VP Binay, Jericho and Karylle lead Phl freedom-day festivities in NYC

Curtain-raisers:

• If the two sexy actresses seem to be acting “high” up to now, it’s due not to something that they took or snipped but to their recent very close encounter with a foreign singer and a member of his band. The ladies were among those invited to the singer’s after-concert party at a high-end venue and, you guessed it, they ended up being taken home, one of them by the singer and the other by a hunky member of the singer’s band. “Home” was the five-star hotel the singer and his entourage were billeted in. The other after-concert affair happened behind closed doors, with the two pairs in separate rooms performing in rhythm the way the singer and his band member did during their SRO concerts. The experience must have been so fulfilling that the sexy ladies must surely have felt like billionaires.

•Could it be true that a still good-looking senior actor is sending “feelers” to his ex-wife-actress that they could do “a second time around” (after all, as the song goes, love is more comfortable the second time you fall)? “He made his intention of courting his ex-wife when he learned that she has parted with her partner of many years,” said the Funfare DPA. Hmmmm, why not? The late Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton parted ways and remarried each other after only a few years.

Eddie Mesa and Rosemarie Gil got back together again after years of living apart with different mates. So, why not? Added the DPA, “Mukhang hindi interesado ang ex-wife. She’s happy being single again.”

•From Ricky Davao, this helpful reminder:

10 Commandments for Stress Reduction:

I. Thou shalt not be perfect, or even try to be.

II. Thou shalt not try to be all things to all people.

III. Thou shalt sometimes leave things undone.

Jericho Rosales

IV. Thou shalt not spread thyself too thin.

V. Thou shalt learn to say “No.”

VI. Thou shalt schedule time for thyself and for thy support network.

VII. Thou shalt switch thyself off and do nothing regularly.

VIII. Thou shalt not even feel guilty for doing nothing or saying “No.”

IX. Thou shalt be boring, untidy, inelegant and unattractive at time.

X. Most especially, thou shalt not be thine own worst enemy. But, be thine own best friend.

*   *   *

The guessing game is over about the showbiz hotshots who will entertain tens of thousands of Filipinos at this year’s celebration of the Philippine Independence Day in New York City, the biggest Filipino Independence Day gathering outside of the Philippines, slated on June 5.

Last year, pop superstars Sarah Geronimo and Christian Bautista were the main attractions, with their TFC float mobbed by the crowd.

“This year,” reports Funfare’s Big Apple correspondent Edmund Silvestre, “it will be multi-awarded actor cum singer Jericho Rosales  fresh from his acting win at the Newport Beach Film Festival in California for Subject: I Love You  and singer/TV and theater performer Karylle who will thrill fans.”

Jericho and Karylle are reportedly riding a special float by The Filipino Channel (TFC) and ABS-CBN.

Said Edmund, “It can be recalled that Jericho and Karylle nearly became an item a few years back when the triple-threat Green Rose star reportedly tried to woo Zsa Zsa Padilla’s lovely and equally talented daughter while she was mending a broken heart following a high-profile break-up with actor Dingdong Dantes. The two have become good friends since, according to one TFC promoter. ‘Huwag ng intrigahin pa dahil tahimik na,’ the promoter said’.”

Karylle

Edmund also reported that the NYC-based Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) headed by Joji Jalandoni, R.N., is bringing over “the most trusted and admired Philippine leader today”  Vice President Jejomar “Jojo” Binay who, according to Edmund, is getting popular by the day among Filipinos in the US.

“The PIDCI said Mr. Binay gladly accepted the invite as he is actually scheduled to fly to the East Coast that week for a major housing summit on June 6 in NY’s neighboring state of Pennsylvania,” added Edmund. “The former Makati City mayor is currently chairman of the Housing Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and head of the Task Force OFW, being the presidential adviser of OFW concerns.”

Vice Pres. Jojo is reportedly participating in all the events highlighted by the 8:30 a.m. raising of the Philippine flag in front of the Philippine Center on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, to be followed by a special Mass, and later the grand parade starting at 11:45 a.m. from 38th Street down to 27th Street along Madison Avenue, where some of America’s and world’s biggest advertising firms are headquartered.

“He is marching in the parade with other dignitaries and VIPs that include Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia Jr., Consul General Mario de Leon Jr., Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations Libran Cabactulan, as well as this year’s grand marshals Nick and Dr. Edita Libramonte, the 2011 Diwa ng Kalayaan and her court of beauties, Fil-Am and Asian-American members of the New York Police Department, and past and present PIDCI officers led by Joji Jalandoni.

“New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other city and state officials are also expected at the annual event that attracts participants and spectators from as far as Florida, California and Canada. Colorful and giant floats, marching bands, and participants in flamboyant costumes and vibrant performances will compete for Best Float, Best Costume and Most Meaningful Participation, among other awards.”

Words are circulating that another big celebrity is making a “surprise appearance” at the festivities.

Said Edmund, “No confirmation yet from the PIDCI, but we heard Nonito Donaire Jr., yes, the WBO bantamweight world champ and currently the No. 3 pound-for-pound boxer of the world, is the one.”

A cultural festival from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., showcasing various Filipino talents will promptly follow the parade. According to Cathy Carandang-Uy, head of the PIDCI cultural committee, the show will feature artists like Philippine Jazz Queen Annie Brazil and her daughter, actress-singer Rachel Ann Wolfe, who are both active in New York’s concert and club music scenes; DJ Riddler, a popular Fil-Am disc jockey from Z100 and KTU (two of NY’s most famous FM stations), and the renowned Dinagyang Festival Dance Group from Iloilo, Philippines.

Meanwhile, a street fair featuring Filipino dishes and delicacies, souvenir items from the islands, and business networking, will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from 24th Street to 26th Street, also on Madison Avenue.

Bagong Katipunan, Bagong Diwa, Bagong Pilipinas is the theme of this year’s observance of the 113th anniversary of the declaration of Philippine Independence. 

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