Fil-Am Nicole Scherzinger wins Best Actress at Olivier Awards 2024

By: Jessica Ann Evangelista

INQUIRER.net / 07:59 PM April 16, 2024

Filipino-American Nicole Scherzinger took home the Best Actress award as her West-End musical revival “Sunset Boulevard” won big at the 2024 Laurence Olivier Awards. 

On her Instagram account, the former Pussycat Dolls member expressed joy to having captured the Best Actress in a Musical trophy as Norma Desmond.

“It is an honor, joy and privilege to be recognized for your work. I am so very proud to say I am now an Olivier Award Winner. ‘I’m back where I was born to be,’” she wrote in her caption.

Theater legend Lea Salonga took to the comment of Scherzinger’s post to extend her congratulations to the actress-singer.

In a separate post, the Filipino descent star shared a video of her speech as she went emotional accepting her first Olivier Award.

“As a little girl from Hawaii and growing up in Kentucky, coming from really humble beginnings, I always wanted to be a singer and do musicals. And I dreamed of so many roles that I wanted to do, and honestly this role, Norma Desmond, was not one of those roles,” she said, drawing laughter from the audience.

“But God works in mysterious ways because it’s honestly one of the ballsiest and bravest things I have ever done.” added the singer-actress.

Scherzinger won “Dancing with the Stars” in 2010. She also served as a judge on several other television talent shows, including “The Sing-Off” (2009–2010), “The X Factor” US (2011), “The X Factor” UK (2012–2013, 2016–2017, 2019), “Australia’s Got Talent” (2019), and “The Masked Singer” (2019).

She has also appeared in the 2014 musical “Cats” and in the Disney animated film “Moana” (2016). Her television credits include “Dirty Dancing” (2017) and the television special “Annie Live!” (2021).

“Sunset Boulevard” emerged as the top winner, bagging seven awards out of 11 nominations from the prestigious awarding body. 

Aside from Scherzinger, former “Succession” star Sarah Snook took home the main Best Actress of the night for her performance in “The Picture of Dorian Gray.”

Power woes raise alert in Luzon, Visayas grids

By: Jordeene B. Lagare - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:55 AM April 17, 2024

RED, YELLOW EXPLAINED According to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, a red alert is issued when the power supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand, while a yellow alert means the operating margin or excess capacity of operating plants is not enough to meet the transmission grid’s contingency requirement. PHOTO FROM NGCP’S FACEBOOK PAGE

MANILA, Philippines — The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) on Tuesday placed the Luzon grid on red and yellow alerts and the Visayas grid on yellow alert after 42 power plants either stopped supplying electricity or reduced their output.

The NGCP, which operates the country’s transmission backbone, said a red alert is issued when the power supply is insufficient to meet consumer demand, while a yellow alert is when the operating margin or excess capacity of operating plants is not enough to meet the transmission grid’s contingency requirement.

The NGCP issued a red alert over the Luzon grid, which started at 2 p.m. and ended at 11 p.m., which means rotational brownouts could be expected during these hours.

A yellow alert was declared from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. A yellow alert does not necessarily lead to a power outage.

NGCP also put the Visayas grid on red alert from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on yellow alert from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Unscheduled shutdown

The grid operator said 42 power plants in Luzon and the Visayas were either on an unscheduled shutdown or running below capacity.

In Luzon, 21 power plants were on forced outages, while three others were operating at limited capacities with a combined capacity of 2,477.3 megawatts.

Major power plants in Luzon that went offline included two units of Pagbilao (382 MW each), Masinloc 1 (344 MW), Sta. Rita (264 MW), Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corp.’s unit 2 (150 MW) and two units of Kalayaan (180 MW each).

In the Visayas, 13 power plants were on forced outages, while five others were running below capacity, with a total capacity of 779.5 MW.

TVI (169 MW) and KSPC 1 (103 MW) are among the unavailable power facilities. On the other hand, PCPC (135 MW) has been offline since February this year.

NGCP said the peak demand in Luzon was 13,024 MW, while the available capacity was only 13,537 MW. In the Visayas, peak demand was pegged at 2,440 MW as against the available capacity of 2,742 MW.

Energy conservation pushed

The Department of Energy (DOE) said it was closely coordinating with all power stakeholders to ensure that appropriate measures were taken to minimize the impact.

“While we continue to monitor and ask our power plant operators to work on restoring full operations, we can maximize our energy efficiency efforts as we go through this period of extreme heat,” Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said.

“Flexible work arrangements and other conservation measures would also be helpful. The extremely high temperatures have been affecting the operations of power plants in the grid,” he noted.

The DOE reiterated President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive for all government offices to take the lead in conserving energy and minimizing power use, particularly during this period.

Electricity consumption historically rises during the summer months, which this year has been worsened by the El Niño dry spell because of the increased use of cooling appliances.

Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), the country’s largest power distributor, implemented any manual load dropping (MLD) or rotating power interruptions within its coverage area for more than an hour.

“This is partly due to the help of our big-load customers, which collectively deloaded around 300 MW under the interruptible load program (ILP),” Meralco said in a statement.

ILP is a voluntary, demand-side management program of the Energy Regulatory Commission wherein big Meralco customers are requested to use their own generator sets instead of relying on electricity from the grid.

This helps prevent power outages in households during red alert situations.

When all companies in the ILP use their generators, more than 600 MW can be made available to the Luzon grid for use by small consumers.

However, NGCP said it implemented an emergency MLD or rotational power interruptions affecting portions of northern Luzon which was first implemented at 4:16 p.m. “to protect the integrity of the power system.”

Affected were the electric cooperatives in Benguet, Ilocos Sur, Nueva Ecija and Aurora.

Additional supply

A few weeks earlier, the DOE had assured the public of ample power supply for April, saying some power plants with a combined capacity of 300 MW would add to the grid.

Energy Assistant Secretary Mario Marasigan had said that certain coal, solar, biomass and hydropower plants, mostly located in Luzon, as well as Unit 1 of the Mariveles coal-fired power plant in Bataan province, would be switched on during the period.

Philippine Fairy Tales (XXXV) - Philippinische Märchen (XXXV): THE STORY OF THE CREATION - DIE GESCHICHTE DER SCHÖPFUNG

THE STORY OF THE CREATION 

In the very beginning there lived a being so large that he can not be compared with any known thing. His name was Melu, and when he sat on the clouds, which were his home, he occupied all the space above. His teeth were pure gold, and because he was very cleanly and continually rubbed himself with his hands, his skin became pure white. The dead skin which he rubbed off his body was placed on one side in a pile, and by and by this pile became so large that he was annoyed and set himself to consider what he could do with it.

Finally Melu decided to make the earth; so he worked very hard in putting the dead skin into shape, and when it was finished he was so pleased with it that he determined to make two beings like himself, though smaller, to live on it.

Taking the remnants of the material left after making the earth he fashioned two men but just as they were all finished except their noses, Tau Tana from below the earth appeared and wanted to help him.

Melu did not wish any assistance, and a great argument ensued. Tau Tana finally won his point and made the noses which he placed on the people upside down. When all was finished, Melu and Tau Tana whipped the forms until they moved. Then Melu went to his home above the clouds, and Tau Tana returned to his place below the earth.

All went well until one day a great rain came, and the people on the earth nearly drowned from the water which ran off their heads into their noses. Melu, from his place on the clouds, saw their danger, and he came quickly to earth and saved their lives by turning their noses the other side up.

The people were very grateful to him, and promised to do anything he should ask of them. Before he left for the sky, they told him that they were very unhappy living on the great earth all alone, so he told them to save all the hair from their heads and the dry skin from their bodies and the next time he came he would make them some companions. And in this way there came to be a great many people on the earth.

DIE GESCHICHTE DER SCHÖPFUNG

Ganz am Anfang lebte ein Wesen, das so groß war, dass es mit keinem bekannten Ding verglichen werden kann. Sein Name war Melu, und als er auf den Wolken saß, die sein Zuhause waren, nahm er den gesamten Raum darüber ein. Seine Zähne waren aus reinem Gold, und weil er sehr sauber war und sich ständig mit den Händen rieb, wurde seine Haut reinweiß. Die abgestorbene Haut, die er von seinem Körper abgerieben hatte, wurde auf einer Seite auf einen Haufen gelegt, und nach und nach wurde dieser Haufen so groß, dass er verärgert war und darüber nachdachte, was er damit machen könnte.

Schließlich beschloss Melu, die Erde zu erschaffen; Also arbeitete er sehr hart daran, die tote Haut in Form zu bringen, und als sie fertig war, war er so zufrieden damit, dass er beschloss, zwei Wesen wie er selbst, wenn auch kleiner, zu erschaffen, um darauf zu leben.

Er nahm die Reste des Materials, das nach der Herstellung der Erde übrig geblieben war, und formte zwei Männer, doch als sie bis auf ihre Nasen alle fertig waren, erschien Tau Tana aus der Tiefe der Erde und wollte ihm helfen.

Melu wollte keine Hilfe und es kam zu einem heftigen Streit. Tau Tana setzte sich schließlich durch und stellte die Nasen, die er den Menschen aufsetzte, auf den Kopf. Als alles fertig war, peitschten Melu und Tau Tana die Formen, bis sie sich bewegten. Dann ging Melu zu seinem Haus über den Wolken und Tau Tana kehrte an seinen Platz unter der Erde zurück.

Alles ging gut, bis eines Tages ein heftiger Regen kam und die Menschen auf der Erde fast an dem Wasser ertranken, das ihnen vom Kopf in die Nase lief. Von seinem Platz auf den Wolken aus erkannte Melu ihre Gefahr, kam schnell zur Erde und rettete ihnen das Leben, indem er ihre Nasen auf die andere Seite drehte.

Die Leute waren ihm sehr dankbar und versprachen, alles zu tun, was er von ihnen verlangen würde. Bevor er in den Himmel aufbrach, sagten sie ihm, dass sie sehr unglücklich seien, wenn sie ganz allein auf der großen Erde lebten, also sagte er ihnen, sie sollten alle Haare von ihren Köpfen und die trockene Haut von ihren Körpern retten, und wenn er das nächste Mal käme, würde er es tun Machen Sie ihnen einige Gefährten. Und so entstanden sehr viele Menschen auf der Erde.

National Food Month: Go for indigenous vegetables instead of imported crops – DOST, The Farm at San Benito

Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo - Philstar.com

April 16, 2024 | 12:02pm

The Farm at San Benito's Halal-certified Alive! Restaurant serves tasty Vegan food such as (clockwise): Plant-based Meat and Cheese Pizza; Vegetable Crudités with Hummus; Mung Bean and Rice Noodles; and Eggless Ube Cake

MANILA, Philippines — When one says “healthy diet,” salad is among the first things that come to mind, and to make a salad, people think about vegetables such as lettuce and kale.

While green leafy vegetables like arugula and parsley are nutritious and sound fancy, doctor Michelle Domalaon of holistic medical wellness resort The Farm at San Benito echoed the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) recommendation for local Philippine diners to prioritize eating indigenous vegetables over imported ones.

Every person has 38 trillion cells, but “there’s no such thing as forever,” Domalaon told Philstar.com in an exclusive interview.

“Every cell has an average life span of only 120 days. Our skin just lasts 20 weeks. For as long as the body has ingredients, it can make new cells. If there are no ingredients, it will recycle what’s in the body, but of course, you don’t want to use the same ingredients for your cells for the rest of your life, because the more that you recycle red blood cells, the more that their production materials weaken. Of course, you have to give new construction materials for the body to create new cells," she explained.

These construction materials include green leafy vegetables. “I suggest that we use what’s readily available in the Philippines like malunggay, pechay, dahon ng sili, alugbati, talbos ng kamote, kangkong. We have a lot of indigenous vegetables in the Philippines. We can use them to make red blood cells,” Dr. Domalaon enthused.

“Since we’re Filipinos, indigenous vegetables are more appropriate to our body.”

According to DOST, “Vegetables are valued not only for their contribution to fiber in the diet, but also for nutrient content. Furthermore, green leafy and yellow vegetables are rich in iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and other micronutrients.”

DOST cited the Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos (NGF) revised in 2012, which not only recommends eating a variety of food every day but also eating more vegetables and fruits daily to get the essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber for regulation of body processes. 

The highlight of NGF, said DOST, is the promotion of 10 indigenous Philippine vegetables, and these include:

alugbati (Basella alba), 

ampalaya (bitter gourd) for leaves or bayok-bayok (Momordicacharantia), 

himbabao (Allaeanthusluzonicus), 

kulitis (Amaranthus), 

labong (bamboo shoot), 

upo or bottle gourd (Lagenariasiceria), 

malunggay (Moringa), 

pako (fiddlehead), 

saluyot (Corchorus), 

and talinum (Talinumtriangulare).

According to DOST, indigenous vegetables should be prioritized since these are grown in local farms whose processes are easily seen and known by its consumers, unlike imported ones where the use of chemicals and fertilizers are unknown. Likewise, vegetables are less likely to contact contaminants and other toxins if there is a shorter travel time between the farms and the market.

The Farm’s head chef Rosemarie “Chef Marie” Pagcaliwagan told Philstar.com that in The Farm, for example, the vegetables are smaller than usual, it is because these are spared from harmful chemicals and are picked straight from the resort’s own farms, to be directly prepared to be served in the resort’s four restaurants.

Such farm-to-table practice helped The Farm at San Benito to recently obtain a Halal certification that marks a significant step toward it becoming a globally-recognized inclusive healing sanctuary. The Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DOT) commends The Farm at San Benito for its dedication to providing diverse and culturally sensitive experiences for all guests.

“Having The Farm at San Benito as one of DOT’s partners in Halal and Muslim-friendly Tourism spells great news for the entire industry. The Farm offers a holistic wellness experience that is a reflection of our unique and vibrant national identity, and their efforts in keeping our Muslim brothers and sisters as top of mind is definitely commendable. We are hoping for more valuable partnerships, and for The Farm to be one of the flagbearers of the Filipino brand of Halal and Muslim-friendly Wellness Tourism,” said DOT Undersecretary Myra Paz Valderossa-Abubakar.

In response to the increasing demand for Muslim-friendly destinations, The Farm at San Benito has not only achieved Halal certification for Alive! Vegan Restaurant, but also as a Muslim-friendly accommodation destination. The Farm aims to provide a harmonious balance between luxury, cultural sensitivity, and holistic well-being.

The Farm at San Benito's restaurants serve Vegan, Pescetarian and Halal food and drinks using homegrown vegetables. Clockwise: Welcome drinks composed of young coconut water topped with edible butterfly blue pea flower petals; The Farm's Superfood smoothie from Alive! Vegan restaurant; Pomelo Salad from Prana Ayurveda restaurant; power breakfast from Pesce restaurant; Spiced Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and 

Apart from a healthy lifestyle, local gardens such as those in The Farm help promote the production and consumption of local vegetables for a sustainable and healthy living among the youth, said DOST.

In The Farm at San Benito, farm animals such as ducks, geese and peacocks roam around freely, and feeding them can be arranged to educate kids about farm life.

“Sustainable food sources, like gardens, are important especially in times of low food production, while the utilization of indigenous vegetables can provide a variation in the diet of the household that help in forming correct behaviors towards healthy eating among children,” DOST explained.

“The introduction of indigenous vegetables to school children familiarizes them with the local produce rather than solely consuming and opting for high-yielding and foreign crops. Using indigenous vegetables in supplementary feeding programs also decreases the cost of menu and allows for proper knowledge information to ensure continuous consumption of healthy foods among school-aged children.”

Starting 'em young at eating veggies: Alive! restaurant's Vegan kids menu include (clockwise) Potato Chips with Vegan Mustard Dip, Spaghetti Carbonara sautéed in virgin coconut oil, Chik'n Vegan Nuggets and Vegan Mushroom Burger

LPA outside PAR has slim chance of developing into tropical cyclone — PAGASA

BY LIZST TORRES ABELLO

Apr 17, 2024 09:08 AM 

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Wednesday, April 17 said the low pressure area (LPA) outside the country’s area of responsibility has a slim chance of developing into a tropical cyclone until the end of the week. 

(Photo credit to MB Visual Content Group) 

In PAGASA's morning public forecast, weather specialist Obet Badrina said the LPA off the southeastern coast of Mindanao has weak circulation, making it unlikely to strengthen into a cyclone.

However, the trough or extension of the LPA may bring cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms to Davao Region and SOCCSKSARGEN (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and General Santos).

PAGASA warned the public of flash floods or landslides in these areas due to occasional moderate to heavy rains. 

Over the next 24 hours, PAGASA said Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rains showers or thunderstorms due to localized thunderstorms. 

PAGASA also warned the public that flash floods or landslides may occur during severe thunderstorms. 

Meanwhile, PAGASA said hot and humid weather will prevail throughout the month, with higher air temperatures.

Badrina noted that the actual air temperature is different from the heat index, or the heat felt by the human body. 

Based on the PAGASA’s extended weather outlook from April 18 to 20, the actual air temperatures in some key areas are 24–36°C in Metro Manila, 25-33C° in Legazpi City, 17–26°C in Baguio City, 26–33°C in Metro Cebu, 26–33°C in Iloilo City, 26–33°C in Tacloban City, 25–34°C in Metro Davao, 24–34°C in Zamboanga City, and 24–34°C in Cagayan de Oro City. 

Moreover, in the eastern sections of Northern and Central Luzon, low chance of rains will be expected due to the effect of the ridge of high pressure area, or anti-cyclone system. 

Crossovers sweep High Speed Hitters, firm up semis bid

BY KRISTEL SATUMBAGA-VILLAR

Apr 16, 2024 08:36 PM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Chery Tiggo outplayed an erratic PLDT side with a 25-22, 25-16, 25-20 victory on Tuesday night, April 16, to firm up its semifinal bid in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City. 

Chery Tiggo outplayed an erratic PLDT side with a 25-22, 25-16, 25-20 victory on Tuesday night, April 16, to firm up its semifinal bid in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Chery Tiggo extends its winning run to five games. (PVL Images)

Sisters Eya and EJ Laure combined for 17 kills to finish with 12 and 10 points, respectively, in pacing the Crossovers, who stretched their winning run to five games to improve to a 7-2 win-loss record.

The victory not only halted PLDT’s five-game winning streak but created a four-way logjam at second place with the High Speed Hitters, the Creamline Cool Smashers and the Petro Gazz Angels.

They trail solo leader Choco Mucho, which totes an 8-1 mark.

The Crossovers needed one hour and 32 minutes in dispatching the High Speed Hitters, who fell into a maze of errors and gave up 27 points in the process.

Eya Laure also joined forces with Ara Galang in providing Chery Tiggo’s rock-solid net defense, conspiring for five of the team’s eight blocks.

The Crossovers’ win overshadowed the efforts of Savi Davison, who tried to lift PLDT to victory by pouncing on 22 points that went futile.

'Wave Crest' by Lara Latosa represents deep connection with the ocean

'Wave Crest' represents the artist's deep connection with the ocean and its powerful waves created by the dynamic energy passing through the water

BY MB LIFESTYLE

Apr 16, 2024 05:33 PM

  

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Lara Latosa

Lara Latosa's 'Wave Crest' exhibition captures her profound bond with oceanic energy, presenting her signature figurative abstractions in a dynamic display poised to make waves in the art world.

As an abstractionist, Lara Latosa skillfully captures the interplay of form, color, movement, and personality of waves in her works. In contrast, each painting in this exhibition freezes the dynamic energy of a wave about to break as we witness a moment of anticipation and beauty, crystallizing memories.

For Lara, each wave holds significant meanings beyond their physical appearance. They represent her passion for water activities, her struggles with mental wellness reflected in the highs and lows of a wave, and her philosophical view of life as ephemeral, mirrored in the coming and going of waves.

"Wave Crest" is a harmonious dance of fluidity and imagination, promising an extraordinary experience as we explore the crest of Lara Latosa's artistic exploration. This exhibition will be on view at Galerie Francesca’s new space in SM Megamal, Art Walk 4th Building A from April 6 to April 19, 2024.

For more information visit the Galerie Francesca website www.galeriefrancesca.com.