Regine Velasquez confirms transfer to ABS-CBN
SHOWBIZ the past week was as fiery as the previous one. Depending on what news or issue excites an observer or follower, still anything about a major personality is interesting, worthy of discussion among friends and family — be it at the office, at home, coffee shops or even while riding public transportation.
— Amid rumors circulating for weeks, Regine Velasquez confirmed through her post on Instagram early Saturday that she is joining the ABSCBN Sunday show “ASAP” in Sydney, Australia on October 20. Days earlier, the Asia’s Songbird was reported to have appeared in a show on The Filipino Channel ( TFC, the ABS- CBN broadcast arm abroad) while in the US for her concert tour with husband Ogie Alcasid.
GMA Network Senior Vice President and Entertainment Group Head Lilybeth Rasonable on Saturday confirmed that the station’s prized talent is leaving the network .
“After two decades, Regine VelasquezAlcasid has officially said her goobyes to the Kapuso Network. We understand her decision to join her husbad and we wish her well as she pursues other opportunities outside GMA Network,” Rasonable said in a statement.
The singer-host-actress bade goodbye on the sixth anniversary episode of her cooking talk show, “Sarap Diva,” which aired on Saturday. She hosted GMA’s original reality show, “The Clash,” that concluded on September 30. She joined GMA in 1998 as regular host of the variety show “SOP” (rival show of ASAP), which ended in 2010.
She attended the ABS- CBN Ball 2018 on September 29 at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel fanning the rumors to be indeed true as early as then.
— Maria Laroco, who made it to the Final 6 of Simon Cowell’s Girls Team in “The X Factor UK,” sang in front of the judges through livestream from London as she could not join the rest in Malibu, California to sing live at the Judges’ House due to visa issues. Via video patch, Cowell called her on the phone, told her that she sang well but did not make the cut for the live shows. The popular British record producer-talent managerreality show judge told her though to join the contest again. On Thursday, Laroco met the press in Manila and explained that she should have secured a performer’s visa instead of visitor’s visa from the US Embassy in London, but will definitely join the contest again next year.
— Kris Aquino on Friday filed a theft case against the person who she said she trusted but took the money from her Kris Cojuangco Aquino Productions ( KCAP). Already identified in many stories as Nicko Falcis— her manager and the very person responsible for her appearance in the blockbuster “Crazy Rich Asians” — the controversial hostactress informed that through Fortun Narvasa ( Law Offices), she filed the same complaint in six other cities namely, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Pasig, Makati, Taguig and Manila.
In her Instagram post, the erstwhile Queen of All Media ended, “I wanted to quietly put this painful chapter behind me... Kilalanyopoako–hindiakoang nags isimul an ga way, pero hindi po ako pin ala ki par au run gan ang pa ki ki pagl ab an nyo,tatapusinko.'"
— Generally, it was a “beauties galore” week starting on Sunday when the representative to the 2018 Miss World pageant to be held in December in Sanya, China was chosen. Katarina Rodriguez, Binibining PilipinasIntercontinental 2017, was crowned Miss World Philippines 2018 beating 39 other candidates. One of those crowned was Alyssa Muhlach Alvarez as Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas 2018. Alvarez is the daughter of former actress Almira Muhlach and basketball star Paul Alvarez. Her mom and actor Aga Muhlach are siblings. She succeeds Teresita Ssen “Winwyn” Marquez who is the current Reina Hispanoamericana.
— Beauties from around the world arrived in Manila to vie for the Miss Earth 2018 crown as successor to Karen Ibasco of the Philippines The 90 delegates were presented to the media on Thursday at the Diamond Hotel poolside. The country’s delegate is from the Filipino community in Italy, Filipino-Italian Celeste Cortesi. She said she will do her best to get a back-to-back win for the country.