Robi Rosa is cancer-free

Curtain-raiser:

• Birdshot wins an award at Busan fest

Birdshot, written and directed by Mikhail Red (left) and produced by frequent collaborator Pamela L. Reyes (right), won the CJ Entertainment Award (with $10,000 cash prize) at the Asian Project Market organized by the Busan International Film festival in Busan, South Korea. Asian Project Market is a pre-market where promising filmmakers and producers can meet with potential co-producers and financiers.

Birdshot, set to shoot next month in Ilagan, Isabela City, is a co-production between Qatar and the Philippines. It won a major production grant from the Doha Film Institute Qatar and also supported by Produire au Sud where Red and Reyes will participate in November in Bangkok. Produire is a workshop for up-and-coming directors and producers.

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Last Monday’s Funfare reported the sad news that ex-Menudo Robi Rosa was “bedridden” with colon cancer. The information came from the producer of the Menudo concert set for Dec. 15 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The producer added that Rosa, along with Ricky Martin, were not joining the show.

The good news is that Rosa is not bedridden and is actually in remission as clarified by reader “Winwin Wonder” who added that two members of the Dec. 15 concert were here in 1985, namely Charlie Masso and Ray Reyes. According to “Winwin,” it was Aubrey Miles and G Tongi who interviewed Ricky Martin in Singapore and not Regine Velasquez. Correction, please! I was with Regine during that Singapore junket and with G Tongi to cover Martin’s launch of his first English album in Lake Como, Italy, held at the villa of Giorgio Armani.

In an article for latintimes.com (Aug. 7, 2015), Jessica Lucia Roiz reported that Robi Draco Rosa was diagnosed with cancer and survived it twice, first in 2011 “with non-Hodgkin’s lymphona, near his liver…was declared cancer-free in 2012, only to relapse in 2013.” Happily, Rosa has been cancer-free since January 2014.

Roiz added that Rosa “discovered the wonders of a plant-based diet” and launched a cookbook for cancer patients with Nicaraguan nutritionist Nena Niessen who is also a cancer survivor.

“This is a book born of our healing from the terrible disease cancer,” Rosa was quoted by Roiz as saying. “Having been attacked twice by cancer was a blessing and a new awakening,” adding, “we found the way to a healthy eating. We don’t pretend to be doctors, we just want to share what we learned and the benefits that plant-based eating has given us.”

Menudo fans and other readers should continue to pray for good health for Rosa.

‘Infected’ with the AlDub fever

The AlDub fever has “infected” even Freddie Mercury (of Queen) tribute artist Gary Mullen. Gary, along with his band The Works, is scheduled to mount a two-night concert at The Theatre at Solaire on Oct. 24 and 25. The show, titled One Night of Queen, pays tribute to one of the most celebrated rock bands of all time. They will be performing songs like We Are The Champions, Love of My Life, Radio Gaga, Bohemian Rhapsody and Another One Bites The Dust, plus many other rock anthems popularized by the Queen.

Gary was reported to have made a research about Manila over the social media and found out about the Pabebe Wave craze from the AlDub phenomenon which broke records in Twitter history. He asked permission from his management if he could send a photo doing the Pabebe Wave to the promoters of his Manila concert, Royale Chimes Concerts and Events Inc. and MKFAE Productions, and his handler agreed and even helped him forward the photo via e-mail. The photo was taken minutes before he went on stage for a big concert in France a few days ago.

Given the chance, Gary said he’d love to sing Love of My Life live on Eat, Bulaga! for AlDub and their millions of followers.

Where 2003 Mister World-Phl is now

Some readers have been wondering whatever happened to former title-holders, including 2013 Mister World-Philippines Marco Hetalia Tamayo.

Here’s a report from Funfare’s “beauty expert” Felix Manuel:

I first met Marco during the press presentation of the 2003 Mister World Pageant in London. Being one of only three Filipinos watching the finals, I was excited to see a kababayan battle it out with the world’s most beautiful men. 

Seeing him again after several years brought back memories of the fun times during the Mr. World Pageant. Unknown to many, Marco placed second at Mr. World Fashion, a fitness contest in Italy a few years after his Mr. World stint, which paved the way for a short modeling stint in Europe. He has dabbled in filmmaking, TV guestings and even starred in two indies, Lata and Happy Ending (for which he was nominated for Best Actor and won Best Director at the Davao Guerilla Film Festival several years ago).

He is now married to a Filipina nurse (currently expecting their first child) in New Zealand where he is a Registered Fitness Consultant. He founded the I.Flex Gym even before he won Mr. World Philippines. He now has a branch in Dubai, where he worked for a few years. Marco now divides his time managing his gyms in Davao and Dubai and still manages to work and find time for his New Zealand stint. Every time he is in Davao, he continues to have fashion events.

“As a Physical Therapist, I still apply what I have learned in all my endeavors,” said Marco. “I incorporate the importance of a healthy lifestyle whenever I can.”

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. You may also send your questions to [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on www.twitter/therealrickylo.)