Sharon one of Asia’s ‘50 movers & shakers’

Curtain-raisers:
• To celebrate the Chinese New Year on Jan. 22 (Thursday), Year of the Monkey, Little Asia will hold a first-class Dragon Dance show in the vicinity (Tomas Morato Avenue corner Scout Fuentebella, Quezon City) starting at 9 p.m. Little Asia owner-manager Charlemagne Lim said that the Dragon Dance is meant to drive away evil spirits and to bring in good luck.

• Incubus, one of the biggest rock bands in the world, will have a concert on March 12 at the PICC Open Field as part of its Asian tour which includes Seoul (March 10), Bangkok (March 14) and Kuala Lumpur (March 14). Incubus fans better save up for the concert.

• Is there life after MTB? There is. Ask Willie Revillame. His termination from the ABS-CBN noontime show wasn’t the end of the world after all. Willie has just signed up with Universal Records which is now promoting the single Pito-Pito (with Weatherman Ernie Baron in a special participation) on radio. The song was composed by Lito Camo, the same guy behind Bayani Agbayani’s hit song Otso-Otso, among other hits.

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I must congratulate Sharon Cuneta for having been named Most Effective Product Endorser because of her credibility by the A.C. Nielsen, one of the very few truly credible and reliable survey groups. That makes Sharon the true and real "Commercial Queen," having endorsed all kinds of products, from food (McDonald’s, etc.), luxury liner (SuperFerry), feminine wash (PH Care) – name it, Sharon has endorsed it.

This singular honor comes on the heels of Sharon’s being listed by Asia Inc. magazine (Asian Business Asian Views) in its latest issue as one of the "50 movers and shakers in Asia." Sharon is one of only four Filipinos who made it to the Honor Roll, including Sheila Coronel (executive director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism), Von Hernandez (environmentalist, Greenpeace International) and Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala (he needs no introduction, does he?).

Entitled Who’s Hot in Asia (A Look at Asia’s Under-50 Movers and Shakers), the Asia Inc. story stated that "Sharon, 38, made advertising history when her face was used to launch a shipping line. Thanks to this actress-singer, who rose to fame doing puppy-love romances, Filipinos no longer perceive local ships as floating coffins. They have made an exception for ‘Sharon’s ship’ – the superferry of the WG&A shipping firm – which she endorsed as safe and fun," in the process raising the ship’s passenger volume more than double in three months, according to Sabin Aboitiz, president and CEO of the Aboitiz group, parent firm of WG&A.

Also mentioned in the story is the dramatic jump in sales of PH Care, another product Sharon is endorsing.

The magazine quoted advertising executive Mateo Gargantiel (of Jimenez Basic, Inc., which handles the PH Care ads), explaining what is called the "Sharon effect": "The actress herself is a brand – a celebrity who comes across as everybody’s friend, whether poor or rich. (And) she’s pretty but not too pretty."

Asia Inc. ends its story with the following paragraph:

Her magic works equally well in the political arena, enabling her husband, Francis Pangilinan, to win a seat in the upper legislature. Knowing this, presidential hopefuls have been pressing her from all sides. Not wanting to hurt feelings, Cuneta has given them all a modest brush off. Politics is her husband’s turf and "anyway, my endorsement does not mean much."

More good news about Sharon:

• She might go to the US next month to grace the opening of her last movie, Unitel Films’ Crying Ladies, in several cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Honolulu. The US screenings will be done in the malls, unlike the other Unitel movie, American Adobo, which was released in some US art houses. It’s US-based Vicente "Ting" Nebrida, Tony Gloria’s Unitel co-producer, who’s supervising the US release of Crying Ladies.

Sharon also confirmed reports that she’s co-producing a movie with Unitel which will star her and Dolphy, their first team-up if and when. Like in Crying Ladies where she plays a con artist, a character much less glamorous than the roles Sharon is known for, Sharon will again play an off-beat role and so will Dolphy who is sure to pleasantly shock his fans the way Sharon does in Crying Ladies.

"Nothing is final yet," said Sharon. "We’re still negotiating."

Leandro also running

Here’s a piece of news about Leandro Baldemor, contributed by reader Nicanor Manzano of San Pablo City:

Leandro Baldemor, a professional and businessman from Paete, Laguna, is the official candidate of the Partidong Masang Pilipino (PMP) for Board Member in the Fourth District of Laguna.

Leandro is a member of the internationally renowned Baldemor clan of Paete, which include Manny Baldemor and Fred Baldemor, famous in many parts of the world for their outstanding works of art in painting, sculpture and other media. Leandro’s grandfather, Venerando Baldemor, was one of the Philippines’ 10 Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Awardees in 1970 for achievements in the wood carving industry. His father, Wallie (WVB Handicrafts), and uncle, Charlie (CVB Handicrafts), are the leaders in the woodcarving business in Laguna as well.

For the past years, Leandro has busied himself in the marketing and promotions of their products and has been indispensable in closing many contracts. On his own, Leandro is the proud proprietor of WOW.com, a successful internet café in Paete.

Having graduated with a degree in B.S. Nursing from the De Ocampo Memorial College (Manila) and eventually passing the Board Exams for Nurses, Leandro has a deep yearning to use this knowledge to help his kababayan in the Fourth District of Laguna. His many charitable engagements in the various towns of Laguna made him aware of the lack of medical and health facilities particularly in his district. With his education, contacts and sincere desire to help, Leandro hopes to give the towns in his district improved medical and health care they badly need.

At the very young age of 28, Leandro Baldemor also plans to create programs to protect the youth from illegal drugs and instead channel their energy to productive activities including sports.

Leandro Baldemor firmly believes that the youth will listen to him. After all, having been a contract star of Seiko Films and having played the lead in many films, his being a famous and popular actor will certainly help.

His battle cry says it all: LEANDRO BALDEMOR! LINGKOD BAYAN!

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