BRIGIDING, The Drag Queen Mounts Birthday Concert on February 26

Drag queen BRIGIDING was just introduced to us this evening. The drag queen is part of Cornerstone Entertainment's pool of talents and she's doing a Zoom birthday concert on February. In it she's going to introduce herself and what she's capable with. It's her whole life as a performer, her baby pictures, a personal journey of a drag queen. She says "It'll all be worth it!"

The Zoom birthday party costs only Php 150 which cost a little more than a coffee cup. If you're fond of drag queen performances, and want to just sit at home and enjoy it, it'll be so nice to see her perform and her drag queen friends.

Brigiding started in 2013 and she quit her office job, auditioned in a bar and felt she was in the right place. She's been doing this full time and does makeup and hair, theater, a few commercials, because she has always wanted to be in the spotlight. She has attributed this to her liking of RuPaul and the dragrace series. She says "My family was surprised when I did this because I had to dress up before going to work. Since the beginning, I had ver supportive parents and they didn't stop me to do the things I love."

She adds "My drag name came from my Grandpa Brigido. When I was a baby, I was called Brigiding as a term of endearment by my Dad. It's more of the real me, I see that connection and even if I'm made up, I'm that person... the real authentic person of which I am. I have been called Gigi in the past but I realized this was more apt. My real name is John Philip, it's been a while since I've been called that. I think I want to work with Alex Diaz, and Marco Gumabao, Kokoy, some of the good actors today. I hope I would be able to work with them soon. I want to also work with Ms. Cherrie Pie Picache and Gina Alajar where I could also learn."

"One of the hardest things being a drag queen is trying to get the attention of the audience. Some are not as receptive, you have to command the stage when you come out. On a deeper level, you need to feel you're not discriminated because until now the Philippines has some stigma against drag queens. I want to be respected doing what I love to do. It's a process and we have come so far, some things have changed and being accepting to drag queens is becoming a norm, I'm happy to see that in clubs and now in mainstream. I admit I see some people belittle the art, because of your performance, but I don't get bothered because I am capable, I love myself more than their opinions. I have also performed when I was a bit sad because of small heartbreaks, might had to fake so the audience to not feel that from you."

Me interviewing her this evening :)

"Preparing for a drag performance is easier for me, I have less hair, less tucking needs, it's just the details of the make up that takes a lot of practice. It also takes confidence to carry the hair, the costume before the performance. You have to be in the next level with your character, when you're there, you feel like the most powerful performer in the world. It's difficult, but I do it. My birthday wish is for my drag community. They are not doing well because we don't have means to perform in crowded places. We hope we could have platforms, hopefully have more projects, to have purpose as a drag queen. To hopefully have more opportunities for them too."

"When you get to perform live, the feeling of giving people the entertainment they need, to touch their emotions, it's to make them happy especially now that we are under the pandemic."

Broadway, Musicals, Pop, Rock, the show will be filled with different layers. She's excited for people to see and feel they relate to her too. There will be dancing, singing (lipsync) and more. It's going to be shown from Cornerstone Studios. As for the guests, there will be some Cornerstone artists that will be appearing in the concert (but that's going to be a surprise) and her drag best friends will be there for sure. Tickets are available via online wallets BDO, GCash, PayPal or email them via tickets.cornerstone@gmail.com.  This is under Cornerstone Concerts.

It's the best sub rather than going out in the clubs! Stay home, be safe and enjoy the show!

FDCP to hold Film Ambassadors Night 2021 Online

 

It's been a while since we've all gone out to the cinemas and from the looks of it, it's going to take a few more months before pandemic restriction eases, which is understandable because of the dangers of COVID19. 

 

The industry has grown, and the Philippines has showcased a ton of films outside the country where it has met a lot of appreciation. This year, they are going to continue to do the FILM AMBASSADORS NIGHT for 2021. This is ultimately, to recognize the men and women who has done remarkable things for the Philippine film industry and FDCP will be spearheading it again this year.

According to Chairman Liza Dino "It was the last event that FDCP mounted before the pandemic last year, we didn't realize how big of an impact it would have in our sector. It's been a year, and we are still here, but we should reflect and be grateful about this. It's hard and we haven't recovered fully as we have workers who have no work, but this year, we hope this sparks hope, in an industry that has gotten accolades amidst the pandemic. This is our way of celebrating our filmmakers, to promote our stories, our cinema, to represent us in different parts of the world. While we are celebrating, we are bringing recognition to people who did so good despite the pandemic, to reflect what is important we have come together to get through hardships, we didn't expect this as an agency and we all are experiencing this. I hope in this first event, it will be an opportunity to unite and share this experience to celebrate what good things that happened in 2020 and look forward to more this 2021 to all our projects, programs and initiatives."

Among those to be recognized are Dingdong Dantes, Arjo Atayde, Lovi Poe, Elijah Canlas, Alden Richards, Allen Dizon, Cheri Gil, Alfred Vargas, Angel Aquino, Ronwaldo Martin, Ruby Ruiz, Isabel Sandoval, Louise Abuel and Cristine Reyes. There will be more!

 

Award Winning Documentaries will also be honored

Part of those who will be recognized during the award night are two very talented teams under GMA News and Public Affairs, BRIGADA and Atom Araullo Specials which have been praised in other countries and won Bronz and Silver awards for their documentaries about Aetas and the other about poor people selling their babies online. We got updates about the cases via chat as Ms. Kara and her team responded to our questions there too. Their real clamor is to have these be acted upon by the government and have them be given what is due them since they have fought during World War II.

"From Kara Patria David to Everyone:  04:47 PM

nilapit na po sa PVAO yung case but the authorities claim na hindi raw maestablish ang idenitities nila
they are still trying to appeal their case  
thank you for the question. i try to help my case studies in any way i can. i have a scholarship foundation for poor filipino children. pero sadly kulang pa rin ang dami pang kailangan tulungan
salamat Film Development Council of the Phils for this honor"

 

"From James Dalusung to Everyone:  04:44 PM

dagdagan ko lang po yung sinabi ni Ms. Kara, kailangan po mag produce ng mga aetas ng mga id's to claim. since wala po kahit birth certificate ang karamihan sa kanila, up to now wala pa rin silang nakukuhang benepisyo."

Here's part of that talk we had earlier

The Film Ambassadors Night 2021 will be held online on the FDCP channel. This is their 5th installment and the nice thing is, a lot of actors have won worldwide. Hopefully, you would get to know these films and recognize why they won and brought prestige for the country. This is also done to coincide national arts month of NCCA. Bamboo, Tres Marias, Bituin Escalante, several crooners and artists will be there for honorees. This is a good way of recognizing film makers especially those who have excelled in the international arena. Award winners, embassies from other countries will be there and it would be a good venue to learn more about the film industry even for artists, directors who would like to excel in the craft. Visit fdcpchannel.ph to know more about this or to watch the actual awards night.

VIVO Pictures More User-Centric Smartphones This 2021

Despite being in a pandemic, vivo has remained bullish by releasing several smart phones in the Philippine market. They concentrated on photography and having fun with their handsets which is what consumers need these days for work and play.

That user experience is something that has been a product of extensive efforts for innovation and this 2021, aside from function, they will also pay attention to form which includes futuristic aesthetics. They will also be doing improvements but in this occasion, will not forget to continue perfecting the existing functions of the phones, making everyday connections even better.

This year, vivo will further bank on its user centric phone features and implement it on all their smartphones. This includes improvements on photos, the whole ecosystem, design and the phone's performance. Liang Wang, vivo's General Manager for Overseas Products reiterates "There is a growing demand for phones even if there is a decrease in purchasing power of consumers around the globe. vivo will be launching new smartphone models in the mid and high end markets so we can give consumer needs as they need phones that have cutting edge technology without breaking the bank. Vivo has proven itself and is part of the top smartphone manufacturers in the world and it remains number one in Indonesia, and is ranked second and third in China, India. vivo is also beginning to penetrate the large Western European market which has made it immensely popular in the region."

 It's also why vivo has been very visible in recent UEFA EURO 2020 and 2024 matches (of which they are an official partner) so they can cater to more users that have been known for putting in much importance for information security. This is where they would want to grow even more hence the efforts they also put on user oriented innovation and technology on their products which they consider very important. They have very high standards and by no means will they let out. They have also looked into growing into manufacturing and corporate industries who would have great use of their technological advancements.

 For starters, they've filed over 2,000 patents for 5G technology last year alone. A strong R&D network, research teams across the globe, made these all possible. You may expect vivo will be coming out with even new 5G capable devices in the coming months, years, while understanding your needs locally. Aside from that, vivo has partnered with industry leader ZIESS and harness their expertise in the lens and smartphone imaging technologies which they showcased in their previous "vivo ZEISS Master Photography" drive. With the optical behemoth and vivo's existing imaging software and hardware technology, which they have both had excellently complemented each other.

vivo's Senior Director of Overseas Strategic Planning Center Guoliang Liu says "Our company has gone leaps and bounds with our Gimbal Camera System which most pro photographers and videographers use. vivo has put all these in on our smartphones so our consumers get the best of what technology has to offer. That resulted in the launch of the X50 which we have released worldwide." all of which have made them lead the pack in mobile phone photography.

Listening to what the consumer needs has made the difference and it's where vivo has made a conscious effort to answer year on year. Despite the crazy amount of restrictions, this makes both vivo and the consumers win as they continue to get empowered and equipped in so many ways. The amount of innovations they've gotten will be useful for ordinary people so they too would lead improved lives in this time and age.

UnionBank 9th E-Talktales: Helping MSME's with UB GlobalLinker Platform

The damage brought about by the pandemic has been huge. The most affected sector has been SME's and a lot of them have been downsized or closed down. Unionbank can provide them the tools to make them whatever they want to be so they get the support they need and enable them to achieve more even in the face of the pandemic. They are committed to make businesses thrive.

Unionbank has been the best MSME's bank. Unionbank's Mass Market Chief Manuel Santiago Jr. says "This is our 9th edition and Unionbank is your partner. MSME's are the backbone of the Philippine economy but have very limited support, hit hard by the pandemic. Our digital expertise enable us to help a lot of people to do things beyond banking. Running a business can be hard, and businesses have little to no online presence and have no access to financing. Today, the applications usually are paper based and tedious. Unionbank offers a solution for MSME's with a platform Global Linker so they get everything they need in one app. This has everything you need to start and grow your business. Business owners need a place to build their online store and promote their products. They can get tips from entrepreneurs, start their banking relationships in this platform. You also need the tools for financial transactions and this can access and manage accounts for MSME's without going to the bank. You can pay BIR, SSS, Pagibig, do online check deposits, avail credit lines via the app. Expansion can be easy with easy access to loans. Applications are approved on the same day and is done by data driven credit rating. Access to credit is not only limited to a few big companies. We are digitizing the supply chain via blockchain technology. With this connection we can support the growth of industries through the supply chain ecosystem. As they grow, we can make accepting and tracking payments easy. The payment gateway can provide payment requests, collect payment, fund transfer, debit cards, credit cards and access it on the MSME Banking App."

You can have GlobalLinker and meet other like minded businessmen, learn from their successful businesses and apply best practices with your own. The payment gateway can also make things easier for you to make transactions online. People are hesitant to get loans for their businesses but I guess, this would make it easier. They looked at it as an opportunity to lend to smaller businesses and develop the infrastructure that automates things even during the pandemic. They have rolled up these products faster. Today they are now able to process loans during the same day. In the past, they would be required to pass financial statements before they look at a borrower's data. Now they have MSME's who benefit from it.

You can now download the Unionbank GlobalLinker App on Google Play and visit https://unionbank.globallinker.com for more information about this platform.