RICO BLANCO Announces Concert at the ARANETA COLISEUM

If you"re a fan of Rico Blanco and his brand of music, you're in for a treat as he's slated to have a concert this September 11th at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

It's been a while since he"s done this, but he's so excited to perform some of his greatest hits like "Umaaraw, Umuulan", "Your Universe", "Yugto" and those he did while he was still with Rivernaya. His iconic songs have been adored by generations of music lovers and he is still advocating love for Original Filipino Music (OPM) and Filipino musicians til now.

During this press conference, we asked him about what changes he's undergone since having a relationship with Star Magic artist Mariz Racal, and he says "Nothing really, it's not change that happened to us, it's like our personalities really complemented each other. We're just good together, romantically and artistry wise."

Asked if she's going to be at his concert, Rico says "She's probably going to try but I know she has work during those days and will be under locked in taping. She supports me 100%".

Rico is also busy managing artists via his own entertainment label called Balcony. It's his way of paying forward to the industry after a highly successful career in music. Among the artists he's managing is Ebe Dancel and Zild which a lot of people liken to his brand of music. He also laments how the generation now is discovering that he's got his own band, as most of the young kids probably have seen him in different shows on ABSCBN.

Here's a part of the press conference yesterday.

The concert again will be slated on September 11th, 2022. Tickets will be sold on July 1st at Ticketnet so go get them soon. This is produced by KDR Music and they also announced that there will be other artists lined up which they will also be putting up concerts soon. I'm excited about that!

Arra San Agustin Releases "Hanggang Dito Na Lang"

 Versatile actress, singer and Starstruck alumnus Arra San Agustin just released a new single under GMA Playlist called "Hanggang Dito Na Lang". It's a very emotional song that discusses how to deal with a heartbreak, not just from love and relationships, but also friendships. She wants to delve into this genre a little bit more than usual as she just got off from a long term relationship, it was apt, sort of perfect timing. She's in a different place now, very much in love. She tells us a little bit more about it during a blogcon this morning.

Arra says "The genre and emotions of the song was talked between us and the team, I wanted something that was a little hurtful, emotional, I've sung several songs for The Lost Recipe and Madrasta. I thought about sad songs, I want it melancholic, not just romantic relationships, but friendships. If things doesn't go the way we planned, this song personifies that. I personally don't just look at words or music, I want something that I can feel, something that can make us feel alive. I've been in relationships, this was apt for that. But now, I'm happily in love. I was doing voice lessons when I was a kid, it was really something I wanted to do since then. I think I've been influenced by Avril Lavigne, a lot of early 2000 artists, and indie too." 

 

She adds "I would want to learn more, to enhance and improve myself more in creating music, I have more room for improvement and I'm willing to commit for that. I want to explore this genre I'm doing, I want to also do more emotional ones, but focus on this one so we can master it. The GMA Playlist team was very open to suggestions, I'm grateful because singers get pushed from their boundaries, they really get us involved a lot with that. They want us to do that. I really didn't expect to sing teleserye songs, when I was starting it really wasn't in the bucket list, but anything I do was because I had a lot of people who believe in me. They put us into that milestone, I used to freak out knowing that I'd be doing it here, or if I deserve it, and get it published on streaming platforms, but it is so worth it. The difference now with this single is that I'm more confident, I am also supported by my team, who want to listen, help me achieve more. Singing is something I love, I have to practice more so I plan to have voice lessons still. GMA offers that, and I'm glad they do that in preparation for other things we can do. For now I want to perform live, in an intimate setting. I want to feel how it is to do that in a small gathering."

If you're in love and want something that pulls heartstrings, go stream her song on streaming platforms. You can pre-order now and stream it on Friday, see why she's doing great in teleseryes and now, a whole new singing career in front of her. Congratulations Arra!

Questions Hound PH Executive Secretary Post: Strategist Reacts

I've always heard the saying "Experience is the best teacher" when it comes to hiring people for a specific position. This is true in a corporate setting, also in government positions that hold a lot of responsibilities. After all, it's the people that you serve, and salaries come from the taxes they pay. 

While browsing YouTube this afternoon, I caught a portion of UNTV Director for News and Current Affairs Michael Fajatin and Ina Andolong's show at POLITIKOTV called Politiskoop where they were interviewing Ma. Lourdes Tiquia, a political strategist and founder of PUBLiCUS Asia Inc.

She was reiterating the importance of the Executive Secretary position and tells how the mandate is huge as it includes decision  making on a national level. She says "It is a powerful position and it isn't a post for pushing papers. It's not a glorified clerk. It really is a little President." She adds "I don't think the current Executive Secretary (pertaining to Vic Rodriguez) has the experience for the work to be done considering the style of the President. You need someone who had years of experience both in the national and local as well as the "can do" policy. Yes, there is a whole bureaucracy under the office of the Executive Secretary, but at the end of the day, the decision maker is the Executive Secretary."  

She certainly made valid points on the her interview that afternoon as executive posts like these are offered to experienced statesmen and political figures in the past; whom mostly have years of practice in the industry. Imagine, names include Ernesto Maceda, Joker Arroyo, Oscar Orbos, Franklin Drilon, Teofisto Guingona, Alberto Romulo have all held this position in the previous years. This is, among other names on the same list that also have related work prior to becoming part of the office. 

That's quite interesting. Questions are being asked and certainly, deserve answers.

LG RECONNECT 2022: Experiencing New LG Monitors in Real Life

You can't say it's immersive without experiencing it all so the folks at LG Philippines got us all to see it in action with the latest models of monitors, TV sets and even a real deal transparent monitor at the recent LG RECONNECT 2022 event at the Podium Mall in Pasig City.

They also worked with the largest distributor of IT brands in the country VST-ECS Phils. to see how much of the international companies work with the best monitors LG has and use it for different scenarios. For starters, gaming, office work, presentations, photo and video editing, telephony, video conferencing (yes I see you Cisco, the Meraki setups were sick!), having it with different accessories (Logitech), and working in different environments (again with different brands), still LG fits the bill.

Thank you for the fun afternoon, the entertainment and the experience of having these LG Monitors used in different scenarios. I am eyeing that monitor that Magic Liwanag is using for photo and video editing, I just have to look at some of the great things that LG offers. And I bet, I'll be sharing the experience of doing that in a few days. Stay tuned!