Celebrity RADAR

10

Volume 1 • Issue No. 4

WHAT’S INSIDE

Cover Story: Maymay Entrata & Edward Barber Without a doubt, MayWard is one of Philippine tinseltown’s hottest love teams. Find out how they’re coping with the wild and wonderful world of showbiz in this month’s cover story.

10

Special Feature What went down when Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray came home to celebrate her big win with her countrymen.

18 22

Bagong Iibigin Hindi lang isa, hindi lang dalawa, kundi tatlong bituin ang inyong mamahalin ngayong buwan! Meet Kapuso hunk Dave Bornea, singer Janah Zaplan and boy-next-door Uno Santiago.

Special Feature Ikakasal na ang TV personality na si Valerie Concepcion sa kanyang fiancé na si Francis Sunga. Paano at saan nga ba sila nagkakilala?

42

Where Are They Now For sure, marami pa rin ang nakakaalala kay Cass Ponti, isa sa mga naging housemate ni Kuya noong unang season ng Pinoy Big Brother. Kamusta na nga ba si Cass ngayong matagal-tagal na siyang wala sa mundo ng showbiz?

46

Sports Idol From volleyball star to beauty queen, there’s no stopping Miss Philippines Globe 2018 Michele Gumabao from shining like the star she was always meant to be.

51

Fashion & Beauty 29 In The Bag: Jef Gaitan 30 Fit for a queen 32 Summer ready Lifestyle 34 Celebrity Cooking: Judy Ann Santos 38 Celebrity Business: John Estrada & Derek Ramsay In Every Issue 2 Editor’s Note 4 Hot Off The Press 7 Celebrity Tracks 49 K-pop: Tomorrow x Together 56 Take Your Word For It 61 Health 62 #RealTalk 63 Horoscope 64 Crossword 2 | CELEBRITY RADAR

34

42

56

Volume 1 • Issue No. 4

YOUR SHOWBIZ INSIDER

Francis Martinez Simeon Editor-In-Chief/Managing Editor Julian Mauricio Associate Editor Charles Carvajal, Wynnie Ermino, Edith Estrella, Dan Hernando, Malou Tadeo Layout Artists Edilberto Lopez, Jr. Proofreader Alex Brosas Rommel Gonzales Alwin Ignacio Josh Mercado Rommel Placente Contributing Writers DJ Laila Chikadora Boy George Nonie Nicasio Dr. Melissa Sinchongco Columnists Prage Management Company Publisher Renato M. Marfil President Gil C. Cabacungan, Jr. General Manager Allyson T. Mallen, Jr. Production/Circulation Tess D. Escuadro Advertising Editorial office address at 3/f Karrivin Plaza Bldg., 2316 Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City Trunkline: (02) 553-5595 to 96 Editorial: Direct line (02) 553-5579, local 807 Fax: (02) 553-5589 Advertising: Direct line (02) 553-5589, locals 809, 814 Fax: (02) 553-5597

Editor's Note

K

A MILLION THANKS

ay bilis talaga ng ­panahon, juice colored!

Parang kailan lang nagdaan ang Pasko't Bagong Taon, Chinese New Year at Valentine's Day, ah. Ngayon, March na. Nakaka-first quarter na ang 2019 at papasok na naman ang tag-init!

Malapit na mag-march ang mga estudyante sa preschool, elementary and high school ngayong buwan.

Congratulations, mga darling!

At kami naman po here at Celebrity Radar magazine ay nakaka-apat na issue na dahil sa support ng magigiliw naming advertisers at masugid na readers na talagang bumibili ng pinagpapaguran naming entertainment at lifestyle magazine buwanbuwan. Shoutout sa ever-loyal at supportive fans ng KathNiel, LizQuen, JoshLia, AlDub, DonKiss at MayWard; pati na rin ‘yung iba pang mga taga­ hanga ng mga artista na napi-feature namin, at siyempre, dahil na rin sa tiwala ng mga maunawain namin na bossing.

Nawa'y patuloy niyo kaming suportahan at pagkatiwalaan upang lalo pa pong lumakas at bumilang ng ilang issues at mga taon ang kinagigiliwan niyong showbiz magazine.

Maraming, maraming salamat po sa inyong lahat, pati na rin sa mga artista at managers, handlers, road managers, personal assistants at publicists nila.

Since summer is almost here, we have one of the hottest loveteams in showbiz today for you. Maymay Entrata and Edward Barber, otherwise known as MayWard, are on the cover of this month’s issue. Apart from these two, we have features on Judy Ann Santos, Miss Universe Catriona Gray, new K-pop group Tomorrow x Together, John Estrada and Derek Ramsay, Dulce, Valerie Concepcion, Miss Philippines Globe 2018 Michele Gumabao, Cassandra

Dinner and chat with the seasoned actor and dear friend, John Estrada.

I was happy to witness the first ever get-together of the supportive fans of the promi­ sing newbie young actor Aljon Mendoza.

Let us support "Tombstone Pillows," a short film which aims to compete in the short film category for the Oscars and Cannes Film Festival, screenplay by Fraser Scott (left), stars (starting from second from left) Ian Ignacio, LA based actor Akrem Lahmandi, Lou Baron (who’s also the producer of the movie and owner of Timeless Entertainment), Blake Salcedo and child actress Kendra de Mesa (foreground), under the direction of husband-and-wife team Daniel Lir (extreme right) and Bayou Bennett (not in photo, but on the phone because she's in the States during the set visit), produced by Pamela Reyes who gave us the highly acclaimed indie film, "Bird Shot," while the casting director is our good friend, Corie Criste.

Ponti, Dave Bornea, Uno Santiago and more!

Again, a million thanks to one and all for loving and supporting this magazine. Please keep reading Celebrity Radar, because our entire team promises to always make it worth your hard-earned money.

Enjoy summer, but keep hydrated, guys!

Editor-In-Chief

Yes, I want to subscribe!

Name : ______________________________ Address: ____________________________________________ Contact No.: ______________________________ E-mail:__________________________________________

Circulation Department: (02) 826-4942 Credit & Collections: (02) 553-5582

Abante

DETAILS OF SUBSCRIPTION: (please check) With 10% discount NO. OF ISSUES: 6 mos. ___ (PhP432) 12 mos. ___(PhP864) 18 mos. ___ (PhP1,296) AMOUNT PAID (Vat inclusive) : Php ___________________

24 mos. ___ (PhP 1,728)

MODE OF PAYMENT: CASH ______ CHECK _____

www.abante.com.ph



U N A S A B A L I TA



(BANK) ____________________________

SIGNATURE OF SUBSCRIBER_______________________________

ACCOUNT MANAGER/ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

#ANGTUNAYNATABLOIDISTA

T 

Abante

__________________________________ tonite.abante.com.ph

PRAGE MANAGEMENT CORPORATION

M A B I L I S S A B A L I TA



#ANGTUNAYNATABLOIDISTA

Celebrity Radar magazine is published monthly

by Prage Management Company through its publication office.

All the materials published here may not be reproduced and copied in any form by any means without the wriitten permission from the publisher.

RECEIVED BY:

______________________________

SIGNATURE: _______________________________

YOUR SHOWBIZ INSIDER

3/f Karrivin Plaza Bldg., 2316 Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City Tel. No. 553-5599 • Fax No. 553-5597

Hot of the Press

State of the Cinema Address Tanong ng madla, may pag-asa pa bang lumaban at makabawi ang industriya ng pelikulang Pilipino? Alamin ang sagot ng nag-iisang diva that you love sa usapin na 'yan.

TEXT BY ALWIN IGNACIO

“T

raydor ang mga alaala.” Iyan naman ang pangabog na tagline ng bagong pelikula ng magkasintahang sina Enrique Gil at Liza Soberano, which was helmed by Antoinette Jadaone.

Titled Alone/Together, ipinalabas itong latest project ng tambalang LizQuen with high expectations, lalo na when it comes to the money it will make sa takilya.

Matapos ang Metro Manila Film Festival, karamihan sa mga pelikulang Pilipino na tinanghal sa sinehan ay hindi pinalad na kumita.

Bago ang Alone/Together, naunang ipinalabas ang Alpha: The Right to Kill, Ang Sikreto ng Piso, BATO the Movie: The General Ronald Dela Rosa Story, Boy Tokwa, Elise, Hanggang Kailan, Sakaling Maging Tayo at ‘Tol. Lahat ng mga pelikulang ito, ang mga producer nila, hindi humalakhak papunta sa kani-kanilang bangko.

May plus factors ang bawat pelikula. Si Jose Manalo sa Boy Tokwa.

Ang tamba­lang Elisse Joson at McCoy de Leon sa Sakaling Maging Tayo.

Sina Allen Dizon at Brillante Mendoza sa Alpha: The Right to Kill. Sa ‘Tol, nandu’n ang pagsasama-sama nina Arjo Atayde, Joross Gamboa, Ketchup Eusebio at Jessy Mendiola. Sa BATO the Movie: The General Ronald Dela Rosa Story, kabilang sa pelikulang ‘yun sina Beauty Gonzales, Robin Padilla and a cast of thousands.

Binigyan ng Cinema Evaluation Board o CEB ng B ang pelikulang Ang

4 | CELEBRITY RADAR

Film director Erik Matti (center) with stars of Tol movie, Arjo Atayde (right, in the back), Joross Gamboa (foreground), Ketchup Eusebio (extreme right), its director Miko Livelo, and their friend, actor Boy 2 Quizon, after they watched it all together.

Sikreto ng Piso, kung saan kabilang sina Ariel Rivera at Gelli de Belen. Sa Hanggang Kailan naman, B grade ang nakuha ng pelikulang ito nina Louise delos Reyes at Xian Lim. Ang Elise naman ng Regal Films ay nakakuha ng A grade mula sa CEB. That’s no surprise, because maganda naman talaga siya, at kapwa mahusay sina Enchong Dee at Janine Gutierrez na bida ng offering na ito ng Regal Films.

Kaya hindi talaga maiiwasang magtaka, may mga merito at panalong katangian at kalakasan naman ang mga pelikulang ito, bakit nu’ng sila ay timbangin ng mga manonood, sakuna sa takilya ang kanilang sinapit?

Saan nga ba sila nagkulang?

Ang award-winning director na si Erik Matti ay may pag­lalahad sa Facebook. (NOTE: the portions of Direk Erik’s post quoted in this article have been slightly edited due to space constraints, as well as for clarity’s sake.)

Ang sabi niya sa kanyang post, “The state of our film industry, the business of it, is in a dire situation. Someone should do something about it. Government should intervene. This is not a slow death anymore. We’re on life support. We need resuscitation. No more pointing fingers. I think we’re beyond that at this point. This is a plea for help.

“The film industry is at its busiest, but no one sees the mo­vies we make except for the sporadic mega hits.

Hundreds of movies are being made, but no one is really doing good business including the big studios.

What happened to our local audience? The past three weeks several local movies were screened, including one of our own, and it didn’t make good business despite all the fanfare. This week, Regal and Viva premiered films and again they weren’t received well at the box office despite the marketing and promising stories,” pahayag ni Direk Erik.

Aniya pa, “Even MMFF, no matter how much they claim with pride that it was a hit, it wasn’t. It didn’t make as much money as the previous years. And instead of looking at the problem of the dwindling audience head-on, they just chose to deny it.”

Tanong niya, “Is it the online platforms killing us? Is it ­support of cinemas? Is it Hollywood? Is it bad market-

All I know is, we can’t go on making movies if no one watches them. We can’t blindly just trudge along busily working on films without thinking about whether all this passion is worth it. We can’t keep spending millions on movies that no one sees.

This is alarming.

ing? Is it esoteric, irrelevant, tired or uninteresting stories? Is it downloads, poverty or traffic? Has our audience outgrown our films? I really don’t know at this point.”

Patuloy na paglalahad ni Direk Erik, “All I know is, we can’t go on making movies if no one watches them.

We can’t blindly just trudge along busily working on films without thinking about whether all this passion is worth it. We can’t keep spending millions on movies that no one sees. This is alarming.”

Sa kanyang pagtatapos, “This industry nurtures its artists with our local film festivals. We look after our film workers with many films that are being produced. We revel in the little things we ­a ccomplish.

“But are we really doing something for the industry where it matters most? Are we really getting our films to the people they were made for? Or are we just bringing them to the small audience we embarrassingly deserve?”

Ang Filipino taekwondo Olympian at tumatakbong vice mayor ng Makati na si Monsour del Rosario, may pahayag rin tungkol sa kaganapang ito.

“Mga 18 years ago pa nagsimula bumagsak ang film industry. Una, dahil na rin sa piracy. ‘Yung ilan sa ating mga kababayan, siyempre sa halip na manuod pa sa sinehan, bibili na lang sila ng DVDs sa mas murang halaga at paulit-ulit pa nilang mapapanood. Kaya ‘di mo rin sila masisi.”

Ang dagdag niyang pahayag, “Pangalawa, mataas talaga ang taxes na binabayaran ng movie producers. So isipin mo, mag-invest ka ng malaking halaga sa

- Direk Erik Matti

CELEBRITY RADAR | 5

Hot of the Press

6 | CELEBRITY RADAR

Taekwondo champion, actor and Makati City District 1 incumbent Congressman Monsour del Rosario and his wife, Joy.

Photo by Francis Simeon

isang pelikula tapos hindi ka rin sure if papatok. So bumabagsak ang kalidad ng mga pelikula. Dati uso pa ‘yung mga action films pero ngayon wala nang gustong mag-produce gaano kasi mahal—mahal ang magpasabog, mahal magpasara ng kalsada, mahal ang bala and mahal din ang magbayad ng stuntman, kaya nawala na rin ang mga action film. Kaya ngayon, halos pare-parehas na lang ang palabas.

Puro comedy, drama at love story. Wala nang variation. ‘Di mo masisi ang mga tao if maghanap sila ng kakaiba.” Sabi pa ni Monsour, “Pangatlo, halos namonopolize na ng mga malls ang pagpapalabas ng mga pelikula. Dati may maliliit na independent movie houses. Halimbawa, dito sa isang sinehan puro drama, dito naman sa isang sinehan, puro mga action film o ­comedies.”

Ang kanyang pangako, “Bilang mam­b abatas, siyempre may priorities tayo—unang-una para sa ating mga nasasakupan, pero tinitingnan din natin kung ano ang puwede nating maitulong para mabalik ang sigla ng local film industry.” Ano nga ang mainam at pangmatagalang solusyon sa mga problemang mahina ang mga pelikulang Pilipino sa takilya?

Sapat na ba na muling ibalik ang pagpapalabas nito tuwing Biyernes, at hindi sa Miyerkules? Papayag ba ang mga thea­ter owners sa ganitong panukala?

Mataas na rin ang binabayad sa sinehan. May mga sinehang P240 ang sinisingil, pero ‘yung iba, P320.

Realistic bang hilingin na ibaba ang presyo ng tiket?

Kung gagawin bang P150 o P200, manonood na ba talaga ang mga manonood? O aaray ang theater owners pati na mga producer?

Sino-sino ba talaga ang nagdidikta sa merkado kung magkano ang dapat ibayad?

Ang gobyerno, na siyang dahilan kung bakit heavily taxed ang film industry, ano ba ang ayuda at mga insentibo ang kanilang puwedeng ibigay para sa mga pelikula? Hanggang tax rebate lang ba ang kaya nilang igawad para sa graded A at B movies mula sa Cinema Evaluation Board o CEB? At ang grado ng CEB, nakakatulong nga ba talaga ito para ang mga manonood, mahikayat at maging tunay na mausisa sa isang pelikula?

Kulang na ba sa brilliant ideas lalo na pagdating sa promotion at hype ang mga pelikula? O dapat na bang kalampagin na ang akademiya na isang pangmalakasang film appreciation program ang kanilang ilunsad?

Masyado bang radikal kung ipagbabawal ang mga palabas na banyaga sa ating mga sinehan? Na dapat sa iilang sinehan lang sila ipalalabas at mas priority ang Filipino films? Na dapat pag Filipino films, full screenings ang mga ito at walang sliding na nagaganap?

Halimbawa, kung may Hollywood franchise at blockbuster movies, dapat ba sa ATMOS at IMAX cinemas lang sila itatanghal at lahat ng mga “normal” na sinehan, para sa pelikulang Pilipino lamang?

Dati, may tiyak na mga formula at templates na puwedeng gamitin at sigurado na ang tagumpay ng isang pelikula. Sa sunod-sunod na matamlay na boxoffice performance ng mga pelikulang itinanghal, patotoo ito na ang mga kaalaman dati ay hindi na sapat, dapat magsaliksik para makalikha ng mga bagong for-

mula at template. Ang crucial talaga ay kuwento. Sabi nga, “story is king.” Mahalaga na ang kuwento ng isang pelikula ay kawili-wili, may katuturan, may wawa, at ang paglalahad nito ay makatawag-pansin, hindi madaling mahulaan, may engganyo, may panghalina, humahaplos sa puso o ang manonood ay mapapagisip o magtatanong.

Ang aspetong teknikal, artistic at production staff, mga artista, bida o pangalawang artista man, siyempre, mahalagang-mahalaga pa rin.

Ang “timing” kung kailan ipalalabas ay importante.

Kailangan talaga ang malilikhaing pamamaraan para akitin, paglawayin, pag-initin, pukawin ang kuryusidad at hikayatin ang mga manood na ang sandaling kanilang ilalaan sa pelikula ay karanasang hindi nila makakalimutan at mabibitaw- bitawan kaya uulit-ulitin kasi nga maganda ang kanilang pinanood.

Ang pagkatalong nararanasan ng pelikulang ­Pi­lpino, walang duda na magbabago. Meron at merong isa, dalawa, at mas maraming pelikula pang magbabalik ng mga tao sa sinehan at magpapasigla muli sa industriya.

Hindi rin mainam ang doomsday scenarios. Mas mahalaga ngayon na magtulong-tulong para tiyaking hindi pa cliché at passe ang kasabihang “hope springs eternal” para sa pelikulang Pilipino. Laban kung laban lang, para makabawi! H

Celebrity Trac ks

Ang aabangan kay Aljon Napaka-suwerte ng dating Pinoy Big Brother Otso housemate na si Aljon Mendoza sa kanyang mga tagahanga, dahil sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon ay nagkaroon sila ng get-together dahil sa matinding pagmamahal nila sa kanilang iniidolo.

Hindi lang ang mga supporter ni Aljon dito sa bansa ang sumuporta sa kanilang event, kundi maging ang mga nasa abroad, kaya naman tinawag nila ang kanilang samahan na Team Aljon Global sa pangunguna ng kanilang Inang Mheck Gonzales na sumuporta rin simula’t sapul kina Joshua Garcia at Kim Chiu.

Walang arteng sumali ang binata sa games with his fans at masayang nakipagsayawan sa kanila. NakipagSkype din si Aljon sa kanyang fans na nasa abroad. At the tender age of 17, magaling na sumagot sa mga tanong

ng press si Aljon. Mukhang artistahin talaga at may promise sa mundo ng showbiz. Magalang din at halatang mabuting anak.

Present din sa okasyon ang pamilya ni Aljon na sina Mommy Judith, Daddy Arnold, Kuya Arjay niya, Ate Angelica niya at ang boyfriend nito.

Nakisaya din ang mga matalik na kaibigan ni Aljon na sina Tyler, Precious at Mark Daniel sa kanilang pinagmulan sa Macabebe, Pampanga.

Abangan kung saan mapupunta ang pagiging magkaibigan nila ng isa sa Pinoy Big Brother Otso Teen Big 4 na si Karina Bautista! At siyempre, mapapanood soon si Aljon sa kaunaunahang palabas niya sa ABS-CBN na Sandugo. Ito ay mula sa Dreamscape Entertainment at pagbibidahan nina Aljur Abrenica, Ejay Falcon, Elisse Joson at iba pa. – Francis Simeon

Rendez returns Balik-recording ang kilalang rapper na si John Rendez. Out na sa lahat ng digital music platforms ang kanyang new single na “Start All Over Again” na sinulat ni Jonathan Manalo. Kakaiba ito sa mga ginawa niya dati na puro rap songs. Ang “Start All Over Again” ay isang country pop ballad na tiyak na magugustuhan ng mga music lover.

Mabibili na ito at mada-download sa Amazon, Spotify, iTunes at sa YouTube. Bukod sa Star Music, producer din ng bagong album ni John ang nag-iisang Superstar na si Nora Aunor. – Rodel Fernando

FDCP fetes film industry achievers Ang Camera Obscura Artistic Excellence Award ay ang pinakamataas na karangalan na iginagawad ng Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP). Sa pangunguna ng FDCP head na si Liza Diño-Seguerra, binibigay nila ang award na ito sa mga pelikula, filmmakers, at artists na nag-inspire sa Philippine film industry dahil sa kanilang tagumpay at husay sa lara­ ngan ng pelikula. Ibinibigay ito during the yearly Film Ambassadors’ Night.

Ang tatlong awardees ngayong taon ay sina Bianca Balbuena (siyang nagproduce ng internationally recognized films like Engkwentro at Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis), Kidlat Tahimik (National Artist for Film) at ang The Hows of Us na pinagbidahan nina Daniel Padilla at Kathryn Bernardo. Ito ay ginawaran ng Camera Obscura Award dahil sa pagtamo nito ng higit pa sa P800 million global box office record.

Bukod sa Camera Obscura awardees, kinilala rin ng FDCP ang 86 honorees na ibinida ang Philippine film industry sa buong mundo dahil sa kanilang pagkapanalo sa international film festivals noong 2018.

May forever kina Arnold, Laarni at Raynald Muling mapapakinggan ang magandang tinig nina Arnold Reyes (isang sikat na character actor at singer) at Laarni Lozada (ang Grand Star Dreamer ng Pinoy Dream Academy season 2) sa bagong-labas na Sana May Forever: The Love Album. The whole album was produced by Lorna Tobias of LST Music Production. Ms. Lorna wrote all the lyrics herself, while Arnold put them to music.

Mai-in love din kayo sa boses ng newbie singer na si Raynald Simon, who also recorded a solo song for the album. Sana May Forever: The Love Album is now available on all digital music platforms like Amazon, iTunes and Spotify. – Francis Simeon H CELEBRITY RADAR | 7

A businessman who cares

Ang young CEO at pilantropong si Sam Verzosa, paparangalan sa 50th Guillermo Mendoza Box Office Awards.

S

adyang umaani ng parangal ngayong 2019 ang negosyanteng si Sam Verzosa, Jr., CEO (Chief Executive Officer) ng multi-level marketing company na FRONTROW. Noong katapusan ng Enero inanunsiyo ang pagkakasama ng batang negosyante sa mga nakatakdang tumanggap ng recognition mula sa Guillermo Mendoza Box Office Entertainment Awards sa ­darating na ika-24 ng Marso.

Kagaya nina President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Miss Universe Catriona Gray at boxing champ na si Manny Pacquiao, kabilang si Sam sa tatanggap ng special award sa prestihiyosong awardgiving body. He will be awarded as an Outstanding Businessman. Kamakailan lang ay nakatanggap din siya ng parangal bilang Entrepreneur of the Year sa American Association of the Philippines Awards.

“Instead of working on buildings and structures, I decided to focus my attention on structuring FRONTROW, a business that empowers and builds the lives of people,” ani Sam na hindi alam ng lahat ay isang licensed civil engineer (at topnotcher ng board exams) mula sa University of the Philippines in ­Diliman, Quezon City.

“Walang mas hihigit pa sa pakiramdam na nakakatulong sa ibang tao.

Naging very successful kami ng business partner kong si RS Francisco sa dating sales and marketing firm na sinalihan namin, at ito ang nag-inspire sa amin na itayo ang FRONTROW. Para makatulong pa sa mas nakararami.

Para mabigyan ng oportunidad ang mga tao na maging successful,” dagdag ng negosyante.

Ang FRONTROW ay isang leading health and beauty company. Ito ay

8 | CELEBRITY RADAR

nakatutulong sa marami hindi lamang dahil sa mga magagaling na health supplements (100% made in the USA) and skin care products (100% made in Korea) nito, pero pati na rin sa oportunidad na binibigay nito sa ibang tao

na makapag-umpisa ng sariling small business. Kabilang sa mga mukha ng FRONTROW ay sina Daniel Padilla, ang ka-love team niyang si Kathryn Bernardo, at ang Unkabogable Star na si Vice Ganda. Katulad ni Sam, sila ay tatanggap ng parangal bilang Phenomenal Stars of Phillipine Cinema sa nalalapit na 50th Guillermo Box Office Awards.

Everyone knows din na kaagapay nitong si Sam sa pagpapatakbo ng FRONTROW ang business partner nito, ang mahusay na aktor na si RS. Sa mabilis na panahon, nakapagbukas ang FRONTROW ng opisina at mga business center nila sa halos lahat ng parte ng bansa, pati na rin sa iba’t ibang panig ng mundo. Nabansagan din ang FRONTROW bilang best Global

Company sa Asian Network Convention & Expo (ANCE).

Bukod sa 800,000 na aktibong distributors nila, madalas tumulong ang FRONTROW sa ibang nangangailangan sa pamamagitan ng foundation na FRONTROW Cares. Nakikipagsanib-puwersa sila sa mga international groups tulad ng Miss Universe Organization para makatulong sa maraming charities. Dahil dito, nakukuha ng kompanya ang pansin ng sambayanan at ng prestihiyosong awardgiving bodies. Nakikilala ang FRONTROW hindi lamang dahil sa tagumpay nito, pero pati na rin sa kabutihan at pagiging matulungin ng mga may-ari nito, ang magkaibigang Sam at RS. Dahil diyan, masasabi na ang FRONTROW ay isang “business with a heart.” H

COVER S T O R Y

FORWARD, MAYWARD Words by Alex Brosas

Phenomenal love team Maymay Entrata and Edward Barber tell Celebrity Radar how they help each other survive in the crazy world of showbiz.

M 10 | CELEBRITY RADAR

aymay Entrata and Edward Barber, also known as MayWard, are one of the most popular love teams of today.

Whenever a video about or featuring them is posted on YouTube, it usually earns millions of views. Last year, sa PUSH Awards, MayWard won big. MayWard was named the Group/Tandem of the Year, and they took home the Female and Male Movie Performance of the Year trophies for their launching movie Loving in Tandem. Nanalo rin si Maymay bilang Celebrity Style Inspo of the Year because of her international modeling stints.

Fan-voted ang PUSH Awards, kaya hindi na talaga puwedeng ikaila na malakas ang hatak ng MayWard sa tao.

FOREVER CHANGED

SPECIAL THANKS to Ronald Pineda and Mike Cabbo of Folded&Hung for the cover photo and inside-page photos of Maymay Entrata and Edward Barber. Other photos of them are from Francis Simeon except for Maymay in red gown and wacky photo of them.

While she and Edward have palpable onscreen chemistry, Maymay can’t fathom the reason why.

“Ang alam ko lang na chemistry, ‘yung subject. Pero ‘yung chemistry about sa couple, wala akong alam doon. Nalaman ko lang ‘yun nu’ng nandito na ako sa showbiz. Saka ko lang nakita na meron pala kaming chemistry ni Edward nung napanood ko sarili ko sa TV. Sa una talaga hindi ko alam ang anything about chemistry.”

While she and Edward were still inside the Pinoy Big Brother house, neither of them had the faintest idea that their tandem had become a phenomenon. These days, they’re very much aware of how famous they’ve become, but they still haven’t figured out why they click.

Edward believes all love teams have their own special magic, but he can’t put a finger on what kind of magic he and Maymay have.

“Honestly, until this day hindi ko alam kung bakit kami po ang pinili ng mga fans. It’s crazy to see the love and support they give, kaya alam namin na may responsibility kami to make them happy, just like how they make us happy. But what makes us different? If I had to guess, maybe it’s because Maymay and I make sure to be as honest as we possibly can to everyone about what we feel and who we are. She and I close and we’ll never, ever hide that. I’m proud of that!” he says emphatically.

MayWard acknowledges that their Pinoy Big Brother stints turned them into household names. Not only that, but being housemates taught them a lot. While inside the Pinoy Big Brother house, MayWard learned quite a few things they didn’t learn in school.

“Doon kami nakilala nang lubusan, kaya siguro sinuportahan nila kami at siyempre ‘yung Pinoy Big Brother family namin, tulad nina Mama Bear Cynthia Jordan at Sir Raymund Dizon ang naging tulay para mangyari ang lahat ‘yun,” Maymay explains. “Dahil nakapasok ako sa Bahay ni Kuya, mas naging malawak ako mag-isip. Lumaki ang responsibilidad ko, pero dahil sa pagiging housemate ko mas may focus na ako ngayon. Mas kaya ko nang i-balance ang lahat. Siguro ngayon kahit anong pagsubok ang dumating, kaya ko nang harapin dahil babalikan ko lang kung paano ako nagsimula at kung ano ‘yung rason ko kung bakit ako pumasok sa Bahay ni Kuya.”

“Did I change inside the house? Yes, of course! Everyone who lives there will be forever changed. You’ll grow and learn to

CELEBRITY RADAR | 11

Ang alam ko lang na chemistry, ‘yung subject. Pero ‘yung chemistry about sa couple, wala akong alam doon. Nalaman ko lang ‘yun nu’ng nandito na ako sa showbiz. Saka ko lang nakita na meron pala kaming chemistry ni Edward nu’ng napanood ko sarili ko sa TV Maymay do so many things you never thought you could do. There’s an old saying that goes, ‘Pressure makes diamonds.’ There was certainly a lot of pressure inside the house. But everything we experienced and the memories we made are priceless, like diamonds. The best lesson I learned inside the house was how to be a team player and never give up on your dreams. I also learned that when you are blessed, you have to share it with others when you get a chance to do so,” Edward says.

12 | CELEBRITY RADAR

CELEBRITY RADAR | 13

We know each other well and we share certain things with each other if we feel the need to share. That’s the benefit of having a partner. We’re always there for each other. Edward BLESSINGS UPON BLESSINGS

When they returned to the outside world after Pinoy Big Brother Lucky 7 came to an end, they were overwhelmed by everything that was going on around them.

“I don’t remember it that well,” Edward admitted. “It was all a blur. We would go from appearing on Tonight with Boy Abunda to doing shows for thousands of people in the blink of an eye. And after months shut up inside the house, it was so overwhelming. But over time, it got more fun. That’s why I can’t help but smile whenever I see the new batch of teen housemates, because I know they’re experiencing the same thing I did.”

“Wala talaga sa utak ko na magiging sikat na artista ako pagkalabas ko ng Bahay ni Kuya. Akala ko paglabas ko uuwi lang ako at mag-school na ako ulit. OK na sa akin ‘yung manalo ako sa Pinoy Big Brother, makakita ng artista at makapagpa-picture sa kanila.

Hindi ko inakala na darating ‘yung mga malalaking blessing sa amin tulad nu’ng chance na makapagtrabaho sa ASAP Natin ‘To,” Maymay says.

Edward confesses na akala talaga niya noon agad siyang ma-e-evict, kaya he never saw his popularity coming. “I honestly thought I would be gone after the first week. One of the reasons I auditioned for Pinoy Big Brother was so I could put it on my resume when I applied for university! But I never even expected to get in, much less get to where we are now. Blessings upon blessings talaga.”

Maymay and Edward say that one of the biggest blessings they’ve received is the chance to work with some of the Philippine entertainment industry’s best and brightest. According to MayWard, getting to spend time with icons

14 | CELEBRITY RADAR

like Gary Valenciano has helped them grow as people and performers. They feel inspired to do their best because of all the people they encounter on a daily or weekly basis.

“Sina Ms. KZ Tandingan, Ms. Maja Salvador, Ms. Sarah Geronimo at Ms. Yeng Constantino, palagi nila kaming pinapayuhan. Pati sina Ms. Angel Locsin at Tito Gary. Palagi nilang pinapaalala sa amin na lahat ng bagay na meron kami ngayon ay temporary lang, kaya dapat lang kaming mag-enjoy at ‘wag makipag-compete kahit kanino. Enjoy lang.”

“Think of it like this,” Edward says, “When you walk into the ASAP Natin’ To studio, you see the most talented artists in the Philippines. You see people like Sir Gary and Sir Martin Nievera rehearsing onstage. You see Mr. Johnny Manahan talking to some people from production team in one corner. You see other celebrities waiting for their turn to rehearse in another. The atmosphere in there is so amazing, and that’s why I don’t think I’m inspired by one specific person. It’s more like I’m inspired when I do something I love with people who love it as much as I do. With ASAP Natin’ To and iWant ASAP, everyone works hand in hand to make Sundays exciting and that’s inspiring to me.”

STRONGER TOGETHER

It’s true that Maymay and Edward are better together, but they’ve also found success as individuals.

In Maymay’s case, she made heads turn when she walked in 2018’s Arab Fashion Week. So much so, in fact, that a photo of her working the runway landed in Vogue Italia—considered by many to be the best high-fashion magazine in the world, more so than American Vogue.

When asked if she wants to delve deeper into the modeling world, Maymay said yes, as long as management gives her the go-ahead.

For his part, Edward earned rave reviews for his performance as a confused young man in the Aga Muhlach and Bea Alonzo movie First Love.

“I didn’t really act in First Love,” Edward reveals.

“By that, I mean that everything was felt very real to me. When we were on set in Canada, no one knew who we were, so it just felt like a normal day in Vancouver. Working with Direk Paul, Sir Aga and Ate Bea showed me what it’s really like to be good at what you do and that’s something I want to strive for. I want to get to their level of expertise in acting. That’s my goal and I’m going to pursue it with all I’ve got.”

Maymay feels that intelligence is Edward’s greatest strength. “Sa aming dalawa, mas mautak talaga si Dodong.

Mas matalino siya sa akin. Sa interview, tinuturuan niya ako kung paano dapat sumagot.

Meron na akong answer, pero mas inaayos pa niya, mas binibigyan pa niya ng meaning,” she says.

For Edward, flexibility is his partner’s greatest gift.

CELEBRITY RADAR | 15

Maymay is someone who knows how to adapt to new situations very well. She’s able to learn something quickly. Just give her a little time and boom, she’ll already know how to handle a situation or whatever.

Edward “Maymay is someone who knows how to adapt to new situations very well. She’s able to learn something quickly. Just give her a little time and boom, she’ll already know how to handle a situation or whatever. I think that’s really good because if there’s something I can’t do well, she’ll be able to do it and vice-versa. Maymay and I help each other. We’re OK on our own, but we’re stronger together,” he said.

Because they’re together practically every single day, Maymay and Edward knew each other very well. “Sabay kasi naming napagdaanan lahat ng pagsubok dito sa showbiz.

Marami na rin kaming inside jokes at sikreto na kami lang ang nakakaalam,” Maymay shares.

Edward adds, “We know each other well and we share certain things with each other if we feel the need to share.

That’s the benefit of having a partner. We’re always there for each other.”

Their fans would love to see Maymay and Edward end up with each other. How do they react to that?

“Kumportable naman ako sa ganu’n. Basta ang akin lang, dahan-dahan lang muna. Pero hindi problema sa akin kung ‘yun ang gusto ng fans namin,” says Maymay.

“We love all our fans. One of the things we love about them is that they don’t pressure us into being anything we don’t want to be. We want to be honest and truthful to them. And they understand that. But there’s a right time for all of that. Who knows when that will be? No one knows. But it’ll come eventually,” says Edward with a wink.

Till then, Maymay and Edward will just keep moving forward on the path to fame and fortune— together, of course. Because all the blessings in the world will mean nothing if you can’t share them with the one. Isn’t that right, Maymay and Edward? Hehe.

Forward, MayWard! H 16 | CELEBRITY RADAR

GAMIT, BENEPISYO AT IBA PANG EPEKTO NG GAMOT NA GLUTATHIONE

M

ALIMIT nating marinig n a n a gd u d u l o t n g m a s a m a n g e p e kto ang anumang labis o sobra. Hindi rin pala ito totoo.

May mga bagay pala na masarap at mabuting sumobra o lumabis kaysa sa ating inaasahan.

Masarap kasi nagbibigay ito ng pakiramdam na tumataas ang tiwala natin sa ating sarili at mabuti sa isang banda dahil mainam naman ito sa ating pangkalahatang kalusugan.

Ito ang nauuso ngayong paggamit ng Glutathione sa pamamagitan ng Intravenous Injections o IV Gluta in short.

ANO NGA BA ANG GLUTATHIONE? Ayon kay Dr. Imelda S. Edodollon, G.P.I., M.D., M.T., N.M.D., ang Gluta­ thione ay isang maliit na protein mole­ cule mula sa amino acids cysteine, gly­ cine at glutamic acid. Ito ay ginagawa sa loob ng mga selula o cells.

Dagdag ni Doc Meddie na siyang tawag sa kanya ng mga pasyente niya, natural na sa ating mga katawan ang Glutathione. Ang trabaho nito ay ang pigilin ang pagdami ng Melanin sa ating katawan na nagbibigay ng kulay sa ating balat.

Sabi pa ng 35-anyos na founder ng Holisitic Integrative Care Center (HICC), ang Glutathione ang pinaka-popular at sinasabing pinaka-epektibong paraan ng pagpapaputi.

Naging popular ito sa Pilipinas ma­ higit 10 taon na ang nakararaan dahil sa mga sikat na artista at personalidad na gumamit at nag-endorso nito mata­ pos pumuti at kuminis ang kanilang kutis.

Sabi ni Doc Meddie, ang pagkatuk­ las sa Glutathione ang naging instant stairway to heaven ng mga artista para madaling makilala, sumikat at tularan ng kanilang mga tagahanga.

Nasobrahan na nga ay nakabuti pa kaya naman sumisirit ang negosyo sa mga pampaganda at dumami ang mga gumagamit ng Glutathione.

Sabi ni Doc Meddie, kahit nga raw mga kabataan ngayon ay maaari na ring makagamit ng Gluta.

Ano ba ang mga pakinabang ng Glutathione sa katawan ng tao? Simple lang naman daw ayon kay Doc Meddie.

Pinalalakas nito ang ating immune

system dahil ito ay isang anti-oxidant at free radical scavenger – prinopro­ tektahan ng Glutathione ang katawan ng tao laban sa mga bacteria, viruses, pollutants at free radicals.

Isa rin aniya itong regulator ng iba pang anti-oxidants – hindi magiging epektibo ang iba pang anti-oxidants na protektahan ang katawan ng tao kapag wala ang Glutathione Dagdag ni Doc Meddie, isa itong detoxifying agent – ginagamot nito ang mga chemical compounds katu­

pagkasira ng mga cells at nagdudulot ng pagtanda ng pisikal na anyo ng tao.

EPEKTIBO BA ANG GLUTATHIONE BILANG PAMPAPUTI?

Ang saya dahil ang side effect ng g­ amot na ito ay ang pagputi at pagkinis ng kutis.

Saan ka pa ‘di ba? Eto ang sobra na maganda ang dulot sa ating katawan.

Ito ay dahil sa reaksyon ng gluta­

Sabi ni Doc Meddie, hulog ng langit ang Glutathione dahil ginagamit din ito bilang gamot sa ilang karamdaman at kondisyon gaya ng katarata, glaucoma, alcoholism, ilang karamdaman sa puso, atay, at baga.

Dagdag niya, mabisang gamot ito sa halos lahat ng karamdaman, lalo na sa mga sakit na kaakibat ng pagtanda ng tao.

Dahil sa hindi magandang lifestyle, pinunto ni Doc Meddie na madali ta­ yong kapitan ng mga sakit, madaling

MAY SIDE EFFECT BA ANG GLUTATHIONE?

Ligtas at wala naman daw dapat ikabahala sa paggamit ng Gluta­ thione.

Sabi nga ni Doc Meddie, ang kagandahan ng overdose sa Gluta­ thione ay ang pagputi ng balat na ngayon naman ay ginagamit bilang cosmetic treatment para sa mga nagnanais magpaputi. lad ng carcinogens at metabolites, pinapababa nito ang pagkakaroon ng cancer, tumutulong sa pagbuti ng men­ tal functions, pinatataas ang enerhiya, pinapabuti ang konsentrasyon, tumu­ tulong sa pagbuti ng puso at atay, tu­ mutulong upang maiwasan ang pagka­ baog sa mga lalaki at pagkakaroon ng problema sa thyroid.

Kumbaga, kaibigan ng ating katawan ang Glutathione dahil ito ay isang ma­ lakas na uri ng antioxidant na natural na nilalabas ng atay.

Natural din itong makukuha sa mga prutas, gulay at mga karne.

Dahil ito ay isang uri ng antioxidant, tulad ng Vitamin C at Vitamin E, nakatu­ tulong ito na pabagalin ang epekto ng mapanirang free radicals sa mga cells ng katawan.

Paliwanag ng ating mabait na dok­ tora, ang free radicals ay nagdudulot ng

thione sa enzyme na Tyrosinase at ­nakapagpapabagal ng produkson ng melanin sa balat.

“Itinuturing naman na ligtas at epektibo ang paggamit ng glutathione bilang pampaputi, bagaman nanga­ ngailangan pa rin ng karagdagan pang pag-aaral na ito nga ay ligtas sa pangmatagalang panahon,” ani Doc ­Meddie.

Kaya nga nagbunyi ang mga Pinoy sa pagdating ng Glutathione sa kanilang buhay.

Gumaganda na, tinutulungan pa ni­ tong salain ang atay mula sa mga kemi­ kal at lason na pumapasok sa katawan gaya ng alak, polusyon na nalalanghap, at mga gamot o droga na iniinom.

Mabisa rin ito sa pagbawas ng side effects na maaaring makuha sa pag­ gagamot ng chemotherapy sa mga ­taong may kanser.

kumulubot ang ating mga balat, nagi­ ging tuyo at walang buhay ang ating katawan.

Ang exposure sa araw ay isa ring dahilan upang madaling magmukhang matanda ang ating balat at magkaroon ng iba’t ibang sakit sa balat.

Kung may anak kayo na hindi na naalisan ng ubo o sipon, aba eh mabilis itong malulutas sa tinatawag na Gluta Drip. Itinuturok ito sa ugat para agarang pumasok sa sistema ng katawan.

Isa ang klinika ni Doc Meddie na da­ lubhasa sa ganitong serbisyo. Matatag­ puan ito sa UG-11 CPT Condominium, 6264 Calle Estacion, Barangay Pio del Pilar, Pasong Tamo sa Makati City.

Maaari rin kayong makakuha ng ibang impormasyon, bisitahin lang ang kanilang website na www.hiccphy.com o sa kanilang Facebook account na www.facebook.com/hiccph.

Special Feature

18 | CELEBRITY RADAR

SPECIAL THANKS TO ANNIE ALEJO

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BINIBINING PILIPINAS AND BRUCE CASANOVA

S

oon after Catriona Gray won the 2018 Miss Universe pageant—held in front of a sold-out crowd at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, T ­ hailand last December 17—she broke from tradition and flew back to the Philippines instead of heading straight to New York City to begin her reign.

Most Filipinos were surprised to hear that she was back in town so soon, because they hadn’t heard anything about a homecoming parade for her. But the new Miss Universe’s team was quick to clarify that Catriona came to the Philippines not for her official homecoming, but to take part in a charity event organized by Frontrow Philippines in cooperation with the Miss Universe Organization. Later, eagle-eyed pageant fans realized that Queen Cat didn’t wear her crown once during the whole trip, which they said was a sign that trip didn’t count as her official return to the Philippines.

After the charity event, Catriona got on a plane bound for the US, promising to return in the first quarter of 2019 to celebrate her big win with her countrymen. When the new Miss Universe met with members of the Philippine media last February 20—day one of her actual homecoming celebration—she was resplendent in a coral Filipiniana jumpsuit designed

by Mak Tumang. (If that name sounds familiar to you, it should. Mak also designed the iconic red gown she wore when she won.) What’s more, the Mikimoto crown was glittering on top of her head in all its glory.

Also known as the Phoenix Mikimoto crown, it was commissioned by the Miss Universe ­Organization as a commemorative piece to mark their 50th anniversary. It was designed by a Japanese artisan named Tomohiro Yamaji.

The Phoenix Mikimoto crown is made out of white and yellow gold, as well as a combination of diamonds and 120 naturally white Akoya and South Sea pearls. Japanese actress, dancer and model Riyo Mori was the last Miss Universe to wear it in 2007 until it was brought back for Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters’ own crowning moment ten years later. Last December, the South African beauty passed it on to the Philippines’ newest queen.

The fact that she wore the crown to her presscon proves that she’s here not for any-

Homecoming queen

Read up on what happened when Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray returned home to the Philippines with the Mikimoto crown perched atop her perfectly coiffed head. thing else, but to celebrate her achievement with all of us. And celebrate she did, in a grand style befitting the country’s fourth Miss Universe titleholder.

Catriona opened her presscon by thanking not just the members of the media who were there to interview her, but the rest of the country as well. She became visibly emotional when she talked about how thankful she is that the Philippines rallied around her while she was competing for the title.

“It brings me so much honor and pride to be able to bring so much joy to my country. My journey to the Miss Universe title has always been about giving back to my community and to the country as a whole. That’s what anchored me throughout the process of competing. That’s where I drew strength from every step of the way. So standing here in front of you today, I feel so much pride and I want to thank you all. This is all for you,” she told the media.

According to Catriona, the Philippines was never far from her mind the whole time she was competing. After she won, a publication based in Queensland, Australia (the place of her birth) ran a story claiming that Catriona is practically a Miss Australia since she was born there. But as she tells it, she went to Thailand feeling like a Filipina in every sense of the word—regardless of where she was born.

“Everything about being Filipino colored my journey to the crown. Because I was there as Miss Universe Philippines, I knew that the world would base its impression of our people on how I were to conduct myself during the pageant. So I really tried to be a good representation of our country in that aspect. I also tried to share Filipino culture and history by doing a series of videos about the country, and in things like what I wore to the national costume parade. Even every time I spoke, I always wanted to show that the Philippines has my heart. My whole journey was all about being a Filipina,” she says.

At the time of the presscon, it had only been a little over a couple months since she was crowned. But Catriona assures everyone she didn’t waste a single moment of that time. Long before she started pageantry, she was already involved in charity work. So now that one of the biggest platforms around is hers, she’s eager to do as much as she can with it.

“Since that crown was placed on my head, I went from being a voice to the

CELEBRITY RADAR | 19

PHOTOS ON THIS PAGE ARE COURTESY OF MARK ANTHONY CARPIO

Text by JOSH MERCADO

Special Feature Philippines to being a voice to the international audience. There’s a little bit of pressure that comes with that, I admit, but it’s an amazing opportunity. Throughout the last two months, that’s something I’ve been navigating with my Miss Universe family and with other people. Of course it’s challenging to spend so much time away from my family and my home, but I also realize that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Although I know my reign will go by so fast, I’ve been making so many plans for all the things I want to do, and I hope to leave a positive impact after this year ends.”

Catriona is committed to making a difference by raising her voice. For instance, when asked what she had to say about the bill lowering the age of criminal responsibility in the Philippines from 15 to 12 years old, she didn’t hold back.

“I feel that it’s important for us to

national leaf and the sampaguita is connected to the concept of “coming home,” he used both in his design.

Catriona’s homecoming culminated in a parade around the Araneta Center on February 23, a star-studded concert at the Araneta Coliseum on February 24, and a full day of charity work plus courtesy calls to top government officials on February 26.

As Catriona spends the next few months fulfilling all her duties as Miss Universe, she assured Filipinos that she will raise our flag wherever she goes. For her goal now is the same as it was when she started out—to show the universe the true beauty and strength of the Filipino.

Mabuhay ang gandang Pinay, Catriona! H

PHOTO COURTESY OF OGIE RODRIGUEZ

20 | CELEBRITY RADAR

readjust our focus to why these children are committing these crimes. I’ve worked a lot with children and everyone knows that they aren’t predisposed to act out in that way. And it’s probably a consequence of their circumstance, environment or other, external factors. As a nation, I feel that we should focus on eradicating those factors.

How can we do that? By assessing those children and their communities plus educating them and their parents. I feel like there are better long-term solutions than labeling children as being in conflict with the law.”

Her thoughts on the matter prompted a response from Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, who—although he’s a massive fan of hers and pageantry in general—­ suggested that she may be misinformed. His reaction aside, netizens said that her speaking up about the issue proves Catriona doesn’t care if she ruffles any feathers, as long as she’s doing it for the right reasons. That, they reasoned, makes her truly worthy of the Miss Universe 2018 title.

The day after the presscon, Catriona dressed up in ano­ther one of Mak Tumang’s designs for a grand parade that took her through M ­ akati, Manila and Pasay. Mak talked about the anahaw and sampa­ guita-inspired jumpsuit in an Instagram post. He explained that since the anahaw is our

Prevent Liver Diseases In the Philippines, several liver diseases especially liver cancer is the 3rd most predominant cancer in the Philippines. It claims 20 Filipinos’ lives per day and could double by 2030. Liver Cancer may be rooted from several other liver problems such as Hepatitis B, Fatty Liver and Liver Cirrhosis. Though these diseases are fatal, it is also highly preventable especially with a healthy lifestyle and with the help of supplements containing Silymarin and Ganoderma that are both helpful for the liver.

According to The American Journal of Chinese Medicine in year 2004, Silymarin and Ganoderma—together can help increase the quantity of protein in the liver and can even help enhance cell production.

So in order to avoid liver damage why not get a product that has com-

ponents which helps liver health.

With these, liver diseases can be prevented.

Sodium Ascorbate, Silymarin, Ganoderma, Alpha Lipoic Acid and Amino Acid Complex are now the strongest composition for a healthier Liver and a stronger immune system. These ingredients can also help regulate cholesterol levels,

blood sugar levels and blood pressure which does not just help the liver but also provides wellness for the whole body. LiverMarin Plus is a new supplement approved by the FDA which contains all these ingredients that make it a good Liver protector! Keep your body healthy and the Liver protected while enjoying other health benefits such as improved digestive system functions, prevent over-production of insulin, excellently manage SGPT and SGOT levels and preventing Hepatitis A and B. LiverMarin Plus is available at Mercury Drug stores nationwide.

Mahalagang Paalala: Ang LiverMarin Plus ay hindi gamot at hindi dapat gamiting panggamot sa anumang uri ng sakit.

Source: https://lifestyle. mb.com.ph/2018/01/30/ why-filipinos-are-prone-toliver-cancer/ CELEBRITY RADAR | 21

Bagong Iibigin

s i a e n r Bo g n i m o s blos

vid unk na si Da in h o s u p a K g an alan Kung bet moang chance mo na mas ­kil living Bornea, ito na for David’s thoughts on if he’s siya. Read oneye, doing sexy roles, and in the publicady to mingle.

IN IGNACIO TEXT BY ALW ­single and re 22 | CELEBRITY RADAR

SPECIAL THANKS TO RAP ALVAREZ OF GMA ARTIST CENTER

N

o, he’s definitely not from Borneo, and he’s not a blood relative of David Boreanaz of Angel, Bones and Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame. He’s our very own David Bornea, one of the Kapuso network’s up-and-coming young men who is being groomed to be GMA-7’s next big leading man.

This fellow of 23 summers hails from Cebu, otherwise known as the Queen City of the South, where he left his family—including his three younger siblings—to seek greener pastures in Manila. He was a Hotel and Restaurant Ma­ nagement student before he took part in the most recent season of StarStruck. He lost to Klea Pineda and Migo Adecer, but David has been able to make a name for himself in the industry, even without the Ultimate Male Survivor title. He has been in various Kapuso shows, most notably both seasons of the Dingdong Dantesled Alyas Robin Hood, in which he gave life to the character of Julian Balbuena.

In person, David is not only charming and easy on the eyes (he has the sexiest set of arm pits) but he has something between the ears as well. It’s no wonder so many people are falling in love with him!

What makes him a cut above the rest of the many newbies in this industry is his love for his family. David shares, “Bilang anak at kapatid, sabihin na na­ ting malambing at thoughtful po ako.

Tumutulong po ako sa pagpapaaral ng bunso kong kapatid, at nagbibigay din ako sa mother ko ng budget sa bills and food. Tinutulungan ko po ang father ko para hindi siya mahirapan.”

His mother, a domestic goddess, is the perfect ilaw ng tahanan, and David’s father is the perfect haligi. The elder Bornea is a brave and noble seafarer who works abroad as an OFW. Since his Alyas Robin Hood experience was very positive, David now wants to star in his own action-drama movie or TV series.

His Kapuso idols are Dennis Trillo and Glaiza De Castro. According to David, “Magaling sila. Masarap siguro silang makatrabaho. Just from observing them—how committed they are to their characters, ang dami kong matututu-

nan. And I know that they are very giving sa mga baguhan na katulad ko.”

StarStruck alum and now Kapamilya Ryza Cenon is David’s ultimate showbiz crush because, as he put it, “Aside from the fact that she’s very beautiful, sobrang galing din niya when it comes to her craft.”

Since David is truly adorable, many are often wondering if he’s open to doing sexy roles. (BTW, he bashfully admitted to sleeping in nothing but boxers.)

He reacts, “Sa ngayon, ‘di ko pa nakikita ‘yung sarili ko sa ganu’n. Ang pwede ko sigurong gawin eh mag-topless at magboard shorts.”

When asked how he is as a boyfriend, David said, “I can be sweet, thoughtful, ‘yung gusto ng babae.” He adds that he prefers older women, because they’re more mature, in his opinion.

“Kapag mas matanda sa iyo ’yung babae, maganda ‘yun kasi hindi lang ikaw magdadala ng relationship niyo. Balanced lang.”

When he’s really serious about a girl, he prefers to court her the old-fashioned way. “I like visiting her sa place niya, tapos liligawan ko na muna parents niya para makuha ko tiwala nila, after which ‘yung babae na ang liligawan ko.”

Celebrity Radar’s female readers can rejoice, because David is still very much single. But he kind of isn’t ready to mingle right now because, as he put it, “Career muna ang focus ko.”

It seems that as far as romantic love is concerned, David Bornea know that one really cannot hurry love. It has to wait and it must be with the right woman in God’s perfect time.

We’re looking forward to see more of this lad, either in television or film. David is definitely blossoming, and we couldn’t be happier about it! H CELEBRITY RADAR | 23

Bagong Iibigin

At 5’11”, up-and-comer Uno Santiago literally stands head and shoulders above most of his contemporaries. Find out more about this hot new hunk in this special feature.

TEXT BY JULIAN MAURICIO / INTERVIEW BY FRANCIS SIMEON

S

a nakaraang press conference ng pelikulang Jesusa, pinakilala ng OEPM (Oeuvre Events and Production Management) sa entertainment press ang newbie actor na si Uno Santiago. Si Uno ay 19 years old at talent ni Daddy Wowie Roxas, na siya ring naka-discover kay Francisco Domagoso, o mas kilala sa screen name niya na Isko Moreno. Like Isko, the 5’11” Uno is quite charming and handsome, which bodes well for his future in showbiz.

Ayon kay Uno—whose real name is Justin Philip Santiago—kaya ito ang screen name niya dahil siya ang unang ta­ lent ni Daddy Wowie after a long time. Uno decided to put his budding career in Daddy Wowie’s hands because his own mother Carmen was a talent of his some years back.

“Ako po ang first talent ni Daddy Wowie in years,” paliwanag ni Uno. “Also, through him marami akong na-­experience tulad ng mga acting and modeling workshops. Wala po kaming contract ni Daddy Wowie. Ano 24 | CELEBRITY RADAR

lang po, verbal agreement lang. Pero malaki po ang tiwala ko sa kanya because kilala nga po siya ng mother ko.”

Uno confesses that he has always wanted to be an actor.

“It’s been a dream of mine since I was little. But my parents weren’t supportive of me at first. They wanted me to finish high school. When I did graduate from high school, they allowed me to do what I wanted. Ngayon po they support me one hundred percent.”

Uno left his studies at the University of California at Irvine (UCI) to try his luck in Philippine showbiz. He’s an incoming third year student there, and he’s pursuing a Business Management degree. He says he loves his course but has no idea what kind of business he wants to start in the future. Uno’s plans for showbiz are more definite—he dreams of starring in more movies and TV shows, hopefully alongside his acting idols Albert Martinez, Coco ­Martin and Daniel Padilla—but he says he has no intention of stopping school in favor of his career.

“Babalik po ako sa States in April of this year, tatapusin ko lang po ‘yung semester tapos babalik ako dito. In the US kasi, we’re only required to come to class on two days—midterms and finals. Doon, OK lang na hindi ka pumasok regularly as long as you pass. Hindi sila big on attendance, eh. Hindi katulad dito sa Pilipinas.”

In Jesusa (helmed

by Ronald Carballo), Uno plays Carlo, a young man who meets the title character (played by multi-awarded veteran actress Sylvia Sanchez) at the rehab center where he works.

“Drug addict po si Nanay Jesusa, kaya mapupunta po siya sa center kung saan volunteer si Carlo. Si Carlo naman, adik din ‘yung nanay niya and namatay because of too much drugs. Bale ano, na-overdose po siya.

When he met Nanay Jesusa, naaala niya ‘yung sarili niyang nanay. So he decided to care for her as best he can.

‘Yung mga hindi po niya nagawa noon para sa nanay niya, gagawin niya para kay Nanay Jesusa. Parang Carlo’s ta­ king care of her to make up for what he perceives to be his failings as a son, since he wasn’t able to save his own mother from herself. Naging sobrang close sina Carlo at Nanay Jesusa habang nandu’n sa rehab center si Nanay Jesusa, lalo na nu’ng napag-usapan nilang dalawa ‘yung nangyari sa nanay ni Carlo. Malaki po ‘yung role ko dito kasi significant po talaga ang impact ni Carlo sa buhay ni Nanay Jesusa,” says Uno. To prepare for the movie, Uno underwent an intensive one-on-one acting workshop with filmmaker Connie Macatuno, whose credits include Wild and Free, Mama’s Girl, and Glorious. But his training wasn’t enough to keep him from getting starstruck on the Jesusa set, especially when he met Sylvia for the first time. Uno says he knew of Sylvia long before they started working together— thanks to long hours spent watching her teleserye The Greatest Love on TFC—but nothing could’ve prepared him for what it would feel like to see someone so talented and wellknown in the flesh.

“Yung unang araw, sobra akong kinakabahan. But aside from that, I was very excited kasi siyempre it’s a big opportunity.

Nu’ng unang eksena po namin ni Ms. Sylvia, sobra akong naintimidate. Before the actual take, nag-rehearse muna kami.

Direk Ronald asked me, ‘Kaya mo ba?’ So I said yes. But nu’ng nagsimula na kami at nakita ko na si Ms. Sylvia, nakalimutan ko po lahat ng linya ko dahil nga na-inti­ midate ako sa kanya. Sabi ko, ‘Wait.

Jesusa movie lead star, Sylvia Sanchez, with co-stars (from left, standing) Allen Dizon, Mara Lopez, production staff, Direk Ronald Carballo, Sylvia’s manager, Anna Goma (standing in front), and Malu Barry (seated in front).

­ irek, sorry po, nakalimutan ko linya ko.’ Buti na lang hindi D sila nagalit sa akin. Ms. Sylvia was actually very nice about what ­happened. She told me, ‘It’s OK. We all make mistakes. Huwag kang kabahan. Kapag hindi ka kabado, you’ll do better. Kapag kinakabahan ka kasi, hindi mo talaga mabibigay ang lahat ng dapat mong ibigay sa eksena. So just ­relax.’ After she said that, I felt more at ease. Thanks to Ms. Sylvia’s guidance and support, naitawid ko nang maayos ‘yung pagiging Carlo ko.”

The OEPM team confirms Uno did really well as Carlo, to the point that he nailed most of his scenes in one or two takes. Meanwhile, Uno is proud to say that all his experience on the Jesusa set cured him of most of his shyness.

Not only that, but it made him hunger for more chances to step in front of the camera and show the full range of his abilities as an actor. He’s so eager to hit the big time that he’s not scared of being bashed by faceless netizens on social media.

“Noon po nahihiya talaga ako sa mga tao, pero little by little parang nasasanay na ako. Wala pa akong bashers sa nga­yon, pero if magkaroon I think OK lang sa akin. Kasi sa tingin ko, having bashers is an indication of fame and popularity.

Kaya if and when people do start bashing me, I’ll be OK with it. I’ll just take it as a sign that I’m slowly but surely getting to where I want to be.

I’ll embrace it.”

According to Uno, Jesusa will hit the big screen in May, just in time for the Mother’s Day celebrations. We at Celebrity Radar think Uno is a total dream boat, and we can’t wait to see this charmer in OEPM’s latest offering, and hopefully in other movies and TV shows in the future. H CELEBRITY RADAR | 25

Bagong Iibigin

S

K C A B G N I N R U T O N nanalo a n r e g n i ing s g 2018 n m a o a c r a d k n a ang up-eamale Artist sa n Zaplan, n h i a n n a l a a J l i i s F K est New alang iba kundirincess.

B g n a l i b ards—w l Pop P Awit Aw ang Millennia ENTE EL PLAC TEXT BY

26 | CELEBRITY RADAR

ROMM

i Janah Zaplan ang tinaguriang Millennial Pop Princess, ngunit hindi pala niya pina­ ngarap na maging isang singer. Ang kanyang mga magulang ta­laga ang nag-udyok sa kanya na pasukin ang propesyong ito, dahil napansin nila na maganda ang boses niya. "To be honest, being a singer wasn’t my dream at first.

But because my parents pushed me to try it out, I realized that I enjoy singing, so it became my dream as well. That’s why I’m pursuing it today and I’m lucky that many opportunities are coming my way at the moment,” ani Janah.

Ang mga magulang ni Janah ay sina Gaudencia at Victor Zaplan. Ang nanay niya ay isang businesswoman habang ang tatay niya ay contractor. Kamusta naman ang relasyon niya sa kanyang mga magulang?

“I have my ups and downs bilang isang anak, dahil sa sobrang stress sa school and other activities. But while I may not be expressive towards them, I love them naman kahit strict sila. Nasa lugar naman po ‘yung ganu’n nila, kasi strict lang po sila sa akin pagdating sa boys at food.”

Apat na magkakapatid sina Janah at siya ang bunso. Ang tatlo niyang kapatid ay sina Jaene Kamill, Jhem Karla at Joana Krizel. Kamusta naman siya bilang isang kapatid?

“My sisters say open-minded daw po ako at mabait,” natatawang sabi ni Janah.

Ang real name ni Janah ay Janah Kristine P. Zaplan. She is 16 years old, at Grade 11 sa OB Montessori, Sta. Ana. She also plays volleyball for her school.

Sa katunayan nga, siya ang captain ng kanilang team.

Inaamin ni Janah na minsan napapagod siya sa buhay ng isang singer, pero OK lang daw sa kanya ito kasi gusto naman niya ang ginagawa niya.

“Of course I do enjoy singing and performing, pero may times na napapagod din po ako, pero kakayanin ko ang lahat ng ito, dahil gusto ko naman po maging sikat na singer,” aniya.

Si Janah ay under Ivory Music. Ang unang single niya rito ay “‘Di Ko Na Kaya” na maaari nang pakinggan sa

Janah won Best New Female artist at Aliw Awards 2018.

Janah with her proud parents, Mommy Gaudencia and Daddy Victor.

Amazon, Deezer, iTunes, Spotify at YouTube. Ang second single niya na “Mahal Kita” na pino-promote niya sa ngayon ay available na rin sa mga digital platforms na ito. Ayon kay Janah, napunta siya sa Ivory Music dahil sa kaibigan ng mga magulang niya.

“Napunta po ako ru’n dahil may kakilala sila mama. Pinakanta po ako ru’n, tapos nu’ng nagustuhan po nila ‘yung boses ko, ayun kinuha na po nila ako, ginawa na nila akong part ng kanilang family.”

Bagama’t baguhan pa lang si Janah sa music business ay nagkaroon na siya ng major solo concert na ginanap sa Music Museum last June 30, 2018. Naging special guests ni Janah sa concert niya sina Bugoy Cariño. Upgrade at Jeremiah. Naging matagumpay ang naturang konsiyerto.

“Hindi po ako makapaniwala noon na magiging successful ang concert ko. Kaya sobrang nagpapasalamat po ako sa lahat ng nanood, lalo na sa mga tagahanga ko, na lagi silang nandiyan para suportahahan ako sa lahat ng mga ginagawa ko.

Sobrang mahal ko po sila.”

Pangarap ni Janah na makasama sa isang concert ang hina­ hangaan niyang si Sarah Geronimo.

“Idol ko po talaga si Ms. Sarah. Kasi po parang lahat nasa

Janah with her whole family on an out-of-the-country trip. kanya na, total performer, maga­ling siya mag-express ng feelings niya through singing and ‘di lang siya kumakanta, sumasayaw siya, nag-a-acting siya, kaya sobrang idol ko po talaga siya. Napanood ko po siya sa Miss Granny and sobrang galing niya roon.”

Si Sarah ay nagsimula bilang isang singer, na later on ay pinasok na rin ang pag-aartista. Gusto rin ba ni Janah maging isang artista tulad ni Sarah?

“Opo naman, lalo na I am a fan girl as well,” sagot niya.

Dahil magaling siyang performer, kaya naman nang manominate siya bilang Best New Female Artist sa Aliw Awards 2018 ay siya ang nanalo. Sobrang happy si Janah sa pagkapanalo niya.

“I still feel like I’m dreaming. Ang sarap po ng feelings ko that time, nu’ng manalo ako sa Aliw Awards. I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me and inspired me to be and do more, especially my dad, my mon and my family,” aniya.

She may not have wanted to become a singer initially, but now that she’s taken her first steps on the road to fame and fortune, best believe that there’s no turning back for the ­Millennial Pop Princess. H CELEBRITY RADAR | 27

MOGU MOGU JUICE DRINK available in all leading supermarkets, groceries and convenient stores nationwide.

Gamit ni Gaitan

In the bag

Ano-ano ba ang essentials ni Jef Gaitan na palagi niyang dala-dala?

S

he may not be that big a star, but actress, commercial model and host Jef Gaitan is content with the way her career is going.

After she got her foot in the door via Survivor Phili­ ppines: Palau in 2009 (where she finished in the final three), she became a semi-regular on GMA-7’s now-defunct musical variety show Party Pilipinas. After she bagged a one-month stint on Dear Friend, she ended her time as a Kapuso by moving to TV5 and starring in the remake of Ang Utol Kong Hoodlum, Bangis and The Sisters.

In 2013, she moved to ABS-CBN and appeared on Banana Nite. She became a co-host on an ABS-CBN Sports + Action show opposite Anthony Taberna and won a supporting role in the fantaserye My Super D as well. Her credits as a Kapamilya also include stints on Halik, La Luna Sangre, Maalaala Mo Kaya and Ngayon at Kailanman.

Masaya si Jef kasi hindi importante sa kanya kung superstar siya o hindi. Kahit puro supporting roles ang natatanggap niya ay OK na sa kanya ‘yun, basta hindi siya nababakante at nakakapagtrabaho pa rin siya as an actress. At dahil masaya si Jef sa takbo ng showbiz career niya, hindi rin daw siya nagmamadali na magkaroon muli ng boyfriend. Ayon kay Jef, she believes darating din ang tamang lalaki para sa kanya sa takdang panahon, kaya she doesn't mind being single at the moment.

Bukod sa acting at events hosting, isa sa hilig ni Jef na nagpapasaya sa kanya ay ang pangongolekta ng iba’t ibang leather goods, tulad ng mga bags, shoes at wallets, kaya naman ni-raid namin ang gamit niyang Michael Kors bag nang bumisita siya sa office for her guesting with Wilma Doesnt on the Abanteliling online show.

Celebrity Radar (CR): Where did you get your current favorite bag?

Jef Gaitan (JG): It was a pasalubong from Canada, from my best friend of more than 10 years when she visited the Philip-

pines last Christmas.

CR: Are you fond of bags, especially the branded ones?

JG: I am. Not only bags, but shoes and wallets too. I fancy them. They’re made of really good leather that lasts for years, especially shoes. So you can keep and use them for a long time.

CR: How important are bags to you?

JG: Well, I must have one to put all my things in, but honestly I’m more dependent on card holders.

CR: Big or small bag?

JG: I usually prefer big ones.

CR: Can you leave the house without a bag?

JG: Yes, I can leave without a bag, but not without my card holders.

CR: We found some Gaviscon (a pill that offers fast-acting, long-lasting relief from heartburn and acid indigestion) in your bag, so you must have acid reflux. How long have you been dealing with that?

JG: I keep it in my bag just in case I get an attack. I’ve had it for about five years now.

CR: Cologne or perfume?

JG: I always go for perfume. Its scent is more elegant, longlasting and womanly.

CR: Why do you always carry a fan in your bag?

JG: First, to shield me from the rain or sun when I park far from the location. Second, I don't mind going to places where there’s no aircon or leaving my car somewhere and walking, so I bring a fan with me in case it gets really hot.

CR: What if small purse lang ang puwede mong dalhin to a certain event, like a wedding, alin sa mga gamit mo ang priority mong ilagay sa loob?

JG: My lipstick and car keys if I drove myself to the event. But if not, lipstick, mini perfume and powder.

CR: Ano ang dapat abangan sa 'yo ng mga followers mo?

JG: I am inviting everyone to please watch my first ever film (to be announced) in which I play the lead role, titled I Love You LC! It’s a romantic comedy about finding love, self-worth and fitness, and how intermittent fasting and a low-carb diet will play a big role in such transformations externally and internally. It hopes to raise awareness about the benefits of being on a healthy diet, and it’ll really make you laugh. H CELEBRITY RADAR | 29

SPECIAL THANKS TO THERESE POBLADOR-RAMOS

Text and photos by Francis Simeon

n e e u Q a r o f t i F

n Celebrity Fashio

U

ng tinatangkilikuty a n d n ra b g n a ago t be ines’ neweslf i bags, ang b p ll a ip C il h g P n a e in th n g Kilala , includin 18 Catriona Gray herse . ta is rt a a n t a mga sik niverse 20 queen, Miss U GEORGE TEXT BY BO

song-uso ngayon ang mga clutch—o pwede ring tawaging mini bag o small purse—na pang-level up ng outfit mo, whether aawra ka sa isang event or lalabas ka lang with your loved ones. Ang brand du jour ng clutch para sa ating mga local celebs ay ang Calli bags, which is owned and operated by Tessa Nepomuceno, the doting mother of actor and singer Khalil Ramos. It’s plain to see that artistic talent runs in their family, since ibang level talaga ang designs ng Calli bags!

Catriona Gray is all about show­casing and highlighting Philippine fashion. At swak na swak naman ang Calli purse na ito sa kanyang ­modern T’nalak outfit, ­because all Calli bags are handmade with the utmost care and love by local artisans.

30 | CELEBRITY RADAR

Y

Ibang level din ang clientele nito dahil Calli bags ang naging clutch of choice ni Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray when she was competing in Bangkok, Thailand as Miss Universe Philippines. Kaya masasabi natin na Calli bags is a brand fit for a queen! Pero bukod kay Queen Cat, marami ding ibang local celebrities ang nahumaling sa magagandang bags na gawa ni Mommy Tessa.

See some of the Celebrity Radar team’s favorite Calli bags ­designs below. (Photos from @callibags’ Instagram.) H

Katulad ni Miss Universe Catriona, world-class beauty and elegance talaga ang dala niyang Jessica handbag. Over din sa ganda ang intricate details ng flower bag na ito na gawa sa mga beads at sequins.

Favorite rin ng budding celebrity na si Gabbi Garcia ang Calli bags, especially since nanay ng boyfriend niyang si Khalil ang may-ari ng brand. Lagi rin siyang dumadaan sa booth ng Calli bags tuwing may set up ito sa mga shows like Manila Fame.

Anne Curtis was also spotted carrying the elegant Rose clutch nu’ng birthday ni Tim Yap! The Rose clutch is available in different shades of red. It complements and adds a touch of femininity sa kahit anong outfit.

PHOTO COURTESY OF METRO.STYLE

Pak na pak ang suot ni Jodi Sta. Maria at the last Star Magic Ball—and mas pina-level up pa ito ng kanyang green Calli handbag. Calli bags are also made with high-quality wood, kaya naman siguradong longlasting at durable.

Hello, Mommy Tessa! Since she started Calli bags in 2015, grabe na talaga ang naging growth ng brainchild niya. According to Mommy Tessa, “Calli embodies elegance, beauty, and sophistication. It doesn’t cater to just young ones, it’s for all women—everything about women.”

Bagay ang intricate beadwork ng Frances handbag sa bonggang red carpet look ni Claudine Barretto. This handbag comes in black and white, and puwede ring ­maging sling bag o clutch dahil detachable ang metal sling nito.

CELEBRITY RADAR | 31

Celebrity Beauty

Summer ready What’s up, ‘beaches’? Stay beautiful despite the sweltering heat with these tips from some of Philippine showbiz’s prettiest faces

R

TEXT BY BOY GEORGE eady ka na for your summer getaway—pero ready na rin ba ang beauty mo? Summer can be really harsh on your hair and skin, so listen to these tips to make sure you’re prepared and protected kahit saan ka magpunta.

Block the burn Don’t forget to slather on some sunblock! Even if ready ang bikini body mo, you don’t want to get sunburned. It’s no fun, believe me. Kaya never ever scrimp on sunscreen like Julia Barretto. You can have even more fun in the sun when you’re not in pain because of a nasty sunburn!

(Image from @juliabarretto’s Instagram) Pucker up with pink lips Great for summer look ang light, pink lip gloss. Nakaka-fresh na, nakakaplump pa ng lips. Achieve this look like Sue Ramirez did using a tinted lip gloss. Dali na, para ‘pag nag-pucker up ka for some summer lovin’ with your jowa, kissable ang lips mo!

(Image from @sueannadoodles’ Instagram) Take a shortcut Cut your hair short to beat the heat! Presko na, edgy pa ang dating kapag nagpagupit ka, tulad ng paborito nating lahat na si Toni Gonzaga! Maintain a short bob na hindi abot sa shoulders, and always dry your hair carefully after taking a bath.

(Image from @celestinegonzaga’s Instagram) 32 | CELEBRITY RADAR

Less is more When going out during summer, you can scale back on the amount of makeup you use. Use BB cream to achieve that fresh, less is more look, because it has anti-aging properties, minimal coverage, and sunscreen.

Love your skin and flaunt it, katulad ng newlywed na si Iza Calzado who looks fresh and happy all the time!

(Image from @missizacalzado’s Instagram)

‘Dew’ it like Liza Hindi na uso ang matte, kaya don’t over-powder your face dahil takot ka sa oily skin! Dewy skin is gorgeous—just look at “Alone/Together” star Liza Soberano. Instead of layering on powder, use blotting papers to remove excess oil para ma-achieve mo ang mala-Liza na balat!

(Image from @lizasoberano’s Instagram) Hairography Make your summer more colorful by dyeing your hair using vibrant and summer colors, just like KZ Tandingan! But the sun, salt, and chlorine can really take a toll on colored hair. Protect your hair by washing it bago ka bumabad sa beach or pool, and use a clarifying shampoo kapag nagbanlaw ka after swimming.

(Image from @kztandingan’s Instagram) H CELEBRITY RADAR | 33

g Celebrity Cookin

Judy Ann Santos has conquered many realms—chief among them movies, music and TV. Learn how the one and only Teleserye Queen conquered her fears to become a YouTube sensation.

TEXT & PHOTOS BY ROMMEL GONZALES

M

alapit nang magsimula ang season twelve ng Judy Ann’s Kitchen, ang online cooking show ni Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo na mapapanood sa Facebook page nito. Every Saturday morning at 10:30 AM, nagluluto ng iba’t ibang putahe si Judy Ann habang nakikipagtsikahan sa kanyang online audience.

Ayon mismo sa aktres, ang asawa niyang si Ryan Agoncillo ang nagudyok sa kanya na gawin ito. Lagi raw sinasabi sa kanya nito na magandang ideya ang mag-shoot ng videos habang nagluluto si Judy Ann sa kusina sa bahay nila sa Alabang.

“Matagal nang idea ni Ryan ‘yan.

Bagong lipat pa lang kami dito, as in bagong kasal pa lang kami, hindi pa nga uso ang mga cooking videos na ‘yan, napag-usapan na naming dalawa ‘yan. Gusto nga ni Ryan parang twominute videos lang ang gawin namin kasi alam niyang hindi ako confident magsalita habang nagluluto. Hindi rin ako confident na gawin ito at first.

Wala lang, parang feeling ko lang ang yabang ng dating kung gagawa ako ng sarili kong cooking videos. Wala kasi akong bilib sa luto ko,” ani Judy Ann. Mas una nga raw napag-usapan ang paggawa niya ng videos bago na-conceptualize ang cookbook niya na Judy Ann’s Kitchen. Kaya mas naunang lumabas ang cookbook; ini-release ito noong June 2015. At May naman ng taong 2016 ay nanalo ito ng award sa Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, bagging third in the Best Authors and Chefs Outside Europe category.

34 | CELEBRITY RADAR

Hail to the

CELEBRITY RADAR | 35

g Celebrity Cookin “Idea ko ‘yung book. Kasi at that time, ang dami ko pang kaila­ ngang prosesuhin with ABS-CBN, tapos ‘yung Bet On Your Baby na biglaan. Pero matagal na naming idea ni Raymund Isaac ‘yun, palagi naming napag-uusapan ‘yun every time na may shoot ako sa studio niya. Until one day pumunta na lang ako sa studio niya kasi may shoot ako doon ng umaga, tapos sinabihan ko na si Raymund na gawin na namin. Long story short, in just two to three weeks’ time, natapos na namin ‘yung buong cookbook.”

Sa dami ng kailangang gawin ni Judy Ann at ng kanyang team para sa cookbook, nakalimutan niya ‘yung idea ni Ryan tungkol sa paggawa ng sarili niyang cooking videos. Until he reminded her, that is.

“Tinanong lang uli ako ni Ryan, ‘O, ano na nangyari sa cooking videos mo?’ Siya kasi palagi ‘yung firestarter ko when it comes to projects that are out of my comfort zone, which is acting. Si Ryan nagignite ng passion ko for cooking nu’ng wala akong confidence sa kakayahan kong magluto.”

When Judy Ann finally got up the courage to go ahead with Ryan’s idea, she knew she needed to find the right team to help her do it.

She eventually decided to partner with a new video production company called Seabiscuit Films.

“Sila rin ‘yung gumagawa ng show for Chef JP Anglo, who’s also under MyLaunchPad, Inc., which is our management also.

So nagkaroon ng easy connection with them. Ang tagal pa bago nagawa ‘yung first shoot, pausog kami nang pausog, lagi kaming napa-pack up. Ewan ko ba kung bakit, pero ako kasi, mas nakakaisip talaga ako kapag nagka-cram ako. Kapag mahaba oras ko, hindi ako nakakaisip ng mga recipes na gusto kong i-present.”

Judy Ann also struggled to figure out exactly where she wanted to take the show. At first she felt pressured to cater to a specific group of people. But eventually she decided on a direction for it— one that was uniquely hers.

“Nu’ng una nape-pressure pa ako. Iniisip ko, ano ba ang gagawin ko? Dapat ‘yung recipes lang na kaya gawin ng masa, o dapat 36 | CELEBRITY RADAR

‘yung medyo swak sa budget. Pero na-realize ko, hindi ko puwedeng ikahon ‘yung sarili ko sa kung ano ‘yung gusto ng ibang tao. Naisip ko na dapat ko na munang buksan ang kusina ko sa mga manonood at ipakita sa kanila ‘yung alam kong lutuin, paano ko sila natutunan, sa paraang alam ko. Kaya nga Judy Ann’s Kitchen ang pangalan ng show, eh. Kasi my kitchen, my rules! Ngayon, kung kusina ni Chef Gene Gonzales, ‘yung professor ko sa culinary school, or ‘yung kay Gordon Ramsay, susundin ko kung paano sila magluto.”

The show proved to be a success.

Sa katunayan nga, naging therapy para sa iba ang panonood nila ng Judy Ann’s Kitchen. No one was happier about that than the star of the show herself, who admitted to the press that she was more than a little worried about how people would react to the first season. So when she learned that it had been warmly received, Judy Ann was thrilled.

“People look forward to it every Saturday. Nakakataba siya ng puso at nakaka-overwhelm. Kilala n’yo naman ako, hindi naman ako maYouTube, ‘di ba? Hindi ko ito pinlanong mangyari. Pero siyempre napaka-grateful at napaka-thankful ko sa naging resulta. Kasi make or break ‘yung season one para sa akin. Puwede kasing pagtawanan lang ako ng tao at sabihin nilang

ang trying hard ko, alam mo ‘yun?”

Looking back on the period of self-doubt that engulfed her before the show started streaming, Judy Ann now says it’s important to ignore the voices in your head that cause you to lose your nerves when starting a new venture. She advises people to face their fears if they ever want to get anywhere in life. Judy Ann knows whereof she speaks. Why, if she hadn’t managed to do that herself, there would be no Judy Ann’s Kitchen.

“Regardless kung anong sabihin ng mga tao, ang importante, nagawa mo lang ‘yung gusto mong gawin. Yung naging goal ko kasi nu’ng naisip kong mag-YouTube was to face my fear of talking while cooking. I also wanted to open myself up to people. Isa ‘yun sa mga goals ko in life, hindi lang sa Judy Ann’s Kitchen. Gusto ko, before I turn forty, i-challenge ‘yung sarili ko na mas mag-open up sa mga tao.”

Judy Ann’s determination to open up paid off in a major way.

Now she gets to inspire and touch more people through Judy Ann’s Kitchen.

“Nakakatuwa na ang daming b­i glang gustong matutong magluto, ang daming nag-me-message na inihanda nila sa family nila ang mga napanood nila sa show. Nakakatuwa din ‘yung biglang may lalapit sa akin sa mall, mga tao na hindi mo iisipin na nanonood sa iyo, tapos sasabihin nila na, ‘I always watch your show!’ Or ‘Niluto ko ‘yung recipe mo kagabi,’ ganu’n.”

May mga viewers din na humihingi ng advice kay Judy Ann. Minsan pa nga hindi lang tungkol sa pagluluto, kundi tungkol na rin sa buhay. She tries her best to cater to these people, but she’s very cautious about it.

“Ayoko namang magbigay ng hindi tamang advice. Kaya palagi akong may disclaimer na, ‘Akin lang po ito, base lang po sa alam ko.’ I also always tell them that they can look it up on Google as well, para sigurado, ‘di ba? Kasi ayokong magdunung-dunungan at ayokong masisi. Kung ano lang ‘yung alam ko, ‘yun lang ang ibibigay kong sagot sa kanila.”

Now that Judy Ann’s Kitchen is going on it’s twelfth season, Judy Ann promises viewers more of what they loved about it in the last eleven seasons. She and her team won’t make any radical changes to the format, but they will kick things up a notch to keep people hooked.

“Ganu’n pa rin, wala namang masyadong magbabago, ‘yung tipong kung ano ‘yung mga nagustuhan nila for the past seasons, nandu’n pa rin, aayusin lang namin, mas pagagandahin lang.”

Maaari niyong mapanood ang Judy Ann’s Kitchen sa YouTube channel ni Judy Ann at sa facebook.com/judyannskitchen kada Sabado ng umaga at 10:00.

Sa kasalukuyan ay nagte-taping si Judy Ann ng upcoming TV series ng ABS-CBN na pinamagatang Starla. H CELEBRITY RADAR | 37

ess Celebrity Busin

Lighting the way With his new business DJRE Entertainment, veteran actor John Estrada is paving the way for wannabe actors to chase their dreams.

F

TEXT BY JOSH MERCADO

DJRE Entertainment’s name comes from those of the men who own and operate it—as in, Derek-John, Ramsay-Estrada. It’s in the business of providing and recommending talents to movie outfits and TV networks. John says he and Derek decided to put up DJRE Entertainment after a conversation they had a while back about the lack of competent talents in the industry.

As a working actor, I’ve noticed that during my shoots or tapings, sometimes the talents on set are ill-equipped for the job. According to the production staff, kaya sila kumukuha ng talents na ganu’n kasi they’re hard-pressed to find people who are actually skilled enough to be extras or to take on bit roles. When I talked to Derek about it one time, he said he noticed the same thing, so we decided to start a business like DJRE Entertainment to address that problem.”

John admits that he and Derek are still ironing out the kinks when it comes to DJRE Entertainment—which, come to think of it, is perfectly alright because they’re still finding their feet as businessmen.

“It’s been up and running for only a few months, so we’re learning a lot. We’re having some labor pains, which is something 38 | CELEBRITY RADAR

PHOTO BY EDWARD DELA CUESTA

or award-winning actor John Estrada, who’s currently playing Arthur on GMA-7’s Kara Mia, putting up his very own events and ta­ lent management company was a natural progression. John and his business partner, fellow actor Derek Ramsay, have only been operating DJRE Entertainment for a few months, but their company is already making waves in showbiz.

John and Derek represented the Philippines at the Jack Nicklaus (center) International Invitational Golf Tournament in June 2017 in the States—and won! They were privilege to have met the retired and legendary professional American golfer.

all new businesses go through, but we see positive responses from both aspiring talents and even from the people who are doing the same thing we are, our would-be competitors. It’s very encouraging how they’ve welcomed us in their small community of talent agencies.”

John says it helps a lot that his wife Priscilla Meirelles has been so supportive of his latest endeavor. In fact, she oversees the day-to-day operations of DJRE Entertainment. He also believes that having a friend like Derek on board takes some of the pressure of being responsible for his own company off.

“If I’m being honest, running DJRE Entertainment doesn’t feel like work at all. I’ve worked with Derek before and we bonded through golf. He’s a dear friend so it’s very comfortable to be doing this with him, not to mention brainstorming with my wife.”

He admits that he has thought about opening his own business many times, but he never saw himself doing something connected to showbiz. He originally wanted to put up a restaurant, but fate had other plans for John and his business acumen.

“I love good food so I wanted to go into the restaurant business or run a boutique hotel, but everybody’s doing that now, so the competition is really stiff. Besides, now that I think about it, running a company like DJRE Entertainment is better for me because I can give all our talents valuable inputs based on my experience.

Same with Derek and Priscilla.”

John says running DJRE Entertainment has taught him many things about himself and life in general.

“So far, I’ve learned it takes a lot of courage, hard work, patience and perseverance for a business to take off. Starting one is the difficult part. It’s difficult because you know the success of it lies solely on you, and sometimes it can get overwhelming. But it’s alright because matagal ko nang gustong gumawa ng ibang bagay aside from acting. Matagal ko na ring iniisip mag-diversify. This is me taking a huge step in that direction.”

CELEBRITY RADAR | 39

ess Celebrity Busin

Derek on DJRE John’s business partner reveals why he agreed to start this new venture with his best friend

How does he balance his acting career with his duties as owner and operator of DJRE Entertainment, in addition to his family life?

“Time management is the key. As I grow older, the more I realize how precious time really is. So I make it a point to spend most of it with my family. I have tapings three times a week, then I meet with the key people at DJRE Entertainment for inputs and updates.”

John adds, “We make sure we deliver on our promises, which is to equip our talents with the knowledge and skills they need to be effective on set. Aside from workshops, Derek and I make sure to share all of our experien­ ces in the industry with our talents.”

At this point in his career, John is focusing on passing the torch to the next generation of actors—lighting the way for dreamers, hopefully for years to come.

John’s gift to Derek. This is one of the few artworks so far that the former painted himself as a beginner which the latter appreciated so much.

(Aspiring talents can visit www.djre.com or call 02-926-2070.) H

Derek Ramsay and John Estrada are public figures, so you may think you know everything about them.

But you probably don’t. You probably don’t know that they’re very close. So much so, in fact, that to simply call them “friends” would be an understatement. Derek and John are actually more like brothers. They bonded over their shared love of acting and golf, so when they decided to put up DJRE Entertainment, they knew it would be easy to run a business together.

“We became friends through work but became really close through golf. It’s really great working with John, both as an actor and a business partner in our new company. I know I can trust him,” Derek enthuses.

Derek agreed to go into business with John because he also wanted to pass on all that he’s learned to a new generation of dreamers. He says that both he and John haven’t forgotten what it’s like to be a dreamer—how tough it is to become somebody in showbiz if you don’t have anyone to help you.

“We want to help those with the dream of making it in this industry, so we aim to supply talents to mo­ vies and TV shows. We aim to give these talents the support they need to achieve their dreams,” he says.

Derek says the hardest part of running DJRE Entertainment is all the paperwork he and John have to go through. But seeing the smiles on their talents’ faces when they achieve something, as well as getting good feedback from the production teams of the movies and shows they work with, keeps them going.

It’s nice that they make time to help others despite the fact that they’re so busy. Patunay sina Derek at John na kahit gaano ka na kasikat, dapat marunong kang magbalik-tanaw sa iyong nakaraan, at sikapin mong makatulong sa mga gustong sumunod sa iyong yapak.

Pasilip sa DJRE basic workshop.

40 | CELEBRITY RADAR

Ang cake ng mga artista by celebrity pastry chef

Pinky Fernando

For your orders, please message us at: Pinky Fernando Ramos Email: Fernandoscakes1@yahoo.com

Special Feature

Unexpected

Love Valerie Concepcion opens up about the new man in her life.

S

Text by JOSH MERCADO

ome people go to great lengths to find love.

But in the case of actress and TV personality Valerie Concepcion, she didn’t have to try so hard at all. Love found Valerie when she least expected it—and in this exclusive interview, she tells Celebrity Radar all about it.

When, where, and how did you meet your fiancé Francis Sunga?

We met in the first week of January 2017. He went 42 | CELEBRITY RADAR

out to have dinner with friends kasi he was just visiting from Guam. Nagkataon na kaibigan ko din ‘yung mga kaibigan niya, kaya sinama nila ako sa dinner. They didn’t intend to match us with each other or anything like that. Nagkataon lang talaga na that’s how we met.

When and where was your first date?

We had dinner sa Serendra in BGC, then nanood kami ng sine sa Uptown Mall. BTW, our first date happened the day after we met. Kinabukasan talaga.

Agad-agad. In short, hindi na niya ako pinakawalan!

(Laughs) What do you love most about him?

I love how responsible he is. He’s the first person ever who offered to help pay for my daughter Heather’s tuition. Not that I need it. He’s just res­ponsible like that. I love that he calls my daughter anak, even before we got engaged. He looks masungit but he’s actually a very sweet person. He’s not afraid to show and tell me how much he loves me. I love how he makes me feel beautiful, secure and loved. Even if we’re miles away from each other, I don’t get jealous or insecure.”

What went through your mind when you first saw him?

I liked Francis from the moment I saw him. But I wasn’t ready for a new relationship yet. So I didn’t really think he’d turn out to be my Mr. Right when we first met. It’s good na he made me change my mind and I didn’t pass up the chance to find my forever.

Casa Bendita lerie and Francis at Prenup shoot of Va , Rizal, with (from left) Jibby raphy & Exevents place in Pililia of Nice Print Photog and Charisse Tinio up artist Denise Go-Ochoa, hair ige Weddings, makefashion stylist Jeff Galang. stylist Jay Wee, and

What does your daughter think about your upcoming wedding?

She’s very happy for me.

Siyempre alam niya naman lahat ng pinagdaanan kong heartbreak when it comes to relationships. So when I told Heather I’m engaged, she got teary-eyed. Tears of joy daw. That’s how happy she is for me.

Special family dinner in ­celebration of the 14th birthday of Valerie’s only child – so far – Heather.

How far along are you in terms of planning the ­wedding?

We don’t have a whole lot of details for our wedding sa ngayon. But we’re looking at 200 to 250 guests.

Venue would be somewhere in the Tagaytay area. Wedding gown, wala pa. Sa June pa ako magpapagawa. We’re eyeing December this year for the wedding date. We won’t do it in a church kasi Christian garden wedding ang gusto namin. No principal sponsors yet. All of this isn’t final pa, ha. We’re still considering our options.

CELEBRITY RADAR | 43

Special Feature

Your message to him before the wedding?

Mahal na mahal ko siya and I’m so grateful na dumating siya sa buhay ko. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him, and I’m looking forward to building our future together. Yan na lang muna. Baka maubusan ako ng sasabihin sa wedding. (Laughs)

How do you balance everything on your plate? You’re an actress, a mother, and soon you’ll be a wife.

If there’s a will, there’s a way. So ginagawan ko ng paraan na mapagsabay-sabay lahat ng responsibilities ko.

Time management is the key.

How supportive is Francis of your showbiz career?

Sobrang thankful ako kasi hindi s’ya seloso na tao. So walang bawal-bawal sa mga eksena. He understands that work lang naman kapag may kissing scenes. And sometimes, he would tell me to go to Guam dahil miss na niya ako. Pero ‘pag sinabi ko na may work ako, lagi niyang sinasabi na unahin ko na ‘yun. In fact, he said he’s willing to move here sa Pilipinas if ever gusto ko pa talaga magshowbiz after ng kasal namin. Basta he wants me to be happy. That’s how supportive he is.

What is Francis’ profession?

He’s a Deputy Marshal sa Supreme Court in Guam.

How happy are you these days?

Super happy and complete. I could not ask for more.

Period. H 44 | CELEBRITY RADAR

Valerie and her teenage daughter Heather’s bonding time together at a children’s party.

Now Where Are They

Family matters

Naaalala mo pa ba ang Pinoy Big Brother ex-housemate na si Cass Ponti?

Alamin kung ano ang pinagkakaabalahan niya ngayon matapos niyang talikuran ang showbiz.

B

TEXT BY ALEX BROSAS

orn Lejanie Palma Anigan on March 1, 1980, in Davao del Norte—Tagum City, to be specific—Cassandra “Cass” Ponti made waves as a housemate on the inaugural season of Pinoy Big Brother in 2005. Her accent, caring ways and passion for cooking endeared her to her fellow housemates and the show’s fans. Come the Big Night, she placed third, behind runner-up Jayson Gainza and winner Nene Tamayo.

With her dusky beauty, Cass seemed poised for a ­successful career in showbiz after her stint as a housemate. Paglabas niya sa Bahay ni Kuya ay naging busy si

Life after Pinoy Big Brother was great because I was able to get what I wanted by working hard. I also learned a lot. Bilang housemate, I learned how to deal with other people who have different attitudes and how not to be selfish. I also learned how to accept when I’m wrong.

But most importantly, I learned how to be independent and strong.

Happy and content couple, Graham and Cass, in front of one of their acquired trucks for their business, with their bundle of joy: Leeam (standing) and Glee.

46 | CELEBRITY RADAR

Cass sa acting, dance and voice workshops. Afterwards, she did some acting, hosting and modeling, all of which she enjoyed in a major way. Not just because of the fame or fortune those gigs brought her, but because of what she learned along the way.

But she soon turned her back on the industry to start a family. Now she’s happily married to the love of her life and a doting mother of two boys named Glee and Leeam.

Almost seven years ago, on May 5, 2012, Cass tied the knot with a businessman and seaman named Graham Lee Cruz, whom she met while he was on vacation in the

Philippines. Theirs was a very simple and private ceremony, but it was very special nonetheless. Cass and Graham make an excellent good team, as proven by the success of the banana and trucking businesses they started soon after their wedding.

In this one-on-one interview, Cass articulated her thoughts about her career and family life—which, as she tells it, is what matters most to her these days. Read on.

Celebrity Radar: What did you learn from business?

Cass Ponti: I learned to be openminded, ­patient and wise all the time.

CR: Since you have to raise two chil­ dren, paano mo nakukuhang magka­ roon ng time sa business mo?

CP: I’m hands-on with my two boys.

But I have to manage my time, especially for the monitoring. For example, if I have extra time, ako na kakaha.

CR: Ano ang natutunan mo sa ­parents mo about taking care of your child?

CP: My mother always told me that ­raising a son is hard. But I remember my mother was like a friend to us. We can tell her all secrets and problems.

We shared everything with her, so that’s what I do with my six-year-old son today.

Cass’ cute children, Leeam and Glee.

Graham and Lee celebrating their 6th wedding anniversary last year.

CR: Are you a spoiler or disciplina­ rian?

CP: I’m a disciplinarian like my mother. But my husband is more of a spoiler. He wants to give the kids everything, like collectible items or expensive toys. But me, I’m kuripot.

CR: May “me time” ka pa ba? How do you spend it?

CP: I usually go shopping, or I go to a spa and get a massage.

CR: What are the best and worst parts about being a mother?

CP: My firstborn Leeam completed me.

It was hard at first, because I don’t have a yaya. I was awake practically all the time. I was taking care of my son while doing other chores. Nahirapan ako kasi hindi pa ako marunong mag-manage ng oras ko at first. Pakiramdam ko la­ ging kulang ang oras ko. But when I got used to doing things, everything went smoothly na.

CR: Kung gustong mag-showbiz ng mga anak mo, papayagan mo ba?

CP: Baka hindi. I want them to focus on their studies dahil ‘yun lang puwede namin ibigay sa kanila.

Education is the best! But still, it’s CELEBRITY RADAR | 47

Now Where Are They their decision. Whatever they ­decide, we’re here to support them all the way.

CR: Given a chance, gusto mo pa ba mag-showbiz ulit?

CP: My answer is no, because I’m happily married and I have two kids na. But I’m forever grateful to Pinoy Big Brother and Star Magic. I had the best time with them. Sobrang thankful ako sa kanila dahil sa mga blessings na natanggap ko noon dahil sa kanila. Pero sa totoo lang, I never expected a lot from showbiz. Basta ang gusto ko noon ma-experience ko lang maging artista kahit sandali, and nagkatotoo naman ‘yun, so OK na ako doon.

CR: Ano ang pinaka-bonding mo with your husband? With your children?

CP: We have family bonding every Sunday. We attend mass at 6:00 AM, then we have lunch together. Sometimes we eat out, but what we usually love doing after church is mamamalengke kami. Bibili kami ng seafood, tapos ihaw-ihaw na sa house. We love seafood. My kids love my adobong pusit.

CR: Ano ang nabago sa iyo nang ma­ging nanay ka na?

CP: Kuripot na ako noon pa, pero ngayon mas naging kuripot na ako. I buy what I need for the kids. I rarely buy things for myself anymore.

CR: Ano ang namana ng mga anak mo sa ‘yo?

CP: Both my boys love to dance and sing. They are sweet and kind. I always taught them to be kind to everybody.

CR: What are your dreams for your children?

CP: My wish for them is to finish their studies and have a beautiful life. May the Lord God protect them from harm. I wish na they will be safe ­always, and get a girl like their m ­ other!

(Laughs) H

Cass is serious to go back in shape by doing boxing as her workout.

48 | CELEBRITY RADAR

Cass paid her last respects to the son of awardwinning veteran actor Tirso Cruz III (above), TJ, who passed away in November last year. She came in with her friend and former handler in Star Magic (talent arm of ABS-CBN), Aby Niesta (below) with TJ’s younger brother Bodie. Cass became close with the Cruz family, because they liked her and supported her during PBB, even though they didn’t know her personally.

K- Pop

The boys of tomorrow Kilalanin ang mga naggagwapuhang miyembro ng bagong K-pop group na Tomorrow x Together at alamin ang proseso na pinagdaanan nila bilang trainee bago sila ma-launch.

S

ome say it’s hard for a wannabe to break into Philippine showbusiness. But it’s actually quite easy to become an actor, dancer or singer here in the Philippines than it is in other Asian countries.

In Korea, before a wannabe becomes a K-Pop star, he or she must first become a trainee. There are two ways to become a trainee. Either you audition or you get discovered through what they call street casting. When you do become a K-Pop trainee, you spend practically every ­waking moment honing your craft.

Sources say that each wannabe’s training time is different. There are a lot of super talented people who have been training for a long time already. Take Ji Hyo of the nine-member girl group TWICE. She trained for nearly a decade before she made her debut. Not because she wasn’t good enough, but because her agency made her wait until they could put together a group that would be the best fit for her. Simply put, until her agency came up with the concept for TWICE, Ji Hyo remained a trainee.

That said, it’s important to note that even if a wannabe manages to make his or her debut, that doesn’t mean they will be successful. Plenty of K-Pop groups

Text by Julian Mauricio have failed, and the members of such groups had to go back to being trainees while they wait for another crack at stardom. A good example of someone who had the misfortune to be in a K-Pop group that failed to make a dent in the music scene is Heo Chan Mi, an alumna of the reality-based talent search Produce 101. She debuted two times in two different groups, but both failed to find an audience, so now she’s back to being a trainee.

A trainee usually spends his or her time in a practice room in order to become a better actor, dancer and singer. Some trainees even try to develop other skills that could give them an advantage if and when they make their debut, like music production. Major agencies also teach their trainees Chinese, English and Japanese, because those are the languages most K-Pop fans are fluent in.

Filipino artist Julian Trono once traveled to Korea to train as a K-Pop trainee would.

In a previous interview, Julian opened up about all he experienced there, saying that the process he underwent was “matindi.” He described the people who trained him as meticulous, saying that they usually made him run through choreography multiple times to make sure he

could execute it properly. He also admitted to being surprised by how intense the process was, and said the intensity of their training is most likely why K-Pop stars are such good perfor­mers.

“Matagal na akong dancer, kaya akala ko alam ko na lahat ng dance steps, pero hindi pala. ‘Yung tinuro nila sa akin doon, ibang klase kasi dapat perfect mo even the tiniest movements pagdating sa choreography. Kaya nu’ng nag-aaral ako ng mga sayaw doon, paulit-ulit kami hanggang eksakto sa beat ‘yung galaw namin.

Kaya pala sabay-sabay at walang sablay ang mga K-Pop stars kapag nag-pe-perform sila. Kasi nga they train for years and years. I’ll always cherish the time I spent in Korea, especially everything I learned from the people I worked with there.”

The process that Julian experienced is more or less the same one that the boys of Tomorrow x Together were put through by their agency BigHit Entertainment (the very same agency that manages international chart-toppers BTS) before they made their debut.

Read as “together by tomorrow,” Tomorrow x Together consists of five members, all of whom are in their teens: Beomgyu, Huening, Soobin, Taehyun and Yeonjun.

As of this writing, they are set to drop CELEBRITY RADAR | 49

BEOMGYU

HUENING KAI

their first mini-album titled The Dream, Chapter: STAR on March 4, 2019.

BigHit Entertainment describes Tomorrow x Together as “a bright and youthful boyband composed of five members, where each member is different from one another, shining in their own way to create synergy. The group comes together under one dream in the hope of building a new tomorrow.”

Get to know each member of Tomorrow x Together by checking out their profiles below.

TAEHYUN

SOOBIN

YEONJUN

BEOMGYU Birth Name: Choi Beom Gyu Possible Position: Vocalist, Dancer Birthday: March 13th, 2001 Zodiac Sign: Pisces Height: 5’10” Weight: 134 lbs Blood Type: Unknown Nationality: Korean Beomgyu was the fifth and final member to be revealed on January 20, 2019. He is from Daegu, South Korea and he’s very good on the electric guitar because he used to be in a rock band. He went to the same English academy that BTS rapper Min Yoon-gi (better known as Suga) attended. Beomgyu is said to be very good at school and reportedly got excellent grades when he was a student.

HUENING KAI Birth Name: Kai Kamal Huening Possible Position: Vocalist, Visual, ­Maknae Birthday: August 14th, 2002 Zodiac Sign: Leo Height: 5’10” Weight: 145 lbs Blood Type: Unknown Nationality: American-Brazilian-Korean Huening Kai was the third member to be revealed on January 15th, 2019. His father is Brazilian-German and his mother is Korean. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and is fluent in many languages, namely English, Korean, Mandarin and Portuguese. Huening Kai holds the distinction of being the first trainee with foreign blood to debut under BigHit Entertainment, as well as the only member with a sister who used to be a K-Pop star herself.

His sister’s stage name was Ria, and she was part of the girl group VIVA. 50 | CELEBRITY RADAR

SOOBIN Birth Name: Choi Soo Bin Possible Position: Leader, Rapper Birthday: December 5th, 2000 Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius Height: 6’0” Weight: 143 lbs Blood Type: O Nationality: Korean Soobin was the second member to be revealed on January 13, 2019. He’s nicknamed “Cucumber” because of his height.

At six feet tall, he happens to be the tallest idol or trainee on BigHit Entertainment’s roster. Soobin has an older sister, an older brother, and a dog named Sean. If you want to make Soobin happy on his birthday, give him almond milk—he can’t live without it.

TAEHYUN Birth Name: Kang Tae Hyun Possible Position: Vocalist Birthday: February 5th, 2002 Zodiac Sign: Aquarius Height: 5’8” Weight: 137 lbs Blood Type: Unknown Nationality: Korean

Taehyun was the fourth member to be revealed on January 17, 2019. He and his sister speak English really well. So much so, in fact, that in his younger years, he used to do educational videos ­teaching other children how to speak English.

He’s a former commercial model and a ­photography enthusiast.

YEONJUN Birth Name: Choi Yeon Jun Possible Position: Rapper, Dancer Birthday: September 13th, 1999 Zodiac Sign: Virgo Height: 5’9” Weight: 138 lbs Blood Type: O Nationality: Korean Yeonjun was the first member to be revealed last January 10, 2019. His ­introduction video surpassed 1 ­million views in just 24 hours. He used to be a backup dancer for BTS as well as a ­commercial model. Before coming to ­BigHit Entertainment’s roster, he was a CUBE Entertainment trainee. H

Sports Idol

Michele, ma belle Alamin ang tunay na saloobin ng reigning Binibining Pilipinas-Globe at volleyball star na si Michele Gumabao tungkol sa kanyang karera sa sports at pageant world.

W

TEXT BY JULIAN MAURICIO

hen Michele Gumabao ­competed in Miss Globe 2018 last year, the 26-year-old beauty queen walked away with not one, but two special awards. She won the Miss Dream Girl and Miss Social Media awards, which made many pundits think she would win another crown for the Philippines. Ergo, Filipino pageant fans’ outrage was heard around the globe when Michele didn’t go home with the Miss Globe title. Her journey to the crown ended after she cracked the Top 15.

They expected Michele to be rushed by what happened, but she’s not exactly a novice when it comes to winning and losing. Being an athlete taught her how to be magnanimous in victory and gracious in defeat. Long before she was a beauty queen and TV personality, Michele made waves in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) as one of the collegiate scene’s best-known ­volleybelles.

Michele had always been athletic, but she truly fell in love with the sport when she entered college. She ended up playing for the De La Salle University’s women’s volleyball team for four years—an experience that shaped her not just as an athlete, but as a person too.

“I played volleyball when I was in grade school. My sisters were the main reason I enjoyed it because it was a bonding thing for us, but when I entered college, I became really passionate about the sport,” Michele tells Celebrity Radar in an exclusive interview conducted via email. “That was when it became a career. I enjoyed it because it helped me grow in many ways. From our coach Ramil de Jesus, I learned the importance of discipline and hard work. I still hold onto all CELEBRITY RADAR | 51

A SENSE OF FAMILY In the UAAP, an athlete is allowed to play for his or her school for up to five years. Michele chose to skip her final year of eligibility. She decided to do so because at that point, she felt like she had done all she could in terms of ­collegiate volleyball.

“It was the best decision because it was one I made by myself for myself.

I like to call myself an ‘accidental vol-

52 | CELEBRITY RADAR

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MICHELLE GUMABAO

the values he instilled in me and my teammates. I’ll always apply them in everything I do.”

Michele played for DLSU from 2010 to 2013. During her time with the green and white, they won three straight UAAP championships. She was also named the league’s Best Blocker in seasons 73 and 74, and ­Finals MVP in season 75. But those years weren’t smooth sailing all the way for the DLSU Lady Spiker. Michele put in blood, sweat and her fair share of tears—especially in her freshman year, which she admits was one of the lowest points of her collegiate volleyball career.

“Back then I didn't know what position was right for me. I started out playing the left side, then I switched to the middle, until finally our coach put me in the right. I was so confused, to the point that I seriously considered giving up and quitting the team. But I persevered. In the end, everything I went through was worth it.”

Michele is thankful for the individual awards she won, but says they never meant as much to her as the championships she and her teammates won together.

“Winning three championships, and graduating a champion, was the best memory of my entire collegiate career.

In La Salle, you play to win—not for yourself, but for God, the school and the team. Our coach always reminded us that winning as a team was our utmost priority, so I never saw value in individual awards. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy and thankful for the ones that I won, but if I had a choice, I would always choose to win a championship. It’s more satisfying for me to win with my teammates than by myself.”

Sports Idol

leyball player,’ as in I never dreamed of it but God put me in this position and I worked hard for it,” she explains.

“Everything I achieved in the collegiate scene is far more than what I expected or imagined for myself when I started. Graduating with three championships is more than enough for me, and I’ll never take that for granted or wish I could have done better.”

After she hung up her green-andwhite uniform, Michele took some time off from volleyball while she figured out what to do next. Eventually she ascended to the professional ranks when she started playing in the Philippine Super Liga. In 2013, she was with the PCSO Bingo Milyonaryo ­Puffins. She moved to the AirAsia Flying Spikers a year later, where she helped them place fourth in the AllFilipino Conference. When AirAsia’s management ceded control of the team to Generika Drugstore, Michele chose to stay and become part of the newly-minted Generika Lifesavers.

In 2015, she was named team captain of the Pocari Sweat Lady Warriors.

However, two years later she withdrew from the Pocari Sweat franchise due to a falling-out with the management. Michele spent 2017 playing for the United VC team in the Philippine Super Liga instead.

These days, Michele plays for the Creamline Cool Smashers in the Premiere Volleyball League. She suits up alongside Alyssa Valdez and Jia Morado, both of whom played for the Ateneo Lady Eagles—the ­fiercest rival of Michele’s college team—in the UAAP. However, Michele is quick to dispel the idea that there’s any ­tension between them.

“Things are different now because we’re in the pros,” she explains.

“Playing in the pros is different from playing in college, because first of all, we’re more mature. We’re able to disregard petty problems in order to focus on the sport.”

Michele admits that it’s much harder to form long-lasting bonds in the pros than it is at the collegiate level, but reveals that hasn’t stopped her and her teammates from making

the best of their situation.

“You have much more time to bond with your teammates in college, because you play for the same school for several years. In the pros, you play for different teams throughout your career, so it’s not that easy to find a family. That said, I really love my current team and my teammates. We left the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry behind in college. We win together because we get each other and we work hard together,” she says.

She treats her teammates like ­sisters—especially Melissa Gohing, who she played with in DLSU. According to Michele, her friendship with Melissa goes way beyond the volleyball court. She says she’s lucky to be able to play the sport she loves with her best friend at her side.

“We bonded over everything in college. We have the same taste in everything except men,” she laughs. “I love that I see her every day and that I have a confidant during games and in practice. We’re competitive with each other, but only in the sense that we

help each other grow. We open up to each other about our weaknesses and we support each other in our successes. She taught me to be a fighter and that we shouldn’t let life’s challenges get us down for long. As for me, I can say I taught Mel to be less cranky.”

Michele grew up in a large fa­mily.

She’s the third eldest in a brood of five, which includes Kapamilya ­actor Marco of Los Bastardos fame and international plus-size model ­Katrina. Michele is also close to both of her parents, actor Dennis Roldan and erstwhile model Loli Imperial, a protégé of the late fashion designer Pitoy Moreno. That’s probably why she looks for a sense of family wherever she goes, whether it’s the volleyball court or in front of a TV camera.

In 2017, Michele signed with the Viva Artists Agency at the same time Katrina and Marco did, a move that came as a surprise to showbiz-watchers who expected them to sign with other agencies. Michele tells Celebrity Radar that they went with the Viva Artists Agency because of the fact CELEBRITY RADAR | 53

that it’s not an ordinary agency—it’s a family business run by talent ma­nager Vic del Rosario and his daughter Veronique del Rosario-Corpus, among other members of the Del Rosario clan.

“We wanted a home where our family would be welcomed, and since Viva is also a business run by a fa­mily, we felt at home. Boss Vic is also a good friend of my parents, so it was a family decision indeed.”

Michele has tried to join showbiz before, having appeared on Pinoy Big Brother All In in the summer of 2014.

Now, however, she has a better idea of what she really wants to achieve in the industry—and it’s not just fame and fortune. Michele is eager for pro­ jects that will turn her into a better person by testing her limits.

“I enjoy hosting, but I also expressed an interest in acting as well, if time permits. VAA knows and respects that my volleyball career is my top priority, but they also know I’m up for anything new and challenging.”

NO CROWN, NO PROBLEM That new challenge came in the form of Binibining Pilipinas 2018, which saw her earn the right to rep-

54 | CELEBRITY RADAR

resent the Philippines in Miss Globe 2018. She stood out from the beginning, but her performance on the Binibining Pilipinas 2018 coronation night—especially what she said during the Q&A portion—was what sealed the deal for her.

In response to a question from broadcaster Ces Drilon on how to

fight fake news in this day and age, Michele said, “I know that fake news is rampant nowadays, but in order to fight this, we must first know what we are reporting, know what we are reading, and at the same time, be accountable for what we say, especially online. I hope that media always ­filters and uses their resources to deliver true and authentic news.”

Pageant fans expected her to be sent to one of the higher-profile ­pa­geants, but Michele says she was happy with the crown she won.

“At first, I only joined Binibining Pilipinas out of curiosity. I wasn’t going for any crown in particular.

I just wanted to know what the whole pageant experience was like.

Being an athlete, I know how hard you have to work if in order to win something, and because I was still learning the ropes in pageantry, I went in not expecting anything.

I just worked hard and hoped for the best. I was thankful that night, because all I wanted was to win. It’s not about where you’re placed, but what you do with the chance you’re given,” she says.

Michele flew to Albania to compete in Miss Globe. China’s Yu Yizhou ended up winning the whole shebang, but Michele says she has no regrets about trying her luck in pageantry.

“I’m thankful that I got the chance to compete in an international pageant. It enabled me to raise my voice and talk about the importance of sports for the youth. I got to share

Sports Idol

my experiences and reach a lot more people.

Competing in Albania was very different from competing in Binibining Pilipinas, but I took it as a challenge and I went with what was given to me. I did my best and I know I made the Philippines proud, so I wouldn't do it all over again, because what's done is done. Winning wasn't meant for me.”

Michele firmly disagrees with people who say that beauty pageants do nothing to advance ­wo­men’s rights. She believes that being a beauty queen actually empowers women—not just to chase their wildest dreams, but to effect change however and wherever they can.

“People shouldn’t say beauty pageants are meaningless, because the women who become beauty queens have their dreams fulfilled, their lives changed and see opportunities open up for

them.”

Michele has lived two lives, so to speak. She’s a beauty queen and a volleybelle. If there’s anything her experiences have taught her that she wants to pass on to others, it’s this: “Don't be afraid to try something new,” she ­advises aspiring beauty queens and volleyball players. “Yes, there will be challenges, there will be criticism, but you will grow more and learn more along the way. Life’s too long for us to be confined to our comfort zones and it’s too short to have ­regrets.

Lastly, remember that with the right amount of discipline, hard work and sacrifice, anything is ­possible.”

Michele may be a queen with no crown, but that’s alright. No crown, no problem! Why, with that mindset, she has all she needs to succeed in life. H CELEBRITY RADAR | 55

Take Your Word For It

Truly timeless Because her strong vocals have captivated audiences all over Asia, she was crowned Asia’s Timeless Diva in her heyday. Now, Dulce is still enchanting audiences as a judge on Tawag ng Tanghalan. Read up on her journey in this special feature.

TEXT BY JOSH MERCADO

T

hese days, the chanteuse known as Dulce is more popularly known as a Hurado on the hit It’s Showtime segment Tawag ng Tanghalan—a gig she got due to her status as an OPM icon.

Hers is the voice behind the classic Filipino ditty “Ako Ang Nasawi, Ako Ang Nagwagi.” But many people don’t know that Dulce lived quite a tough life before becoming famous for her vocals.

She was born Maria Teresa Cruzata on July 22, 1961 to a very poor family in Cebu. She started singing at only two years old, and went on to join different singing contests in and around her hometown. Despite her young age, she proved to be such a strong competitor that other singers refused to go up against her.

“There was this singing competition organized by one radio station in Cebu, kung saan naging undefeated champion ako hanggang sa nagsara na ‘yung programa. I was only eight years old at the time. Walang nakatalo sa akin.

When I was just starting out, hindi ako nananalo. Pero nu’ng sanay na ako, lagi na akong nananalo to the point na may mga nag-protest laban sa akin kasi kinakarir ko na raw. Ginagawa ko na raw hanapbuhay ang mga contest.”

The OPM icon describes herself an ordinary girl with extraordinary talent. She was determined to be heard, so she practiced and practiced until she mastered the art of singing. Back then, she developed her own way of taking care of her voice, which she still adheres up to this day.

“I didn’t even know power belting ‘yung tawag sa ginagawa ko nu’ng nagsisimula pa lang ako. The reason kaya naging ganu’n kalaki boses ko was because I wanted to be good. But nobody wanted to listen to me noon, so I realized I had to find a way to make myself heard. So I learned to sing as loud as possible. I’ve always tried my best to take care of my voice. I don’t eat duhat, lanzones, mango, mga pagkain na may fiber, for two days before I perform. I also dont drink cold water.”

Like many artists, Dulce didn’t have an easy time break56 | CELEBRITY RADAR

ing into the business. She experienced her fair share of setbacks.

But she didn’t let them stop her. Instead of giving up, Dulce persevered. When doors were slammed in her face, she forced them to open using her powerful voice—sometimes literally.

“When I was in Cebu, Justo C. Justo discovered me when he had a TV show in Channel 7 Cebu. I was only ten years old pero nilapitan ko siya. Pero tinanggihan niya ako. Sabi niya I wasn’t beautiful enough for TV, but I said, ‘I’m not applying for my beauty. I’m applying for my talent.’ I kept on buggling him pero ayaw niya ako pakinggan. Ang ginawa ko, hinarang ko siya sa canteen, tapos kumanta ako. That’s just me. If sinasara nila ‘yung opportunity, I will make my own opportunity. Nu’ng narinig niya ‘yung boses ko, tinanggap na niya ako. Inilagay niya ako sa TV show niya kasi ako ‘yung gumawa ng way. Ako ‘yung nagpumilit. But in Manila, it was George Canseco who disco­ vered me when I was singing in Cebu Restaurant in Makati. At the time, I was fifteen years old.”

Another obstacle that stood in her way was her mother. ­According to Dulce, her mother wasn’t supportive of her dream to become a singer. Not at first, anyway. Eventually, Dulce learned why.

“My mother used to be the lead singer sa rondalla. Kumakanta sila sa mga barrio at mga fiesta, ganu’n. Nakikita ko siya noon.

Alam ko rin na nagkaroon siya ng pangalan during her time pero

wala pa kasing TV noon. Later in life, nakwento niya ‘yun sa akin. Ngayon mas naiintindihan ko siya. Kasi may frustration akong na-feel from her while she was telling me the story. Sinasabi niya na noon walang TV, so people don’t know you. ‘Yun pala ‘yung dahilan kung bakit ayaw niya akong pakantahin noon.”

Eventually her mother relented and the rest is history. Throughout her storied career, Dulce has been exposed to opportunities that helped her grow as a performer and person. But to this day, her all-time favorite moment remains to be when she won a competition in Hong Kong because she prevailed although the odds were against her.

“I was only seventeen years old at the time. I could hardly imagine na mata­talo ko ‘yung twenty-one other singers from different countries sa edad kong ‘yun. Sinalang din kasi ako doon na hindi ko alam exactly kung ano ang haharapin ko. That was also my first trip out of the country.”

Kahit ilang dekada na rin si Dulce sa showbiz, may kinakatakutan pa rin siya—ang talamak na bashing sa social media. Hanggang naging Hurado siya sa Tawag ng Tanghalan. Noong una ay ayaw niyang tanggapin ang alok ng It’s Showtime, but she was prevailed upon by her friends to say yes. Natutunan na niyang hindi maapektuhan sa lahat ng pamba-bash.

“Bina-bash din ang mga Hurado. Hindi ako handa sa ganu’n. You know naman how harsh these people are. Kung may makita sila, pupunahin nila. Hindi pa ako sanay sa ganu’n. I was scared. When the Tawag ng Tanghalan staff started calling, pinaliwanag sa akin ng asawa ko—who stands din as my manager—’yung pro­ ject, I said no. Everyone asked me why.

They were saying na dapat nandu’n ako bilang Hurado kasi may experience ako joining Tawag ng Tanghalan back in the day, pero ayoko talaga. Napanood ko kasi ‘yung nagkasunud-sunod ‘yung paggong sa mga contestants, bina-bash ng tao ‘yung mga Hurado. But my friends kept on encouraging me to do it till napa-oo na ako. Pero ngayon alam kong hindi na ako dapat magpaapekto sa bashers because I’m just doing my job.”

Being a Hurado has breathed new

Dulce at her guesting at ASAP N ­ atin ‘To with (from left) Frenchie Dy, Dessa and Yeng Constantino.

CELEBRITY RADAR | 57

for it Take your word

life into her career. She and her fellow Hurado (and OPM icon) Rey Valera are now a love team with their very own ship name—DuRey, coined by Vice Ganda and the team. Videos of their kilig moments on the show have been viewed millions of times on YouTube. Dulce is tickled pink by the fact that the DuRey ship is sailing.

“Wala naman sa plano ‘yun. Alam mo naman si Vice, ang bilis niya mag isip ng kung anu-ano na mabilis din mag-trend.

‘Yung anak ko pa ang nagsabi sa akin na two million views na nga raw kami sa YouTube. Hindi talaga ako makapaniwala. But I’m happy dahil sa edad namin, pinapanood pa rin kami. Nakakatuwa siya.”

That said, she doesn’t value fame that much anymore. She believes what’s important is kung ano ‘yung nagawa niya.

As an OPM icon, Dulce has made it her mission to help and inspire other singers.

“Fame isn’t what life is all about naman. What is important is that you know who you are. Meaning, I know my God, I know myself and nothing will separate me from that. Kaya hindi na ako magi­ ging insecure whatever happens. You know, at this point in my life—it’s not a luxurious life, but I’m living comfortably, it’s a privileged life and I am very thankful. Hindi naman lahat ng tao matatandaan ka, kaya what is really important ay kung ano ba ‘yung nagawa mo, ano ba ‘yung na-contribute mo sa mga kasamahan mo.”

Her moniker may be Asia’s Timeless Diva, but when the stage lights go out, she’s as far from a diva as you can get.

She actually prefers living the simple life these days, which is reflected in how she spends her time when she’s not performing or judging Tawag ng Tanghalan.

“Basic lang talaga na buhay. Homebuddy ako. I know a lot of things at home. I have children. I still take care of them. I can’t say that I can do things a normal wife can do, kasi unang-una, I don’t know how to cook. I grew up in a barrio kung saan hindi must ang pagluluto o paghahanda ng pagkain, eh. Kasi kung ano lang ang makita namin, ‘yun lang kakainin namin. Kaya kung ano ‘yung natutunan kong mabuti, ‘yun na lang 58 | CELEBRITY RADAR

Dulce with her beloved family.

Mother and son, Dulce and David Ezra, at Aliw Awards 2018 in December last year where the latter won Best Actor in a musical for two consecutive years­–for Aurelio Sedisyoso in 2017 and for Binondo: Tsinoy Musical in 2018. ‘yung gagawin ko.”

Her daughters also sing well. Nakagawa na rin ng sari­ling pangalan ang anak niyang lalaki na si David bilang isang th­eater actor. While others love to hear their mother’s tips, Dulce’s children don’t want her to coach them—which she’s totally fine with, by the way.

“Kasi noon pa, kahit na alam kong may talent sila, ’pag pinakanta mo ayaw nila. Later on, I learned from some friends na they are intimidated pala. My son, he started as a rock guitarist, hanggang sa nasa theater na siya. I’m so happy na lumabas talaga kung sino sila. Even my younger ones, ayaw nila magpa-coach. They have their own style.

I really believe in the uniqueness of every individual kaya alam ko na magkakaiba talaga sila ng quality. Kasi ang tendency, people would usually tell them daw na ‘You sing like your mother,’ so I give them freedom. Pero minsan nagko-comment ako sa mga kinakanta nila pero ayaw nila. But they really do well.”

These days, it’s her children who are teaching her, not the other way around—especially when it comes to things like streaming services.

“My children are teaching me how to use Spotify. Everyday I listen to praise and worship songs. Hindi sila ‘yung masyadong

religious ang tone pero parang kinukwento lang nila how to embrace God. ‘Yung message nila is very relevant sa buhay ko.

If I want to listen naman to 60’s or 70’s, I search. I also search for exotic music. Pwede pala ‘yun, ngayon ko pa lang natutunan.”

She has won many trophies over the years. But no award or citation means more to her than the people who look up to her, who keep on saying she’s doing a great job. She’s truly thankful for their support.

“Nakikita ka na nila for so long sa entablado. I didn’t have much by way of an education, just the talent, so pinangalagaan ko talaga ‘yun. Doon na umikot ‘yung buhay ko. People can relate to my story—the poverty and the perseverance—and I’m truly thankful for that. As an artist, alam mo kung anu-ano ‘yung bad at best performances mo. May sarili kang sukatan when it comes to that. Pero the people listening to you, wala silang alam na bad ‘yung performance mo. Ang mahalaga, natouch and na-inspire sila sa ginawa mo.”

Dulce is truly a timeless diva. She has the kind of voice that should make us all proud to be Filipino. She’s proof that a trophy alone doesn’t make you a winner. Rather, to be a winner means you’re the kind of person who achieved great things through courage, drive and proper motivation. Sawi man siya sa simula, waging-wagi naman siya ngayon! H

Supportive mom Dulce to her son David who attended his musical, Himala: Isang Musikal, in February last year where he played Orly, the outsider filmmaker from Manila.

David was also overwhelmed by the presence of the one and only Superstar Nora Aunor, na gumanap bilang bida na si Elsa sa pelikulang Himala noong 1982 (directed by the late Ishmael Bernal, screenplay by Ricky Lee) na pinanood ang binata.

CELEBRITY RADAR | 59

Health

Matters of the heart Alamin ang dapat mong gawin kung sakaling ika’y magka-heart attack, mula sa aming kolumnista na si Dra. Sinchongco.

Text by Dr. Melissa Sinchongco, M.D.

T

he heart is a muscular ­organ located behind the left breastbone or sternum.

It pumps blood through a complex network of arteries and veins called the cardiovascular system.

A heart attack—also known as a myocardial infarction or MI—is a serious medical emergency in which the heart is prevented from doing so. When one has a heart attack, that means the blood supply to his or her heart is suddenly blocked, usually by a blood clot.

A heart attack is one of the deadliest diseases around. While it’s definitely true that most heart attack victims are middle aged or older (the average age at which men usually suffer a heart attack is 60; while for women it’s 70), people in their 20s and 30s can also suffer a heart attack. The truth is, it doesn’t matter if you’re old or young, or if your blood pressure is high or still within the normal range. Anyone can suffer a heart attack if they’re not careful. Walang pinipili ang kundisyong ito.

People who have what’s known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy—a condition that causes a portion of the heart to become thick without an obvious cause. This condition hampers the heart’s ability to pump blood and it’s a common cause of heart attacks among 61 | CELEBRITY RADAR

young people, including athletes. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is usually inherited.

The symptoms of a heart attack are as follows: an ache or pain in your arms or chest that may spread to your back, jaw or neck. A person in danger of having a heart attack may also have abdominal pain or heartburn. He or she may also vomit. Cold sweats, fatigue, shortness of breath and sudden dizziness are also symptoms of a heart attack.

If you go to the emergency room of a nearby hospital and say you think you’re having a heart attack, the doctors and nurses on call might give you an electrocardiogram or ECG. That’s a test that measures the heart’s electrical activity to show whether it’s working properly or not. They may also draw blood, because a blood test can be used to measure the levels of your cardiac enzymes, which indicate clotting and damage to the heart muscle.

An echo or echocardiogram may show evidence of blockages in the arteries due to fatty material and other sub-

stances in the blood stream.

A procedure called cardiac catheterization may also be used to diagnose and treat cardiovascular conditions. It involves the use of a long and thin tube called a catheter, which will be inserted into an artery or vein and threated through your blood vessels to your heart.

But before you or anyone you know is brought to the hospital for a heart attack, you should know what first aid to administer while waiting for help to arrive. First, stay calm. Second, don’t move the patient at all, especially if he or she fell down, para iwas damage.

Look for a needle or syringe. Pinch each finger, let the blood flow, then call for an ambulance or ask anyone who can drive to take you to a hospital if no ambulance is available.

Lastly, let me remind you that if you feel any of the symptoms we listed above, don’t hesitate to seek medical care. H

Dr. Melissa Sinchongco is a licensed internist and pulmonologist, with license No. OLFU MD2012. She holds clinics at Halcyon Marines Medical Diagnostic Center at 222 Buendia Avenue, formerly Gil Puyat Avenue, Mondays to Fridays, from 8am to 5pm and at St. Clare clinic on Palanan Street on Saturdays only, from 8am to 12nn, both in Makati City.

Case of the ex

#RealTalk

Kung ginugulo ka ng ex mo, basahin mo ang kolum ni DJ Laila. Baka maka-relate ka sa problemang kinakaharap ng isa niyang listener at may mapulot ka sa payo ng radio broadcaster sa babaeng ito

M

TEXT BY DJ LAILA CHIKADORA

eron akong listener na binubulabog ng ex niya.

Ilang taon din sila bilang mag-jowa, pero hindi nauwi sa kasalan ang relasyon nila. Nagkaroon na ng ibang boyfriend si Ate Girl habang si Kuya Ex ay asado pa din na babalik sa kanya si Ate Girl.

Meanwhile, habang mag-jowa pa si Ate Girl at ang New Love niya ay madalas pa din sila magkita ni Kuya Ex para kumain lang daw. Ayon mismo kay Ate Girl, hindi daw ‘yun matatawag na date, kasi magkasama lang daw sila kumain. ‘Pag naubos na nila ang pagkain nila, uwian na. Siyempre, nu’ng nalaman ni New Love ito, ilang beses nila itong pinag-awayan, pero lagi din silang nagkakabati sa huli.

Fast forward a few years. Nagpakasal na si Ate Girl kay New Love. Long distance ang relasyon nila kasi nasa ibang bansa si New Love; si Ate Girl naman nandito sa Pilipinas. Hindi ako sure kung nakikipagkita pa siya sa ex niya kasi hanggang ngayon asado pa din si Kuya Ex na babalikan siya ni Ate Girl. Madalas pa mag-comment si Kuya Ex sa Facebook page namin para lang batiin si Ate Girl with matching “I love you!”

One time, sinabi ko sa listeners ko na dugtungan nila ‘yung salitang ito: “Sa sobrang in love ko…” Alam niyo kung ano ang dinugtong ni Kuya Ex doon? (At on-air niya sinabi ito, ha, take note.)

“Magandang umaga,” sabi niya. “Sa sobrang pagmamahal ko sa kanya, kahit minumura na niya ako, tanggap ko. Kahit may asawa siya, tanggap ko. Sabi niya kaya ko lang siya mahal kasi may pera siya, pero kahit wala ‘yun, mahal na mahal ko pa rin siya. Advanced happy birthday sa aking mahal.”

Medyo nabahala ako sa sinabi niya kaya pinagsabihan ko onair itong si Kuya Ex na tumigil na siya sa paghabol kay Ate Girl dahil nakakasira na siya sa buhay ng mag-asawa. Sinabi ko rin sa kanya na ang napagbuklod ng Diyos ay hindi na maaaring paghiwalayin pa.

That same night, nag-message sa akin si Ate Girl. Ito ang sabi niya: “Good evening po. Sobra po akong nahihiya sa pinagsasabi ni James Marquez. Nahihiya po ako sa inyo at sa mga listener ng Morning Calls. Sa totoo lang po, pinagaawayan na po namin ng asawa ko ang mga greeting na yan. Hindi ko po alam ang gagawin ko. Akala ng asawa ko nagkikita pa kami, pero hindi na po talaga. Ms. Laila, payuhan niyo naman po ako, ano po ang dapat kong gawin? Pwede ko po bang i-demanda si James? Pinamili na rin po kasi ako ng asawa ko. Niyaya niya ako tumira sa Italy kasama siya. Kung hindi daw ako papayag eh maghiwalay na lang daw kami, pero ayoko po sa Italy eh.

Please po, payuhan niyo po ako. Ilang gabi na po ako iyak ng iyak dahil sa ginagawa sa akin ni James.”

Ay, ay, ay pag-ibig! Na-stress ako nang slight. Ito ang sinagot ni Tita L. niyo kay Ate Girl: “Nasubukan mo na bang tumira sa Italy? Kung hindi pa, bakit hindi mo muna subukan bago mo sabihin na ayaw mo? Pero kung nasubukan mo na at ayaw mo talaga doon, isipin mo kung ano nga ba ang mas importante sa iyo. Mas importante ba ang buhay mo sa Pilipinas sa asawa mo? Isa pa, tingin ko kahit i-demanda mo ‘yang ex mo, he will be persistent.

“Hindi mare-resolve ang problema niyo ng asawa mo. Aminin mo man o hindi, kasalanan mo din kasi kung bakit nagkaganyan ang asawa mo. It’s because, in a way, you were unfaithful to him while he was abroad, kahit noong mag-jowa pa lang kayo at hindi pa kayo kinakasal. I can’t say that he was faithful to you, but for your husband to ask you to live there with him means that he wants to spend more time with you. Maybe he’s already thinking of starting a family with you. Maraming babae ang gustong laging kasama ang mga kabiyak nila, kaya tiyak na inggit na inggit sila sa iyo; sa proposal ng asawa mo na tumira ka doon upang magkasama na kayo. Kapag nasa Italy ka na, hindi ka na masusundan ni Kuya Ex at magiging payapa na

ang buhay niyong mag-asawa. Also, you do owe your husband ‘security.’ Kailangan patunayan mo sa kanya na siya lang at wala nang iba pang lalaki sa buhay mo.

“You yourself said sa sobrang pagmamahal mo sa kanya nagaaral ka pa magluto ng pasta. Are we talking about your ex here or your husband? Kasi paano mo siya ipagluluto ng pasta if you are in different timezones? I guess if you really love him, sacrifices should be made, even if it means you have to leave the Philippines.

“Even the Bible says ‘Wives, submit to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.’ That’s Ephesians 5:22-23. Meanwhile, Ephesians 5:25, 28 goes, ‘Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.’

“Ito ang lagi kong sinasabi sa mga kaibigan ko: you are res­ ponsible for all your actions and what happens after; good or bad, everything that follows are caused by your decisions.

“Gusto mo ba talaga na maghiwalay na kayo ng asawa mo?

Ate Girl, for everybody’s peace of mind, alam kong alam mo kung ano ang sagot sa mga katanungan na bumabagabag sa iyo. Panghuli, I will pray na kung ano man ang desisyon mo, sana naaayon sa gusto ni Lord para sa iyo.”

Pak! Tita L. Sa mga bet po diyan na humingi ng payo, mam-bash, ma­ ningil ng utang o magtanong, feel free to get in touch with me using Facebook Messenger. Just search for ‘Laila Chikadora.’ Sa mga gusto naman ng tunay na drama o makisawsaw sa love life ng may love life, makinig lang sa Morning Calls, Monday to Friday, 4:00 AM to 6:00 AM, Radyo5 92.3 News FM, telecast via Cignal channel 1 and Facebook Live. H

MAG-#REALTALK TAYO!

Dear Readers, May relationship topics ba kayo na gusto n’yong i-tackle ng paborito n’yong celebrity? Let us know by dropping a line at 3/f Karrivin Plaza Bldg., 2316 Chino Roces Avenue Extension, Makati City.

CELEBRITY RADAR | 62

‘March’-ing on

Horoscope

Find out how best to make your way in March to this handy monthly forecast from our friends at The Mala Tree Crystal Shop.

PIG (1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019) Kakailanganin mong maging disiplinado para sa buwan ng Marso. Ito ay sa dahilan na ang kagalingan at gana mo sa pagtatrabaho ay bababa ngayong buwan. Maaapektuhan nito ang suwerte mo pagdating sa pera at trabaho. Gayunpaman, marami kang guguguling oras sa pakikipagkapwa-tao, sa mga kasiyahan at pati na rin sa pagkatuto ng mga bagong bagay.

SNAKE (1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013) Mahina ang iyong suwerte sa pakikipagkapwatao sa Marso. Maaaring ikaw ay masali sa mga away, lalo na sa mga sagutan. Gayunpaman, makakaranas ka ng progress sa career mo. Maaari ka ring mawalan ng pera o makaranas ng mga 'di inaasahan na mga disgrasya, kaya ibayong ingat ang kailangan.

RAT (1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008) Sa buwan na ito, dadausdos ang kapalaran mo. Dapat maging handa ka sa mga hamon na dadaan sa iyo. Maging matatag ang iyong paninindigan sa mga paniniwala, dahil maaari kang makasalamuha ng mga tao na susubukan ito. Maging ang iyong love life ay magkakaroon ng suliranin kaya mag-ingat ka sa mga mapagsamantalang tao pagdating sa usapin ng pag-ibig.

Maging mapagparaya upang makausad sa mga layunin.

HORSE (1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014) Ang buwan ng Pebrero ay isang emosyonal na buwan para sa Horse. Maaari itong humantong sa pagkukuwestiyon sa mangingibig mo, lalo na pagdating sa saysay ng pagsasama niyo. Sa usapin ng career, maaari kang magkaroon ng oportunidad na makapag-aral o maghanapbuhay sa ibang bansa mula sa boss o mga katrabaho mo. Pag-isipan itong mabuti. Maaari rin na ikaw ay makatagpo ng bagong oportunidad sa usapin ng mapagkakakitaan.

OX (1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009) Pag-isipan mong mabuti ang mga gagawing hakbang sa usapin ng trabaho at negosyo upang maging banayad ang takbo nito sa Marso.

Maging hinay-hinay sa pagkain at alak. Iwasan muna ang mamuhunan sa mga malalaking bagay, maliban na lang kung gagawin mo ito sa maayos na bangko. Sa iyong love life, maaaring ang ilan sa mga Ox ay may makakaranas ng malaking bagay pagdating sa pamilya at pag-ibig. Maaaring ito ay nasa anyo ng hiwalayan, kasalan o panganganak.

GOAT (1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015) Ikaw ay susuportahan ng mga mas nakakataas sa iyo sa iyong pinapasukang trabaho.

Maaaring magdulot ito ng dagdag na trabaho at stress. Kailangan mo lamang maging mas mahinahon at aayon ang lahat sa iyo. Maging bukas at huwag maging mailap sa mga nais magpahayag ng nararamdaman sa iyo.

Iwasan din ang pagsusugal ngayong buwan.

TIGER (1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010) Maraming pagsubok ang kakaharapin mo ngayong buwan dahil sa maigting na kumpetisyon, ngunit ang mga pagsubok na ito rin ay magbubukas sa iyo ng pagkakataon na umunlad sa trabaho mo. Magiging lapitin ka rin sa mga hindi pagkakaintindihan sa trabaho at personal na buhay, kaya mabuting iwasan ang mga hindi pagkakaintindihan upang mapalayo sa gulo.

MONKEY (1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016) Maaari kang makaranas ng mga 'di pagkakaintindihan sa loob ng opisina. Kaya mabuting maging matalas ang pakiramdam at matutong umiwas sa mga posibleng panggalingan ng gulo o ‘di pagkakaunawaan. Magiging maayos ang pasok ng pera ngunit iwasang maging gahaman. Ingatan rin ang iyong baga at bato. Kung sa iyong pakiramdam ay walang suwerte ang iyong lovelife, huwag malumbay at hayaan mo lang lumipas ito.

RABBIT (1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011) Maging maingat sa mga bibitawan mong salita sa mga ka-opisina ngayong buwan. Maaari ka nitong maipahamak sa huli at bumalik sa iyo sa anyo na mapaminsalang tsismis na kakalat sa lahat. Magiging mabuti ang takbo ng pera ngayong Marso, ngunit maging marahan sa mga gastos upang matupad ito. Maging bukas sa iyong saloobin sa minamahal at asahan mo ang dating ng isang surprise.

ROOSTER (1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017) Huwag mong hayaang ang agam-agam mo sa paghahanap ng forever mo ay maghatid sa iyo ng stress. Maapektuhan nito ang mga taong nagkakagusto sa iyo nang palihim at maaaring hindi niya kayanin ito. Kailangan mong maging masipag at pursigido sa trabaho. Ito ay magiging sanhi ng suwerte sa iyo. Iwasan mo munang gumastos sa mga bagay na pinupuhunanan. Hintayin mo munang dumating ang iyong kita para sa buwan na ito.

DRAGON (1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012) Ang iyong mga problema sa love life ay magsisilbing balakid o panggulo sa negosyo o trabaho mo. Kaya panatilihin ang focus at huwag magpagambala sa mga suliranin. Iwasan ang sobrang pagbisyo dahil malaki ang chance na ito ay magdulot ng problema, lalo na sa iyong kalusugan.

DOG (1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018) Maging maingat sa mga taong naiinggit sa iyong magandang kapalaran. Huwag masyadong magpakitang-gilas sa opisina at panatilihin na nakayuko ang ulo mo. Ito ay magdudulot sa iyo ng kapayapaan para sa paparating na buwan.

CELEBRITY RADAR |

63

Horoscope

Celebrity horoscope of the month:

Gretchen Barretto

I

pinanganak si Gretchen Barretto noong March 6, 1970. Ibig sabihin nito, siya ay nasa ilalim ng Year of the Dog na may elemento ng Metal. Ang mga Metal Dog ay magaling sa pakikipagkapwatao. Sila ay matulungin, masikap at independent. Matalino at maabilidad ang mga babaeng Metal Dog. Sila rin ay matiyaga at hindi agad sumusuko. Sila rin ay nagbibigay ng sobrang atensyon sa kanilang panglabas na anyo. Ang mga babae sa ilalim ng sign na ito ay madalas kahumalingan ng mga kalalakihan.

Ang Year of the Pig ay ang magandang panahon upang pagtuunan ng pansin ni Gretchen ang tahanan niya. Ibig sabihin, ito ang tamang panahon upang mag-focus siya sa interior design, pag-ayos ng furniture at pag-asikaso sa iba pang kailangang ayusin sa bahay o hardin.

Ang 2019 rin ay ang panahon kung saan kailangan ­niyang maging pahinay-hinay pagdating sa kanyang career at negosyo. Ito ang panahon kung saan kailangan niyang mag-­relax at manatili sa bahay, dahil ito ang magbibigay sa kanya ng kapayapaan. Kailangan niyang pagmuni-munihan muna ang mga nakaraang taon.

Ang pagba­ sa ng kapa­ laran na ito ay mula sa THE MALA TREE CRYSTAL SHOP, 189 Maginhawa Street, Quezon City. Maaari niyong puntahan ang kanilang website sa http://www.themalatree.com. Ang kanilang official Facebook page ay ang The Mala Tree Crystal Shop, at ang Instagram nila ay ­ @TheMalaTree.

Showbiz Krosword NI NONIE V. NICASIO

PAHALANG: 1. Dante, aktor 4. Aktor sa pelikulang Born Beautiful 7. Simbolo ng arsenic 8. Tatay ni Martin Nievera 11. Kata 12. Jinky, komedyante 14. Bidang aktres sa pelikulang Kuya Wes 15. Pantukoy panao 16. United Nations 17. Katre 21. Unlaping pangnagdaan 23. Direktor ng pelikulang Apocalypto 24. De Leon, aktres 26. Ano 27. Katagang pananong 29. Gapas 31. Veneracion, aktor 32. Igsi ng palangga 34. Leksiyon 35. Bida sa pelikulang Dog Day Afternoon 36. Nanay ni Francis Magalona 37. Jose ng pelikulang Boy Tokwa PABABA: 1. Wendell o Rhian 2. Kapatid ni Shaina Magdayao 3. Bida sa pelikulang Bato: The Gen. Ronald dela Rosa Story 4. Palayaw ng tatay ni Joko Diaz

64 | CELEBRITY RADAR

5. Palayaw ni Katrina Halili 6. Palayaw ni Rosanna Roces 9. Sukat panglimbag 10. Istilo sa pagkanta ni Gloc-9 13. Bida sa pelikulang Katorse 16. Palayaw ni Eugene Domingo 18. Tatay 19. Physical Education, panitik 20. Jessica, Hollywood actress 22. Saka 24. Mike, aktor/direktor 25. Lason sa tabako 26. Bida sa pelikulang Insiang 28. Diyos ng katutubo 30. Inisyal ng bida sa pelikulang Bona 31. Palayaw ni Isabel Granada 33. Screen name ngayon ni Aloha 34. Roces o Capri

SAGOT SA NAKARAAN