Dinagyang 2024

Dinagyang 2024 to my mind is one of the many festivals that was able to successfully fuse and blend tradition and culture and full-scale commercialization. We are not saying that commercialization is a bad idea ... but it is a foolproof and infallible formula ... something that will boost Iloilo's economy and tourism for sure.

Aside from enticing visitors and tourists to drop by Iloilo to have a sample of its rich culture ... Dinagyang also becomes a platform to showcase Iloilo's gastronomic treats ... having won UNESCO's  Creative City of Gastronomy award.

Behind the vibrant tapestry of religion history and faith, a kaleidoscope of colorful costumes and iridescent props, the pulsating and rhythmic beat of drums gongs, and xylophones Iloilo welcomes you to experience an assortment and a miscellany of mouthwatering cuisine and food fares.

Indeed that's what we saw ... as kiosks were sprouting like mushrooms in the streets of Delgado, Valeria, Iznart, Solis, would you believe... even in  Muelley Loney.

I could imagine Mayor Jerry Trenas grinning from ear to ear as people queued and lined up to savor what food and delicacies Iloilo had prepared for them. Everybody for sure enjoyed the culinary and the gastronomic delights.

There's a merry tinkling of dough-re-mi in every corner of the city. And that's all that counts.

Kapamilya Karavan at Dinagyang 2024

 As the song goes ... "Are the stars out tonight ... " Yesiree the stars were out last January 28 at Megaworld Festive Walk ... and they descend from heaven just to be a part of the culminating activities of Dinagyang 2024.

As part of the Kapamilya Karavan, Kim Chiu, Paulo Avelino, and JM de Guzman take time from their busy schedule in the teleserye Linlang and show up in flesh and blood to drumbeat this latest ABS CBN soap on infidelity which is already gaining a lot of concurrent viewers in whatever platform there is available.

And not to be outdone ... Andrea Brillantes and Kyle Echarri the lead stars of Senior High ... another whodunit thriller that touches on social issues affecting teenagers today like suicide, bullying, teenage pregnancy, and boys love ... came in strong with their duet Gusto Kitang Isayaw to the delight of their fans who were screaming and shrieking on top of their lungs... that almost made my eardrums bleed.

Another love team from Can't Buy Me Love - Maris Racal and Anthony Jennings made more kilig moments.  And just like their outing in Can't Buy Me Love where netizens are raving about their pole-apart chemistry ... their unlikely pairing has slowly but surely gravitated the fans to like their unusual tandem. Indeed opposite attracts ... and judging from their reactions their amalgam creates surefire pyrotechnics that is almost palpable.

We also saw  Hashtag Nikko Natividad who was his usual kikoy self ... and we are wondering if Tommy Alejandrino, Gela Atayde, Daniela Stranner, Janine Berdin made it to the show.

For what it is worth, the trend now where ABS CBN and GMA stars have become visible in provinces to promote their movies and teleseryes is a welcome treat. The Philippines is not just Manila ... who whoever concocted this idea deserves a pat on the shoulder.

Hala Bira Iloilo!

BBM V Du30: Sinong Mananalo?

Duterte at Marcos, giyera na

Popcorn Anyone?

A gif of someone eating popcorn (usually Michael Jackson) in Google ...  usually means a drama is happening. This person is figuratively (not literally) eating popcorn while they're watching the drama happen.

But in Chris Tan's video above, he was LITERALLY eating popcorn ... it was funny seeing him enjoying Ex-President Rodrigo Roa Duterte's tour de force performance trying to convince everyone we have a drug addict president in Malacanang.

Whether we believe him or not ... is immaterial and irrelevant. Chris has shown all and sundry that the old cliche of popcorn eating while watching a movie ... was proven enough to be effective in driving home a point that the movie is worth watching by virtue of that single scene alone.

Chris was even laughing at himself doing this stuff ... and the scene was priceless - it even encouraged me to watch the whole prayer rally speech en toto. At abangan ang susunod na kabanata.

Singing Hoosiers 2023 Fall Concert 5 - Rosas Pandan

Pageant Result: Reina HispanoAmericana 2024

Michelle Arceo just won Reina Hispano Americana 2024 as Second Runner-Up.  The pageant was held last January 28,2024 in Santa Cruz Bolivia. Mariciela Gamarra of Peru won the title. The Vireina was Venezuela, Brazil - First Runner Up.