When friend Jacqui Maniquis buzzed me that Stephen Baldwin was in town and that he would meet the press, I was eager to join the press who would be there to talk to him.
The first time I watched him in was in a movie called The Usual Suspects in 1995, I was visiting my cousin in Oxnard, California then and I had nothing better to do one afternoon when I decided to spend it at a Cineplex in the city’s town center.
I knew then he was the younger brother of actor Alec Baldwin who is famous now for impersonating US President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live.
Stephen has also appeared in the films Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Posse (1993), Threesome (1994), The Usual Suspects (1995), Bio-Dome (1996) and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000). But his turn on Celebrity Big Brother 7 (UK) and Celebrity Apprentice gave him worldwide mileage and the latter turned him into a Trump supporter, endorsing his candidacy in 2015.
At the Icon Hotel on Timog Avenue one Thursday afternoon, I saw Stephen at a table before some members of the press invited to be part of the pre-shooting conference.
We were told Baldwin would play father to twins (played by real life Phil-Am twins Jesse and Christian Perkins) in a movie about friendship.
Many of those in the hall were wondering why the producers cast an American actor in a Filipino film, and Baldwin immediately said, “When you watched the film, you would know why.”
Baldwin joins, apart from the Perkin twins, a stellar cast that includes Boots Anson Roa, Alvin Anson, Cesar Montano, Tirso Cruz III, Lani Mercado, and Mocha Uson. Montano co directs the film (in English) with Daniel Tan.
Kaibigan is the story of a troubled Filipino high-school student and the friends that surround him, leading him to a life enveloped by problems. Sooner they discover the true meaning of friendship.
Baldwin was very optimistic the film will be a big hit. “We will also show this not only in the Philippines but everywhere where there is a Filipino.”
Baldwin, I learned, is very active as a born-again Christian, and accepted the offer from the Perkins couple (the wife is a Filipino) who are as devoted Christian as Baldwin.
Jobs Jobs Jobs
Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade along with DPWH Secretary Mark Villar and BCDA President Vince Dizon met with members of the entertainment press to tell them about Jobs Jobs Jobs that was held yesterday at the SMX Convention Center.
Villar said that the Build Build Build is gaining momentum at an unprecedented rate and he notes that more jobs were generated during the first two years of the Duterte administration.
“Build Build Build is Jobs Jobs Jobs,” said Tugade. “This is providing life to our nation. Unemployment has already decreased and we expect that it would shrink further.”
Dizon said that BCDA has begun construction of the country’s first smart, resilient metropolis in Clark, Pampanga. He added,” New Clark City will also be the site of the future Asian Games in 2020. And a new government center will also be located there.
2nd Villar SIPAG Youth awards
The Villar SIPAG (Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance) Foundation has again acknowledged the important role of the youth sector in significantly reducing poverty in the country and improving the lives of many poor families.
In the 2nd Villar SIPAG Youth Poverty Reduction Challenge, the Foundation gave due recognition to 10 outstanding youth organizations for their unique and innovative solutions and undertakings to address poverty in impoverished communities.
The 10 winners were chosen from over 150 youth organizations, composed of college students and out of school adolescents aged 18 to 29 years old, which submitted their entries for the 2018 Villar SIPAG Awards for the youth category.
Adjudged Most Outstanding Youth Organizations: Soldiers of God (Marikina City), Sulbec 4H Club (Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte), the Circle Hostel: Tribes & Treks, and The Plastic Solution (San Felipe, Zambales), Adopt-A-Barangay: Brgy. Puray, Rodriguez, Rizal (Rodriguez, Rizal), Gubat Young Farmers Association (Gubat, Sorsogon), Tigbao 4H Club( Aroroy, Masbate), Youth First Initiative Philippines, Inc. (Iloilo City), Youthlead Philippines, Inc. (Tagbilaran City, Bohol), Monteverde 4H Club (Zamboanga City), and New Leyte National High School 4H Club (New Leyte, Maco, Compostela Valley).
Each organization received a cash prize of Php150,000 and a Villar SIPAG Awards trophy.
The Youth Poverty Reduction challenge is a competition for youth organizations that have at least three youth members and must be operating for a minimum of one year. Submitted entries were subjected to rigid evaluation, comprehensive screenings and rational project defense.
Blind children ‘walk with dignity’ at Farmers Plaza
The Farmers Plaza on Aug.4 hosted the White Cane Safety Day event, showing its commitment to welcome persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the mall and other properties of Araneta Center.
The White Cane Safety Day is a law-mandated celebration every August that aims to promote the well-being of the visually-impaired and raise awareness on their plight and rights. The event was attended by 150 visually impaired children and their families.
Araneta Center officials also distributed white canes to select visually impaired children and stressed the importance of helping PWD visitors around the Center.
Araneta Center’s support for the White Cane cause is just one way of pushing for its corporate social responsibility projects. Last April, the iconic Smart Araneta Coliseum was decked with blue lights in support of the World Autism Awareness Day. Its frontliners are also undergoing regular disability sensitivity trainings.
After the speeches, the visually-impaired children, their parents and some blindfolded guests were given a tour of the Farmers Plaza in a visual representation of what it is like to walk with dignity despite their condition.
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