Protégé Profiles: Apple Vega

APPLE VEGA, 20, from Dipolog City. She is a registered midwife and the Protege of Phillip Salvador (Mindanao). Here is an interview about this Protege from Mindanao. 

Tumakas ka daw sa alcoholic father mo para lang maka-audition sa Protégé?

 “Yes po.” 

Bakit, ayaw ba niyang mag-artista ka?

“Yung papa ko po kasi laging umiinom at hindi naman po niya talaga alam kung anu-ano ang pinaggagawa namin kaya nung nag-audition po ako, hindi ko na po ipinaalam sa kanya.  Kasi kung ipinagpaalam ko po sa kanya, bale wala lang din naman po sa kanya kaya ayun po, hindi ko na po siya sinabihan.”

Sinong kasama mo nung audition?

“Ako lang po.  Nag-audition po ako sa SM Cebu.  Mag-isa akong nagtravel (by ship) sa Cebu at wala po akong kakilala doon sa Cebu*.  Nag-stay lang po ako sa medyo murang apartelle kasi wala po akong pambayad sa hotel.”

*Dipolog (Mindanao) is a 4-5 hours slow-boat ride to Cebu (Visayas)

Protégé Profiles: Ruru Madrid

Ruru Madrid, at 14, is one of the youngest among the Top 20 Proteges. Although he and his family are now living in Marikina City, Ruru is representing his home province of Zamboanga City in Mindanao. He is currently in 2nd Year High School, Protégé of Phillip Salvador (Mindanao)

How did you know about Protégé?

“May mga nagsabi po kasi sa akin na may auditions nga daw po para sa Protégé. Sabi po nila subukan ko raw po dahil baka malaki ang chance ko na makapasok. Nasa school po ako nung ginawa ang audition tapos nagpaalam po ako na mag-o-audition.”

Why do you want to be a star?

“Mula nung bata pa po ako, kapag nakakapanood po ako ng drama scenes at may iyakan, naiisip ko po ‘siguro kaya ko itong gawin.’ Tapos maya-maya po napapatulo ko na po yung luha ko, tapos sasabihin ng nanay ko, ‘O, anong nangyari sa’yo?’ Tapos ganun po, kaya ko pong kontrolin ang luha ko.

Protégé Profiles: Steffi Pacheco

Protégé of Phillip Salvador (Mindanao) 

When Mindanao protégé Steffi Pacheco walked down the stage during the Top 20 Protégé presentation last Sunday, she did so with the confidence and projection of a supermodel.

Asked about her first ramp on TV, she said it was a dream-come-true.

“Siyempre masaya, na nakakakaba. Masaya kasi isa rin ‘to sa mga pangarap ko – yung makatungtong sa stage ng Protégé,” she said.

Steffi’s journey to the Protégé stage began when she auditioned in Davao.

“Nakakaba kasi marami ring mga magaganda at magagaling na nag-audition din. Napressure din kahit papaano pero naniniwala naman ako na kaya ko din pong patunayan na karapat-dapat akong mapili bilang protégé with the help din po of prayers,” she recalled.

PAGTUTULUNGAN.ORG: Saudi Envoy Hands Over 60 Tons of Dates to WFP for Conflict-Affected Communities in ARMM

Royal Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ambassador to the Philippines Abdullah Al-Hassan (second from left) and senior representative of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Finance in Riyadh Saad Al Sunaidi (far left) formally hand over 60 tons of dates to U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) Philippines Representative and Country Director Stephen Anderson (far right), with Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of Middle East and African Affairs Executive Director Neal Imperial (second from right) acting as witness.  

The generous date donation from the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest ever to WFP Philippines.  In coordination with the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development, WFP will distribute the food to 30,000 vulnerable families in the conflict-affected provinces of Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.    

Photo Credit: WFP/Anthony Lim/Philippines

AXA Philippines Donates P1.7 million for the benefit of Sendong victims

Left to right: From AXA Philippines: Lora Reboton,

Grace Garcia, and Rien Hermans;

CARE representative in the Philippines,Celso Dulce, 

and ACCORD’sMarietta Alcid and Athena Denise Gepte.

Last January 31, 2012, AXA Philippines President and CEO, Rien Hermans handed over the proceeds of a month-long campaign initiated by company management to gather financial support from AXA Philippines employees and distributors for the victims of the devastating typhoon Sendong. Typhoon Sendong destroyed thousands of homes and caused millions of pesos in damages in the Northern Mindanao area in late 2011.

The amount was raised through a campaign entitled, Hearts in Action for a Million, wherein AXA Philippines employees, management and distributors contributed financial aid. Some groups even contributed their activity fund, the amount allocated for their group activity and Christmas gathering. The objective was to raise a million pesos in relief funds for the families affected by the disaster.