Himala sa Buhangin Festival

We just came back from a four-day tour of Ilocos Norte last Friday night courtesy of Governor Imee Marcos who was such a gracious host. It was a hectic schedule that took us to many interesting places in Ilocos Norte like the ancestral home of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, the Juan Luna residence, the Museo Iloko, among others, plus the beaches in Pagudpud and the windmills in Saud. It was a fun experience.

A highlight of the four-day invitation was the Himala sa Buhangin Festival, in honor of the movie Himala, starring Ms. Nora Aunor, which was held on May 10, at the famed Paoay Sand Dunes where movies like Himala, Ang Panday, Temptation Island and the Hollywood film Born of the Fourth of July were shot. The place was also the site of the La Virgen Milagrosa Festival which had three bands playing good music, belly dancers and fire dancers, plus a fireworks display capping the event.

In her speech, Gov. Imee said the farmers in Paoay considered it some kind of a curse to them having a desert in their locality. You can plant anything on the desert but no living plant could thrive in the sand dune.

But through the Himala sa Buhangin Festival, which the provincial government plans to do yearly, they want to make the Paoay sand dunes a tourist destination to generate income for the place and give jobs to the people. There are many activities that can be done in the sand dune, one of them is taking the ride in the 4 x 4. But you have to hold on real tight to the steel bars of the 4 x 4 vehicle lest you run the risk of losing your balance and fall while traversing the length of the sand dunes.

We tried it for ourselves and survived it. It was some experience but certainly worth the try. So if you happen to take a trip to Ilocos, do try the 4 x 4 ride in the sand dunes. We learned from Gov. Imee that Star Cinema is currently shooting the Erich Gonzales and Mario Maurer starrer in Ilocos.

It was a fun though quite tiring four days in Ilocos that we had. But we don’t mind. In fact, we’d love to come back again. Please watch out for our interview with Gov. Imee Marcos in our column soon.

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Just like a multi-faceted diamond, singer-actress-TV host Karylle has sparkled all the more after overcoming challenges over the years. Throughout those hard times, her class, sophistication, and inner beauty shone brightest making her the perfect choice to be the famed and trusted jewelry brand Miladay’s first-ever celebrity endorser.

“Just like the history of Miladay, Karylle’s life is composed of inspiring tales of love,” says Christine Dayrit, one of the owners of Miladay. “This makes her the perfect choice to be the face of ‘Miladay Today’.”

As brand ambassador, Karylle jumpstarts the 46-year-old jewelry company’s empowering campaign – Miladay Today. In this campaign, Karylle appears in an AVP titled “Sacred Vows,” where she empowers one to make inspired vows to one’s self.

“Sacred Vows” is directed by award-winning director Mark Meily. The cinematography is done by award-winning cinematographer Carlo Mendoza (Asiong Salonga), a former classmate of Karylle at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Karylle explains, “It is like being engaged to your self. It is a brilliant concept that aims to inspire and remind people that loving one’s self is the ultimate key to one’s happiness. At this day and age, one does not need someone else to give one an engagement ring or a dream diamond or any precious jewels for that matter. It’s the best gift of love you can give yourself. I am so happy to be part of this campaign and of this trusted brand.”

Karylle has just received international acclaims for her work in the TV series The KitchenMusical. She is currently a part of the noontime show Showtime and the Sunday variety show ASAP 2012. Her latest album Roadtrip, which she personally produced, has just turned Gold.

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For almost two weeks, Doc Nielsen Donato and his team have been documenting whales and dolphins in Bohol’s seas for “The Born Expeditions: The Tale of Two Whales.”

They filmed the behavior of spinner dolphins, melon-headed whales, and bottlenose dolphins. Until Doc’s team spotted the biggest whale yet – a Bryde’s whale. Along with other marine mammals and the biggest fish in the world, the whale shark, Bryde’s whales were once hunted in Pamilacan. After what seemed like years of “absence” from Bohol’s seas, a Bryde’s whale sighting was finally reported by researchers in 2010. And as Born to be Wild’s footage shows, the Bryde’s whale is indeed back in Bohol.

But the question remains – where is the blue whale that the team documented a year ago? The blue whale is the largest creature to have ever existed on earth, and in the Philippines, it has only been formally documented a few times. Last year, Born to be Wild showed Philippine viewers what was then the most extensive footage of the blue whale in our own waters. This year, Doc Nielsen and the team wonder if the blue whale will surface again, for a more detailed observation.

Suddenly, they see a fluke or “tail” which appears to be the same size as their boat, if not bigger. A fluke this big can only mean one thing. Don’t miss the awe-inspiring finale of The Born Expeditions’ “Tale of Two Whales” this Wednesday night on GMA-7’s Born to be Wild after Saksi.

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At 5:30pm on Wednesday, May 9 (U.S. time), the stars of GMA Films’ 2011 horror film The Road walked down the red carpet and posed for the foreign media covering the film’s Hollywood Red Carpet Premiere held at the majestic Arclight Theater in Los Angeles, California.

The Yam Laranas film, which received rave reviews from both the local and foreign press and even caught the attention of the New York Times, was commercially released in the U.S. and Canada beginning May 11 (May 12 in the Philippines ) through a distribution deal between GMA Films and US-based film distribution company Freestyle Releasing.

Among those in attendance were cast members Marvin Agustin, Rhian Ramos, Alden Richards, and Derrick Monasterio together with GMA Films President Anna Teresa Gozon-Abrogar, Freestyle Presidents Susan Jackson and Mark Borde, GMA Films Project Director Joey Abacan, and the film’s director Yam Laranas.

Also present were Congressman and Boxing’s “Pound-for-Pound” King Manny Pacquiao, MTRCB Chair Grace Poe-Llamanzares, GMA Entertainment TV Vice President Marivin Arayata, GMA Entertainment TV Asst. Vice President Redgie Magno, GMA Corporate Communications Asst. Vice President Angel Javier-Cruz, and host Tim Yap.

After the premiere screening of The Road, an after party was held at The Lure, a club beside Arclight Theater.

Prior to the red carpet premiere, GMA Films and Freestyle Releasing held a press conference on May 8 at the Barrio Fiesta Restaurant in Glendale, Los Angeles. It was attended by representatives from US-based Filipino media outfits.

Apart from the U.S., The Road will be shown in selected theaters in Singapore beginning May 15. Talks between GMA Films and other film releasing companies are also underway for possible distribution of The Road in other countries.