myPH
Happenings

Philippines time out: Entertainment, art, dining, sports, movies ...

Online resources
Useful  links to leisure groups, directories and online search facilities:

Alleba
Filipino search engine

GrooveNet
Filipino online community featuring local artists, DJs, musicians, models, singles, bloggers and groups.

Philstart.com
Fast navigation directory of Philippine websites

SinagTala 
Performances, concerts  & recordings of Filipino stars of classical, choral and ethic music.

 

Baring it all with honor
One hundred strapping young men jogged stark naked around the University of the Philippines campus in Quezon City last week – to the giggling delight of camera-toting onlookers, many of them female who were handed red roses by the passing runners. Members of the university’s Alpha Phi Omega fraternity stage the naked Oblation Run as an annual rite – usually in December, although this year they ran early and rounded out the posse to exactly 100 runners in celebration of the university’s centennial anniversary on June 18.
Contrary to popular belief, the now famous Oblation Run was created not as part of the fraternity’s initiation rights but rather as a promotional stunt for the group’s 1977 play “Hubad na Bayan" – a homage to one of their members who was killed in an inter-fraternity rumble.

TIME OUT & ABOUT

Open rules fighting, July 5
The Universal Reality Combat Championship – the Filipino version of open-style mixed martial arts fighting with only a few flexible rules – is on again in bouts coming up in Manila.
The URCC “XII Supreme” double-bill features Caloy Baduria, the reigning URCC middleweight champion, fighting Eduard Folayang, the current URCC welterweight title-holder. Also on the card is a bantamweight bout pitting Lino Tagacay against Justin Cruz.
The fights happen at the A. Venue Events Hall in Makati City on July 5 (8pm). The rock band Urbandub is also on hand playing through the evening.
Information: URCC website. Tickets: 395 to 1,130 pesos through the Ticketworld website.

Design on display, until August 23
Some of the best work of Filipino industrial and commercial designers is on show in an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila.
The exhibit has been organized to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Product Development and Design Center of the Philippines. Participating designers are Mark Victor Bautista, Redemptor Bitantes, Bettina Bonoan, Patrocino Catuncan, Dante Cruz, Manuel Dacanay Jr, Marian Dacanay, Josefina De Laza, Eduardo Deleña Jr, Arturo Delgado Jr, Emmanuel Delingon Jr, Viña Domingo, Joel Enriquez, Olivia Loyola-Enriquez, Maria Rita Badilla-Gudiño, Luis Manalang, Oscar Mapua, Benjamin Sixto Molina Jr, Petite Brodett-Olbes, Ramon Pabillon, Valeriano Padilla, Zenaida Zagala-Pineda, Rowe Requejo, Maria Felicitas Reyes, Celino B. Santiago, Ana Maria Veronica Solano, Rey Soliven, Grace Enriquez-Sy, Majella Antonia Tresvalles and Vanessa Umali.
The exhibit continues at the Metropolitan Museum, which is in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex on Roxas Boulevard, until August 23.

American bazaar, July 8
The American Women's Club of the Philippines has its next monthly bazaar on July 8 (8.30am-3pm), with about 300 stalls selling mainly Philippine-made handicrafts, art, clothing and accessories, textiles, furniture, homeware and food, at the World Trade Center Metro Manila in Pasay City.

Communicating with confidence, July 9
“How to communicate with clarity, credibility and confidence” will be taught by actor, coach and motivator Vivien Mangalindan at a one-day seminar in Manila on July 9. It’s being organized by RMP Consultancy and will be held in the company’s training room in Languages Internationale Building, Makati City.
Participation: 7,840 pesos including lunch and snacks. Information and registration: RMP Consultancy, email seminars@rmpconsultancy.com, phone +632 396 5425 or +632 372 4563.

Australia-NZ networking, July 15
Australian and New Zealand businessmen in the Philippines and their guests get together soon for the monthly membership meeting of the Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines. Australian Ambassador Rod Smith and New Zealand Ambassador David Pine will be guest speakers at the evening, to be held on July 15 (6pm) at the InterContinental Manila Hotel in Makati City.
Information: AnzCham secretariat: email membership@anzcham.com, phone +632 755 8840.

Foreign employment expo, August 13-14
Jobs with foreign companies working in the Philippines are on offer at the upcoming Foreign Chamber Employment Expo 2008 in Manila. It’s being held at the Trinoma Activity Center in Quezon City on August 13 & 14 (10am to 8pm).
Employers looking for staff at the jobs fair are mainly members of the American, Australian-New Zealand, British, Canadian and European chambers of commerce in the Philippines. They’re paying between 15,000 and 50,000 for sponsorship and booths at the expo.
Information: The secretariats of the respective chambers.

TIME OUT DINING/DRINKING

Bottomless wine, cheap beer
You can drink all the wine you can for 500 pesos, with local beers for 44 pesos, in an ongoing promotion at Mezze restaurant and bar in Greenbelt 2, Makati, between 5pm and 8pm daily.

Lunch for 298 pesos
Spicy Fingers restaurant in Greenbelt 2, Makati, is promoting set lunches for 298 pesos. Two courses with a choice of dishes come with coffee or tea and dessert.

Indian dinner buffet spread
Indian food fans who prefer their dinner more casual and quicker can check out Bollywood restaurant in Greenbelt 3, Makati City. Bollywood has introduced a buffet dinner option, available Mondays through Fridays 7-10pm, priced at 450 pesos.
Table reservations: Bollywood, phone +632 757 3536.

Fine dining, bottomless wine, July 25
The Tivoli restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental Manila hotel in Makati City has fine dining evenings on the last Friday (7pm – 9.30pm) of each month where a seven-course dinner comes with unlimited refills of the evening’s featured wines. Next up is on July 25. Price: 2,980++ pesos. Table reservations: Tivoli, phone +632 750 8888 extension 2431 & 2433. 

Soiree Beaujolais, November 20
The French community in the Philippines and their guests celebrate the annual new bottling of Beaujolais Nouveau wine with a gala party scheduled for November 20. The happening is organized by Le Club French Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines and this year coincides with the chamber’s 20th anniversary so the party will be even bigger than usual.
Soiree Beaujolais includes bottomless Beaujolais Nouveau, fine food, music and dancing, plus a raffle for a wide range of major prizes donated by sponsors. It’s being held in the Harbor Garden Tent at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila hotel.
Information: Stéphane Khaled, Le Club, email stephane.khaled@leclub-fcc.org, phone +632 813 9005.

TIME OUT FOR ART

Around the art galleries
Artists who are currently showing their work at exhibits in Philippine galleries and art shops include:
•   The paintings of Manila-based artist Rosalinda Roman are on show in an exhibition at My Mother’s Garden restaurant in Zamora Street, Pasay City.
Roman’s exhibit – focusing on her favorite theme of orchids and bahay kubo – continues until June 30 as a farewell-for-now showing before she flies out to Canada for an extended tour.
Dining at My Mother’s Garden is by reservation only, through phone +632 831 8407.
•   Dramatic representations of everyday life in the Philippines a century ago are on show in Manila at an exhibition of paintings by the early 20th century Filipino artists Fernando Amorsolo, Dominador Castaneda, Ireneo Miranda, H.R. Ocampo, Florentino Macabuhay, Simeon Galvez, Lauro Alcala and Ricarte Puruganan.
They are on display at the University of the Philippines' Jorge B. Vargas Museum in Diliman, Quezon City. The exhibit is part of the UP Centenary celebration.
 •  Well-known multi-medium artist Impy Pilapil has an interactive exhibit called “12 Human Senses” in the gardens in front of the Ateneo Art Gallery at Ateneo de Manila University in Loyola Heights, Quezon City, continuing until August 22.
It features interactive sculpture by Pilapil, with bamboo poles, hanging art, colorful fiberglass features, multicolored wooden spools strung from metal bars, copper, bronze and marble “sound bowls” with water, “humming stones,” and a “barefoot trail” of wood, porcelain, pebbles and glass.

TIME OUT ON SCREEN

Spanish films, Saturdays
Instituto Cervantes, Spain's cultural organization in the Philippines, screens free Spanish movies, most of them in Spanish with English subtitles, every Saturday (usually 6pm) at the Instituto Cervantes Salón de Actos in Ermita, Manila.
Information: Instituto Cervantes, phone +632 526 1282 to 85.

Italian movies, monthly
Italian movies are being screened monthly by the Italian Embassy and the Philippine-Italian Association at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Dream Theater in Pasay City, with English subtitles and free admission.
Screening schedule and information: Philippine-Italian Association secretariat (Lina Lorenzo), phone +632 815 1310.

Cinekatipunan award winners
Quality movies, many of them international film festival candidates and award winners, are now being shown regularly in Manila at Mag:net Café in Katipunan, Quezon City. They’re screened most evenings Mondays through Saturdays (5pm). Admission is free.
Information: Mag:net Café, phone +632 929 3191, email sinag_haraya@yahoo.com, website www.magnet.com.ph.

•  More information, tips and advice about restaurants, shows, nightspots, events and other happenings in the Philippines can be found in the myPH Happenings Forum.  

Lettermen, until July 6
Yesteryear close-harmony pop favorites the Lettermen are in the Philippines for a concert tour. The Lettermen had a string of hits starting in the early 1960s ("The Way You Look Tonight," "When I Fall in Love," "Theme from a Summer Place," etc). Spiral Starecase was a band best known as a one-hit wonder for their single "More Today Than Yesterday."
The Lettermen have two remaining shows – at the Astoria Regency in Zamboanga City on July 5 and then the Casino Filipino in Tagaytay City on July 6 (8pm). Tickets for the Tagaytay show cost 2,100 to 2,625 pesos through the Ticketnet website. Tickets for the Zamboanga City show can be booked through phone +632 532 8883.

SHOW TIME OUT

Virgin Labfest, until July 6
Virgin Labfest, a testing ground festival for Filipino playwrights, directors and actors with “untried, untested, unpublished and unstaged” one-act plays, is happening in Manila. It runs until July 6 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Studio Theater. Play stagings and presentations are scheduled most days at 3pm & 8pm.
Now in its fourth year, Virgin Labfest is organized by Writers Bloc, an independent organization of established and aspiring playwrights headed by Rody Vera, and the CCP’s resident theater group Tanghalang Pilipino. This year, the program is based on five sets of one-act trilogies with each set dealing with a central unifying theme ranging from “comedies to political commentaries to gender issues to ghost stories,” says Vera.
Tickets: 206 pesos through the Ticketworld website.

Wanders showtime at the casino
A mix of Filipino singers and dancers with acrobatic performers and dancers from China and Russia are on stage in performances at Manila's Pagcor Airport Casino in Parañaque. The "Wanders" producers, Cirque Asia International, have extended the popular show's run and it now remains on stage on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays (8pm) for at least the next few months.
"Wanders" combines family-oriented theater, concert, circus and dance in a multimedia setting – featuring Filipino artists Nonie Buencamino, Calvin Millado and Frenchie Dy with the Hotlegs, Whiplash and Manoeuvers dance groups; plus acrobats from Hunan province in China; and jazz and ballet dancers from Moscow and Belarussia.
Information: phone +632 852 7758 or 7754. Tickets: 1,200 to 3,000 pesos through the Ticketworld website, or phone +632 891 9999.

Concerts in parks, weekends
Manila has free outdoor shows in parks at weekends  – Paco Park Presents in Paco Park, Ermita, on Fridays (usually 6 pm); and Concert at the Park in the Rizal Park Open-Air Auditorium on Sundays (usually 5pm). On some Saturday evenings, depending on the weather, there are also ballet and other dance performances in the parks. Information and schedules: National Parks Development Committee website, or phone +632 302 7374.

Madela & Escalante, July 11
Top Filipino singers Jed Madela and Bituin Escalante sing hits from Broadway musicals with the Metro Manila Community Orchestra under the baton of Chino Toledo, in a show called “Music of the Night.” The concert happens at the Philam Life Theater in Ermita, Manila, on July 11 (8pm).
Tickets: 515 to 2,060 pesos through the Ticketworld website.

High School Musical... Ice Tour, July 11-20
Disney’s “High School Musical... The Ice Tour” is including the Philippines in an upcoming tour of South-east Asia. The show’s skaters will be on the ice at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, with a program of afternoon and evening shows during July 11-20.
The show’s promoters say the music and the dance routines from the Disney Channel movies “High School Musical” and “High School Musical 2” are featured in the show. They say the show also “shares some similarities with “Disney on Ice” but they are different productions.” Both shows are produced by Feld Entertainment.
Show information and tickets: 150 to 1,340 pesos through the Ticketnet website.

Bamboo, July 18
Bamboo is the featured act at Metro Bar in Quezon City on July 18 (8pm).
Tickets: 450 pesos through the Ticketnet website.

Lifehouse, July 26
The American rock band Lifehouse is coming to Manila for a show at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao Quezon City, on July 26 (8pm).
The trio consists of Jason Wade, Rick Woolstenhulme Jr and Bryce Soderberg, plus additional guitarist Ben Carey while on tour. They came to prominence in 2001 with the hit single "Hanging by a Moment" from their debut major label album, No Name Face.
Tickets: 990 to 4,890 pesos through the Ticketnet website.

Chris Daughtry, July 29
American Idol singing show finalist Chris Daughtry is on the way to Manila for a show. It happens at Eastwood Central Plaza in Quezon City on July 29 (8pm).
Tickets: 650 to 5,775 pesos through the Ticketnet website.

Lea Salonga’s Cinderella, July 29 - Aug 16
Top Filipina show star Lea Salonga is back in the Philippines with Broadway Asia Entertainment to star in a production of Rogers and Hammerstein’s musical “Cinderella.” Show-dates at Manila’s Cultural Center of the Philippines are from July 29 for the opening night, then continuing until August 16 with 8pm evening shows on most Fridays through Sundays plus 3pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays.
Tickets: 500 to 7,000 pesos through the Ticketworld website, or phone +632 891 9999.

Rick Astley, August 1
English singer, songwriter and controversial internet phenomenon Rick Astley is coming to Manila for a show to promote his new album. Astley ("Never Gonna Give You Up,” “Together Forever,” “Cry For Help”) sings at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, on August 1 (8pm).
Tickets: 525 to 5,250 pesos through the Ticketnet website.

Three-in-one rock, August 4
Three pop groups – Simple Plan, New Found Glory, and Jamie Scott & the Town – are on stage together in a show at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, on August 4 (8pm).
Simple Plan are French-Canadian punk-rock specialists (“No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls,” “Still Not Getting Any,” “Simple Plan”). New Found Glory are an American pop-punk band (“It’s All About Girls,” “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” “Coming Home”). Jamie Scott, who fronts the Town, is a young English songwriter and alternative acoustic artist (“Just,” “Searching”).
Tickets: 525 to 5,775 pesos through the Ticketnet website, or through Viva Concerts, phone +632 687 6181.

Alicia Keys, August 5
Multi-Grammy award-winning R&B specialist Alicia Keys is coming back to the Philippines for another MTV show – this time at the SM Mall of Asia on the Manila bayside on August 5 (8pm).
Information and tickets: Ticketworld, phone +632 891 9999 or through the Ticketworld website.

Sharon Cuneta, August 8
Entertainer Sharon Cuneta – who recently returned to the big screen after four years’ absence with a new film “Caregiver” – is also back on the singing stage. Cuneta has a show at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, on August 8 (8pm).
Tickets: 263 to 2,888 pesos through the Ticketnet website.

Hits of the '80s, August 8
Raymond Lauchengco, Louie Heredia, Gino Padilla and Randy Santiago have lined up a nostalgia night for fans at the Aliw Theater in Pasay City. Their “Greatest Hits of the ‘80s,” as the show is billed, happens on August 8 (8pm).
Tickets: 525 to 1,575 pesos through the Ticketnet website.

Tony Hadley, John Keeble, August 8, 9
Tony Hadley, who fronted the now disbanded English pop group Spandau Ballet, is coming to the Philippines with fellow Spandau Ballet ex John Keeble for shows in Manila and Pampanga.
They play first at Clark Expo near Angeles City on August 8 (9pm), before their Manila show at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, on August 9 (pm).
Tickets: 525 to 3,150 pesos at Clark Expo and 525 to 5,250 pesos at the Araneta Coliseum, through the Ticketnet website.

Martinez, Alano, Castillo, Lopez, August 9
Leo Martinez, Alyssa Alano, Rainier Castillo and Zara Lopez are on stage together in a show at Metro Bar in Quezon City on August 9 (8pm).
Tickets: 500 to 1,000 pesos through the Ticketnet website.

Mulan Jr, August 9 - December 18
Disney’s “Mulan Jr” – the story of real-life Chinese girl warrior who runs away from home to join the army, fight the invading Huns and as a result become a heroine – is being performed later this year by the Repertory Philippines theater group at On Stage in Greenbelt 1, Makati. There will be weekend evening shows and matinees in a season running from August 9 to December 18.
This is a musical celebration of culture, honor and fighting spirit, with a score including favorites like "Reflection," "Honor to Us All" and "I`ll Make a Man Out of You."
Tickets: 250 to 350 pesos through the Ticketworld website and from Repertory Philippines, phone +632 887 0710, email info@repertory-philippines.com.

Panic at the Disco, August 14
Panic at the Disco, the young American pop rock band, are in the Philippines for a show. Current members Brendon Urie, Ryan Ross, Jon Walker and Spencer Smith (“A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” and “Pretty. Odd”) play at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City on August 14 (8pm).
Tickets: 450 to 3,950 through the Ticketnet website.

Spirit of 67, Cuneta, Poon, August 15
An evening of retro music is promised by Spirit of 67, Faith Cuneta and Richard Poon in their show at Metro Bar in Quezon City on August 15 (8pm).
Tickets: 500 pesos, including one drink, through the Ticketnet website.

Harana Filipino opera, August 28
Eight acclaimed classical voices are on stage together with the Philippine Opera Company singing Filipino music in an opera billed as “Harana,” now rescheduled to August 28 (8pm).
Featured are sopranos Ana Feleo, Deeda Barretto, Karla Gutierrez and Florence Aguilar, with tenors Glen Gaerlan and Sherwin Sozon, and baritones Jack Salud and Lawrence Jatayna. The opera company promises “a spectacular musical journey showcasing the very best of Philippine music. From indigenous and pre-colonial to contemporary and fusion, each musical suite is theatrically presented with authenticity, originality and visual excitement, committed to preserve indigenous Philippine music and its appropriate dance and folklore.”
“Harana” is on stage at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in RCBC Plaza, Makati City. Tickets: 250 to 1,000 pesos through the Philippine Opera Company (Doris Campaña), phone +632 892 8786, and through the Ticketworld website.

West Side Story, from September 13
Christian Bautista and Joanna Ampil alternating with Karylle star in the upcoming Philippine production of the well-known musical “West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Jerome Robbins (remembered for songs like “Somewhere,” “Tonight,” “One Hand One Heart,” “America,” “Something’s Coming,” etc). It’s directed by Audie Gemora for the Stages theater group.
Tickets and schedule: 500 to 1,200 pesos through the Ticketworld website.

Gary Lewis & the Playboys, September 6
Gary Lewis and the Playboys, a 1960s American pop group fronted by the son of famed comedian Jerry Lewis, are coming to the Philippines for a nostalgia show in Manila.
The group (“This Diamond Ring," "Save Your Heart For Me," "Everybody Loves a Clown") will be on stage at the Aliw Theater in Pasay Theater on September 6 (8.30pm).
Tickets: 1,030 to 3,090 pesos through the Ticketworld website.

The Magic Flute, September 18-27
Mozart’s popular children’s opera “The Magic Flute” comes to Manila soon with the Philippine Opera Company. It’s a fantasy that combines animation, black theater, and puppetry performed by live artists. This Manila adaptation is directed by Kokoy Jimenez, the man behind the longest running children’s educational television program, “Batibot.”
It’s on stage in the Cultural Center of the Philippines Little Theater with 10am, 1pm and 3pm shows through September 18-21 and then September 23-27.
Tickets: 515 pesos through the Ticketworld website.

Apo Hiking Society, September 20
The veteran original Filipino music specialists Apo Hiking Society have a show on September 20 (8pm) at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.
Tickets: 350  to 5,500 pesos through the Ticketnet website.

Ogie Alcasid, September 27
Filipino entertainer Ogie Alcasid has an upcoming show at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, on September 27 (8pm).
Tickets: 210 to 3,150 pesos through the Ticketnet website.

La Boheme, October 3-5
Giacomo Puccini’s much-performed love story opera “La Boheme” is being staged in Manila in October, with three nights at the Cultural center of the Philippines Main Theater during October 3-5 (8pm).
"La Boheme” is the story of the doomed love affair between Mimi, stricken with tuberculosis, and the Bohemian artist Rodolfo, encompassing romance, drama and memorable music. It has been described by the New York Times as “the world’s most popular opera.”
Playing the lead roles in this Manila production are tenors Juan Alberto Gaerlan, Dondi Ong and Seattle Opera-based Gary del Rosario as Rodolfo, with sopranos Jennifer Uy and Maribel Miguel as Mimì. Also on stage are sopranos Ana Feleo and Elaine Lee as Muzetta; baritones Lawrence Jatayna and Jesus Baang as Marcello; and Joseleo Logdat and John Campos playing Colline and Schaunard respectively – all singing in the show’s original Italian language. Behind them is the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Helen Quach. Director is Floy Quintos.
Tickets: 515 to 4,120 pesos through the Ticketworld website.

Maria Callas Master Class, October 9-15
The Philippine Opera Company includes a performance by actress Cherie Gil in its upcoming production of the Tony award-winning play “Master Class.” This semi-biographical cameo of the private and public lives of opera legend Maria Callas is told through a fictional “master class” conducted for three students by Callas at the end of her career – in which she recounts her tumultuous life as opera’s grand dame and her private life as paramour to the billionaire Aristotle Onassis.
“Master Class” is on stage at the Carlos P. Romulo Theater in RCBC Plaza, Makati City, on October 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24 & 25 8pm.
Tickets: 350 to 1,000 pesos through Philippine Opera Company, phone +632 892 8786, the website www.philippineoperacompany.com; or through the Ticketworld website.

Hairspray, December 5 & 6
The multiple Tony award-winning musical “Hairspray” is being brought to Manila for pre-Christmas season shows by Atlantis Productions. With the cast still being finalized, it’s booked at the Star Theater in Pasay City on December 5 & 6.
“Hairspray,” with a 1960s teen pop story-line, is based on the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters, with a book by Mark O`Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. It was also turned into a popular movie musical starring John Travolta, Zach Efron and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Tickets: 600 to 1,200 pesos through the Ticketworld website.