Mama Sita’s marinades tickle American taste buds

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo
BusinessMirror, July 4, 2007

WEEKEND barbecues are regular events in most American households. Who would’ve guessed that the marinade a number of them like using is a packaged mix made in the Philippines?

Officials of Pasig City-based Marigold Commodities Corp. and Guam importer Pacific Rim Brokers Inc. (PRB) confirmed the rising use by foreign consumers—particularly American/Guam households—of Mama Sita’s marinades, mixes and sauces in their cooking.

Marigold is the manufacturer of Mama Sita’s products and is owned by the Reyes family, well-known restaurateurs and food experts in the Philippines. Marigold’s founder, the late Teresita “Mama Sita” Reyes, was the eldest daughter of Doña Engracia “Aling Asiang” Reyes, who put up the Aristocrat Restaurant, a historical landmark among Philippine restaurants. Aling Asiang has been fondly called the “grand matriarch” of local restaurateurs, and now most of her heirs are also in the restaurant and food industry.

In an exclusive interview with BusinessMirror, export manager Jane Rubinos-Taguinod projected an overall sales growth of 30 percent in Marigold’s export market, as well as 30 percent for the United States market alone. The most popular Mama Sita’s products in the US are the barbecue marinade, kare-kare (peanut sauce) mix, kaldereta (Spanish meat stew) mix, sinigang mix (tamarind soup base or guava soup base for meats and fish)… “almost all of the products are popular on the mainland,” she noted. These products are sold mainly in Oriental or Filipino stores.

About 70 percent of Marigold’s profits are generated by the export market, “especially where there are large concentrations of Filpinos,” said Mama Sita’s son, Ramon R. Reyes, corporate services officer of Marigold. Of the company’s foreign sales, the United States (including Canada, Guam and other territories) accounts for 40 percent, followed by the Middle East (30 percent), Europe (20 percent), and the rest in East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. “The Middle East market is our fastest-growing market, with other foreign workers, such as Bangladeshis, also buying our products,” he said.

Reyes sees even stronger sales this year for the Guam market, where a third of the local population traces its ancestry to the Philippines. He said the introduction of the company’s newest product, ready-to-cook frozen Filipino meat dishes under the Lola Sita’s brand, will help push their island sales, which is forecast to rise by 30 percent this year.

Marigold produces 17 Mama Sita’s mixes and 21 sauces are made from natural ingredients, like real tamarind or fresh guava for its sinigang mix, instead of citric acid used by some of the company’s competitors. Its sister company, Sandpiper Spices and Condiments Corp., also produces Kim’s, an oriental line of five mixes and four sauces, for Merit Based Trading Ltd., a Hong Kong investment and trading company. Kim’s is sold in the US, Guam, the Middle East and the Philippines. Marigold’s US subsidiary, meanwhile, produces the Lola Sita’s brand, mainly for the US market.

In a separate interview via e-mail, Frank Arriola, executive vice president and general manager of PRB, a Guam importer, said since the official introduction of Mama Sita’s products to the island in December 2006, “There has been an increase in sales in the area of about 125 percent.”

While Mama Sita’s products have been in the Guam market for about 10 years already, most of these were exported by Marigold through various consolidators. This is perhaps the reason, said Reyes, why it was easier this time around for the products to cross over into the mainstream Chamorro market, with PRB now officially importing the products.

“Our most popular products in Guam are the barbecue marinades, sinigang broth and hot pepper sauce [siling labuyo or bird’s eye pepper],” Reyes said. Guam also buys a lot of premium coconut nectar vinegar, “as it has no preservatives, nor is it diluted in water.”

According to Arriola, the mixes retail on Guam for about $0.79; while the bottled vinegar, marinades, and “everything in between” sell between $1.29 and $3.79. These are sold in American Grocery and Payless Supermarkets. Aside from retail consumers, Mama Sita’s products are also bought by institutional buyers like Pacific Islands Club (PIC) Hotel, airline catering company LSG Skychefs, and KFC restaurants. Arriola disclosed that, “we [PRB] are working on a subdistributor appointment for the Northern Marianas,” but declined to reveal the identity of the company pending the “confidential” negotiations.

Other than Mama Sita’s mixes, sauces, marinades, and bottled condiments, also sold on Guam are Kim’s oriental mixes and sauces, and soon, Lola Sita’s frozen traditional Filipino meat dishes like beef tapa (dried cured beef), pork or chicken tocino (meat in a sweet annatto marinade), pork longganisa (sausage), and desserts like sans rival (merengue torte with buttercream filling), as well as Philippine dried fruits.

The Lola Sita’s line was created by Marigold’s US subsidiary, Haig and Lee Import-Export Co. based in Missouri City, in partnership with the Houston-based Ditta Meats. The partnership was launched in 2004 with the establishment of a meat processing plant, also in Texas.

Institutional buyers such as hoteliers, restaurateurs and catering companies on Guam had a taste of the Lola Sita’s line in May 2006, with a cook-out hosted by Jamaican Grill, a popular restaurant on the island. A trial shipment is expected to arrive sometime this month on Guam, said Rubinos-Taguinod. “When we launched it [Lola Sita}, we invited cooks and hotel chefs, restaurant owners. We cooked the products at Jamaican Grill and they liked it. The products were really liked by the restaurant owners.”

Lola Sita’s products are made from Houston Texas, US-grade meat, and only from natural ingredients, without any preservatives. To give the tocino’s reddish color, for example, annatto is used instead of salitre (saltpeter), basically the chemical potassium nitrate used as preservative for most Filipino tocino products. Lola Sita’s meats are packed frozen and weigh one kilo. So far, this product line is doing very well in the US, Rubinos-Taguinod said, with the company planning to get a halal certificate to enable it to sell the meats in the Middle East as well.

While Arriola declined to project PRB sales figures for the Mama Sita’s/Kim’s brands this year, he said: “We firmly believe that the Mama Sita’s/Kim’s lines have crossed over to the Guam mainstream market already. This is based on quantitative sales figures as well as qualitative exit interviews we conduct during our many samplings. We have been very aggressive in our samplings as we hit all the major supermarkets and second-tier stores during the months of December 2006 all the way to March 2007.”

He added that PRB “will be launching a new Mama Sita’s Red Hot Pepper Sauce with Labuyo (bird’s eye pepper) as well as a new dried fruit line which looks very promising.”

In the US, Marigold’s sales are still dominated by the Mama’s Sita’s line at 80 percent, with 10 percent each going to Lola Sita’s and Kim’s, “because the latter are still new,” Rubinos-Taguinod explained.

But she added that, “Guam is picking up. We’re happy it’s [sales] growing because we have a supportive importer… While we’ve been exporting to Guam for 10 years already, it’s only now that the market has really been developed because of the focus given by PRB.”

She confirmed the dramatic increase in demand for Mama Sita’s products in Guam, adding that since December, Marigold has been shipping out at least a container a month as compared to “less than a container” every quarter just a few years ago.

For his part, Reyes said there are still many untapped overseas markets for Marigold’s different product lines, and is hopeful that the company can soon export to China. It is currently “test-marketing” its products in Africa, where a number of Filipinos also work.

Marigold, which began in 1980 as a cottage industry making Mama Sita’s products at the Reyeses’ ancestral home in the Metro Manila suburb of San Juan, now produces its lines at a state-of-the-art facility in Pasig City. The factory produces about 60,000 cases of Mama Sita’s and Kim’s products every month for the Philippines and world market, where one case is equivalent to 72 pieces pouches or 12 bottles of condiments/marinades/sauces. Marigold has a total of 200 employees. Officials declined to reveal actual sales figures.

(Photos from Mama Sita's web site.)

PAL to upgrade B747s

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo
BusinessMirror July 5, 2007

I’VE always loved traveling business class, especially on long-haul flights that require a great amount of leg room to stretch your limbs so your blood doesn’t stop circulating to your lower extremities, offering me a more restful flight. Of course, the wider choices in in-house entertainment, as well as fine cuisine and wines, provide a definite boost to one’s morale when you’re 35,000 feet up in the air, and outside your window is a sea of blackness as far as the eye can see.

At the turn of the millennium, a number of air carriers in Asia also started improving their services in the coach class, giving economy passengers a taste of privileges once held by only those who could afford the upscale cabin classes. While seating may still be tighter, the discomfort is more than made up by sumptuous dishes and a wide array of in-house entertainment just a click away.

So I’m glad to hear that after slowly paring down its debts and boosting its finances back into black, flag carrier Philippine Airlines is now focusing on giving its passengers a comfortable lifestyle whether they are booked on business or economy class.

In a recent lunch tête-à-tête with a select group of reporters, PAL president Jaime “Jimmy” Bautista told us that the airline will be spending close to $50 million to reconfigure its four Boeing 747-400s beginning next year. “We will be eliminating the first class section and expand the business and economy sections.”

Wow! I thought, this can only mean more space for jetsetting travelers on PAL’s international routes. Jimmy, in between forkfuls of new divinely inspired creations of Gaita Fores at Pepato, told us that the airline is just following the global trend of concentrating more on the business traveler which, as a group, is on the rise. While no local statistics are available, according to a paper last year on tourism megatrends in East Asia and the Pacific by the World Tourism Organization, business travel is now the fourth-ranked reason for travel in the region.

(This is how a cocoon-type lie-flat seat looks like.)

He further disclosed that business travelers will no longer have to endure stiff backs as the airline will be installing new “cocoon-type” seats, which can not only give passengers individual privacy but also recline “flat like a bed.” While most cocoon seats are not the most aesthetically pleasing in terms of design and may make you feel like being half-enclosed in a fiberglass or plastic environment, it may lessen the chances of you being bothered by the chatty smelly old gent beside you while you’re trying to relax on a long-haul flight. Trust me. (This reminds me of a trip on a carrier bound for the Middle East a few years back, which its press releases always claim as having received recognition as the best international airline every year by some award-giving body. To my shock and disbelief, its business class felt like traveling in coach of an ordinary airline! Can you say bad food and stiff neck? Ugh.)

What is even more welcome news is that with the reconfiguration, travelers in PAL’s Fiesta class no longer have to suffer cramped positions as they will now have more room to maneuver and relax in their snug seats. “We will also put in individual entertainment audio-video screens with on-demand movies, taped television shows and video games,” says Jimmy about what’s commonly known in the airline industry as AVOD (audio-video on demand). The same screens, of course, will also be installed in what will be an enhanced Mabuhay class.

So as far as the multimillion-dollar reconfiguration goes, the business class located at the 747’s bubble top will soon have 42 seats, compared with the current, and likely extend to the front of the plane where the first class section is now located. The economy class will still have 383 seats but, as Jimmy says, offer more comfortable seating and entertainment features. Now that makes all the difference if you’re on a nonstop 12-hour flight to San Francisco. Isn’t that just a fabulous way to fly?

The reconfiguration is scheduled to start during PAL’s lean season, at the same time the planes are undergoing their regular six-year D-check involving heavy maintenance and overhaul. By 2009, the reconfigured B747 cabins will be unveiled to what I expect would be a very eager traveling public.

This dovetails with the projected delivery by the third quarter of 2009 of the airline’s brand-new Boeing 777-300 extended range fleet, about six of them I’m told, to last until 2011. When these babies arrive, they will already be installed with the latest in inflight entertainment features and state-of-the-arts seats, giving passengers a very pleasant flight. And with its ever-smiling and affable flight attendants, each flight onboard PAL promises to be a treat especially for world-weary travelers like myself.

More histrionics and drug-crazed musings

Something Like Life
June 29, 2007

INFLUENZA sucks.

I say this with the little strength I can still muster while I lie in my bed, half-upright, half-comatose, tapping on my notebook. No energy. No exclamation point.

My bones are all achy and creaky, while my breath is ragged and shallow, in between the hymen-breaking coughs that spare me no mercy throughout the day. My nose constantly drips, even as my sinuses are congested. I try to seek relief in sleep, but then I wake up tired and sluggish as if I’ve downed a whole bottle of Rivotril.

So too bad for you, dear readers, there will be no advice to the lovelorn nor intimations of other people’s slutty behavior. I shall bore you instead with ague-laden details of the past three days (I write this on a Tuesday evening) as I lie feverish and pained on my 100-percent jersey cotton bedsheet (yes, the kind that’s used for T-shirts and just what Oprah likes), surrounded by my fluffy pillows which, sadly, now hardly provides me any comfort. And as every sixth hour of my illness is marked by a round of paracetamol (1,000 mg), carbocisteine (500 mg) and antibiotics (625 mg), you can bet that this piece will be chock full of histrionics and drug-crazed musings.

I don’t remember the last time I had been downed by the flu. I’ve been pretty lucky. I hardly get sick despite my lack of exercise and a mostly unhealthy diet. I make up for that by eating lots of veggies now and then, and having seafood every chance I can, walking a distance, and downing loads of vitamins and minerals. Then, as you recall, I did go back to the gym. Which is pretty ironic. Now that I’ve decided on taking the path to a healthier lifestyle, I get the flu! A friend of mine thinks I could have picked up the virus in the shower. Ick! Remind me next time to take a bath at home after my workout.

The illness just crept on me, not giving me any fair warning at all. One day I was up and about doing my yoga poses at the gym, the next day my muscles were sore to the bone, my body wracked with the chills, a cough and the stuffy nose. Of course, in between all that, I had chomped down a whole bagful of cheese-flavored popcorn. And as is the usual, my throat got all scratchy the next day despite the glasses of water I guzzled in between the fistfuls I shoved in my mouth.

Normally, the scratchy throat goes away after I gargle with warm water and salt, and suck on two or three zinc lozenges for a day. This time, it didn’t. I started sneezing like mad, one, two, three blasts in succession. Then my scratchy throat gave way to full-blown hacking. Soon thereafter, my bones were groaning like an old lady’s and the chills started.

It’s driving me mad. I go under the covers for a few hours, trying to seek protection from the cold permeating through my entire anatomy. Then the next minute, I am sweating. I switch on the air conditioner to give me some relief from the mugginess that's making the dogs outside my window pant their poor little tongues out, but also because of the heat that running the course through my poor defenseless remains. Then I get the chills again. What’s worse is that my mouth is always dry, and my taste buds have given up the ghost. Despite the hunger pangs, it’s pure and simple torture not being able to taste any of the food I eat. So I quit after a few spoonfuls. I have no joy.

The last time I got this sick, I was bored out of my wits watching afternoon soaps and endless repetitions of HBO and Star Movies. My saving grace this time around is my torrent downloads of Little Britain, Entourage and Ugly Betty. (Yup, that’s Betty La Fea to you, telenovela fans of yore.) And, of course, I had just finished the much-talked about, endlessly debated finale of The Sopranos. Was Tony whacked or not? (I think he was; after all, that’s how mob bosses are supposed to go. And for someone who has suffered a whiny wife like Carmela, death would surely be a welcome release.)

If not watching my torrents, I am catching up on my reading. Not books, unfortunately, because I can hardly keep my eyes open while I’m shot up with all these drugs, but Vanity Fair. If there is any magazine that you must subscribe to in your entire life, it has to be VF. It has a bit of everything. Heavy investigative pieces of criminal or political activity (yes, crime and politics now seem to be synonymous with each other), lavish spreads of gorgeous celebrities with in-depth interviews, and lots of amusing sections and sidebars along with gorgeous photography.

(VF cover of US President George Bush and Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. Why couldn't I have gotten the George Clooney cover?!)

But here is a spoiler alert: get your copy of the July issue. It’s all about Africa and is guest-edited by Bono, who says he had always wanted to become a journalist. Now how cool is that? I just hope you have more luck than me getting a better cover. (VF shot 20 separate covers for this issue—Oprah Winfrey, Don Cheadle, Madonna, Barack Obama, Iman, Bono, of course, among others—with celebrated portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz at the helm.) I got George Bush, yes, a first on the cover of a usually anti-administration publication, with a prayerful Archbishop Desmond Tutu. You can guess who he’s praying for. (They have Condi Rice, too. Wipe that smirk off your face. You must understand, this is how Bono gets his philantrophic work done. He sucks up to the right people in power. I love Bono but he is human just like the rest of us.) All I can say is, I would have been happier with the George Clooney cover in my hand.

Okay, I’m off rambling more than usual. I just hope I get well by the weekend. My back is killing me from all this lying down. And I’m afraid my hard drive will give out from all this downloading. I’m also running out of VF issues to read. Mother! I need my drugs!

****

MY deepest condolences to the family of the late Renato Faustino, “Mang Ato” to all of us reporters who had covered the agriculture beat. Mang Ato was an old-time government publicist who endeared himself to the journalists who made it their business to investigate every piece of BS coming out of the mouths of his often lofty-minded bosses. (True, there have been one or two exceptional heads at the Department of Agriculture, the present dispensation not one of them, though.)

Mang Ato just did his job, disseminating information to the reporters, getting officials to explain themselves out of the messes they got themselves in, ringing up editors to ask for some support to the agency programs. Even when his beloved DA was dragged in the mud a few times in the last few years, Mang Ato never cast aspersions on the motives of the reporters or the columnists for the negative stuff. He knew they were just doing their job as well.

The last time I saw Mang Ato was last year, at a friend’s wedding. We had joked that he became teary-eyed because our friend was getting married for the second time. I imagine the buckets he would have wept if I had been the one who got hitched! But that was how Mang Ato was. He was always a softie, and I have never once heard him utter a harsh word about anyone or anything, even if he was the one put at a disadvantage. He was truly a friend we could always go back to for a few laughs as we reminisced about the good times at the DA.

Thanks, Mang Ato, for being the kind of person many of us can only hope to be.

(My column, Something Like Life, is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror. Photo from BusinessMirror – nope, that's not my bed!)

Surviving the long distance

Something Like Life
June 22, 2007

A FEW days ago, as I was riding a taxi on my way to the Ortigas Center, I was thoroughly entertained by the radio program my cabbie was glued to.

It was one of those programs where the radio hosts try to ring up an overseas Filipino worker and get him reconnected to his long-suffering wife and growing kids here at home.

A few conversations took on an amusing turn like in the case of one OFW whose boss, in his barely understandable English (think Yilmaz Bektas), kept on saying that his employee was “Not here! Not here!” before launching into what sounded like a diatribe against the radio host-caller, berating him for disturbing his work.

There were a few moments of joyous telecommunication bonding, with wives and kids happy to finally hear their padre de familia’s voice, before the call degenerated into castigations for not calling his family or sending any money, while they were left wondering whether he was still alive or dead. Talk about reality radio!

Some cases of adultery were discussed by the hosts like these were a matter of fact, just part and parcel of an OFW family’s life. It can go both ways—the spouse who left a humble existence finds someone else, usually a fellow lonely kababayan also away from her family, in a strange land in the sweltering heat, just trying to survive from paycheck to paycheck; or the spouse left at home, trying to keep the family sanely together with the little money her husband wires back, missing her partner and finding some comfort in another’s arms.

According to the National Statistics Office, there was an estimated 1.52 million Filipinos working overseas last year. Imagine how much emotional torment has to be weathered by our kababayans just so they’re able to put three square meals a day on their family’s dining table while paying for household rent and other basic necessities, as well as sending their kids to school here at home.

It isn’t easy trying to keep the home fires burning when spouses live miles and miles apart from each other. The matter is made even more complicated by poverty, by curious children asking where their absent parent had gone, by creeping loneliness and, yes, by sexual temptations.

I’ve never been a great believer in long-distance relationships. I think the bond between couples, no matter how strong at the beginning, will slowly unravel as the individual needs of each partner increase. Aside from the usual loneliness, there are frequent bouts of homesickness on the part of the spouse who is away, and gnawing suspicions and paranoia on what his partner is doing to amuse herself in his absence, and vice versa. And growing apart is all too common. There may still be love between the couple, but somehow they can no longer relate to each other’s experiences while they both exist in different worlds.

Given that, couples may still find ways to weather the long years apart and the sea of separation. Perhaps, all is needed is a firm commitment to each other’s happiness and well-being (and hundreds of dollars worth of prepaid phone cards!).

Seriously, sometimes it can just boil down to constant communication. Before the OFW leaves home, he and his spouse must agree to give each other regular updates of the goings-on in their respective lives, and activities of the other family members. Agree on the frequency of the phone call—will it be daily? Every other day? Once a week? And what time should the spouse here at home expect the phone to ring?

If you are the spouse who is away, try not to miss placing that phone call! You have to have a pretty good reason not to call...like your truck ran over a masked Fatah escapee while driving for your new Hamas boss.

If you are the spouse left here at home, also understand that there are frequent demands on your partner’s time by his bosses, so if he does miss a call, it doesn’t mean he has been kidnapped by an Iraqi insurgent, or—worse—fallen in love with a Pinay nurse at some hospital near his place of work. So try to be flexible when it comes to communication.

Like if phone calls are expensive, try texting. The Philippines is not known as the text capital of the world for nothing! Use your inherent SMS skills as a means to convey your thoughts about your work and your other daily happenings. So even while at work, your spouse will constantly be updated about you and the kids.

Make the most of your telecommunication time. Talk about yourselves, your feelings for each other, the kids, their schooling and their cute activities. Don’t spend the entire time ragging on your spouse for missing the last phone call or remitting the household budget two weeks late. It’s bad enough that he has to be away from you, his family, to work. Don’t add to the pressure by burying him in guilt and regret.

With the Internet becoming more and more accessible in the country, sending emails to family members abroad is becoming a cinch. But do not—I repeat, do not!—send those irritating forwarded e-mails of stupid jokes or Catholic guilt-trips via prayer chain letters! Use the Internet to tell your husband how terribly you miss him, or to send a nice photo of you and the kids that will wrench his heart and, hopefully, make him send your $500 faster than you can say Osama bin Laden. (I just love Flickr! You can post an entire album-worth of photos and your relatives abroad really appreciate it.)

Send little gifts to each other. It’s amazing how so many online stores have sprung up over the last decade, making it possible for families separated by geography to spring a surprise on one another during important occasions. All one needs is a credit card, which many banks and credit-card companies are virtually just giving away these days.

For those less affluent, you may send little items via snail mail. Sure, you run the risk of the gift getting lost or stolen while in transit to your sweetheart (from experience, I’m pretty sure the pilferage will occur here in the Philippines than anywhere else), so don’t send a five-carat diamond ring! Besides, meaningful gifts need not be expensive. What’s important is the sweet romantic thoughts that go with it.

And to those who have left to work overseas, please come home. Even if it’s for a short two-week vacation or a just a month, try to visit your family at least every year. Sure, a plane ticket cost a lot and sometimes the itinerant spouse chooses to postpone his visit in order to save more money to send home. But for all the financial surplus you will have, it will not mean a lot if you keep missing out on your wife’s cariño, or not seeing your kids grapple with binomials and polynomials. Better yet, let your family visit you so they will be familiar with the places and events you keep talking about in your mail.

The amazing innovations of modern communication may ease some of the loneliness of being away from your partner and your family, but these can never replace the caress of your wife’s hand on your face, or the constant tug of your five-year-old on your sleeve, and the laughter all of you will share when you are together.

Of course, I can’t guarantee that all these suggestions will work for everyone. But perhaps it’s a start. And for all my irreverence, I realize the agony experienced by separated families can hardly be eased by a Hallmark greeting card. But maybe what all families need to look at also is the bright future ahead to make the pain of separation hopefully less traumatic and depressing.

(My column, Something Like Life, is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror, which was recently recognized by the Rotary Club of Manila as the National Newspaper of the Year in its 2006 Journalism Awards. Photo from BusinessMirror)

Cinemalaya 2007

Got this from one of my yahoogroups. See you at the movies!

Cinemalaya 2007
Philippine Independent Film Festival
July 20 to 29 2007
Cultural Center of the Philippines

Festival Schedule

SPECIAL EVENTS

Cinemalaya 2007 Awards Night
(Open to the Public)
Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo 07:00 PM 29 Jul/Sun

The Cinemalaya Film Congress
Theme: Harnessing Technology for Artistic Expression
Day 1 Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino 24 Jul/Tue 8AM to 5PM
Day 2 Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino 25 Jul/Wed 9AM to 5PM

Cinemalaya 2007 Opening Ceremonies
Special Screening: FOSTER CHILD by Brillante Mendoza
Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo 07:00 PM 20 Jul/Fri

The Cinemalaya Sine Taktakans
Meet the Cinemalaya 2007 Filmmakers Forum
(Free Admission)
Day 1 Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute 27 Jul/Fri 1PM to 5PM
Day 2 Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute 28 Jul/Sat 1PM to 5PM

COMPETITION SCREENINGS

The Cinemalaya 2007 Full-Lengths

ENDO by Jade Castro
21 Jul/Sat 09:00 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
22 Jul/Sun 03:30 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
24 Jul/Tue 06:15 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
25 Jul/Wed 09:00 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
26 Jul/Thu 12:45 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino
27 Jul/Fri 12:45 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
28 Jul/Sat 09:00 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino

GULONG by Sockie Fernandez
21 Jul/Sat 06:15 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
22 Jul/Sun 12:45 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
24 Jul/Tue 09:00 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
25 Jul/Wed 06:15 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
26 Jul/Thu 10:00 AM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino
27 Jul/Fri 03:30 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino
28 Jul/Sat 10:00 AM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo

KADIN by Adolf Alix Jr.
21 Jul/Sat 06:15 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
22 Jul/Sun 10:00 AM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino
24 Jul/Tue 06:15 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
25 Jul/Wed 10:00 AM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
26 Jul/Thu 03:30 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino
27 Jul/Fri 03:30 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
28 Jul/Sat 06:15 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining

LIGAW LIHAM by Jay Abello
21 Jul/Sat 09:00 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino
22 Jul/Sun 06:15 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
24 Jul/Tue 10:00 AM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
25 Jul/Wed 06:15 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
26 Jul/Thu 06:15 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
27 Jul/Fri 10:00 AM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino
28 Jul/Sat 03:30 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo

PISAY by Auraeus Solito
21 Jul/Sat 03:30 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
22 Jul/Sun 09:00 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
24 Jul/Tue 09:00 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
25 Jul/Wed 09:00 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino
26 Jul/Thu 06:15 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
27 Jul/Fri 10:00 AM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
28 Jul/Sat 03:30 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino

SINUNGALING NA BUWAN by Eduardo Lejano Jr.
21 Jul/Sat 03:30 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino
22 Jul/Sun 06:15 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
24 Jul/Tue 12:45 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
25 Jul/Wed 09:00 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
26 Jul/Thu 09:00 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
27 Jul/Fri 12:45 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino
28 Jul/Sat 12:45 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo

STILL LIFE by Katski Flores
21 Jul/Sat 12:45 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
22 Jul/Sun 03:30 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino
24 Jul/Tue 06:15 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
25 Jul/Wed 09:00 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
26 Jul/Thu 03:30 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
27 Jul/Fri 06:15 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
28 Jul/Sat 12:45 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino

TRIBU by Jim Libiran
21 Jul/Sat 10:00 AM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino
22 Jul/Sun 06:15 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
24 Jul/Tue 09:00 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino
25 Jul/Wed 03:30 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
26 Jul/Thu 06:15 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
27 Jul/Fri 09:00 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
28 Jul/Sat 09:00 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute

TUKSO by Dennis Marasigan
21 Jul/Sat 06:15 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
22 Jul/Sun 09:00 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino
24 Jul/Tue 03:30 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
26 Jul/Thu 12:45 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
27 Jul/Fri 06:15 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
28 Jul/Sat 09:00 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
29 Jul/Sun 12:45 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino

The Cinemalaya 2007 Shorts

Shorts Programme A:
DOBLE VISTA (Nisha Alicer, Nix Lañas, Caren Crisologo), MISTERYO SA HAPIS (Mark DelaCruz), NINEBALL (Enrico Aragon), ROLYO (Alvin B. Yapan), TAGAPAGLIGTAS (Ma. Solita F. Garcia)
21 Jul/Sat 09:00 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
22 Jul/Sun 12:45 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino
24 Jul/Tue 09:00 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
25 Jul/Wed 12:45 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
27 Jul/Fri 06:15 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
27 Jul/Fri 09:00 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
28 Jul/Sat 10:00 AM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino

Shorts Programme B:
DUROG (Tara Illenberger), GABON (Emmanuel DelaCruz), LIWANAG SA DILIM (Lawrence Fajardo), MAIKLING KWENTO (Hubert Tibi), TONI (Vic Acedillo Jr.)
21 Jul/Sat 12:45 PM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino
21 Jul/Sat 09:00 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
22 Jul/Sun 09:00 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
26 Jul/Thu 10:00 AM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
26 Jul/Thu 09:00 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
28 Jul/Sat 06:15 PM Venue 1 - CCP Main Theatre / Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo
29 Jul/Sun 10:00 AM Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino

EXHIBITION SCREENINGS

The Cinemalaya 2007 World Premieres

BARAKO by Manolito Sulit
Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde 09:00 PM 24 Jul/Tue

CURE FOR BOREDOM by Ato Bautista
Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino 06:15 PM 25 Jul/Wed

HANGGANG DITO NA LAMANG AT MARAMING SALAMAT
by Lino Tañada
Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino 06:15 PM 22 Jul/Sun

HAW-ANG by Bong Ramos
Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino 06:15 PM 26 Jul/Thu

HILO by JP Carpio
Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde 09:00 PM 25 Jul/Wed

KISS MEEH, MANANANGGAL ME! By Cris Pablo
Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino 09:00 PM 26 Jul/Thu

SAPI by Arnold Argaño
Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino 09:00 PM 27 Jul/Fri

SIGNOS by Aloy Adlawan
Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino 06:15 PM 24 Jul/Tue

WEN TIMAWA MEETS DELGADO by Rey Gilbraltar
Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino 06:15 PM 21 Jul/Sat

TBC: BALIKBAYAN BOX by Mes Guzman
Venue 2 - CCP Little Theatre / Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino 06:15 PM 28 Jul/Sat

The Cinemalaya 2005 Films

ANG PAGDADALAGA NI MAXIMO OLIVEROS
by Auraeus Solito & Michiko Yamamoto
21 Jul/Sat 12:45 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde
26 Jul/Thu 03:30 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining

BARYOKE by Ron Bryant
23 Jul/Mon 03:30 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall
28 Jul/Sat 10:00 AM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining

BIG TIME by Mario Cornejo & Monster Jimenez
21 Jul/Sat 03:30 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
25 Jul/Wed 03:30 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

ICU BED #7 by Rica Arevalo
21 Jul/Sat 12:45 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
26 Jul/Thu 12:45 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

ISNATS by Mike Dagnalan & Jun Aves
24 Jul/Tue 12:45 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
28 Jul/Sat 12:45 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

LASPONGGOLS by Sigfried Barros Sanchez
24 Jul/Tue 10:00 AM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
28 Jul/Sat 12:45 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining

PEPOT ARTISTA by Clodualdo del Mundo Jr.
21 Jul/Sat 10:00 AM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
26 Jul/Thu 12:45 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining

ROOM BOY by Alfred Aloysius Adlawan
24 Jul/Tue 03:30 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
27 Jul/Fri 03:30 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

SARONG BANGGI by Emman dela Cruz
24 Jul/Tue 12:45 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde
28 Jul/Sat 03:30 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining

The Cinemalaya 2006 Films

ANG HULING ARAW NG LINGGO by Nick Olanka
25 Jul/Wed 10:00 AM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
29 Jul/Sun 12:45 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining

BATAD: SA PAANG PALAY by Benji Garcia
22 Jul/Sun 10:00 AM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
27 Jul/Fri 12:45 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining

DONSOL by Adolfo B. Alix Jr.
25 Jul/Wed 12:45 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde
29 Jul/Sun 03:30 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining

IN DA RED KORNER by Dado Lumibao
25 Jul/Wed 03:30 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
28 Jul/Sat 03:30 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

MUDRAKS by Arah Jell Badayos & Margaret Guzman
25 Jul/Wed 12:45 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
29 Jul/Sun 12:45 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

ROTONDA by Ron Bryant
22 Jul/Sun 12:45 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde
27 Jul/Fri 03:30 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining

SAAN NAGTATAGO SI HAPPINESS
by Florida Bautista & Real Florido
24 Jul/Tue 03:30 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall
29 Jul/Sun 10:00 AM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining

TULAD NG DATI by Michael Sandejas
22 Jul/Sun 03:30 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
26 Jul/Thu 03:30 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

The Cinemalaya 2005 & 2006 Shorts

Cinemalaya 2005 Shorts: ALIMUOM (Rommel "Milo" Tolentino), BABAE (Sigrid Bernardo), BLOODBANK (Pam Miras), KULTADO (Lawrence Fajardo), MANSYON (Joel Ruiz), PANAGINIPAN (Anna Isabelle Matutina)
21 Jul/Sat 03:30 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall
26 Jul/Thu 10:00 AM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining

Cinemalaya 2006 Shorts A: 10:25 NG GABI (Reggie Gulle), GEE-GEE AT WATERINA (J. Dennis C. Teodosio), KWARTO (Jose Maria Emmanuel C. Taylo), LABADA (Raz DelaTorre), NO PASSPORT NEEDED (Pepe Diokno)
22 Jul/Sun 12:45 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
27 Jul/Fri 12:45 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

Cinemalaya 2006 Shorts B: ORASYON (Rommel "Milo" Tolentino), PARANG PELIKULA (Hubert Tibi), PUTOT (Jeck Cogama), PUWANG (Anna Isabelle Matutina), SA SILAW (Reinzi L. Balao)
22 Jul/Sun 03:30 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall
27 Jul/Fri 10:00 AM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining

More Exhibition Screenings

ANAK NG TINAPA by Jon Red
21 Jul/Sat 10:00 AM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

ANG ANAK NI BROCKA by Sigfried Barros Sanchez
26 Jul/Thu 10:00 AM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

ANG DAAN PATUNGONG KALIMUGTONG by Mes Guzman
21 Jul/Sat 06:15 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde
27 Jul/Fri 09:00 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining

ANG HULING BALYAN NG BUHI by Sherad Anthony Sanchez
27 Jul/Fri 03:30 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde
28 Jul/Sat 12:45 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

ASTIG by Jon Red
23 Jul/Mon 09:00 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

BALAY DAKU by JP Carpio
22 Jul/Sun 09:00 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

BALIW by Redd Ochoa
23 Jul/Mon 12:45 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall
27 Jul/Fri 09:00 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

BLACKOUT by Ato Bautista
22 Jul/Sun 06:15 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde
28 Jul/Sat 03:30 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

CARE HOME by Suzett Ranillo
22 Jul/Sun 03:30 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
24 Jul/Tue 09:00 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

CAVITE by Neil Dela Llana & Ian Gamazon
24 Jul/Tue 06:15 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

COMPOUND by Will Fredo
21 Jul/Sat 03:30 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
26 Jul/Thu 09:00 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

DILIM by Topel Lee
21 Jul/Sat 03:30 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

DILIMAN by Mes Guzman
25 Jul/Wed 06:15 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute

FACES OF LOVE by Eddie Romero
26 Jul/Thu 12:45 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
27 Jul/Fri 12:45 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

HEREMIAS (Unang Aklat: Ang Alamat Ng Princesang Bayawak)
by Lav Diaz ( 9AM to 6PM 9 hours - counts as one programme)
29 Jul/Sun 9:00 AM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute

ILUSYON by Paolo Villaluna & Ellen Ramos
26 Jul/Thu 06:15 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

IMAHE NASYON
by Lav Diaz ("Nang Matapos Ang Ulan"), Raymond Red ("Mistulang Kamera Obskura") Roxlee ("La Pula"), Neil Daza ("Biyaheng Edsa") Ellen Ramos ("Speci Men"), Robert Quebral ("Barado"), Paolo Villaluna, ("One Shot") Mes De Guzman ("Tsinelas"), Topel Lee ("Ang Manunulat"), Emmanuel dela Cruz ("Imagining Edsa"), Lyle Sacris ("Dibuho") Milo Alto Paz ("Lugaw"), RA Rivera ("Public Service Announcement"), Sigfreid Barros-Sanchez ("Aksyon Star"), Tad Ermitaño ("Local Unit"), Ogi Sugatan ("5 Minutes"), Poklong Anading ("Between Intersection"), EJ Salcedo ("Talahib"), Dennis Empalmado ("Bwahaha") and Yeye Calderon ("Silid").
d/w The IMAHE NASYON Behind The Scenes by Jon Red
(counts as one programme)
27 Jul/Fri 06:15 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

INANG YAYA by Pablo Biglang-Awa & Veronica Velasco
25 Jul/Wed 03:30 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute

KALELDO by Brillante Mendoza
22 Jul/Sun 06:15 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall
26 Jul/Thu 09:00 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining

KUBRADOR by Jeffrey Jeturian
21 Jul/Sat 09:00 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde
26 Jul/Thu 06:15 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde
29 Jul/Sun 03:30 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

LA VISA LOCA by Mark Meily
24 Jul/Tue 03:30 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute

LAMBANOG by Paolo Herras
25 Jul/Wed 10:00 AM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute

MANORO by Brillante Mendoza
24 Jul/Tue 06:15 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde
28 Jul/Sat 09:00 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining

MASAHISTA by Brillante Mendoza
26 Jul/Thu 03:30 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute

METLOGS by Cris Pablo
24 Jul/Tue 12:45 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
27 Jul/Fri 10:00 AM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

MGA PUSANG GALA by Ellen Ongkeko (TBC)
22 Jul/Sun 10:00 AM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute

NASAAN SI FRANCIS? by Gabby Fernandez
22 Jul/Sun 09:00 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute
25 Jul/Wed 06:15 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

NUMBALIKDIWA by Bobby Bonifacio
21 Jul/Sat 09:00 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall
27 Jul/Fri 06:15 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

PANDANGGO by Dennis Empalmado & Wilfred Galila
22 Jul/Sun 12:45 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall
25 Jul/Wed 10:00 AM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

PINOY BLONDE by Peque Gallaga
21 Jul/Sat 10:00 AM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute

RAKET NI NANAY by Lawrence Fajardo
25 Jul/Wed 12:45 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
29 Jul/Sun 10:00 AM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

REKADOS by Paolo Herras
22 Jul/Sun 10:00 AM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde
24 Jul/Tue 12:45 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

ROME & JULIET by Connie S.A. Macatuno
22 Jul/Sun 12:45 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
25 Jul/Wed 03:30 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

RUPTURA by Ron Bryant
24 Jul/Tue 10:00 AM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute

SA AKING PAGKAKAGISING MULA SA KAMULATAN
by Ato Bautista
23 Jul/Mon 06:15 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

SA ILALIM NG COGON by Rico Ilarde
21 Jul/Sat 06:15 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall
26 Jul/Thu 03:30 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

SA NORTH DIVERSION ROAD by Dennis Marasigan
24 Jul/Tue 03:30 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

SANDALANG BAHAY by Denisa Reyes & Mark Gary
28 Jul/Sat 10:00 AM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

SEROKS by Eduardo Lejano Jr.
22 Jul/Sun 03:30 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde
26 Jul/Thu 12:45 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

SITAK by Liza Cornejo
24 Jul/Tue 10:00 AM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

SQUATTER PUNK by Khavn (with a live band)
28 Jul/Sat 06:15 PM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute

STILL LIVES by Jon Red
25 Jul/Wed 12:45 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

STOCK ROOM by Hero Angeles
21 Jul/Sat 12:45 PM Venue 4 - CCP MKP Hall / Bulwagang Alagad Ng Sining
28 Jul/Sat 06:15 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

TODO TODO TEROS by John Torres
21 Jul/Sat 12:45 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall
26 Jul/Thu 09:00 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde

TRABAHO by Ned Trespeces
22 Jul/Sun 09:00 PM Venue 3 - CCP Dream Theatre / Tanghalang Manuel Conde
26 Jul/Thu 10:00 AM Venue 5 - CCP Tanghalang Huseng Batute

TULI by Auraeus Solito
25 Jul/Wed 09:00 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

UPOS by Jose Maria Emmanuel C. Taylo
25 Jul/Wed 06:15 PM Venue 6 - CCP Silangan Hall

* Kindly note that screening schedules may be subject to change.

The Sopranos finale

(Tony, Silvio, and Paulie)

I finally got to watch the controversial finale of The Sopranos. I have always been a Sopranos addict since Tony Soprano (played by the super-brilliant James Gandolfini), struggling New Jersey mob boss, first stepped into the office of psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi (return-of-the-comeback Lorraine Bracco). Anoh ito? A depressed Mafioso?

I was always so frustrated that our local HBO didn't carry the series. I don't know how true this is but our local HBO is a feed from Singapore daw, which supposedly has strict rules on blood and gore on TV. Merese! The Sopranos is more dark comedy than anything else. Truly funny...it's like Analyze This on downers. Who would've thought that mob bosses and their employees have lives we can relate to outside of the senseless violence they always perpetrate. Sometimes tuloy, you end up cheering some of the whack jobs.

(Hala kayo, gutom na si Bobby!)

Much of the acting was understated but very effective. Each actor managed to make his or her character, no matter if they had just committed bloody murder, very sympathetic. It's quite difficult to pinpoint who my favorite characters or actors were. Of course, Tony Soprano is definitely one of them, the alzheimerish Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese, a veteran of a number of mob films), Silvio Dante (a really different Steven Van Zandt! Who knew Bruce Springsteen's lead guitarist-aka Little Steven- could act?!), Bobby Bacala (truly nakakaawa being married to Tony's sister, crazy Janice. Underacting week after week by Steven Schirippa. I just love him! He's so zany on all the talk shows!).

Too bad the oh-so-gorgeous Federico Castellucio's character, Furio (Tony's import from Italy), disappeared after only a few episodes. Kasi naman he was falling in love with Tony's wife Carmela (Edie Falco...beyoootch!). But those were cool episodes, too. And of course, who could forget the superb late actress Nancy Marchand who portrayed Tony's loon of a demanding and whining mother Livia?! Like everyone else, a lot of Tony's problems stemmed from his impossible relationship with his mother. Sa inis ni Livia, she had plotted to have her son killed! can you imagine?!

(Yummy Furio!)

Anyway, thank God for Limewire and Bittorrent! I was able to watch the entire series just by downloading each episode. (Dang! I had to pray every night that my hard drive wouldn't give out!)

About the finale, it became controversial because it seemed like it was a hanging ending...as Tony looks up from the table in the diner where he and his family are eating, everything fades to black. The series' creator David Chase was heavily criticized for what appeared an unresolved conclusion (doncha just love indefinite endings?). Some felt they were shortchanged and Chase had set everybody up in preparation for a Sopranos movie. But after the initial..."What the....?", I thought it was an outstanding ending as well. It's a finale everyone will continue to talk about and have his own take on what actually happened. Gee, and I thought only we Pinoys wanted our endings to be really final and spelled out. Let your imagination work naman, noh!

(Livia and Uncle Junior out for a drive)

Personally, I think Tony was whacked. Like all mob bosses, how else could he go (unless he turned FBI witness), di ba? Sad pero, that's how it should be. Sure it's unfortunate the series ended. It had a great run and I don't think any other series after this will be able to match the excellent acting, well-written characters, and TV-defining episodes of The Sopranos. But as Tony always says, "Look at the bright side!" May the series live on in worldwide syndication and pirated DVDs forever.

Monday bitching...Ruffa, the woman with 9 lives

(Photo from The Filipino Express)

I don't know how you guys are taking the weekend pronouncements of Ruffa Gutierrez, the latest Pinoy celebrity who has confessed to having been physically abused by one's spouse.

Normally, I feel sympathy towards women who have been abused and violated by their husbands, or men in general. But in Ruffa's case, I somehow find some of her statements almost unbelievable. (This woman, after all, was involved in the 1994 Manila Film Fest scam, along with her mother, the irrepressible Annabel Rama, brother Rocky, and that woman with the truly unforgettable name...Viveka Babajee.) I mean, being physically abused for 15 hours daw? Buhay pa sya? Then she says she was electrocuted by hubby Yilmaz Bektas while she was in the bathtub...again, buhay pa din sya? My God! This woman must have 9 lives, like a cat!

So the beatings began even before she and Yilmaz were married...so what possessed her to marry him? That's awfully stupid isn't it? I mean, all this time I thought she had some brains to go with her beauty...Baka nasilaw sa dami ng carats na binigay ni "lovee" anoh? Ayan, nainggit kasi ke Greta.

Btw, how come not one showbiz TV host has actually pinned down Ruffa and gotten a real honest answer on whether or not she was married to one Richard Daiola prior to Yilmaz? Who the hell is this guy and why, despite the massive resources of both GMA News and ABS-CBN/ANC News, he has yet to be unearthed. No one has secured even one photo of this mystery man.

Naku 'dong, bet you there's gonna be a Ruffa Gutierrez Story film out soon. Heh!

Some kind of fitness story

Something Like Life
June 8, 2007



A NUMBER of my friends texted their congratulations.

Some, curiously, asked, “Ano’ng nakain mo?” which I don’t think has a proper translation in English. (The closest I can think of is “What’s up with you?” but in the tone that meant, “What the hell were you thinking?!”)

Anyway, what my friends were referring to was my sudden decision to enroll in a gym. Okay, don’t laugh. Yeah, yeah, it was a sperm of the moment decision, as I like to say. But bear with me as I try to entertain you with tortuous details of this life-changing moment.

When I went to the mall near my home, I had all the intention of purchasing a spare cell phone to replace my battered one, which has missing keys, and already unreplaceable as it is a Siemens phone. (An aside: I don’t know why Siemens gave up on the Philippines. Its cell phones were, quite honestly, pretty good workhorses, easy to operate, with designs that were actually ahead of their time. Very stylish. The company just lacked the right marketing strategy to sell its units to keep up with the competition. So Siemens has pulled out its service centers from the malls and now I can’t replace the keys on my S57. I am told that I will have to go all the way to Siemens’ head office in Mandaluyong or thereabouts just to have my phone repaired. Tama ba ’yon?)

Not finding the cell phone I had saved up for, and still having enough time on my hands before the hordes of people swarmed the building, I checked out the health and fitness floor of the mall. First, I went to a popular medical clinic to find out what its membership fees were, because I was due for an executive checkup; then, somehow, my pretty feet just brought me next door to the fitness center.

I’ve been to that gym before with Mrs. M, as she was a member, and I was aghast that there were so many people working out almost side by side. It was like walking around the mall on a weekend in the afternoon, and all you do is bump into other people. Which I absolutely detest.

But I was just curious, and inquired how much I would have to pay to be a member of this popular fitness center. Having gone freelance as a writer, I no longer have an excuse not to exercise. My days are flexible enough to have a fitness schedule and if I was serious enough, I could plan the rest of my activities around my gym time. I’m not really exercise-phobic. In fact, I loved doing yoga, and attended classes fairly regularly to strengthen my back which had given me problems in the past. But when I moved to Quezon City, I couldn’t find an instructor in my area that would teach in the afternoons, a schedule which I had become accustomed to, being a late riser.

Anyway, I was surprised at the rate that was offered to me to enroll in that gym, which cost just a tad over the amount of the cell phone I had been angling to purchase. The monthly dues are somewhat expensive but I was told I would be able to use any of the gym’s branches nationwide and even internationally. I was also told that from about 10 am to 4 pm, the gym would be virtually empty since everyone is supposed to be at work. So that solves my claustrophobia. Well, as you may have already concluded, I got sold on the idea, turned over my credit card for swiping, and committed myself to a year’s worth of fitness.

I would like to say that I enrolled in the gym mainly out of concern for my health. True, I’ve been feeling the tightness in my jeans’ waistband the last couple of weeks, and find myself out of breath sometimes when I walk short distances. My family has a history of hypertension and diabetes and I am probably at risk of inheriting these, so it’s as good a time as any to get back to exercising. Coupled with this is my being a foodie. I love to eat. And I know going to the gym would allow me to keep my weight down even as I continue to indulge my, ahem, healthy appetite.

Then again, as my Mader F surmised, there was a deeper reason for my going to the gym. Or maybe, a shallower one. It had to be a man. Guilty! Let’s just say, one night I suddenly realized I was absolutely attracted to him and, quite strangely, wanted to drown myself in his steady gaze. Ick! Ma-drama na ba?

Going to the gym is probably admitting to myself that I feel powerless under his sway and just want to look my absolutely fabulous best the moment I give up control. So there’s my fitness motivation, and maybe it’s wrong, but what the heck! It got me back to the gym, so it’s as good a reason as any. The women libbers out there can throw all their rotten tomatoes at me but I don’t care. I’m just a grrrl, noh?

Anyway, I hauled this tired but sexy body of mine to the gym for the first time in decades and found the experience quite exhilarating! Not wanting to unduly exert myself, I attended the yoga class for starters. After more than a year of not having any regular yoga practice, naturally I felt stiff all over. I couldn’t hold some of the asanas (poses) as easily as I did before, although I still remembered how to breathe correctly, so I didn’t end up panting and wheezing like the rest of my classmates. Mo-ching, my teacher at Mandala Spa, would have been proud as well of my downward facing dog. And toward the end of the class, I still managed to do my shoulder stand and easily dropped my legs at the back of my head while the upper portion of my body lay supine on the yoga mat. Aba, flexible pa din ang lola n’yo!

But, man, how I sweated buckets! For those who think yoga is easy and just for wimps, you have it all wrong. The asanas are very difficult, especially if you’re just starting out. Despite an air-conditioned room, you will perspire, and your muscles will feel like they’re being torn apart. Talk about feeling the burn. But unlike sports or other fitness exercises, there is no competition with others, only with yourself. You challenge yourself to perfect the pose at each practice, and with every effort, your mind is conditioned to focus on your breathing, your practice and your space.

After the class ended, I felt rejuvenated. I really missed my regular yoga practice. It was what my body and mind had been craving for all this time. Sure, my muscles are aching all over right now, but I look forward to going back to the gym again and perhaps trying out the fitness machines next time.

I’m not going to give out any lengthy sermons on the importance of health, the proper diet and exercise. Or how our relationship to our body should be sacred and should be of utmost priority. I’m pretty sure you will find your own motivation to exercise soon enough. And if it’s a man who gets you running to the gym, then embrace it. Perhaps soon, he might just be embracing you.

(My column, Something Like Life, appears every Friday in the Lifestyle section of the BusinessMirror. Photo from Maconstate University web site.)

Does he like you?

Something Like Life
May 25, 2007



SO you’re done with the first date with Mr. Hottie. You had a grand time. How do you know whether he really truly likes you or he’s just playing you?

Men are pretty transparent with their feelings. Unlike us women who can play those weird relationship games, men are usually pretty straightforward about what they like and don’t like. You will know if he likes you if:

1. He calls. He will take the time to chat. Or text. Not stupid forwarded jokes but he will ask real questions like, “Hi. How r u?” or “Wat r u doing?”. He just has to touch base with you constantly, yup, even if he’s superbusy.

2. He asks you out on more dates. This means he wants to get to know you better. He will want to know everything about you. These dates will help you as well to assess your real feelings for him. I mean, he may be hot, but is he good enough to have a long-term relationship with? (Ladies, if you like him but not enough to be more than friends, then make sure he knows it. Don’t give him any mixed signals by leading him on.)

3. He respects you. He will want to know if you feel comfortable in a situation, like, say, he wants to have sex for the first time; he will ask if that would be okay. If you don’t feel ready for it, he will understand and respect the limits you’ve set for physical intimacy. When he sets dates, he will do it a day or two prior to the actual event, so you won’t know it’s just a booty call. (Of course, if that’s all that you want, then by all means, go ahead and accept a last-minute invite from him.) He will make you feel very relaxed even in your own skin—and, yes, even if you look fat in that dress.

4. He will want to impress you. Not in a braggart or arrogant sort of way. But he will want to order the best for you, try to take you out to the finest restaurants, watch the latest film, pay huge bucks just to watch a concert with you. Oh, yes, he will try to be funny. In a world where looks are very important, men now know that what will turn things in their favor is wit and a good sense of humor, more than just having a hot body.

5. He listens. He will sit in rapt attention, with eyes focused on you, listening to what you have to say. He will want to know your opinion especially on issues he cares about. You know he is listening when he remembers what you said months after you’ve said it.

6. He visits you at home. If he wants to know more about you, he will want to see where you live. He will inspect your abode, perhaps sneak a peak at your bedroom, basically see how you function in your own space. He will do this, especially if you live on your own. If you still live with your family, he may put it off until he knows for sure where he wants this relationship to go.

7. He introduces you to his friends. If a man likes you enough to think of having an expanded relationship with you, then he won’t hesitate showing you off to his friends. Besides, he will likely turn to them as well for approval so he will introduce you soon enough. A man and his friends are tight. He wants to make sure you and his buddies get along.

8. He asks you on an out-of-town trip. You know he’s getting serious when he is no longer content with just seeing you for three-four hours over dinner, or watching a movie, or just hanging out at a café. He will want to spend an entire day with you or even overnight at some place. My buddies tell me that they got wake-up calls about the women they were dating by seeing how they functioned while on vacation. One friend actually told me he decided not to pursue a girl he had been dating for a while because he couldn’t stand her being “maarte.” She seemed sweet enough most of the time they were together, but she was just too fussy about the resort they stayed in, the rooms, the guest services…just very uncool and bitchy about the whole thing.

9. He introduces you to his family. If you’ve been going out for quite some time already, and he feels sure about you, he will want you to meet his folks or siblings. The mom, especially, is the key factor in any relationship for a man and so, usually, he will need her stamp of approval on you. When he asks you to meet his family, just be on your best behavior. Show them you have manners. Be polite and respectful toward the folks. Oh, if you still don’t feel ready to meet the parents, then say so.

10. He will talk about the future. He will tell you if he thinks you’re the girl for him. He will open up and express his feelings, if he’s very serious about wanting you to be in his life. He will not mince words. One girlfriend told me that after a few dates, this guy told her he was going to marry her. She didn’t believe him because she wasn’t even sure about how she felt toward him yet. True enough, they got hitched and are celebrating over 20 years of togetherness.

If you still can’t read him and pick up the clues, dumb woman, then just ask him. Sure, it will shock him a bit, but if it’s important for you—after, say, three months of dating—to know exactly where you stand in his universe, then just ask him straight out.

If he says he likes you, and wants to keep seeing you, then accept it, and close the topic. Men detest having long drawn-out conversations about relationships, so the shorter you discuss the topic, the better.

If he says he likes you, but just as a friend, then take your business elsewhere if you were looking for something more serious. Don’t hang on thinking that you will be able to change his mind soon enough by whatever acrobatic feats or magical tricks you are planning to conjure. Just appreciate his honesty and enjoy more good times with your new friend.

(My column, Something Like Life, is published every Friday in the Life section of BusinessMirror. Photo from BusinessMirror)

A mother-daughter relationship in perspective

Something Like Life
May 18, 2007

ON Mother’s Day, we were treated to what was perhaps the most spectacular outburst ever made in Philippine showbiz history. Those immortal words uttered by the still unparalleled stage mother of all stage mothers, Annabel Rama, were truly unforgettable and will likely be the gold standard by which all other stage mothers will have to measure themselves. With tears streaming down her face, facial tissue in hand, Annabel—in her trademark Waray-accented Tagalog — implored her celebrity daughter Ruffa Gutierrez on national TV: “Kung gusto mo akong matigok, pumunta ka sa Maldives. Kung gusto mo pa ako mabuhay ng matagal, mag-stay ka sa akin. [If you want me to die, go to Maldives. If you want me to live long, stay with me].”

Emotional blackmail? It sure sounded like it. What kind of mother would directly sabotage her child’s efforts at making a marriage work by saying that she would keel over if the child left her side? To those who missed another stirring performance by the one-time showbiz starlet, Annabel last Sunday was interviewed by a fumbling, verbally challenged Pia Guanio on the state of Ruffa’s marriage to Turkish businessman Yilmaz Bektas. Annabel was trying to prevent Ruffa from going on a vacation with her estranged husband where they were supposed to work out their troubled marriage.

Of course, everybody suspects ulterior motives on Annabel’s part as she tried to put herself between her daughter and a son-in-law whom she admits to have grown to love. Was she trying to force Ruffa—virtually incoherent on another channel, with tears as big as the diamond earrings she wore—to give up on her marriage to Bektas, and resume her very profitable showbiz career? In turn, Annabel would reassume the role as her daughter’s manager and thereby reap the benefits that she had to forgo for seven years? Wasn’t this woman content with the earnings she was receiving from managing the acting careers of her handsome twins?

But for anyone who has ever been a mother, and who has sacrificed so much for her children, and gone to great lengths to keep her family afloat, Annabel’s outburst was quite understandable.

Sure, the accusations from some quarters about her being “materialistic” could be true in part, but Annabel can never be blamed for trying to look after her children’s welfare. And for someone who never had real acting talent herself, Annabel has actually been pulling off what is probably the greatest performance of her life for the past decades—being the strong foundation and guiding light of the Gutierrez family. She has singlehandedly built up her children’s careers despite the fact that some of them probably don’t even have the real goods to justify their huge talent fees.

More than Annabel’s OA threats of dying prematurely, it is perhaps due to those reasons cited above that the well-poised and polished Ruffa decided to stay with her mom and turn her back on her husband. Ruffa was reported to have expressed her continuing love for Bektas, despite the rumors of physical abuse, and to which Annabel herself hinted at. And what kind of mother would she be if she didn’t try to put an end to her daughter’s suffering? “Gabi-gabi ’yan, tumatawag sa akin umiiyak [Every night she would call me crying],” was how Annabel succinctly described the condition of her daughter’s marriage.

Despite all her instincts that her daughter’s union with the English-challenged businessman with a doubtful background was headed straight for the rocks, Annabel, to her credit, allowed the marriage to push through. She perhaps realized how much her daughter was in love with her Turkish Prince Charming, so much so that Ruffa even converted to the Islam faith. Besides, she knew that Ruffa would have the material comforts that the latter could never have, and all her child was to do was sit pretty beside her “Lovee” and bear his children. It may be argued as well that this marriage could have been Ruffa’s way of struggling out of her mother’s firm grip, although we don’t know much of what goes on 24/7 in the Gutierrez household to safely conclude that.

But, surely, Annabel didn’t want her own daughter to experience the hardships that she herself suffered, selling pots and pans to her neighbors while living in the US, just to put decent meals on their dining table. And while Ruffa is indeed beautiful, statuesque and articulate, Annabel knew that an entertainer’s life is harsh, and fame all too fleeting. Just look at what happened to her husband. Naku, mahirap, ’dong!

So with Annabel’s blessing, for seven years, Ruffa did get to live out every young girl’s fantasy of being fabulously married to a handsome rich husband, living in a palatial home and giving birth to bundles of sweet joyful children. Unfortunately, it soon became apparent that the white picket fence, so to speak, was missing. The harsh realities of a cultural divide finally impacted on her marriage, and while she did try to make things work, Ruffa had to finally admit that despite her strong love for her husband, she was no longer happy. “Hindi ko na kaya [I can’t take it anymore]” was what she answered when Boy Abunda asked if her husband abused her.

After trying to shake off what we imagine as her mother’s tons of advice and dire warnings across miles and miles of fiber-optic cable, Ruffa finally decided to listen to Annabel and come home where she was safe and well-protected by those who loved her. And all her mother wanted was for Ruffa to stand firm in her decision and to choose a life of freedom, though she may not be fabulously rich, instead of a miserable existence with her wealthy husband and his never ending gifts of diamond-studded jewelry. We can just imagine her mother getting tired of repeating herself and advising Ruffa what she should do if she was unhappy with her marriage.

With the bearing of a sage now, Annabel said Ruffa was still young and could start her life all over again. She would surely meet someone who would make her happy. The bad marriage happened. End it. Then move on. Ever the practical woman, Annabel even advised her daughter not to waste her in-laws’ money by making them fly all the way to Manila only for her to tell them that she wasn’t going back to Turkey with them.

And so Ruffa has realized the universal truth that all women must come to acknowledge at some point in their lives. Mothers know best.

UPDATE: As of press time, rumors are swirling around that Ruffa has left for the US—to meet with her estranged hubby perhaps? Oh, well, the heart chooses what it wants. And Annabel Rama will surely live another day to give her daughter—and us—a piece of her mind.

(My column, Something Like Life, is published every Friday, in the Life section of the BusinessMirror. TV grab from BusinessMirror)

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.

Mommies Dearest

Something Like Life
May 11-12. 2007

MOMMIE DEAREST was a very controversial book published in 1978, where Christina Crawford, the adopted daughter of that marvelous old Hollywood diva Joan Crawford, accused the latter of child abuse and having sexual relations with other women. Christina also claimed that Miz Crawford (she of the arched eyebrows and finely chiseled cheekbones) only adopted her and three other children for publicity’s sake...it was all for show and nothing more. Miz Crawford had no real love for her children, Christina claimed, as she was more engrossed with her film career.

Published a year after Miz Crawford’s death, the book made a riveting read, especially to those like me perpetually enamored with the juicy gossip and scandalous stories involving Hollywood’s royalty back when the town made really good movies. Although several of Miz Crawford’s friends have disputed the revelations in the book, her name has since become synonymous with child abuse.

Just what kind of woman would harm her children?

When you think about mothers, you often equate them with nurturing, teaching, food and its wonderful smells wafting from the kitchen, kindness, protection, and warm, unconditional, unquestioning love.

Women are also thought of being natural at motherhood. We see a baby and we want to pick him up and kiss him all over, sniff his yummy milky baby smell, and make blowing noises on his tummy just to hear him chortle. Motherhood is supposedly our singular role in this world. We get pregnant, we give birth, we nurture our kids to hopefully become near-perfect happy and successful citizens of this world.

Those who are childless obsess about becoming pregnant, because they feel it is their “calling” to be mothers. They feel incomplete, even betrayed, if they don’t have children, and will do anything to have a child—be it by force, through legal means, or even via the “miracle” of science.

It may be surprising, however, to learn that there are some women who don’t hear that calling at all. They refuse to have children and don’t think they are cut out to be mothers.

This is not just any postpartum depression felt by new mothers, à la Brooke Shields, who don’t care about crashing their car even if their baby is sleeping in the back seat. (Thank God for Paxil! Woohoo!) I’m talking about turning one’s back on her “role” to aid in multiplying and improving the human race. And of a guiltless attitude of not having any motherly feelings at all.

When a former classmate of mine got married to her sweetheart years back, she and her husband deliberately decided then and there not to have any children. I thought this was a bit sad as I’d known how her husband liked to dote on kids. He struck me as someone who could be a great dad.

But I wasn’t surprised at how this marriage turned out and at the decisions the couple made. I thought their choice to be childless was reflective of the physical and verbal abuse my classmate had suffered in the hands of her father. She absolutely hated him for the violence, and her mother for just looking the other way.

Maybe she was afraid of becoming violent as well toward her children, if she actually had them? Most studies do show that those who inflict pain on their children have been abused by their parents as well. Or perhaps she thought mothers were weak? After all, her own role model was too afraid to protect her child.

Some women don’t need any reason to repudiate their “mother” calling.

One woman actually told me she had felt nothing toward her children. Though she is now absolutely in love with her grandkids, she said that when she gave birth to each of her three children, she didn’t feel any tender Little House on the Prairie feelings welling up inside of her. Postpartum blues? I doubt it. She confessed that these “nonfeelings” toward her children continued through much of their youth and until their adulthood. Yep, even until now.

Sure, when one of her kids got sick, this woman said that she would take care of the child. But she assured me she did not do this out of love, but out of...what? Duty? Just because she had to, she told me. After all, no one wants to be accused of neglecting their children, right? Especially not someone of her economic stature and her place in society. It’s a good thing she had nannies who helped her take care of her kids.

Interestingly enough, her children seem to absolutely love her. They can hardly make a move in their careers or their personal lives without consulting their mother first. This is a woman who hardly has any funny stories or gripping anecdotes to narrate about her children when they were growing up. She used to tell me that she always understood why some animals ate their young. She was dead-serious that it actually scared me.

Then, there’s this woman who lives in our neighborhood who can’t seem to stop screaming at her kids whenever she gets home from work. And wouldn’t you know it? I found out that she’s a nurse...someone who is supposed to be adept at taking care of people. Yet almost every day she would berate her children for some infraction, imagined or otherwise. Now I hear she’s going off to work abroad and is planning to leave her kids with the maid. (The husband apparently is a seaman who is also out of the country most of the time; but whenever he comes home, he doesn’t spare the kids his mouth either.) What’s that number for Bantay Bata again?

Of course these days, we hear even crazier tabloid stories about pregnant women trying to flush their newborn babies down the toilet, or putting the baby in a box and throwing it in the trash can, or mothers who just beat up their children for no apparent reason.

It’s strange, I know, to hear of these mothers who don’t behave like mothers at all. It isn’t natural. This isn’t the way how the world should work. Why, you ask? I don’t have any answers.
* * *
ON a lighter note, I want to greet my dearest mama (no Mommie Dearest, she) a Happy Mother’s Day on Sunday! You drive me nuts, mom, but I love you just the same!

(My column, Something Like Life, is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror.)

Men you should avoid

Something Like Life
May 4, 2007

ONCE in a while, in our endless quest for true love, we women come across chumps who, for some strange reason, perhaps by fate or due to our temporary insanity, we seem to have fallen in love with.

In our heads, we all know that he is wrong for us—maybe he talks too loud on his cell phone in public, he’s an arrogant SOB who feels he is God’s gift to humanity, can’t spell properly, or just has bad breath – and yet we still stick by him, defending him even to our friends and family, because we love him. (Or do we?)

I can’t stress this enough. We women are gifted with a rare ability to sense the unseen, what lies beneath the surface of people and events, and we should do well to trust our instincts. It’ll save us a lot of heartaches in the end.

From the many experiences of my girlfriends and gayfriends, here are some of the examples of men we women should steer clear of:

The overly jealous/paranoid guy

IT’S nice to see a boyfriend sometimes get all pinched and bothered when he sees you talking to other men or just laughing with them. Or perhaps he plays hurt after you have just gushed over a half-naked George Clooney in Vanity Fair. This is all cute and makes you want to kiss your boyfriend some more.

When he starts getting gruff, crazy mad (c’mon girls, you know the difference between a man whose ego has just been a bit slighted from someone about to run amuck), starts shouting and threatens you bodily harm, then this isn’t just a simple case of jealousy.

A girl I knew once had a boyfriend who would tail her wherever she would go, even if she was just having coffee with us, to make sure she wasn’t seeing any other man. This, my dear girls, is classic cuckoo behavior. Your boyfriend belongs in a loony bin!

Mama’s boy

DOES your boyfriend still live with his mother? It’s fine when both of you are still 16, or even 25. But if he’s reached 30 and he’s still tied to his mom’s apron strings, beware! He will likely want you, his girlfriend, to treat him the same way his mama does.

The Mama’s Boy is a man who can’t say a single sentence without mentioning his dear mom, cannot refer to any important or exciting experience unless it involves her, and will probably compare everything you make in the kitchen to his mother’s cooking! Ouch!

In a woman, the Mama’s Boy is only after one thing, the same creature comforts provided by his dear mother…so expect to take care of your boyfriend’s every need, just as his mother does. Honey, if you’re not ready to take care of a child, stay away from men like this. Besides, you will never ever be more than his mother could ever be to him.

The metrosexual (kuno)

I DON’T care what all the magazine articles say, metrosexuals are not! real men. I think “metrosexual” is just another brand thought up by marketing geniuses who need to move more men’s clothes, vanity products and accessories.

Metrosexuals are just homosexuals who haven’t come out of the closet yet and who need an excuse not to be branded as gay, even as they indulge in their favorite flowers, monthly spa treatments, cry at romantic movies, etc. Men are either gay or straight. There is no in between. (Yes, even if your best gayfriend insists that the guy he is seeing is straight. Sweetie, if a man is screwing around with a homosexual, he ain’t straight, he’s gay! Hello!)

Sure, we want a man who takes care of himself, is well-groomed, smells good, is sensitive to your needs, and is always presentable to your family and friends. But, c’mon, if he goes to the salon more often than you to get his roots treated or get a facial, there is obviously something amiss. Girl s’ya, anoh?!

The serial philanderer

IF he’s cheating on you while you’re still dating, it is more likely than not that he will still be the same when you’re married to each other.

Men don’t change. Not overnight, not for any woman. (Good luck, Pia Guanio!) I would want to give you a deep psychological evaluation on why men cheat on their girlfriends or wives. I’d even like to say that your man won’t cheat if he loves you very much. But you know that things aren’t as simple as that. They will cheat, if given the opportunity, and they know they can get away with it. (I’m not being unfair to men...yes, I must acknowledge that women do cheat as well.)

But if you’ve caught him with other women, not just once or twice, but three times and more, then perhaps it’s time for you to stop making excuses for him. It’s not true that it’s the woman who is the last to know. The signs are there. Sometimes we just refuse to acknowledge them. If he doesn’t have room in his life for just you, then sweep him out of yours.

A man and his ex-

A MAN who can’t stop talking about his ex- is obviously still hung up about her. Sometimes it will happen during the most innocent of conversations, or situations. The topic about his ex-girlfriend will suddenly crop up. You want to be polite and be a good listener, but be true to yourself. It’s annoying!

Maybe he doesn’t talk about her. But he still has her stuff all over his place. Or in my case, he gave me a bracelet his ex-girlfriend made—as a Christmas gift. (Aside from her regular job, she makes fashion accessories on the side.) She and “my guy” were together for the longest time, but after she called it quits, did he still have to support her business? Well, I wasn’t about to be the girlfriend for the man on the rebound, so I was out of the scene as fast as my red high heels could take me.

The man who is still wrapped up in memories of his ex needs some time alone. He has to have time to digest his feelings, mourn, get mad, accept the situation, before he can truly say he’s over her. If he’s still in any of those stages before the actual recovery, you’re just setting yourself up for a really painful ending.

Sure, there may be exceptions to the rule. Like if the mom of your mama’s boy thinks the world of you. Or if the overly jealous guy does actually have a good reason to be so, you flirt. (Then it’s you who has to change, not him.) But other than those exceptions, there is every reason in the world for you to stay away from the aforementioned types of men. It will save you a lot of heartaches and perhaps your sanity.

Let’s just be friends na lang, okay?

(My column, Something Like Life, is published every Friday in the Life section of the BusinessMirror. Photo from BusinessMirror)

Mike Arroyo drops all libel cases vs media

FIRST Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo on Thursday ordered his lawyers to withdraw all of his libel cases filed against members of the Philippine media.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye on Thursday read Arroyo's statement before members of the Malacañang Press Corps, saying it was the First Gentleman's "gesture for peace."

The announcement came the same day that World Press Freedom Day was being celebrated. (The rest at GMA News TV. Photo from the BBC)

Hmmm...a hospital epiphany, perhaps? Or mega-PR gimmick? Whatever it is, pakibaba ang mga kilay, people. Mag-thank you nalang.