Ashley Ortega and Khalil Ramos Talk About Professionalism On Screen and Real Relationships

 

It's been a while since we talked to Khalil Ramos and Ashley Ortega. I interviewed them in different projects and yes, it's high time they get together in a project, and in this instance, it's Cinemalaya. Their entry this year is called "As If It's True", directed by John Rogers under the great folks of The IdeaFirst Company.

It's much of a Gen Z story where social media, content creation, influencer marketing is the name of the game. A relationship brews between Gemma Watson and James (a struggling musician). As Khalil mentions, it discusses relationships  and those that can be shown as real, or happening just for clout and exploitation.

This is certainly exciting for Ashley Ortega's career as she just came off the highly successful series "Hearts on Ice" which she did with Xian Lim. Though she feels a lot of pressure to do better, she's optimistic to do a project with Khalil since Gabbi and Ashley pretty much started in showbiz at the same time. They've been friends for a while which she feels would be advantageous for the things they would need to do in the film. There will be some sort of a romantic flick ingredient here ala "American Pie" but it'll be different, a little depressing at situations; quite different and will be in a Filipino setting. Here's our mediacon earlier on video, please, enjoy!

Khalil will also be starring in "Tick Tick Boom" under 9 Works Theatrical Production. This is his debut in theatre, and has been a learning experience for him because things are being done differently. He was matched with the role of Jon because of his very artistic vibe. Show happens August 5-27 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium - RCBC Theater. 

These are just some of the awesome achievements of Sparkle artists Khalil and Ashley, but I'm sure there will be more. If you already enjoyed their previous shows, movies and projects, it'll be a good thing to consume this new movie and theatre project from the two. I'm quite optimistic about what's happening with Ashley since this is pretty much, her second serving of a lead role. Khalil on the other hand has also been very busy with projects (and really thankful for it). When I asked about getting some negative opinions online, he also hopes his situation with Gabbi would be a good measure of what should happen when an actor has a real relationship while being paired with other actors on screen. Strictly professional.

Alfred Vargas Shares Struggles and Fitness Journey

It must have been so hard for Alfred Vargas to have gained weight over time especially with, causing him to have lower self esteem and depression. As an actor, he was always seen being that guy who had over and beyond machismo, huge muscles when he was still making movies back in the day. He admitted this on one of the videos on his YouTube channel. The councilor for the 5th District of Quezon City admits "It was something that I didn't know I would go through, but in one morning, when I looked in the mirror... I just said I didn't know who I was when I got to 251 lbs. It was a wake up call, people started to call me Tito when they approached me. I didn't know it was getting worse, so I decided to change and do it not for vanity or projects, but for my kids, my family, so I could live longer for them."

He adds "I've lost a lot of weight, from 251, I am now 201 lbs. It's been 3 years, I've documented my struggles as well on my YouTube channel. I decided to share a few things that made me lose weight, plus a few things like parkour with the help of Ms. Kate Robles. She's a single mom that had the same problem as me. With our coach Raven Cruz, we've started to share how we were able to do it."

The series is called "Vargas Tries, pwede? pwede!". He also gets Cong. PM Vargas in some episodes. What's good is that fans and subscribers can ask them questions or request, even do odd jobs just to try it out. He's also going share what he learns about it. A new episode will be uploaded every 2 weeks, and pretty soon it'll become a weekly thing.

So make sure you head on to Alfred Vargas' YouTube channel here (youtube.com/@VargasTries), start subscribing, like and share!

POPS FERNANDEZ Hosts "For The Love" on TV5

It's not Valentine's season, but that doesn't mean we can't indulge in stories of love designed with some of your favorite OPM hits. These are some of your favorite music pieces that we all fell in love when they came out. This show also will be featuring several stories meant to pull those heartstrings, some sad, some with a happy ending.

The story will also include some of your favorite actors, love teams, of which were also there during the show's mediacon a few days ago. The roster includes Heaven Peralejo and Marco Gallo, Bea Binene (who will be paired with Gab Lagman), Krissha Viaje and Wilbert Ross, plus the previously paired (in different shows) Jairus Aquino and Aubrey Caraan (who I found so lovely by the way!).

I find Heaven and Marco really endearing during the presser, and while we were talking about love and serious stuff, they've been pressed a lot of times about the status of their relationship. I got the notion that they didn't really have a label but rather just enjoy what they have right now. Marco was also quite serious about courtship, because the thing he wanted is for that certain person to be the one he plans to marry, and I really am impressed with that answer. Bea on the other hand didn't want to touch on her previous relationships and just concentrate on the now, whilst Jairus is certainly a different man now if you compare him during his younger days. This isn't the first time he's being paired with Aubrey but things went smoothly. Aubrey on the other hand is a person that's NBSB (No Boyfriend Since Birth), so when asked about how she connected with the love songs, she got a little nervous answering questions from the press. They look so cute on screen and in real life though!

Here's what happened during the event!

For those who love hearing Ms. Pops Fernandez sing, this is the opportune time to actually watch the show. She will be singing the different songs from Viva's music library and put her little spin on it so it'll be amazing to see that during the episodes. Remember, this will all start on July 29th 3:20pm on TV5. It's going to be a great time to fall in love, and listen to the music we love all these years! This is brought to you by TV5 and Viva Entertainment. Make sure you also follow their social channels for BTS and updates about the show! 

Congratulations Ms. Pops!

Globe Launches GFiber Prepaid: Because They Know, "Kaya Mo Yan!"

It's certainly a good day to actually see innovation right before our eyes. At the Globe Tower this morning, Globe Telecommunications Inc. announced the launch of a new product called GFiber Prepaid. It's the most affordable, accessible, fast and reliable internet connection from their group that can be availed with a prepaid line. You can order this through the Globe One app by downloading it off the Google Play store and choosing GFiber on the offers listed (costs Php 1499 upfront for the modem-router). To those who are still procrastinating of getting a second line like me, this is certainly perfect because the documents you need to present... are non existent, no actual tie ups with the service provider, as long as you do load it up without expiring in 6 months, then you're good.

They also have it in 30mbps with unlimited data and the thing you need to choose is the duration. For Php 299, you can get unlimited data for 7 days, for Php 649 you can do the same for 15 days, and for Php 999 (my personal choice) you get unlimited data for 30 days, which is very affordable if you compare it with mobile data or the usual postpaid lines from other providers. This was a well thought out execution of what to offer Filipinos because they really did think about the hindrances in getting internet connection in the country. With this, it's going to change a lot of things especially in homes, small offices and businesses around the country. 

They taught us how fiber optic connections work, think of it as light containing data that travels fast inside a fiber. They split it up for other users and efficiently does the job its supposed to do. They also showed some clips they use to terminate a line and connect as an injector to boxes outside and at home. Here's some scenes from this morning's event!

 

Globe CEO Ernest Cu says "We here at Globe support your digital lifestyle and we hope this democratizes access to fiber especially in this market. For studies, business, entertainment, all at home we prefer fiber. In this new reality, we strive to bring game changing products and having fiber at home is such a better choice in service. When we allowed GCash do financial services and democratized it through the app, we want to make sure people can afford the services and enjoy what we offer in Globe. Up to 60 percent of households still don't have internet connection, because most could not afford it. They don't want to be held in a contract, and people want that flexibility. This is our business, aimed to uplift Filipino lives. This is why making this accessible is important. People need wifi, data, have it installed and give commissions to agents. Removing this and offer at an attractive price point, we are introducing GFiber Prepaid!"

Thanks to Ms. Nicole Paler who got a shot of us during the event!

There was a part of the event where I was able to talk with the host Ms. Neri Naig about my experience using the Globe GFiber Prepaid line. Installation was fast, even if I rescheduled it because I had an event on the date that I initially decided on. They were even at my home early and asked my availability if it was okay to install it lunch time. I also got to talk about the speed because out of the several days I tested, it was constantly around 29-31 mbps, which they promised to be at 30, quite impressive. I may have just found my ideal backup line that doesn't break the bank and does work when I need it.

You may be thinking of getting a fiber line for your home, your small business, your TikTok family member, or online selling business, this works great, affordable and I can even play a few games when I'm not doing any work. Go try the new GFiber Prepaid today and take advantage of fast speeds it could give you without going over budget. Those kids learning at home actually need this most, so they don't suffer from the shortcomings of mobile data.

I'm still using mine, and you should try it out (they check if there are lines available in your area too!). Yes, kaya mo now!