Since the mid-1800s, the Filippo Berio brand has become synonymous with Italian olive oil excellence thanks to modern production facilities, uncompromising quality standards, and a strong brand integrity. Its unique flavour has made it one of the leading brands in the world.
If there was one thing for which Filippo Berio was particularly proud of it was the exceptional quality of his olive oils. He worked hard to ensure that each bottle was made from the best olives using ‘tried and true’ production methods.
In every deliciously rich bottle of Filippo Berio olive oil lies 150 years of skilled craftsmanship. We treat our heritage with great care, ensuring Filippo Berio’s signature today represents the same uncompromising quality that our founder intended.
Today, his stringent quality standards are still applied at every stage of the production process, which takes place in SALOV’s state-of-the-art production facility just outside Lucca, Italy.
Filippo Berio’s highly-experienced tasters sample 6,000 olive oils each year, yet only 6% are actually selected to become Filippo Berio olive oil.
During the selection process, stages of analysis must be passed in order for an olive oil to be considered Extra Virgin.
The very best and purest form of olive oil is extra virgin which is stored or bottled immediately after pressing, just as it is. To obtain this prestigious classification however, the olive oil must undergo a range of stringent tests to ensure that its acidity levels are below 0.8%. All oils above this limit are sent to a refinery and blended with extra virgin olive oils to add flavour, the resulting product is known as standard or pure olive oil .
Filippo Berio Olive Oil has become a staple ingredient in the kitchen that some of the country’s renowned chefs use it as an everyday cooking oil.
“What’s great about using Filippo Berio olive oil is that you get a longer shelf life with your pastries as compared to butter,” says Chef Angelo Comsti.
“Filippo Berio Extra Virgin olive oil, it’s really high quality, very flavorful and they’re experts in olive oils” says Chef Jackie Laudico.
Filippo Berio Oils are also certified Kosher and Halal.
Aside from high quality olive oils, Filippo Berio creates delicious Pestos. Pesto is an Italian sauce. The name ‘Pesto’ derives from the Italian verb, pestare, meaning to crush or grind. Available in the market are the classic pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto, and tomato and ricotta pesto.
Filippo Berio also has Balsamic Vinegar of Modena which is made from specially selected grapes and assures its origin in Modena, Italy which is known for its production of Balsamic Vinegar. Its unique flavor, which is a perfect complement to our fine Extra Virgin Olive Oil, is ideal for salad dressings, marinades, or even drizzled over grilled fish, meat, and vegetables.
Filippo Berio is available in all major supermarkets nationwide and in e-commerce platforms like Lazada and Shopee.
To know more about Filippo Berio and discover its products, cool recipes, videos, chefs’ tips, and more, you may visit the official Filippo Berio global website, Facebook, and Instagram
Welcome to the dreaming… The Sandman debuts globally on Netflix on August 5th. Mark Hamill will voice a beloved character.
When the Sandman, aka Dream (Tom Sturridge)–the powerful cosmic being who controls all our dreams–is unexpectedly captured and held prisoner for over a century, he must journey across different worlds and timelines to fix the chaos his absence has caused.
Based on the beloved award-winning DC comic series written by Neil Gaiman, THE SANDMAN is a rich, character-driven blend of myth and dark fantasy woven together over the course of ten epic chapters following Dream’s many adventures. Developed and executive produced by Gaiman, showrunner Allan Heinberg, and David S. Goyer, THE SANDMAN is produced by Warner Bros. Television. The series also stars Boyd Holbrook, Patton Oswalt, Vivienne Acheampong, Gwendoline Christie, Charles Dance, Jenna Coleman, David Thewlis, Stephen Fry, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Mason Alexander Park, Donna Preston, Vanesu Samunyai (formerly known as “Kyo Ra”), John Cameron Mitchell, Asim Chaudhry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Joely Richardson, Niamh Walsh, Sandra James-Young and Razane Jammal.
Out of their panel at Geeked Week, Neil Gaiman, Allan Heinberg, and the cast revealed the official teaser and news that Mark Hamill will voice the beloved character Merv Pumpkinhead.
The Russo Brothers’ new spy thriller The Gray Man is set to drop on Netflix this July 22, and while fans could expect some epic, action-packed sequences, the film also promises to further entertain fans with the directors’ brand of humor.
In The Gray Man, Ryan Gosling plays the CIA operative Court Gentry, aka Sierra Six– a highly-skilled Agency-sanctioned mercenary who becomes the target of the psychopathic Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), a former CIA cohort that is now hellbent on taking him down.
The film also stars Ana de Armas, Regé-Jean Page, Billy Bob Thornton, Jessica Henwick, Dhanush, Wagner Moura, and Alfre Woodard.
In a recent press conference for the Netflix film, the directors and cast of the film answered some questions about the creation of the movie, its characters, the action scenes, and the film’s funny moments. Check out the highlights of the Q&A below:
What would you say sets The Gray Man apart from other spy thrillers?
Joe Russo: Well, this is a modern story. I think that, you know, Bond is about 60 years old at this point and Bourne’s about 20 years old and this film is connected in a lot of ways to some issues that are going on in the world right now. The character is exceedingly existential, quite funny, and we just find that it fits our sense of humor. And, you know, it’s the kind of film that, you know, we feel would work well with today’s audiences.
For Ryan Gosling, is The Gray Man one of the films that have required the most of you physically, and how was your training for this movie?
Ryan Gosling: Yes. There was, as you can imagine, a lot of training for the film. But, yeah, I had, you know, an incredible amount of help. There was an amazing stunt team. You know, at first, they sort of went through all these different styles of martial arts and sort of tried to curate it for you and the character. And then we had this amazing advisor named Chili Palmer, who’s an ex-Delta Force member. I tried to just sort of join myself at the hip with him. He had all these, you know, amazing tactical advice, but also these really amazing ideas.
Photo courtesy of Netflix
How do you balance the comedic moments and the action-packed serious ones? Do you prepare differently depending on the tone of the script?
Gosling: Well, I think yeah, you prepare differently. It depends on the filmmakers. The Russos have a really cool process– one I’ve never done before– where at the beginning of the film, we sat with all of the department heads, and they put the script up on a big screen, and everybody, you know, sort of starts talking about it as they work through it. And at first, it makes it not precious and very collaborative. And also, it really gets you on the same page, literally. You know what movie you’re making. And it just became clear that we were kind of shooting for the stuff that I grew up loving in the ’80s and ’90s that had a kind of sense of humor about itself.
It also helps because, you know, it’s not often that you find yourself, like, falling through a trap door and end up in a well in some guy’s Czechoslovakian apartment. So the fact that you can comment on that, you know, that the Russos sort of open it up, that you can sort of say in the movie, “Okay, this is, you know, this was unexpected,” [LAUGHS] it sort of helps, you know? And it gives you a gear in the movie that you don’t have in a lot of other films. So, you know, this was kind of a unique process in that way, but I really enjoyed it.
For Chris Evans, would you say playing such a complex role as Lloyd gives you a more liberating experience as an actor?
Chris Evans: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, playing a villain is always a little more fun, you have a little bit more freedom, you get a lot more jokes, but working with the Russos is what gives that sense of trust and freedom. You know, when you trust the filmmakers, you’re more willing to take risks, and certainly a character like this demands risks. So, without the Russos and the relationship and rapport we have, I don’t know if I would have had such a rewarding experience. Look at that? Brought the lights up. Brought the lights up.
Photo courtesy of Netflix
Did you work with Chris Evans in developing the comedic side of Lloyd?
Joe Russo: Yeah, I mean, it’s really important to us to work with the cast on the scripts. We want them to have emotional ownership over the characters. And everyone here is a great storyteller, as well as an incredible actor. They all have an amazing wealth of experience. And, you know, we encourage all of our collaborators to bring that to the table. You know, the script, for us, Anthony and I like to prepare so that we can throw things away. That’s a really, it’s an old adage in filmmaking, so we’re always available to what’s happening in the moment.
If there’s something organic or funny, or if somebody says something funny, it doesn’t matter where it comes from, if it works with the character and it works with the story, we’ll try it. And everyone here brought dialogue, jokes, you know, character accents in a way that really filled out the film and made it much more colorful.
For Ana de Armas, what was with The Gray Man that made you want to join the cast?
Ana de Armas: Many things. I was very, very excited that the Russos thought of me and as soon as I got on the Zoom call with them and they presented this character for me and the story, I was in. And I wanted to work with Ryan again, I wanted to work with Chris again, and all this amazing cast behind me.
And the character, I just loved it. I love who this woman is and all her background and training and her mentality and how badass she is and how fearless she is, and all of that.
Photo courtesy of Netflix
What was the hardest part in filming the Prague sequence?
Joe Russo: All of it.
Anthony Russo: Yeah, every single element of it. You know, the Prague sequence, we needed a large section of the city to pull that off. That sequence starts in a major city square, and it continues through a chase throughout the city, so it was very complex. And, you know, just to give you an example of how hard it was, there’s a tram that the Gray Man gets on and Ana’s character is sort of chasing it in a car and there’s a lot of other mercs around and it careens through Prague, and in order to shoot that sequence, we were using actual trams in Prague.
We built a bus that was designed to look exactly like a tram but ran on wheels because sometimes we needed to run the tram faster than the tram could actually go, or we needed to take it down streets that didn’t have tracks, et cetera. And then we also had a tram that was located at a lot in Prague that was stationary that we would sort of shake, and we had blue screen around it. So, you’re building the sequence through all those different locations, we’re shooting with our main cast, we’re shooting with stunt performers for the portions that are too dangerous, and it was a very complex process to build that.
We’re grateful to everyone in Prague, Prague’s an amazing filmmaking center, they have an amazing crew there, and the people are very supportive of filmmaking. So, you can only pull something that complex off at a place like Prague.
Photo courtesy of Netflix
Why did you decide to shoot it on location instead of in a studio?
Joe: It would have been tough and required a lot of VFX. I mean, that is a very tactile sequence, you know? And you know, it’s interesting, whenever you go into a town, we did this with Winter Soldier, we shut down a freeway. We went back to Cleveland, our hometown, to shoot the movie and everyone was very happy, and then we shut down the freeway for two weeks and…
Anthony: I was gonna say, they weren’t that happy. That was short-lived.
Joe: I don’t think we can go back to Prague or Cleveland, but we’re very grateful that we were able to shoot on location.
Is it possible that we’ll get more stories in The Gray Man universe?
Anthony: Look, part of our motivation to assemble a cast like this, an amazing cast like this who can embody so many interesting characters, was the hope of creating sort of a universe that you wanted to follow all of them, either forward or backward from this moment in time that we caught in this first movie. So yes, hopefully, there will be more stories to tell in The Gray Man world.
— You can stream The Gray Man starting this July 22 on Netflix.
The Russo Brothers’ new spy thriller The Gray Man is set for release on Netflix in a few days, and while fans have yet to see the film, the directors have already teased the possibility of it growing into a cinematic universe.
The Russo Brothers, Joe and Anthony Russo, are best known for directing Avengers: Endgame for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so the idea of the two growing another cinematic universe would surely elicit excitement among fans of the directors and the spy genre.
In a recent press conference for The Gray Man, Anthony Russo shares that they’ve designed their new film with the possibility of producing sequels, prequels, or spinoffs in mind.
“Look, part of our motivation to assemble a cast like this, an amazing cast like this who can embody so many interesting characters, was the hope of creating sort of a universe that you wanted to follow all of them, either forward or backward from this moment in time that we caught in this first movie. So yes, hopefully, there will be more stories to tell in The Gray Man world,” Anthony Russo explained.
Based on the book of the same name by Mark Greaney, The Gray Man tells the story of CIA operative Court Gentry, aka Sierra Six, a highly-skilled Agency-sanctioned mercenary. But tables have turned and Gentry finds himself as the target of the psychopathic Lloyd Hansen, a former CIA cohort that is now hellbent on taking him down.
Ryan Gosling stars as Sierra Six while Chris Evans plays the villain Lloyd Hansen. Also part of the all-star ensemble are Ana de Armas as the badass agent Dani Miranda; Bridgerton‘s Rege-Jean Page as the ambitious agency Group Chief Denny Carmichael; Jessica Henwick as the cunning Deputy Group Chief Suzanne Brewer; Wagner Moura as the talented counterfeiter Lazlo Soza; Dhanush as the ruthless Avik San; Alfre Woodard as the former bureau chief Margaret Cahill; Julia Butters as the young Claire Fitzroy; and Billy Bob Thornton as the creator of the Sierra program, Donald Fitzroy.
The Gray Man will start streaming on Netflix this July 22, 2022.
In “DC League of Super-Pets,” Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime in Metropolis side by side. When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a rag-tag shelter pack—Ace the hound, PB the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle and Chip the squirrel—to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the Super Heroes.
In addition to bringing together some of the DC Universe’s biggest names, the film boasts a huge casting coup as well, with the one and only Dwayne Johnson as Krypto, together again with Kevin Hart as Ace—no dynamic duo plays off each other better and who but Johnson and Hart banter with such a biting wit?
Johnson, who also serves as a producer on the film under his Seven Bucks banner, observes, “When you think about the conceit of what this is, about the pets of these Super Heroes, and the fact it has never been done before in cinema history!? That is pretty remarkable, considering the genre of superheroes films as a whole. What kind of pets would your favorite DC Super-Heroes have, from Superman to Wonder Woman to Batman to Flash to Green Lantern? So, when I first heard the idea, I was in without hesitation, 100%. And when you think about the players—from Warner Bros. to DC, and the love that we at [our production company] Seven Bucks Productions have for the superhero genre and for animation as well—we jumped at the partnership and the opportunity.”
Dwayne Johnson as Krypto (Photo from Warner Bros. Pictures)
Hart’s Ace is the de facto leader of the shelter pack. The actor was drawn to the story right away, noting, “It’s a big movie with big characters. I feel like there are so many moments throughout the script where the verbiage on the page popped, and they put the right people into those positions and the material just blows you away—they did a great job casting. That’s what you want on a movie like this—to be part of an amazing ensemble that feels special. You really feel, ‘Hey, we got something here.’”
The ensemble that the filmmakers assembled to voice the four-legged reluctant heroes and delightfully villainous baddies featured in the film include Vanessa Bayer as potbellied pig PB, Diego Luna as scaredy squirrel Chip, Natasha Lyonne as vision-impaired turtle Merton, Kate McKinnon as evil genius guinea pig Lulu, with Lulu’s main mutant guinea pig recruits, Keith and Mark, voiced by Thomas Middleditch and Ben Schwartz.
Kevin Hart as Ace (Photo from Warner Bros. Pictures)
For the film’s two-legged heroes, John Krasinski voices Krypto’s bestie and Metropolis’s own Clark Kent, aka Superman, and Olivia Wilde is the voice of his sweetheart, Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane. The Justice League members seen and heard in the film are Batman, voiced by Keanu Reeves; Wonder Woman, by Jameela Jamil; Aquaman, by Jemaine Clement; The Flash by John Early; Green Lantern by Dascha Polanco; and Cyborg by Daveed Diggs.
“In an animated movie, the most important thing is that the actor’s voice is the perfect voice for the character, but we got lucky that they also happened to be huge movie stars,” director Jared Stern smiles.
(Photo from Warner Bros. Pictures)
Amidst all the high-flying action and adventure, the film also touches on the importance of friendship and family—and emphasizes that anyone’s real superpower, no matter how many legs you stand on, is being true to yourself.
“DC League of Super-Pets” will be released by Warner Bros. Pictures in Philippine theaters July 27. Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #DCSuperPets
Whether it’s self-care or caring for others, people need care all year round. With this in mind, Unilever is partnering with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Lazada for Shop2Give Together Super Brand Day sale, now on its fifth year! A portion of the proceeds from the Shop2Give Together campaign will help more children and youth get improved access to quality basic education.
Unilever’s 5th Super Brand Day sale is happening this July 18. On this particular day, Unilever and Lazada will give online shoppers a treat through exclusive all-day discounts, freebies, and limited-time discount vouchers on your favorite Unilever brands like Surf, Dove, TRESemmé, Cream Silk, Pond’s, Breeze, Knorr and many more.
“Education unlocks opportunities, enables social mobility and aids in building an equitable and inclusive world.” Benjie Yap, CEO of Unilever Philippines said. “We’re proud to continue our partnership with Lazada and UNICEF Philippines in pursuit of a better tomorrow for the youth.”
UNICEF has been a long-standing partner of both Unilever and Lazada. The funds raised from the campaign will go towards UNICEF programs to support learners that cannot access formal education or have dropped out of school.“Thanks to Unilever and Lazada’s continuous support through this campaign, we have been able to reach more vulnerable children and youth in the Philippines. This year, the funds will help provide opportunities for out-of-school children and youth, offering flexible pathways to complete their basic education,” said Isy Faingold, Chief of Education of UNICEF Philippines.
Exclusive Promos Ahead
Not only will online shoppers be able to share their care for Filipino youth, but they will also enjoy exciting promos on the 5th Super Brand Day sale. On July 18, shoppers can get all-day discounts up to 50% off! Not only that, but they can also take advantage of FREE SHIPPING with no minimum spend.
Shoppers will also get to enjoy EXCLUSIVE freebies with every purchase and have the chance to get limited-time discount vouchers up to 15% OFF! Thus, shoppers can get the self-care essentials they need at a fraction of the price.
“Lazada is proud to work with Unilever once again to help more Filipino youth pursue their education for a better future,” Carlos Barrera, CEO of Lazada Philippines said. “As a leading e-commerce platform in the country, we are committed to providing people across the country with the basic needs. Everyone deserves some self-care time, and we’re more than happy to help provide for their needs.”
Last year’s ‘Shop2Give Care’ campaign raised funds for UNICEF to provide educational supplies and support for young children and their parents and caregivers to conduct home-based development and learning activities with a focus on the most disadvantaged areas.
Unilever and Lazada aim to continue their momentum to give Filipinos the self-care products they rightfully deserve and provide UNICEF support to help more youth pursue their education.
This year’s Shop2Give Together campaign marks the fifth year of the annual Unilever-Lazada sale for a cause. For more information on Unilever and Lazada’s Shop2Give Together sale in support of UNICEF Philippines, visit the Unilever Philippines Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UnileverPhilippines/
This summer, the beloved LINE FRIENDS characters are joyfully returning for the third time, to celebrate and honor Asia’s iconic landmarks and traditions through the first-ever ‘City Exclusive’ collection at Starbucks.
This time, BROWN, CONY, and SALLY travel across Asia to your cities to experience the vibrant local cultures of these places, inviting you to see your hometown in an exciting new light. From enjoying delicious dim sum in Hong Kong, visiting Thailand’s beautiful islands, or shopping around Myeong-dong in South Korea, BROWN and his friends are ready to explore exciting activities with you in your local area.
The adorable Starbucks® X LINE FRIENDS City Exclusive collection features lifestyle essentials, including a ceramic mug, tote bag, plastic cold cup, and tumbler in unique and colorful designs, so you can show off your hometown with pride as you explore your area’s iconic landmarks and delicious delicacies.
United by the brands’ shared aspirations to continue creating delightful everyday moments, the ‘City Exclusive’ collection aims to inspire customers to experience their hometown with a renewed sense of appreciation. This marks the third collaboration between Starbucks and LINE FRIENDS, following the launch of the joyful LINE FRIENDS Holiday and Earth Day collections, loved by customers around the world.
The limited-edition collaboration will be available beginning July 15th at select Starbucks® stores in Hong Kong, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, and Taiwan while supplies last.
About Starbucks
Since 1971, Starbucks Coffee Company has been committed to ethically sourcing and roasting high-quality arabica coffee. Today, with more than 32,000 stores around the globe, the Company is the premier roaster and retailer of specialty coffee in the world. Through our unwavering commitment to excellence and our guiding principles, we bring the unique Starbucks Experience to life for every customer through every cup. To share in the experience, please visit us in our stores or online atstarbucks.ph/stories orwww.starbucks.ph.
Stranger Things 4 is packed with surprising twists and events, and one of the big revelations this season is that Will Byers is actually gay and that he’s in love with his best friend, Mike.
While huge hints were already being dropped earlier this season, the show finally made it evident to viewers during the car scene in Volume 2 where Will showed his painting to Mike. He went on to assure his friend that Eleven will always be needing him despite his many doubts about their relationship. When Will starts to burst into tears, fans were finally convinced that his evident pain is tied to Mike and Eleven’s relationship, because he had romantic feelings for his friend.
In an interview with Variety, actor Noah Schnapp further confirmed the revelation about his character in the show, and shared his thoughts on Will’s character arc.
“Obviously, it was hinted at in Season 1. It was always kind of there, but you never really knew, is it just him growing up slower than his friends? Now that he’s gotten older, they made it a very real, obvious thing,” said Schnapp. “Now it’s 100% clear that he is gay and he does love Mike. But before, it was a slow arc. I think it is done so beautifully because it’s so easy to make a character just like, all of a sudden be gay.”
According to Schnapp, it was only recently that the show’s creators, the Duffer Brothers, talked to him about Will and his sexuality. “Years ago in Season 1, I didn’t know where the Duffers wanted to go with this character,” he said. “So I was kind of figuring it out along with the audience. But now that I’ve spoken to them and seen the show, I know what they want to do with it. They obviously don’t tell me anything, either. I’m always spoiling stuff, so they will never share anything with me. So it’s a lot of figuring it out on my own. And kind of realizing later on, like, ‘Oh this makes sense and this was intentional.’”
The actor also shared a heartwarming encounter he had with a fan regarding Stranger Things 4. “People have come up to me – I was just in Paris and this, like, 40-year-old man came up to me and he was like, ‘Wow, this Will character made me feel so good. And I related to it so much. That is exactly who I was when I was a kid.’ That just made me so happy to hear. They are writing this real character and this real journey and real struggle and they’re doing it so well.”
Stranger Things 4 is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get the latest news on film, TV, and more updates around the city!
Proudly Filipino jewelry brand V! known for its chic and playful collection of modern luxury pieces recently opened its new store at Shangri-La Plaza—a treat for all modern Filipinas in the #ShangCommunity.
Offering every day and statement jewelry, V! has a variety of rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets in refreshingly youthful designs mainly using ethically sourced Palawan South Sea pearls as their centerpiece. The pearl is the world’s only organic and living gem that comes from a living creature, the oyster. The South Sea pearl is considered as the largest and rarest of them all. No two V! pearls are alike, and each has unique characteristics that make it distinct from another.
With a name derived from vivere that means “to live” in Latin, V! delivers an aesthetic that celebrates the beauty and joy of life in all its colors. This sustainable jewelry brand offers creations made with other gemstones like diamond, sapphire, and ruby. Every gem is cut, polished, and perfectly set in each piece to withstand everyday wear and tear.
Some of the eye-catching South Sea pearl jewelry from V! includes its newest collection: Flow, which reminds us that the beauty of nature lies in the details. The Bloom earrings, necklace, and ring set captures the beauty of flowers using 14k yellow gold and South Sea pearls. Complete any bold look with the lariat style Cascade necklace that features a single pearl gently dropping from a ring, available in either yellow or white gold. Another one is the Lily necklace that features a delicate butterfly charm with a diamond stone gracefully perching on a pearl.
The jeweler also has dainty and versatile pieces perfect for daily wear. Some of these are the stackable Visionary Bracelets, and the Louise Two-Way Pendant Ring, which can be worn on the Simone Chain as a pendant or mixed and matched as a ring. For something more colorful, V! offers the Glow Bracelet with a rainbow of semi-precious stones.
Whether looking for pieces that give life to an everyday look or something more striking for more formal affairs, #ShangRecommends checking out the inspired offerings of Filipino jeweler V!, located at Level 2, Main Wing.
For updates and inquiries, follow Shangri-La Plaza on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shangrilaplazaofficial and on Instagram @shangrilaplazaofficial. Find V! @vjewelryoffcial on Instagram and Facebook to learn more about the brand.
The first lock-in workshop-mentoring of Ternocon 3 held last week at the Teachers’ Conference Center in Batangas City culminated last July 10, 2022.
For the last day of the workshop, the finalists completed their toiles (an initial version of a garment) for the competition and presented them to mentors Joey Samson, Dennis Lustico and Chito Vijandre with Ricky Toledo. In the evening, a closing program was hosted by the City Government of Batangas at the Sampaguita Farm where CCP President and officer-in-charge of the Artistic Director’s Office Margarita Moran-Floirendo was present along with Atty. Reginald Dimacuha, Chief of Staff and Secretary to the Mayor of Batangas City. The 1930s balintawak ternos made by the finalists were worn by the dancers of Likhang Sining Dance Company in a special Subli dance performance.
Ternocon Artistic Director Gino Gonzales acknowledged the continuing support of the CCP and Bench thru the generosity of Ben Chan, Chairman. He addressed the finalists and emphasized “Ternocon allows its participants to undergo a process that involves attitude change, as we are not merely addressing fashion or dress issues. Our country has so many problems, and we simply cannot solve everything. As designers, you can be part of the solution by dealing with issues within your backyard. When you grapple with the national dress and make it for your countrymen, you make a significant contribution to the nation. At TERNOCON, we all come from different backgrounds and perspectives, different religions, different regions, different political inclinations… but what unites all of us together is our love for country, and I think this should be your primary motivation for creating ternos that will be showcased at the CCP stage in the final phase of this competition. Love for country.”
In her closing message, Ms. Floirendo stressed that “Ternocon has somehow made a good impact on how Filipinos of today think of the terno. We have seen a remarkable increase in the number of Filipinas wearing the terno for many different occasions. Despite this, we all know that we still have a long way to go in fulfilling our mission. But with everyone’s support and cooperation, we can succeed.”
The 12 finalists are: Amor Albano (Ilocos Norte), Glyn Alley Magtibay (Oriental Mindoro), Bon Hansen Reyes (Rizal) and Gabbie Sarenas (Rizal) from Luzon. Bree Esplanada (Cebu), Karl Nadales (Iloilo), Al Rey Rosano (Negros Oriental) and Marc Carcillar (Iloilo) from Visayas. Glady Rose Pantua (Zamboanga) and Ron Santos (Davao) from Mindanao. From the National Capital Region (NCR), Yssa Inumerable (Parañaque) and Cheetah Rivera (Quezon City). The three semi-finalists who are from Batangas and NCR are Geom Hernandez, Dee Javier (Manila) and Daryl Maat (Caloocan).
Ternocon 3 is a joint undertaking of CCP thru its Cultural Exchange Department and Bench/Suyen Corporation in cooperation with local partners, Batangas City Government and the Barasoain Kalinangan Foundation Inc.
The next round of consultations (face-to-face and online) will be in August-September, while the 2nd part of the workshop-mentoring will be in October 2022. The final competition with cultural show is slated for January 28, 2023 at the new CCP Black Box Theater or Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez.
