EMERGING ILONGGA DESIGNER YSA DAN MARI FAJARDO IMPRESSES AT MASS EXODUS 2026

By

 Panay News

 -

Monday, April 20, 2026

Discover more

City & Local Guides

TORONTO — Emerging Ilongga fashion designer Ysa Dan Mari Fajardo delivered a confident runway presentation at Mass Exodus 2026, the annual showcase of graduating students from the School of Fashion at Toronto Metropolitan University.

YSA DAN MARI FAJARDO
DESIGNER     

as served as a key platform connecting emerging designers with the broader fashion community. The annual event combines runway presentations with multidisciplinary exhibitions, offering students an opportunity to present their final capstone projects to both in-person and online audiences.

Held on April 11, with an accompanying exhibition running from April 12 to 14 at the Sheldon & Tracey Levy Student Learning Centre, the event featured more than 60 student collections and over 40 design projects. The showcase drew an audience of more than 900 attendees, highlighting the next generation of Canadian fashion talent.

Fajardo’s collection, “Dioscuri,” was presented during the 1 p.m. runway show 2 and explored themes of duality, balance, and mirrored identities. The collection stood out for its cohesive visual language and conceptual clarity, earning a strong audience response and closing the segment on a confident note.

Following her presentation at Mass Exodus, Fajardo was invited to showcase her collection “Dioscuri” at the annual charity fashion show organized by the U of T Charity Fashion show. The event, scheduled for May 14, supports the SickKids Centre for Brain & Mental Health and brings together emerging designers and creative talent in support of mental health advocacy. The charity’s theme is “Nocturne”. The charity show is expected to feature more than 400 runway guests and draw over 1,000 attendees throughout the evening. Organizers discovered Fajardo’s collection during Mass Exodus and extended the invitation in recognition of its strong narrative and visual impact.

A graduating student of Toronto Metropolitan University, Fajardo is part of a new wave of designers who use fashion as a platform for storytelling and social reflection. Her work underscores inclusivity and diverse representation—values that continue to shape the direction of the industry.

Fajardo’s continued recognition beyond the showcase signals her emergence as a designer to watch in contemporary fashion.

CHANGES AND CHALLENGES

 

By

 Klaus Döring

 -

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

TO KEEP pace with a rapidly changing world, businesses continuously undergo organizational changes to outperform competitors, innovate, improve productivity, and drive revenue. Yet despite the increasing volume and complexity of these changes, only one in three change management initiatives succeeds.

Why do many of these initiatives fail? Often, organizations neglect the human aspect of change management.

It is important to humanize change. Many organizations underestimate the power dynamics within their structures and fail to consider the broader context in which change occurs. They also tend to downplay internal resistance, relying too heavily on a top-down approach and forgetting that imposed change is often met with pushback.

To minimize resistance, leaders must first conduct baseline assessments to identify barriers to change and address them effectively to ensure successful implementation.

Among the most common barriers to change are:

* Lack of clarity

* Ineffective communication

* Strategic shortcomings

* A culture resistant to change

* Lack of organizational buy-in

* Change fatigue

* Weak governance

“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” Former British statesman Sir Winston L. Churchill (1874–1965) uttered these famous words in 1940 during the dark days of World War II.

Blood, tears, and sweat are also part of the changes and challenges we encounter in everyday life. How often does life challenge us to a duel? I am not referring to the provocative or defiant people around us who seem to enjoy obstructing progress or pushing our lives toward negativity. Such people often make “much ado about nothing” — to borrow the words of William Shakespeare. They wear polite but insincere smiles, yet rarely take even a single step toward meaningful change or genuine growth.

The rest is silence. And allow me to quote Shakespeare once more: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

Every change brings a challenge. Changes in life are both important and necessary. Let us alter, improve, and make a difference. Let us move from one state to another, embrace fresh beginnings, and welcome transformation. Change means moving from the old to the new, from negativity to positivity, from ignorance to knowledge, from doubt and worry to understanding and awareness, from fear to faith, from stagnation to growth, from sadness to happiness, and from “I cannot” to “I can.”

Nothing is permanent except change. Change cannot be avoided, even if we choose to close our eyes to it. At best, it can only be delayed. Let us therefore open our eyes and embrace the challenge of becoming successful in life. Those who fail to change are eventually left behind by history. We cannot expect new results if we continue relying on old ways.

Burn the “lock fat” away, and perhaps one day we will wake up happier after enduring times of blood, tears, and sweat. After all, nothing comes from nothing.

***

Email: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn or X – Twitter or visit www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com/PN

BELLE MARIANO EYES ‘BIDA-KONTRABIDA’ ROLE

 By Panay News

BELLE MARIANO

AS SHE nears her 10th anniversary in showbiz, actress Belle Mariano sat down on Tuesday for the “Tatak Star Magic: Celebrity Conversations” to talk about her journey and plans with ABS-CBN.

Mariano kicked off the interview series of Star Magic where she recalled how she began her career as a child star up to her goals and dreams she is still eyeing to achieve.

Talking with Star Magic head Laurenti Dyogi, the actress, half of the phenomenal love team DonBelle, revealed she wants to play a “bida-kontrabida” role in the future.

“Bida-kontrabida. Gusto ko ma-try kasi paano kaya ‘yun. Try natin, direk,” she told Dyogi, who jokingly doubted if she could be “maldita” given her angelic face.

But it would also be a big step for Mariano, who did not hesitate to admit her goal is to secure an acting award.

Her path to stardom did not go smoothly, as Mariano had to attend over a hundred commercial auditions at a young age just to fulfill her dream of becoming a celebrity.

Fortunately, she got one after being tapped by a local milk brand in the country to be their endorser at the age of nine. That paved the way for Mariano to get into the entertainment scene – most notably on “Goin’ Bulilit.”

But after spending years in the now-defunct children gag show, the actress found it difficult to get her break in a loaded roster of celebrities of ABS-CBN.

And just like what she kept on saying since she starred in the hit series “He’s Into Her” with Donny Pangilinan, her patience paid off eventually.

“Honestly, sa 10 years po na nandito po ako, ang dami rin pong maliliit na natututunan. But all-in-all patience po talaga. You have your own time to bloom. Just trust God, trust the management. Just really have your own time,” she explained.

And now that she is one of the top celebrities of Star Magic, Mariano said that she is enjoying her ride with the talent agency – a family she built for years. (ABS-CBN News)