar with. I also feel that Clive Davis, the record producer, also wants little David to win. Clive just gave Archuleta the better song to sing (Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me) against Cook's (I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For). Thing is, Archuleta just appeals to the right demographic that many record producers are trying to sell to, the shrilly young girls who can bully their parents into buying them records.

Since the beginning, it was very clear that Archuleta had the edge among all the contestants, even if he was the youngest. His voice was just whole, unchanging, and had very consistent great performances. But these later weeks, Cook just shined. He gave very fantastic outstanding performances. And after last week, I thought he would be the clear winner tonight. Boy, was I wrong!

If by any stroke of luck that Cook wins, it will be because of the older age groups that have been voting on AI, as per the Nielsen Co.'s survey. But frankly, if I could vote, and even if I like Cook so much, I wouldn't cast my ballot his way. The best singer tonight was unmistakeably David Archuleta. I just hope he doesn't break down in tears tomorrow.

Anyhoo, that exciting season over, let's hope the final show tomorrow has funnyman Renaldo Lapuz (remember him?) over to sing his "We are brothers" song, and snippy ghey boy Danny Noriega. Btw, I did tell someone I thought Archuleta is ghey as well. There's just something about the way he moves, and especially tonight, did you see how he held his fists up in a boxing position? Only a ghel would raise those fists right side up. But well, who wouldn't be ghey with an overbearing stage dad like his? Nothing wrong with gheys really...Archuleta's still cute and appealing, and will sell a ginormous number of records. And he won tonight, as Simon Cowell rightfully declared, by a knockout!

---------

UPDATE (SPOILER ALERT): So I haven't seen the results show yet which will air at 6 pm tonight, but GMA News online already posted the results (Darn you, Joe T.!) and apparently David Cook has won AI's seventh season. I can only say I'm surprised because last night's finale performances were certainly nailed by Archuleta. Well, as I said, miracle of miracles, Cook's fans pulled through. The bulk of AI's voters, according to the Nielsen Co. survey, are between 35-64. So there.

Anyhoo, I am thrilled that Cook won because he was my original choice! Between him and Archuleta, Cook will have a better grasp of the fame that will come his way. Archuleta is just way too young and a little bit inarticulate to handle media interviews and such. But don't discount little David just yet, he will still sell lots of records. And I think, even more than Cook will.

Btw just for the record, to all those Simon Cowell critics out there, the morning of the finale performances, he appeared on the Ellen show and thought Cook would win AI7. Of course, he too was disappointed by Cook's song choices by the evening, that's why he later declared Archuleta the winner. See, Simon and I think alike. I adore him.

AI viewers gone nuts

SO...American Idol fans don't care much for Broadway tunes! Sorry Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, all they cared about was how cute David Archuleta, David Cook and JC Castro were the night of their performance.

Was anyone actually surprised? These viewers don't appreciate real talent! I mean, how could they have sent home Carly Smythson who sang Jesus Christ Superstar rather well, and for a woman, might I add? Also in the bottom two was Syesha Mercado, whose very theatrical and excellent performance of One Rock 'n Roll Too Many, was certifiably Broadway-believable?!

When the American viewers voted off Michael Johns, I thought that was just heartbreaking! He was just one of the most talented (and sexiest) contestants ever. And such an all-around nice guy even his fellow-contestants loved him. All the judges also believed he would have been one of the top three. Okay, so I thought it was a fluke. Because the viewers got it right last week when they voted off Kristy Lee Cook during Mariah Carey week. I never liked Mariah's OA style of singing (feeling Barbra Streisand ba, just like Celine Dion) and I didn't like Kristy Lee very much either because of her country style. So I thought the viewers came to their senses and made the right decision in voting off Kristy Lee.

Then the viewers went nuts again this week. How could they possibly think that Brooke White, who started, then stopped, then started her song (You Must Love Me) again, is AI-worthy? At this stage in the contest, these guys should already have some sense of professionalism to go on with the show (or song) without skipping a beat. Never mind the mistake at the beginning. And JC Castro? What the hell was that? It was a very forgettable performance of Memory (pun intended) with just dreamy eyes all over the place.

The same was true for David Cook, who unexplicably sang Music of the Night straight, and toned down. No extra effort in singing it except for another case of dreamy eyes. David Archuleta at least had the guts to sing a very different arrangement of Think of Me, which was rather interesting. Even Lloyd Webber also thought so. O sha, sha, cute kayong tatlo...so you have a big fan bases.

That still doesn't explain Brooke. Must be the awa factor.

(Sayang that cute tee – Simon loves me (this week) – Carly brandished after AI judge Simon Cowell gave her high marks for her performance. Kiss of death na pala ang comment ni Simon.)

The magic 12 of AI

AWWW...my gay crush Danny Noriega was just booted off American Idol. Tch, he was one sassy sistah, good voice, too, unfortunately not great enough to be among the lucky 12 contestants who will be battling it out in the next couple of weeks for the top prize. Sad ako, truly.

I'm sure some people out there will say that Danny was just too much of a beyootch to AI judge Simon Cowell that he got what he deserved. But I could see that Simon actually enjoyed the repartee. It all just came down to style and voice quality. And compared to Chikezie's vocal prowess and the rest of the male contestants, Danny just didn't quite measure up. Sayang, he was fun and made the show actually interesting. I just loved the way he took chances on the songs he chose (nag-Elvis pa!) and enjoyed himself onstage.

But I have no doubt that this cutie will surface someday with probably, not a record deal, but maybe on the Broadway stage. He's still young but he is a performer. (He reminds me a bit of Mark Indelicato, that talented young actor who plays Justin on Ugly Betty.) I think he'll just make it better in a musicale where he gets to stretch his talents, rather than be a flash-in-the-pan recording star which is how most of the AI winners have ended up anyway.

So the lucky 12 are:

1. David Cook (oof! sexy and hot!)
2. David Archuleta (I wish he was my son! wanna pinch his cheeks!)
3. Michael Johns (yummy! He has that Michael Hutchence vibe.)
4. Jason Castro (dreamy eyes, cool dreadlocks)
5. David Hernandez (smokin'! he must have been one helluva male stripper)
6. Chikezie Eze (he's actually cute, in a Santa clause sorta way?)

(Notice how I commmented only on the guys' looks instead of their voices, hehe. Syempre, you gotta have the face to go with your voice, otherwise, you won't be that interesting.)

7. Ramiele Malubay (mejo nakakainis dahil pa-cute, but she's got a big voice. Except for her last performance which was so-so, her performances have been outstanding. So sigue na nga, go Ramiele! Mabuhay ang mga Pinoy!)
8. Amanda Overmeyer (tough girl. strong husky voice. Fab rocker chick. Smile ka naman jan, 'day!)
9. Brooke White (nice girl but can be edgy. Her take on Joan Jett's "Love is a Battlefield" was fabulous! Different rendition which made the song her own. I like her.)
10. Carly Smithson (another one gunning to get the rocker chick title. Powerful voice. She can hit those high notes and hold it, ooh mama!)
11. Syesha Mercado (great hair. But forgettable voice.)
12. Kristy Lee Cook (Ick! Token country singer. I hate country music, no matter how good her voice is.)

Here's the last performance of adorable Danny Noriega on AI. He's so pretty! Just look at that hair. grabeh! Love him!

Renaldo's spawn

OVER to the maximum of happiness, really!

Simon was right. The song "I AM your brother (We're brothers forever)" of American Idol flunkie Renaldo Lapuz, is now a certifiable hit, judging from the number of videos that are posted on Youtube copying, spoofing, and remixing his song.

As of Jan. 30, there were 1,360 videos posted tagged under entertainment, comedy, music and starring not only our now-famous kababayan, but also people of different nationalities celebrating this infectious song. People actually enjoy it and curses! can't get the song out of their heads. It now has dance remix versions downloadable as an mp3 ringtone as well.

Here's are two interviews of Renaldo by the local FoxNews affiliate in Irving, and a few interesting remakes/versions of his song on Youtube. O da vah...panalo talaga si brother! Mabuhay ka Renaldo! May your tribe increase!



From a music teacher, agreggofsociety, who taught the song to his students…o, me second voice pa sila ha!



From someone called Alina doing a ballad version/cover. Her voice is actually good. Kasawa lang ang face.



And the best dance remix version from Nexxion. Download the ringtone.



Proudly Pinoy.

Melinda exits 'Idol'; what the...?

MELINDA Doolittle, the best contestant that has every graced the American Idol stage, is gone!

Again, what the....? How could this be? For someone who delivered consistent performances throughout the duration of the contest, she was expected to be a shoo-in for the finals. What a range! She was great in jazz, country, pop, even rock for heaven's sake!

But then if you look at the past winners of the show, most of the best singers actually didn't win. Remember Mandisa? Again, she was the most vocally prepared and strongest of all the contestants last year, even Barry Manilow told her he would hire her if she didn't win the contest! But she too had to go, not even coming close to the top three contestants.

But I guess you can't deny the shrieking fans surrounding Blake and Jordin. If you watched the homecoming clips, the hysterical fans were all kids! They are exactly the ones who would be patient enough to keep dialing in to make sure their favorite would win. Sure Melinda had her fans too. And coming from a southern state like Tennessee should have had a lot of support. She did/does, but they weren't as crazy for her as they were for the young Blake and Jordin. Melinda's groupies were older, more mature Bible thumping believers, you know?

This is really a sad day for Melinda believers like me. I hope Simon gives her a job. She's way better than those fake pop opera pretty boys of his anyway.

My prediction of who will win as Idol? I think it will be Jordin. I think Arizona, like Alabama, just knows how to take care of its own.

Good news, bad news

THE good news is...

Sanjaya Malakar, the breathless, untalented, soul-less contestant on American Idol has finally been voted off the show! Now that little girl in the audience has something to really cry about!(Idol! grabeh)

But God bless America! Only democracy (okay, and frenzied texting) could have made this possible. And yes, the Indians have already denied they've been voting for him. They see the show a day late in their country, so, throw out those unfair conspiracy theories. Well, at least he made CNN!

THE bad news is...

Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell's body has finally been discovered, and police suspect she had been raped before being murdered. What a depressing end for a former journalist who shucked her comfortable life in New York for two years of misery in far-away decrepit rural provinces of the Philippines. She just wanted to make a difference in the lives of the Filipinos. Her entries are heartfelt, sincere observations on the lives of those people around her. Yes there may be a few undeserved generalizations about the Philippines and Filipinos, but on the whole, her entries were truthful longings and wishes for a better life for her new friends in the country. Read her blog at Julia in the Philippines.

(Me gamot ba sa verbal diarrhea?)

As for Justice Secretary Raul 'foot-in-mouth disease' Gonzalez, we should hope nothing like this ever happens to anyone in your family. Nobody ever asks to be raped, or to be killed. But then you're just a pitiful senile old coot who should've been put to pasture along with a lot of ageing senatoriables on your madame President's slate.

Speaking of senatoriables, the following email comes from The Black and White Movement. Voters unite! Don't waste your ballots on these parties:

Below is a list of "partylist groups" that are fronts of the Arroyo
regime and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). This list was
prepared by KONTRA DAYA (a broad-based election watchdog formed to
expose the very possible repeat of wholesale election fraud in the May
2007 Philippine elections). Please circulate widely to expose these
groups. REJECT these groups in the coming elections!!!
----------------------------------------------------------
1. AT (Aangat Tayo) connected to PITC Usec. Teddie Elson Rivera
2. Abono connected to House Speaker Jose De Venecia
3. Agbiag! Timpuyog Ilocano, Inc. connected to Office of External
Affairs Asec. Marcelo Farinas II
4. Aging Pinoy (Aging Pilipino Organization, Inc.) connected to
Norberto Gonzales
5. Ahon (Ahon Pinoy) Dante "Klink" Ang II (1st nominee)
6. Ahonbayan connected to Norberto Gonzales
7. APOI (Akbay Pinoy OFW-National, Inc.) DILG Usec. Melchor Rosales
(1st nominee), DILG NCR Dir. Rodolfo Feraren (2nd nominee)
8. AKSA (Aksyon Sambayanan) connected to Norberto Gonzales
9. ANAD (Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy) supported by the AFP
10. ANAK (Angat Ating Kabuhayan Pilipinas, Inc.) Supt. Eduardo
Octaviano, NCRPO-PNP (1st nominee)
11. ANC (Alliance of Neo-Conservatives) Usec. for Presidential
Appointments Liel Cordoba
12. Ang Kasangga member, Sigaw ng Bayan
13. ARC (Alliance of Rural Concerns) Archie Santiago (son of Sen.
Miriam Santiago)
14. ATS (Alliance Transport Sector) Ariel Lim, Presidential Assistant
for Public Transport Affairs
15. ABA-AKO Percy Chavez, chairperson, Presidential Commission for the
Urban Poor
16. Babae Ka (Babae para sa Kaunlaran) member, Sigaw ng Bayan; Sally
Dagami (1st nominee), Ruth Vasquez (2nd nominee)
17. BANAT (Barangay Association for National Advancement of
Transparency) Raul Lambino (1st nominee)
18. Bantay Ret. Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan (1st nominee)
19. Bigkis (Bigkis Pinoy Movement) connected to PAGCOR Chair Ephraim
Genuino
20. BP (Biyaheng Pinoy) Dr. Arsenio Abalos, Jesus Cruz (vice-mayor of
Mandaluyong)
21. Kalahi (Advocates for Overseas Filipinos) Poe Gratela, former
Office of External Affairs coordinator for OFW concerns (1st nominee)
22. VFP (Veterans Freedom Party) supported by the AFP
--
http://www.blacknwhite-movement.com/alpha/index.php