Latest news with #all-Filipino
GMA Network
27-07-2025
- Sport
- GMA Network
Onic PH ousts Area77 to keep MSC title dream alive
Onic Philippines bounced back with a vengeance, thrashing North America's Area77 with a 2-0 victory in their do-or-die group stage clash at the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Mid-Season Cup 2025 late Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A day after falling prey to Aurora Gaming of Turkey, the Philippine bets regrouped and vented their ire to eliminate an all-Filipino Area77 and advance to the lower bracket semifinals of Group B. The win gave Onic Philippines another chance at advancing to the playoffs, but it will have to face Malaysia's HomeBois first in another must-win situation later tonight. "Para sa akin, hindi kami na-shock [sa talo namin sa Aurora] kasi alam naman naming nagpur-prepare din 'yung Aurora para sa amin," Onic's mid laner Frince "Super Frince" Ramirez said in the post-game press conference. Onic head coach Tony "Ynot" Senedrin added: "It's just the same, we just used our one life, I guess. So it was really up to us to look at the loss objectively, make sure that we do know the opportunities we have." Onic needed just 14 minutes and 12 seconds to secure Game 1 against Area77 with Super Frince making a surprise Kagura pick, delivering a spotless KDA of four kills and three assists. The game then snowballed in Game 2 when Onic's jungler Cyric "K1NGKONG" Perez delivered three early kills against his counterpart Lance "Shiro" Nones (Suyou), who sustained four deaths in the first four minutes. Area77 could not recover from that early collapse as the reigning world champions maintained map control the rest of the match with K1NGKONG dictating the tempo and the rest of Onic executing near-flawless plays. A lopsided 23-4 kill spread saw K1NGKONG unleash 14 kills and six assists against just one death as Onic lived to fight another day. —JKC, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
'Shrek the Musical' to bring all-Filipino star power to the stage
The swamp is coming to life—louder, greener, and proudly Filipino. This Halloween, the iconic green ogre and his motley crew of fairy-tale misfits will hit the Philippine stage as "Shrek The Musical" premieres at the Newport Performing Arts Theater on October 31, powered by an all-Filipino lead cast. Presented by Newport World Resorts, this ogre-sized production promises not just dazzling performances and spectacular sets, but also a celebration of Filipino theatrical talent. Jamie Wilson as Shrek Leading the charge—or rather, stomping through the swamp—is seasoned theater veteran Jamie Wilson as Shrek. With a career spanning over four decades, Wilson is no stranger to commanding the stage. His past performances in "Matilda The Musical" (for which he won a Broadway World Asia Award) and "Run For Your Wife" (Aliw Award, Best Actor) have made him a staple in the local theater scene. Wilson is also known for his directorial chops in major concerts like "Ely Buendia: A Night at the Theater." Krystal Kane as Princess Fiona Opposite Wilson is Krystal Kane as Princess Fiona—spirited, sassy, and full of surprises. Kane, who began acting at the age of nine in classics like "Aspects of Love" and "The Sound of Music," studied musical theater in New York before returning to Manila to wow audiences in productions such as "Spring Awakening"and "Tabing Ilog: The Musical." After a brief hiatus to explore the world behind the lens as a photographer and stylist, Kane made a triumphant return in "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" and will also star in "Side Show." Topper Fabregas as Donkey Bringing the laughs and likely stealing scenes—is Topper Fabregas as Donkey. As a founding member of Red Turnip Theater, Fabregas has proven time and again that he can shift from laugh-out-loud comedy to raw emotional depth. His acting credits include "Come From Away," "Angels in America," and "Ang Huling El Bimbo The Musical," while his award-winning performance in "Sila-Sila" on film has shown just how versatile he truly is. Alfredo Reyes as Lord Farquaad Rounding out the main cast is Alfredo 'Bibo' Reyes as the vertically-challenged villain Lord Farquaad. Known for his performances in "In the Heights," "Waitress," and "The Band's Visit" with Atlantis Theatrical, and as Young Hector in "Ang Huling El Bimbo," Reyes has built a solid reputation onstage and across Asia with touring hits like "Saturday Night Fever" and "Avenue Q." Trained at the prestigious Atlantic Acting School in New York (recipient of the Practical Aesthetics Full Scholarship), Reyes promises to make Farquaad as delightfully devious as ever. Originally hitting Broadway in 2008, the musical—featuring music by Jeanine Tesori and a book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire—earned eight Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, and won Best Costume Design of a Musical. The Philippine staging is produced under license from Music Theatre International (MTI), with full performance materials provided by the same. "Shrek The Musical" opens October 31 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Newport World Resorts, Pasay City. Tickets are now available via TicketWorld, Newport World Resorts Box Office, and HelixPay. Prices are as follows: SVIP: PHP 4,500 VIP: PHP 4,000 Gold: PHP 3,000 Silver: PHP 2,000 Bronze: PHP 1,500 —CDC, GMA Integrated News
Filipino Times
15-02-2025
- Business
- Filipino Times
TFT Watchlist fireside chat: Filipino engineers and architects have the potential to lead the charge for sustainable development
The third edition of 'The Filipino Times Watchlist: Top Engineers and Architects in the Middle East Summit 2025,' held on February 14, 2025, at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Dubai Deira Creek, focused on three key themes: AI and tech innovation, cultural preservation, and sustainability. During its last session, titled 'The Role of Filipino Engineers and Architects in Driving Sustainable Development Across the Middle East,' a fireside chat featuring all-Filipino speakers prompted panelists to share which themes resonated most with them and their key takeaways. This 'reactor summary session' specifically examined the Summit's topics from a Filipino perspective, as its core purpose is to benefit Filipino professionals, particularly those in the Middle East. Enrico John Chavez, Associate Director at Linesight DMCC For Enrico John Chavez, Associate Director at Linesight DMCC, all the themes discussed are timely and relevant, making each of them equally important to him. 'From my point of view, everything is timely and relevant… For those of you who are working on sustainability initiatives and those who are active in the construction industry in Dubai, particularly Estidama, deals with sustainability as well as the cultural aspect of the country,' he said, noting that it's just a matter of time before AI is embedded into these. 'We have to catch up. We need to develop ourselves in a more competent manner. Yes, and I suppose data-driven results are leading towards decision-making.' Panel moderator Dr. Karen Remo, Founder & CEO of the New Perspective Media Group, Publisher of The Filipino Times, agreed. 'That's good to know; we're basically structuring the points here. Of course, we have people, planet, purpose, and profit. Additionally, we'll address AI and cultural preservation. It looks like we're going to cover all the necessary topics at the summit, as these are all important and needed holistically,' Dr. Remo emphasized. Engr. Marlon Hipolito, Project Manager at Watermaster Technical Services Co. For his part, Engr. Marlon Hipolito, Project Manager at Watermaster Technical Services Co., highlighted that one of the goals of Estidama is to address the needs of the community, reducing the necessity for people to go elsewhere. 'Whatever the needs of the people, we are bringing them to the community. I think AI can be a big help because, as we all know, AI can gather vast amounts of data. We can use this data for urban planning, such as traffic management and assessing risks like floods or traffic congestion. AI can help gather all this information and then use it for proactive planning,' Engr. Hipolito explained. Arch. Franz Felea Reyes, Senior Sustainability Engineer with KEO International Consultants 'I'm from Qatar. In Qatar, we have QSAS, which includes a culture and preservation credit. Cultural preservation is important to us because it gives soul and meaning to the buildings we design, along with sustainability. These three elements are very important; they are the foundation of how we design sustainable cities,' said Arch. Franz Felea Reyes, Senior Sustainability Engineer with KEO International Consultants, adding that it's very important for them as engineers and architects to use AI, culture, and sustainability to integrate all of these values and help the community. (From left): Panelists Engr. Marlon Hipolito, Mr. Enrico John Chavez, and Arch. Franz Felea Reyes with Dr. Karen Remo Get the latest news instantly on your phone — join the Filipino Times WhatsApp channel now! 'We truly have to integrate all three of these themes, whether you're an engineer or an architect, because they all address the specific requirements of the evolving community we have here,' Dr. Remo concurred. Concluding the discussion, she enumerated the 10 fastest-growing skills by 2030 according to The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 — AI and big data, networks and cybersecurity, technological literacy, creative thinking, resilience and agility, curiosity and lifelong learning, leadership, talent management, analytical thinking, and environmental stewardship — and asked the speakers where they think Filipinos are lacking and where they are strong. For Engr. Hipolito, Filipinos are creative thinkers but really need to improve on leadership and social influence. 'We have a lot of ideas, sometimes crazy ideas, but we are afraid to show them or to bring them up. Maybe we are thinking, 'What if this doesn't succeed? What if we fail?' So we don't want to take those responsibilities.' 'We, Filipinos, are resilient. I think most of the people here will agree with me na kahit saan ka pumunta, may OFW, kahit saang lugar ,' Arch. Reyes said, noting that, for her, it is in AI and big data, as well as environmental stewardship, where Filipinos fall short. 'I think Filipinos, while we're now focusing on AI and technology, are still quite behind some countries. There are people who are afraid of new things; they tend to step back and aren't quite sure. But nowadays, since AI is so significant, I think Filipinos should exert more effort to understand the trends so that we won't be left behind by other countries.' Resilience and agility are also the number one strengths of Filipinos, Chavez believes. In terms of weaknesses, he noted that it lies in leadership and social influence, as well as talent management. 'As Filipinos, we are able to actually deliver. We have to look at our future in terms of how we can be more resilient and how we can manage the talents we have at the moment. That talent pool is something we need to develop further,' he said.
