CAPTURING THE RIGHT BLEND OF BEAUTY AND ADVOCACY
For an empowering conversation about self-love and inspiring other Filipinas to do the same, celebrity advocate Iza Calzado welcomed Modern Living TV (MLTV) to her newly renovated home for the show’s Season 9 premiere.
Starting as a teen star who later blossomed into a versatile and awardwinning actress, a trusted brand ambassador and an engaging TV host, Iza now touches one of her most fulfilling roles — as an advocate. She opens about the Body Love Revolution, her personal advocacy that helped her discover herself more.
Being a victim of body shaming, Iza says that Body Love is very close to her heart. “You can’t always be positive about your body. There are days when you hate it or love it. You have those days that you hate it — yes, I have a lot of those. I guess there are phases in our life where we don’t feel so happy in the body we live in, but when you go back to why you should appreciate and love your body, you just start counting the things you’re grateful for. You’d realize, ‘Oo nga no, Lord? Praise God. Thank You, Lord’,” beams Iza.
In the latter part of 2017, Iza joined She Talks Asia, a group of accomplished women, including former model and TV host-turned writer Sarah Meier; model, author and entrepreneur Vicky Herrera; and educator and social entrepreneur Lynn Pinugu.
“It is a women empowerment media platform, and we have conferences and events. We tackle women’s issues and we have a summit every March. The theme this year is Body Love or self-love. It’s exciting to be part of a group of likeminded women who bring out the best in you,” Iza describes She Talks Asia, which also includes ML TV host Bianca Gonzalez-Intal.
MLTV’s first episode also visited one of the much-awaited events among design enthusiasts, the Manila Fame. Host Stephanie Zubiri-Crespi toured the audience to the 67th edition of the premier design and lifestyle event, which also featured upcoming names in the industry.
“What’s unique about the 67th edition is we are highlighting the products of our very young graduates of design, and they have produced about 800 new designs that we believe are marketable already,” says Trade and Industry Undersecretary Nora Terrado.
Part of the exhibition are winners of the Center for International Trade and Expositions’ (CITEM) Katha Awards, which recognizes designers who have successfully married aesthetics, functionality and innovation in their works.
Among the awardees were Tess Pasola and her team, who won Best in Design for Home Décor and Furniture.
“What I really love about this piece is they’ve used Molave deadwood and also used upcycled denim to create these beautiful wire drawers. You have that basket weave effect but it’s not your usual material for the basket weave. You’re showcasing both Philippine innovation, upcycling and, of course, our traditional craftsmanship in weaving. And this is a really great piece because I find that it’s both modern and rustic, with a touch of gold,” says Steph.
As for the candelabra, “it’s both equally rustic and modern with touches of glam, it would fit perfectly in any home. And I love that all these have touches of blue, my favorite color,” she adds.
Finally, the episode toured the Pasig River to take a glimpse of the Pasig River Art for Urban Change, which features nine colorful murals along the banks of the Pasig River, giving life to the otherwise gray and heavily urbanized surroundings.
“The concept is more of urban planning, so we want to create a livelier image especially to those passengers who patronize the Pasig ferry. They would be able to see nine murals, created by different artists,” shares Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) spokesperson Celine Pialago.
“We made this as a platform to showcase artistic creations and, at the same time, create awareness to those who didn’t know that we have this another mode of transportation,” she furthered.
The paintings grace the facade of pumping stations in Arroceros, Aviles, Binondo, Escolta, San Francisco, Makati, Paco, Quiapo, and Valencia.