Pinoy Pride
MEET THIS YEAR'S COMPELLING ROSTER OF REMARKABLE FILIPINOS, FROM A CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED FILM DIRECTOR TO AN INTERNATIONAL FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER, A REALITY STAR TURNED CHIEF OF STAFF OF AN ASIAN AIRLINE TO A JOURNALIST WITH A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE AND MORE
OLYMPIAN
There is an earnest yet determined look on his face that betrays a young man of his age. Michael Martinez gracefully glides on the ice before settling on his starting spot. The music blares and Michael begins what will probably be the most important performance of his life. With much ease he nailed highly complex mid-air spins, dizzying turns and heart-stopping jumps. His performance aside, it was a heart bursting with so much genuine passion from the 17-year-old Olympian that caught the world’s attention.
The country’s lone representative, Michael Martinez not only became a breakout star during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, but a hero. A little sheepish and shy, he still is in a state of disbelief at how much he has inspired people, especially children. “Wow! It really is something else, being able to encourage others,” he beams. “For me, I’m really happy and proud that I get to represent the country.”
Michael Martinez is happiest when he’s on the ice. “I was so happy when I saw the stadium! I said, this is it. This is what I’ve been working hard for. And then I got nervous because I remembered you have to qualify to skate in the final round. I prayed. I said, Lord please help me. Give me the strength,” he recalls. He has indeed come a long way from trying out the sport at the SM Skating Rink when he was much younger.
With an entire nation and the world cheering him on, he gave his all to the routine. It was heartbreaking when the scores were tallied and Michael Martinez failed to clinch an Olympic medal.
Undeterred, the young Olympian looks on to a future of many possibilities. “I really love what I’m doing,” he says. With determination, discipline and a positive spirit, it won’t be too long until Michael Martinez dons the nation’s colors once more, but with a flash of gold hanging around his chest.—ARDC
MODELS
Jodilly Pendre and Katarina Rodriguez are stunning specimens of beauty from different backgrounds. Yet when the two meet during the second season of
Asia’s Next Top Model, they become more like sisters than rivals.
“I love everything about Katarina,” gushes the 20-year-old Jodilly in a blog. “My friends complain that I’m always with (Jodilly) now!” mentions Katarina in the same source.
Perhaps the reason for this chemistry is a similarity in what they look for in friends. Jodilly is excited at “meeting people with great optimism and hope…those who celebrate the great things in life.”
The inexperienced yet determined Katarina surrounds herself with people who inspire and obtain characteristics she looks up to. “I have very few close girl friends, but they’re the oncein-a-lifetime kind of girls,” says the tall philosophy and business major. “My closest friends are usually my role models because they are constant reminders of the kind of person I would like to be.”
Both girls are determined to make it internationally, but seek to embody different traits to the global community.
Jodilly, who comes from a humble background, wants to let the world know that FIlipinos are hopeful. “We give life a chance,” says the soft-spoken model. “that’s why we overcome.”
Katarina on the other hand, wishes to show the world kindness.
“(Filipinos) are united and it’s a genuine pleasure to see other Filipinos succeed internationally. Our kindness extends to everyone and it’s gratifying, being a Filipino, having an innate quality to be kind to anyone and everyone.”
As these two walk down runways around the world, their every step brings them closer to their dreams, as each smoldering look into the camera gives the world a better glimpse of what a Filipina truly looks like.—RT
SONGWRITER
Robert Lopez is the man behind the worldwide hit, Let It Go.
Yes, that song you’ve heard countless times on the radio, and that song you probably belt out at least once in a day. But Lopez, who is partly of Filipino descent, deserves more credit than just the man accountable for getting a Disney song stuck in your head. While majority of us only took notice when he and his co-writer and wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez won an Oscar for Best Original Song for Let
It Go, the songwriter has been bagging awards for his works for years.
Lopez, born and raised in Manhattan, became interested in music, specifically songwriting at age seven. Shortly after earning his degree in English at Yale, he joined the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop where he met Jeff Marx. The two aspiring songwriters hit it off and went on to produce their first project together, Kermit, Prince
of Denmark, a Muppet parody of Hamlet. They won a Kleban award for best lyrics and even caught the attention of Chris Curtin of Disney. Their story was considered for the 2004 Muppets film, but sadly, did not push through because Curtin left the company.
But this did not deter Lopez and Marx from pursuing their dreams. In 1999, the pair collaborated on both music and lyrics for Avenue Q, a stage musical, which featured puppet characters that dealt with adult themes and ideas. It proved to be a critical and popular success, having bagged two Tony’s for Best Musical and Best Original Score in 2004. Lopez, since his first major win, has earned a daytime Emmy for his work on Wonder Pets, and three Tony’s and a Grammy for the musical, The Book of Mormons.
He has also worked with the Matt Stone and Trey Parker of South Park, and continues to collaborate with Disney for animated films and series.
At 39, he is the 12th and youngest member of EGOT, a select group of artists who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, and Oscar and a Tony.
As of press time, Lopez and his wife is working on a romcom musical, Up Here, which they describe as an “Annie Hall meets Cirque du Soleil” type.
Just by the sound of it, we’re sure it’s going to be another massive hit.—SRS
MUSICIAN, RAPPER AND RECORD PRODUCER
Apl.De.Ap rose to popularity as a member of the Grammyaward winning hip-hop group, Black Eyed Peas. But life wasn’t always so sweet for the Filipino-American rapper and record producer.
Apl, or Allan Pineda Lindo, was born to an African American father and Filipino mother in Angeles City, Pampanga. Raised by a single mother, he helped make ends meet by farming corn, rice, sugar cane and sweet potatoes. But The Pearl S. Buck Foundation, an organization that finds healthier living environments for young abandoned or orphaned American children, would later change his fate.
With the help of a sponsor, Joe Ben Hudgens, Apl was able to travel to the US at age 14 to get his eye condition treated. He permanently moved to Los Angeles that same year to live with Hudgens, who adopted him.
Shortly after his big move, Apl met William Adams or Will.I.Am, whom he struck up a musical friendship with. The pair began performing as Atban (A Tribe Beyond A Nation) Klann, which would later on become the Black Eyed Peas.
The Black Eyed Peas went on to produce hit singles, Where Is the Love?, My Humps and Don’t Phunk With
My Heart to name a few. BEP won at the Grammys in 2005, 2006 and 2007, making Apl the first Filipino to receive this honor.
Despite being internationally famous, Apl has not forgotten about his Filipino heritage. In fact, one of their songs,
Bebot, is rapped entirely in Tagalog. He has also teamed up with Smart Communications to produce a music video with Jessica Sanchez. In 2013, he became one of the four coaches of the inaugural season of
The Voice Philippines. These days Apl is busy with BMBX, a music label and production company put up to help spread the fresh sound of Filipinos as well as Southeast Asian talents abroad.—SRS
BEAUTY QUEENS
For international beauty queens Ariella Arida, Angeli Dione and Bea Rose-Santiago, being watched by millions around the world, representing The Philippines, is just the initial interview.
“Beauty is an advantage and a responsibility,” shares Ariella Arida. “If you have beauty and brains, people become more attentive and cooperative. You should be a model to them. You should walk the talk.” The Miss Universe 3rd runner-up looks up to the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton for her elegance and class, but mostly for her being active in charities and being an example to everyone. Ariella is keen to advance educational advocacies.
21-year-old Angeli Dione however, has focused on the environment, as well as housing sector. The current Miss Tourism International titleholder has a vision of Jeepneys running on bio-fuel. “The cost of converting a single engine is incredibly prohibitive. I want to help people raise funds for this,” beams the Cebuana-born Angeli. Apart from this, she also dreams of launching a homeless shelter for the country, one similar to the efforts of Gawad Kalinga.
Bea Rose Santiago’s win as Miss International 2013 came shortly after the harrowing Haiyan Tragedy. Dedicating the win to her countrymen, she continues her pledge to this day. Bea’s present efforts center around Small-Medium Enterprises. She believes grassroots initiatives are key to nation building—through job creation and community involvement. Her role models are the “day-to-day, unsung heroes,” like drivers, cooks and farmers— the community she hopes to give back to.
Around the world, in photos, Ariella, Angeli and Bea embody Filipina beauty and grace. In action, they demonstrate Filipino resiliency, self-betterment and timeless hospitality.—RT