Artist: Carol Banawa
Album: My Music, My Life (Black Bird Music/Star Records, 2010)
Lyrics:
Sakaling pag gising
Malimutan Ka
Sa puso'y may guhit
Ng iyong mukha
At kung kailangang
Ngayo'y magpaalam
Sana'y bukas nasa piling ko'y ikaw
Mawalay man sa aking isip
Puso ko ay iibigin ka
Hanggang sa walang hanggan
Ang langit man sati'y pawiin
Puso'y uulit-ulitin pa
Ang pangako mong pag-ibig
Nating dalawa
Sakaling ang isip
Malimutan ka
Sa puso'y may ukit ng iyong mukha
At kung isang araw tayo'y magpaalam
Habang buhay Nasa puso ko'y ikaw
Mawalay man sa aking isip
Puso ko ay iibigin ka
Hanggang sa walang hanggan
Ang langit man sati'y pawiin
Puso'y uulit-ulitin pa
Ang pangako mong pag-ibig sinta
Kahit pa ika'y malimutan
Sa 'king puso ay iibigin ka
UPDATED PLAYLIST! Last set of tracks played on MANILA POP HITS RADIOas of Tuesday, October 26, 6:48 am, Philippines time (Monday, October 25, 5:48 pm, USA Central time):
17:47:42 Jeffrey Hidalgo - Ba't Di Mo Subukan
17:44:21 Jaycie & Honey - Every Little Thing He Does Is Magic
17:40:48 Pupil - Monobloc
17:36:33 Francis Magalona - Meron akong ano
17:33:20 Parokya Ni Edgar - Maniwala Ka Sana
17:30:32 Kamikazee vs. Parokya ni Edgar - American Junk
17:27:36 Cely Bautista - Pag-Ibig Din Ang Daratnan
ADRIAN, Mich. — When Cecile Licad made her debut as a soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Philippines — at age 7 — she knew immediately that she’d found her passion.
“I remember coming off stage and knowing, ‘Here’s what I’m going to do all my life,’ ” she said.
From that beginning — for which she thinks she played a Haydn concerto — the Philippine-born Licad has gone on to a distinguished career as a pianist, playing with some of the world’s most renowned orchestras, conductors and chamber ensembles and as a recitalist. This Sunday, she performs the Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Adrian Symphony Orchestra.
The concert is at 3 p.m. at Adrian College’s Dawson Auditorium.
Licad’s musical career started at age 3, when her mother began teaching her to play piano. “I kept on bothering her and she finally said, ‘OK, go ahead,’ ” she said with a laugh. “But she didn’t want me to become a musician, because she knows how difficult a life it is.”
But by age 7 she’d made that fateful solo debut, and by age 9 she was already playing Chopin’s second piano concerto. “Apparently, my progress was very fast,” she said, rather understatedly.
And she quickly attracted the attention of the Philippines’ then-leader, President Ferdinand Marcos. She remembers Marcos himself holding the telephone out so that no less a pianist than Van Cliburn could hear her playing a Chopin scherzo. Cliburn was in New York. It was 2 a.m. there.
“I wish I’d had a camera,” she said, to take a picture of Marcos doing that.
She also remembers the time she was to play a command performance at the palace and broke the heel of a shoe during rehearsal. As it turned out, she wore the same shoe size as Imelda Marcos — and soon thereafter Imelda’s assistants brought her a pair of shoes from the first lady’s legendarily immense shoe collection, so she’d have something to wear for the concert.
And then there were the times she played for Imelda’s parties, which tended to go on and on.
“Marcos told me, ‘Don’t listen to my wife. Take a rest,” she said, laughing.
Because of Imelda Marcos’ interest in classical music — “She was very proud of her protégés,” Licad said — Licad was allowed to leave the Philippines with her mother, even during martial law to study in the U.S. at the famed Curtis Institute of Music, where she was taught by none other than Rudolf Serkin, Seymour Lipkin and Mieczyslaw Horszowski. She was all of 11 years old.
One of her classmates, who had come to Curtis at age 8, was the violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg.
Licad spoke English, but she was so notoriously quiet that her Curtis classmates thought she was mute. But Salerno-Sonnenberg got her to talk in a rather unique way: “She offered me a potato chip,” Licad said. The two became friends and have since recorded together.
Over her career, Licad has performed and recorded many of the staples of the classical piano repertoire, and has occasionally ventured into some rather uncharted territory too. “I like new adventures and new things,” she said.
For example, she recorded a CD of Gottschalk’s music because, as she put it, “I thought, ‘Why not?’ ” and as a result ended up collaborating with the Wynton Marsalis Septet to perform Gottschalk on a recent five-city tour of a silent movie called “Louis,” an homage to Louis Armstrong.
Accompanying a silent movie was a really different experience, she said. “It was difficult as hell.” She played 12 Gottschalk pieces in all, having to synchronize the music with the onscreen action in the tradition of the old silent-movie pianists.
“It was very exciting. I’ve never done anything like that,” she said. “And you learn from that. I can apply it to whatever I’m playing next.”
The piece Licad will perform with the ASO on Sunday, Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.1, is a work that she calls “unpredictable.”
“You can analyze it all you want, but it has to sound fresh. You have to be expressive and let (the piece) be,” she said.
To her, this concerto is one of those works that only sounds simple. “(Chopin’s) virtuosity is not loud,” she said. “It sounds easy, but the amount of work you put into such a piece is enormous. … You have to not sound like you’re suffering, but a lot of suffering has gone into it.”
And it’s a work that over time has grown on her.
“You can’t think of yourself at all. You just have to let it flow,” she said. “It’s technically difficult, but you can’t think about it. You have to bring out the simplicity and the fire within. And it’s just magic. Every note in this concerto is just very expressive. It’s like a river flowing. … I wasn’t so close to this piece (at first), but now I absolutely love it.”
Dr. Angelito "The Saint" Manguray of the Philippines (pictured above, right)
It is rare feat when one is able to excel in a brutal sport wherein the objective is to physically destroy your opponent otherwise be destroyed; and in other times, heal the ailments of others.
40-year old Filipino Medical Doctor AND Mixed Martial Artist (MMA), Dr. Angelito "The Saint" Manguray vs. Shane Wiggand of the United States in MMA fight held in Singapore. Video (below) by ESPN (posted by youtube user, neilfireballkid ).
Allen Pineda Lindo (apl.de.ap aka "The Alligator" of The Black Eyed Peas) having been born and raised in Pampanga, Philippines (up until he was 14 years old) is fully aware of the stark realities permeating his homeland. Nevertheless, he's still fiercely proud of how his people do the best they can with the cards they've been dealt with. In the 2003 Black Eyed Peas track, "The APL Song" (Pineda/Williams, 2m:54s, Elephunk, A&M/Interscope Records), Mr. Pineda unleashed, "Everyone helpin' each other whenever they can We makin' it happen, from nothin' to somethin,' That's how we be survivin' back in my homeland..."
Despite the nation's many beautiful places and people, poverty directly and indirectly caused by cultural, socio-economic, and political forces limit the opportunities of many to reach their full potentials. The Filipino Diaspora continues. Mama Filipina, we'll always come back home. We'll always come back home.. ~ M.S.
"Mama Filipina" by: Apl.de.ap (video above posted by youtube user, tmudirector) Album: U Can Dream (Jeepney Music Inc.) Director: Michael B. Chait Produced by Elevate Films and TMU Pictures LLC for Jeepney Music Inc. and the Elevate Film Festival.
mama, mama filipina i never meant to give you up i had to move to america mama, mama filipina i never meant to give you up i had to move to america
listen everybody i got somethin to say about the place where i came from back in the days how we used to run around outside in the rain and we didn't have much but we had everything
i'm reminiscing how we used to be fresh fruits, blue sand but no equality where the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor but if you look inside there's so much more
now it's a simple life can't forget what it's like weather so warm you can even swim in the night but we still want to taste that american life, life american life
mama, mama filipina i never meant to give you up i had to move to america mama, mama filipina i never meant to give you up i had to move to america
i remember how we used to be growing up in the land of poverty now you gotta leave home to feed the family gotta make it in the land of opportunity
politician corrupting the economy how they plan to buy the lies of the currencies and they fail to see the sight and the real beleif of my philippine island, beaches with white sands hot springs made from volcanoes erupting how people make life from nothing to something filipina mama raising me right for she still wanna taste that american life
mama, mama filipina i never meant to give you up i had to move to america mama, mama filipina i never meant to give you up i had to move to america
i just wanna show you that i missed ya i just gotta show you that i missed ya miss ya, miss ya i just wanna show you that i missed ya i just gotta show you that i missed ya miss ya, miss ya and i never gonna let you goooo..
mama, mama filipina i never meant to give you up i had to move to america mama, mama filipina i never meant to give you up i had to move to america mama, mama filipina i never meant to give you up i had to move to americamama, mama filipina i never meant to give you up i had to move to america
Album: "Let Me" (Synergy Music, 2003) Words/Music: Emily Rey Additional music : Ardie de Guzman Arrangement: Elmer Blancaflor Recored, Mixed, and Mastered: Mixsonic Studios, Quezon City, Philippines
Emily Rey is a Filipino-American singer who started her musical career in the United States, creating her own following in the Filipino-American community of Southern California. Her poetic ability inspired her to writing her own songs and producing her debut album here in the Philippines, Let Me featuring all original compositions, which she wrote and produced herself, showcasing her wide range of vocal styles. Her music is subtle and powerful all at once. Using her angelic voice as her main instrument, her distinct style of songwriting cannot easily be forced into any existing category. With the influences and combination of pop, rock, alternative, and R&B, her sound is main stream.
Emily Rey has been making waves in the local music scene through her well received live broadcast radio performances such as Magic 89.9s Tunog-Kalye and Live na Live, WLS 97.1s Symme3 concert, and JAM 88.3s Jam Sessions, live guestings in malls, and gigs in top local bars around Metro Manila. The Manila Times ran an article on her and quoted her as an original artist. Local music magazines such as Music Channel, Popsicle compared her to Michelle Branch and Dido. Her songs and songwriting skills cut across boundaries and this proves her musical flexibility, a quality that stems out from her love of her art. Surely, Emily Reys sheer talent alone elevates her status as a bona fide musical artist, one that has always been true in fulfilling her only passion in life, music.
With the upcoming 2010 National Football League (NFL) Draft, Filipinos around the world are keeping an eye on Mr. Tim Tebow, a quarterback from the University of Florida with a Philippine connection. With a 6"3, 235 lb frame and a 2008 Heisman Trophy finalist, Tim was born in the Philippines, following his American Christian missionary mother's (who was suffering from an internal bleeding) decision to go ahead with the birth against Doctors' recommendations (to have an abortion, instead).
MURAL by National Artist, VICENTE MANANSALA @ the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines depicting life in the country. Picture taken by: Marck S., February, 2009.
Artist: Cely Bautista
Title: Bawat Tibok ng Puso
Album: Best of Cely Bautista (Reyna ng Kundiman, Vol. 3) / Aquarius Records
Composed by: A. Torres / L. Celerio
Also released in 1971 by Villar Records
Last week, I was in the Philippines to be with my fiancee. I had the time of my life as every moment was dedicated in spending it with her.
However, it was not lost with my eyes, the poverty which still permeates among the mass of hard working citizens. I could not believe the sharp contrast between the middle and upper classes and those who were just at, or below the poverty line. Men, women, and children with ragged clothes cross the street filled with luxurious vehicles. A few times, I was asked by children who were asking for spare change. I did my best to give more, not with just the amount of money I shared, but advice that they should study hard to have a brighter future. To my disappointment, almost all children replied that they are not in school because they could not afford it. It made me wonder because I assumed that public education was free (as they are here in Canada until the last year of high school). I was later corrected that this was not the case (there is a nominal fee, but a fee nonetheless).
If there's anything that would help the country's poorest to escape their dire social situation, education is the key. One way or another, I hope that the government and the private sector can find ways to invest in the country's growth via a more affordable educational system. The return would be a stronger workforce in the future which is both good at a personal level for those who'll have a better earning potential and as a whole, better for the Philippine economy. ~ Marck Salamatin
Back in 2005, William Adams (will.i.am) of The Black Eyed Peas, via the BEP's online forum, wrote a set of very touching entries (the copy below is NOT edited, it was the ORIGINAL text by will.i.am himself) on the struggles of his best friend and co-band mate Allen Pineda (apl.de.ap) in their early years. They've come a long way since... PART 1 it took 13 years... and he did it... nov i think of 1989 allen pineda shows up in my living room right off the plane from philipines... my mom tells me to stay home from school for a couple of days, so my uncle (faye) friend get enrolled in school... i was real upset... for more than one reason... 1. i was becoming pretty popular in the 9th grade... 2. i had a little rap group and dance crew at paul revere jr. high school, and i love going to school to practice... 3. my 1st girlfriend ever...(carmen perez) wow...she look like a 15 year old jennifer lopez...(i was already about the latin girls in the 9th grade) and 4. carmen perez... anyway... i was upset when i had to take a little under a week off school... little did i know the bomd that was going to help add positivity to the world is geeting ready to happen when i walked down the stairs... and wow was i shocked... this dude was like so out of style, and wow!!!....i mean peewee herman meets belky from (perfect strangers)... and he didnt know any english... i was like wow... this is going to be a blast... so that was it, the starting of the black eyed peas... 1989, trying to communicate with someone who doesnt speak english, and not in sync with the times... and from his prospective... trying to communicate with someone who doesnt speak tagolog, illicado, or papanga...and to him not in sync with anything he's accustomed to... so that being said that was the begining of the whole idea of black eyed peas... understanding differences from colture... and finding one single thread that will link them... for me and apl, the thing that linked us was hip hop...
that was what made the week livable... he showed me what dances people did in the phillipines, and i showed him what dances we did in the states... and it was history from there... 16 years... 16 years... wow... it seems like yesterday when apl would be crying right befor we would go to sleep... i mean think about it... 15 years old... you just got seperated from your family.. a huge family at that in the phillipines... your mom, brothers, sisters, granda, grandpa, home cooking, farming, friends, the country... and your thrown to a city, with one dude you have as a friend, that doesnt speak your language... i mean he must of been scared as hell... wow... going to school as a 15 year old... not knowing elnglish... taking esl classes..(english as a second language) people teasing you... my mom was strict on me... the only dude she let me hang with was apl... so heres how it started...
on the weekend apl and i would hang out at the mall (glendale galleria) we would practice dancing on the weekends... his english was getting better by the 1st year... i would be writing raps...rapping dancing... and this dude would be reading the dictionary... i think thats why his vocabulary is much bigger than mine... "just pay more attention to the songs... his vocab is pretty large...
anyway... we would go out in glendale and dance against other dancers... we formed a dance crew (tribal nation) i would rap against other rappers... and it was turning out that me and apl were getting pretty popular in glendale... but that wasnt enough... when we would go to sleep after the clubs and parties we would say things like... "imagine if we didnt have to wait in line" "if they just let us in like to cool dudes".?. hA HA... we seen some of those "cool dudes" recently... funny... but anyway... we eventually didnt have to wait in line in glendale... it took about 5 months and some victories over wack dance crews... we served alot of ancers to win our rapid club entrance...
but people thought me and apl was stuck up... they thought we were to cool or something... when actually i was shy as shit...and apl was even more shy, cuz he couldnt speak english that well...his accent was way fobby... but we eventually started socializing with a girl hip hop dance crew by the name of "asian pursuation"... for every male crew, you had to have a girl crew you were down with... so they became out homie crew, and that really made tribal nation popular in glendale and now the surrounding valleys...
apl went from focusing heavey on school to the last year paying more attention to what we built... 2 years of building popularity and skill recognition in l.a, glerndale, san gabriel valey, silmar, vanuys, noth ridge... but we never went to hollywood... untill 199... we didnt like the hollywood crowd because the "drugs"... we were so anti cigeretes, drugs, alcohol back then... wow... we actually wouldnt let people in our crew if they did anything... our crew was dope man, the sickest dancers was down with us... undefeated in a hip hop battle... undefeated in a rhyme battle...
and then we went to hollywood... serving crews left to right... "BUD BUNDY" from (married with children) had a club called balistix... and that became our home... didnt have to wait... just walked in... and all this time apl knew a little bit of english... enough to have a conversaton though... but anyway... you know that guy "RANDY JACKSON" from (american idol) along time ago he offered me a record deal... i was 17... i was rapping at balistix...and he saw me there... offered me a deal by myself... i said i have a crew... he said i just want you... i said no!!!... if it aint me and my crew no deal... so we didnt sign... but a week later "EAZY E" from (ruthless records) signed us... and apl only knew a little but of english... but so what... 1992 we signed that deal... apl only in america for 3 years... and he had a record contract... his dad "joe ben hudgens" was happy.. but told him.. "dont let it effect you eductaion" and it did... he practice rapping and dancing, and reading the dictionary so much.. by 1993 apl's english was great enoguh to start recording... and we started recording with eazy e in 1993..
think about this... 50CENT, GAME, JAY Z... all these gangster rappers never had the chance to record with the creator of ganster rapp... wow... GAME has a tatoo of eazy e on his arm... and necer recorded with eazy...
WE DID... ha ha... on a song called marry mother ****ing christmas... man when that song came out we were so popular in hollywood... and we were still in the 12th grade... and apls accent was still thick like clam chouder...
but from there we knew what we can accoplish... apls dad was furrious though... because apl decided not to go to college for enginereing... but instead "rap" apls dad was like... "i didnt adopt you and bring you to the usa to become a (rapper)... which i understand his feelings...
so apls dad pulled me aside and said... and i remember this day like yesterday... this is what you started, you destract my plans... from now one you are responsible... this is your dream... but i can no longer support this... i planned apl to come to the staes get and education, go to college, get a job, an support his family... and now he wants to rap... from this piont on if thats what you guys decide to do, your on your own... and at 18, apl was in that states pretty much by himself... just me and him.. eveyday since 1990 we pretty much have spoken or been in contact with eachother...
we werent scared we were signed to a lable our dreams were moving forward... apl had an apartment... we were cool... we got paid... we were recording songs... we were doing shows... we were meeting people... people were noticing... and then... the worse... 2 years after gradution from high school... no college, no plans other than music... eazy e dies... and it hit us.. what do we do...??... apls dad was right... apls not even a citizen...
APLS NOT EVEN A CITIZEN... he had never finished his citizen paper work... you see the plan apls dad had was graduate high school go to college, and around that time the paperwork for cual citizen ship will be finished... that plan my friends was shot to hell with 2 turntables and a microphone... so what were we to do... we had no more money, no more recording... we truned to friends... apl slept on peoples couches, garages, closets... i lived at home with my mom... but i always was determined... apls dad said "this is your dream its up to you" and i couldnt let his nightmare come true... so we hustled and kept our dream going... recording at peeoples houses we met in hollwood... "BRIAN AUSTON GREEN" from (90210) he let us record at his house... old high school friends "STEFAN GORDY" (barry gordy from motown records son" "benyad" our friend from ruthless" he was in a group called (blood of abraham) behind the front was pretty much recorded in bens bedroom...but we couldnt record on fridays because he was jewish, and on fridays they had sabbath... we had a goal... and nothing was going to stop us... taboo was apart of our family... and we eventually brought him in when we started black eyed peas... and from there it was history... we were doing shows everywhere on hollywood and colleges...
apl was homless pretty much, taboo was working at disney land picking up horse shit... and i was always trying to get in someones studio... wer all had eachothers back...
Part 2
theres so many friends that helped us... so many... and also so many frinds that almost destroyed the dream... drugs came into the picture... and nearly messed everythin up... the very thing we were against in the begining was the thing that still haunts us "as a family" today.. but determination is everything... and that we are... we played so much, and recorded everychance we got... we were starting to have a big following as the black eyed peas in l.a...and the valleys, and hollywood, and now san diego, and san fran... all on our own from playing colleges... 2 years it took us to get a deal at interscope records... and 2 years it took to finally get apl in apt.
you see i was o.k... i didnt mind living with my moms in the projects... and taboo didnt mind living with his mom in rosmead, thats were his son was anyway... but apl... he was homless... and he didnt have a family here... so we would work hard and to ake sure we had a hang out spot... seeing that apl was always the place we would go to to be free, and dream... the funny thing is even today its apls room we go to when we are on tour... we hang out in apls room... funny huh.?.
2 years it took... from moving from couch to garage to closet to shanty apt. but we did it... we signed to interscope in 1997... 2 years after eazy e died... 1997 was the year we were sapposed to graduate college... and in a way we did... our hip hop hustle college... build it your self college... turn your dreams into reality university... and behind the front came out... and we bacame so populat amongst the people who baught that record... we were the happiest.. all we could think about was those days of unsertainty... and we did it... it was like we were laughing... chuckling like we got away with something... and that something was, we got away with a dream... all these people that we looked up to, stop believing when times got tough... and we kept on going...
and we travled the world... london, germany..switzerland, holland... we were so excited and happy... they were wrong... they said we couldnt do it... they hated, they try to bring us down... they made fun of how we dressed...how apl sounded when he talked... ha ha... so did i... ha ha... anyway... and bridging the gaps came out... and we wnent to australia...and japan, and new zeland... it was about the world... we wanted to go places people never been in hip hop... glendale was enough.... san gabriel valley wasn enough... northridge wasnt ebough... north hollywood wasnt enough... hollywood wasnt enough... san diego wasnt enough... san fransico wasnt enough.... california wasnt enough...
the world... and bridging the gaos took us around the world...
and poor apl always had problems... plillpinos do not get love in passport controll around the world...
remember... APL NEVER FINISHED HIS PAPER WORK... when ever we traveled he was always the last one... he has missed connection flights because we never finished his paper work.... he has missed shows bacause they didnt let him in the counrty... it was a problem... we all had to go to the airport 3 hours early because of it sometimes... this was befor 9-11... 3 hours early to the airport befor 9-11 was crazy... btg took us places...
and we were so different from other groups because we were so happy and gratefull for our oppertunities... we worked hard, interviews, travling like crzy to different places hip hop never went... so many promisses of fortune came with bridging the gaps... so many promissses management and the lable told us... we were going to be rich, we could move apls family to the u.s.a... all thses things... but they never happened... and our spirits were crushed when bridging the gaos sold less than behind the front... we didnt care about sales in the first place... we just wanted to tour and travel... but with excitement from others and the hoopla that the industry creates around record sales its hard not to be influenced... and we were crushed... those dreams we had... you see we were used to having a dream and making them happen... now when someone influences you to dream of things you cant controll like prizes and rewards...those are not dreams... and we fell into that trap... and when those dreams didnt happend we felt like failures...
remember apl had no family to trun to when that feeling of failure came... and freinds can only do some much...especially when your friends are feeling the same shit you are... and that thing we were so against in the begining hit like a tsunami... it almost destroyed apl... and we were there as friends to lift our homie up... that was probably the hardest thing we ever had to go through... it was hard... helping him almost destroyed him and our friends ship... but like alll the things put in our life we get through it... from english, to being looked at as weirdos, to deaths, homlessness, dreams shattered, to drug abuse, we get through it...
and elephunk helped us get through it... it was theropy... me and taboo was partying top much, so we stopped and wrote about it instead of doing it... relationship problems like shut up... to the world... we recorded elephunk a little outside of san fransico.. and our last day there was september 11th... and we even had a tour booked the day after we were schedualled to go on tour 9-13... and we did... my granda told me not to cancle it... she said... "when god calls apon you to do...you do... dont sit at home scared"... and we did... we went on tour... and right after that tour we wrote... "where is the love" because thats what it felt like... we felt like thats what everyong was asking and feeling... and that song changed our life befor anyone heard it... we turned it and no one at the label liked it...
but that didnt stop us... we still kept moving... we still kept recording... and finally people started gravitating to elephunk... you see people we scared and didnt know how it would work with us talking about the cia the kkk and things like that around a very senstive time in america... but it worked... writing from your heatr works...
we eventually met fergie,,, and fergie join the group adding here beautifull voice and soul to the powerfull peas that was already moving... making it even more powerfull... and we toured around the world as a quartet... and its been beautiful... elephunk took us to places we never thought of going... or dreampt ot going... like veitnam, brazil... we even got a chance to go back to were apl comes from... and man that dude is so large there...
here you have a guy that left the phillipines... while he was in the phillipines he felt like an outsider being half black and phillipino... getting torn aways from his family, and litterally forced into another... with so many unsertainties surrounding him.. only having his friends to make him feel secure with himself becoming a man... no family.. returning to his homeland 14 years later as a hero... someone who has brought back hope not only to his family, but his country... that the world is ready for what phillipinos have to offer as far as life style colture and entertainment... phillipinos have lend a hand in the world but really have not been acknoledge for it... i cant really speak on as much as many phillipinos out there, but i know its a fact... and i am so proud of apl... and his strength.. and his accomplishments... his mom is now in l.a right now... apl is now has a dope house... and apl now... GET READY FOR THIS... is A DUAL CITIZEN OF THE PHILLIPINES AND THE U.S.A... we did it dog... im proud of you apl... i hope you read this...
and i hope your eyes dont hurt after you read it... seeing that i wrote a book, and you have a hard time reading small letters... ha ha.. my dog for life... will.i.am
APL IS A CITIZEN... no more long waits when we travel... mr. american... and no... he didnt sell out his country.,.. he is a phillipino citizen first... american second...
Courtesy of Yahoo Sports, Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, ranked #1 Pound for Pound Fighter in the world will go against a great contender, Joshua Clottey of Ghana @ Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Dallas, Texas on March 13, 2010.
Laban, Pacman!!!
There may be NO snow in the Philippines, however, the same will never be a deterrent for a group of proud Filipinos to represent the country at the most prestigious worldwide sporting event, the Olympics.
From Wikipedia:
"The first truly tropical nation to compete in the Winter Olympic Games is the Philippines, who sent two alpine skiers to the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, Japan.[7] Ben Nanasca placed 42nd in the giant slalom event (out of 73 entrants)..."
IT wasn't much more than a year ago that the final approval was granted, and the Philippines had itself a Winter Olympics team for the first time since 1972. Although there were dark moments in the campaign, like the time a government official was detained at the airport in Manila and forced to turn over important papers intended for the nation's Olympic Committee, persistence and sincerity won out.
Come Feb. 13, when athletes from 60 countries march through McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta, for the opening cermonies of the XV Winter Games, Raymond Ocampo, a luger, will be marching right along with them, carrying the flag of the Philippines. He's the team. It is unlikely many other athletes have worked as hard as Ocampo, preparing for the Games. Not only did he learn his sport from scratch, starting barely two years ago, he had to convince Philippine Government and Olympic officials that his intentions were honorable and within the rules of the International Olympic Committee, which allow an athlete to represent the country of his birth, so long as he has not competed in the same sport for another country.
Still, it took some doing: Ocampo's parents left the Philippines 24 years ago. Now 34, he is the chief litigator for a computer firm in Belmont, Calif., a small city south of San Francisco. Paper Trail Is Hardest
''Luging is hard enough,'' he said the other day from Calgary, where he was training. ''The paper trail was the hardest part.'' Ocampo was struck by the idea of participating in the Winter Olympics sometime after the 1984 Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. He noticed someone named George Tucker had represented Puerto Rico in the luge competition, and he knew Puerto Rico was no more a hotbed of cold-weather sports than the Philippines. So, at the urging of a friend, he began to make a few inquiries.
In short order, Ocampo was reading any luge-related material he could find and watching tapes of ABC's coverage of the 1980 Games in Lake Placid and the 1984 Games. Dry-land training on a sled with wheels followed, and last winter, he made his racing debut at Lake Placid, finishing seventh in the over-30 division of the Empire State Games. One of those he beat was George Tucker. Meanwhile, through the Philippine consulate in San Francisco, he sought to contact the Philippine Olympic Committee in Manila, asking permission to represent the country in international competition. ''It was an ongoing process,'' he said. ''People in the Philippines don't know what luge is. People in America don't know what luge is.'' A Serious Quest
By last March, after his debut, he convinced officials at the consulate that his quest was serious. One official, who was about to leave for Manila on other business, offered to speak to the Olympic Committee on his behalf.
But these were tenuous times in the Philippines. A new Government, headed by Corizon Aquino, had just taken over, and Ocampo suspected the official who was to do his bidding still had ties to the former ruler, Ferdinand Marcos, who had fled the country in late February. At least that's what Ocampo thought when the official was stopped at the airport and all his papers were taken, including those that related to Ocampo. ''I had to start all over,'' he said. The United States Luge Federation helped by sending a letter of recommendation to the Philippine Olympic Committee. Ocampo wrote to Mrs. Aquino's vice president, Salvador H. Laurel, and to Francisco Almeda, the secretary general of the Olympic Committee, who rejected Ocampo's application at first. But Ocampo persisted. He sent more letters to Almeda, and more telex messages. ''It was an exhausting process,'' Ocampo said. ''More exhausting than lugeing.'' Frustrated, he telephoned Almeda. ''I had to make someone realize I was serious,'' he said. ''Sometimes, if there are questions of skepticism, people don't react to them until they are face-to-face. It's easier not to react. I had to convince him I was serious.'' Approved as Participant
Finally, he did. Almeda accepted the application, and in due course, the international federation for luge approved the Philippines as an Olympic participant.
Meanwhile, Ocampo was investing more of himself and his money in the sport. He became so dedicated, that when he interviewed for his current position and the corporation executives asked what his priorities would be if he had a big case to handle, that or the Olympics, he told them, ''I would choose the Olympics.''
''If I had told them anything else,'' he said, ''they wouldn't have hired me because they knew I would have been lying.''
By the Olympics, he figures he will have slid down a course about 400 times and spent as much as $20,000 for travel, accommodations and equipment. A new sled, alone, costs almost $700.
Through it all, the honor of representing his native country remains his most fervent motivation, even though he has not been back to the Philippines since before President Marcos left power. He bought his first sled second-hand from the United States Luge Associaton and named it, ''The Cory Aquino Express.''
''I'm about as dual a citizen as you can be,'' he said. ''Because of my birth and my ancestry, part of me is always there.'' Only a Long Shot
Success in the Olympics, he said, is of secondary importance. The Italian, East German and Soviet teams will most likely dominant the competition. The American team is only a long shot to win medals. Likewise, the Philippines team.
''A medal is not something I'm shooting for,'' Ocampo said. ''Winning one would be neat, but whether I win one or not, it would be nice to bring a focus to the Philippines for something other that the troubles they have been having. That's just the way I feel.''
With the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics returning to Canada in Vancouver, the focus is on two top-notch Filipino athletes vying for a spot to compete with the world's best. Eden Roa Serina and Kenneth Carson will hopefully carry the Philippines' flag in Vancouver!
# Philippine National Snowboard Team, Captain & Athlete (10 years) # First Filipina on the Philippine National Team & World Cup Circuit # Over 130 Race Starts, 24 World Cup Starts, 10 World Championship Starts # Four-time World Championships participant, 6 Years on the World Cup ~ from www.firstfilipina.com Kenneth Carson
Kenneth Anthony Carson was born on June 2, 1981 in Sacramento, California. His parents, Carrie Graham and Kerry Carson, split when he was 2 and he was raised with his biracial Filipino and African American father in a household that emphasized athletics and discipline. Kenneth played baseball all throughout high school and it wasn’t until after that he realized his passion and skill for snowboarding. His persistence and determination led him to begin competing in the extreme sport of Boardercross. Equivalent to the popular sport of Motocross but on a snowboard, Boardercross combines speed, jumps and sharp turns as racers fly down a narrow snow packed course to the finish line.
After a few short seasons of local competition, Kenneth decided to take his passion to the next level. In the 2008-2009 Winter, he finished his most eventful season to date. After taking first place in the majority of the local Tahoe regional events, in April of 2009, Kenneth earned a spot at the USASA National Championships in Copper Mountain, Colorado. He would compete in his main event, Boardercross, and a few minor events. With his Mother and sister in the crowd, Kenneth made his way through the field of competitors, graduating into the Boardercross Finals. After an exhausting final run, Kenneth crossed the finish line in second place, taking home the Silver Medal. The rest of the week also proved successful, with a 4th place finish in Men’s Slalom and a 6th place finish in Men’s Giant Slalom.
During the 2009 offseason, Kenneth came across the media coverage of a local competitor affiliated with the Republic of the Philippines. After some research and communication with the head of the committee, he learned that the Philippines was in the process of assembling a winter sports team. As a 2nd generation multi-racial Filipino-American, Kenneth filed the needed paperwork to compete under the Republic of the Philippines Flag. The good news came in the form of an email in mid July, when the Philippine Ski Federation welcomed Kenneth to the roster of the 2009-2010 team.
As a member of the Philippines National Team, the door has been opened to compete internationally. The International Ski Federation (FIS) hosts events across the globe, including stops in Argentina, Japan, Korea, and New Zealand. The 2009-2010 season is a Winter Olympic year, and enough points this year will mean a possible spot at Olympic Trials.
For Kenneth, competing at this level would be a dream come true. More importantly, representing his family and a culture that has been such a prominent part of his life would be a tremendous achievement. As a proud Filipino American athlete from Northern California, Kenneth hopes to represent his family, friends, and entire community. His ultimate goal is to not only bring home gold, but to also be a positive representation of what it means to be Filipino American and an influential role model and trailblazer for others like him. ~ from Kenneth Carson's online blog
