Seduction: The Movie

Some behind-the-scene pictures from my shooting day for Regal Films' Seduction movie starring Richard Gutierrez, Sarah Lahbati and Solenn Heussaff showing in 2013!

Professional Update

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Midnight DJ Guesting

Midnight DJ : Sa Ngalan ng Ama

Despite the heavy rains last Thursday, August 26,taping of the Midnight DJ episode went on smoothly as the efficient staff and crew went about their duties to ensure that every take was a success. In between takes, the actors passed their time with friendly card games and funny banters. It was just like, pardon the cliche, one big happy family. In one corner were young actors' parents huddled while exchanging notes on their experiences with other productions and networks, while on the far end of the make shift (but airconed) dressing room were a couple of actors immersed on the laptop.

So what was I doing there? Well, Direk Lore decided to make true his promise to provide me with more roles (para naman may pambili ako ng ulam) in the weekly mystery tv show over at TV5. And boy, was I in good company! Other guests in the 11th episode of the show's 8th season were my idol, Bembol Rocco, Kalila Aguilos, fellow Actors Workshopper Ces Aldaba and young actor Renz Valerio.

Most of my scenes (five, yes i counted them) were with child actor Renz Valerio who, in my opinion, is another dramatic actor in the making. I play the role of Father Barbatos, the kind old priest who ran an orphanage. But this is not the first time i played man of the cloth, i was also a priest in a stage play we did at the old St. Therese Auditorium, "Isang Libong Piso," directed by the late tv director Raffy Oyales. In the musical play "Eugenie", director Chingay Lagdameo cast me as the Archbishop of Paris, Affre. Thus, Father Barbatos was not really to alien to me. And yes, you may blink and not miss me.

Midnight DJ stars Oyo Boy Sotto, Desiree del Valle, Meg Imperial, Joaqui Tupas, Julia Chua and John Medina. Aired over TV5, Firdays, 8:00PM

Sa Ngalan ng Ama (In the Name of the Father)

Director: Lore Reyes

Assistant Director: Jo Macasa

Episode Writer: Jessel Duque

Head Writer: Randy Villanueva

SYNOPSIS

Samboy visits the old site of the orphanage where he grew up, now an abandoned house up for sale. This visit reminds Samboy of a strange event that happened to him when he was just a boy. It involves a forbidden room where angry spirits seem to be trapped. When grown-up Samboy finds this room again, he awakens the spirits. When a disfigured man appears, things turn even stranger because Samboy starts suspecting that this man is his long-lost father, Samuel.



CHARACTERS

SAMBOY

BODJIE

QT

ANDREA

SWIT

ARTHUR

GUEST CHARACTERS

MANONG: Late 40s or Early 50s. A hideously disfigured man. He seems to be a burn victim. Mysterious and secretive.

SIONING: Late 20s. The ghost of a burned woman. Angry and vengeful.

EMPOY: 10. The ghost of a burned boy. Sad.

YOUNG SAMBOY: 12. Samboy as a boy.

YOUNG LANDO: 12. Samboy’s friend. See Episode 10, “Kampon ng Jejemon”.

FATHER BARBATOS: 60s. A kind old priest who ran the orphanage when Samboy was still there.

FATHER INOCENCIO: 30s. The current head of the orphanage.

ORPHANAGE STAFF

ORPHANS

POLICE

Ode to Women Mentors (Part Two)

After serving in government under two Philippine presidents, my career would take a u-turn heading back for the corporate world. It was a time when call centers and BPO's were unheard of here in the country and automated customer service was frowned at: "What? Me talk to a machine?!"

It was an early job interview and i remember that balmy October day i drove my way through Roxas Boulevard to meet a lady who I have always admired since that first time i watched her host a variety talk show on tv. The show was Ms. Ellaneous over at GMA 7 and the lady: Ma-an B. Hontiveros.

The interview went well and so a month later there i was in a conference briefing with the rest of the team, and Ma-an was there, too. The company was TeleMessage Philippines, one of the pioneers in the customer contact services in the country and Ma-an was our CEO.

I have never felt more excited about anything the way i felt that day listening to Ma-an describe the many opportunities the new technology and industry we were about to embark on offered. She was speaking about changing the face of marketing in the Philippines and how new job opportunities would open up. Heck, it was like i was lost in a trance. But it was a good feeling. The one you get when you are mesmerized by someone speaking and you hang on to every word.

That is the effect you get from Ma-an. Various references to her would often describe her as a veteran broadcast/journalist but she is more known for her active and pivotal participation in the First Edsa Revolution. Nowadays, Ma-an is now vice-chairman of Ballet Philippines, a devotion she has kept after serving as its president for sixteen years. Wow, talk about constancy!

For me, Ma-an was the ideal boss. When i became the General Manager for TeleMessage, i saw glimpses of Ma-an's business savvy and expertise first hand. But i would remember her more for her humanity. I remember how she fought for all the employees when the time came that the principals decided to sell out the company as more and more industry players wanted a piece of the BPO action. Ma-an took extra effort to see to it that everyone was well-compensated and even offered her own resources to train some employees for new skills that could help them find work elsewhere.

I recall that afternoon i went to her office to formally bid her goodbye and extend my thanks for the many grand memories. Although i cannot fully remember what brought about the exchange, but her words are marked and i carry them to this day: "Gabby, people like us will never run out of new things to do. We will find other doors. We are never afraid to knock or move on." I must have been staring at her for quite some time before i could respond because i can still see her calm, almost serene, look as she assured me that things would soon be back on their tracks.

I am certain Ma-an was referring to my professional options at that time. But nobody between us knew how those words would come to carry me through one of the darkest, loneliest moments of my life.

Ma-an made me braver and more solid. I learned to summon my own strength the way perhaps Ma-an would at those many times she faced adversity in her own life: with grace and serenity but with an 'in-your-face' attitude. An oxymoron, you might say. But I call her Ma-an Hontiveros.

Ode to Women Mentors (Part One)

I have been blessed. Many times over, i have had the fortune of meeting and working with some of the most influential women in their respective careers. That is not to say that i have never had male bosses, it is just that the ladies seem to outshine the men as far as i can remember.

If there is one thing i can say about my journey towards mentorship that is i seem to have this uncanny ability to gravitate towards women mentors. I am such a lucky bloke!

Consider the following:

Chingay Diaz-Lagdameo (photo, left) was the former dean at Assumption College in San Lorenzo Makati. But i met her first when she was our department head at the Communications Department. I remember as a newcomer in the faculty, i was taken by Chingay's gracious manners and subdued demeanor. She was mentor in its true essence: supportive but wise enough to challenge me every now and then. She always found time to talk to me and discuss my students or classes.

It wasn't long before we developed a bond and friendship that would see us weather some personal strife of our own. But through the years, despite losing touch every now and then, Chingay has remained to be my mentor in the academe world. And i have always appreciated her confidence in my talents. Sometimes i find myself blushing whenever she would introduce me to her friends and colleagues. She was always generous with her praises, but also honest with her admonishments. I distinctly remember her words to me: "do not mistake rights for courtesy". Such simple words, but they do resonate strongly to me up to now.

Chingay, the former chair of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, is now Executive Director of the MMCO, the orchestra-in-residence of the Center for Applied Music in Miriam College.

Renowned veteran broadcaster Tina Monzon Palma (photo, right) was my boss at ABC Channel 5. As our COO, she was instrumental in opening some opportunities for me in the network. From being the Senior Copywriter for the station, Tina moved me to head the programs research department which would later lead me to become part of the Programming Committee. The experience gave me the opportunity to learn more about the television industry and be able to express my ideas and even spearhead some projects. Tina was hardworking and more known for her no-nonsense management style. She may lack the frills that other lady network executives may indulge in, but Tina had integrity, boldness and the "balls".

But what others do not know well about Tina is that is a mother at heart! I think it is a conscious effort on her part not to brandish this part of her persona. After all, despite the celebrity status, Tina is a very private person. On several occasions, Tina and i would trade jokes and have fun over the phone before she went on the air for the late evening news she anchored. Sometimes i would threaten her in jest that someday i will write about her and reveal who she really was! The idea horrified her!

And what do i remember the most among Tina's wise words to me? Well, they came at the eve of my flight to one of ABC 5's provincial network. Knowing perhaps that i was traveling alone, going on an all-expense paid trip down south, far from prying eyes, Tina without much prodding, simply told me in her trademarked modulated voice "Be careful. Do not make a fool of yourself out there."

I'm sure Tina doesn't have any idea how those words really got to me. As a young man, Tina's words made me realize that indeed it had been so easy for me to fall into my own folly, and immensely regret the consequences. I was a changed man when i got to the airport! Changed, and wiser.

Nowadays, Tina is busy at ABS CBN Foundation as Bantay Bata 163 Program Director and as news anchor over at ANC's World Tonight.

My BAKET List!

Or things you wouldn't really care to know about me and i can't even begin to explain why... or how? =)

Baket 1: I am slightly dyslexic.

Baket 2: Except for a couple of years in a private all-boys school, i was predominantly educated through the public school system

Baket 3: I cried unabashedly when i visited the Yad Vashem war museum in Jerusalem

Baket 4: I went and stayed at Camp Abubakar in Cotabato during peace negotiations with the MILF before it was taken by the military

Baket 5: I can only use the bathroom comfortably if the tile walls and floor were wet

Baket 6: I once caught a parakeet while walking home from school

Baket 7: I think the Heroes Hall at Malacanang Palace is tacky

Baket 8:An ambulance took me to the orthopedic hospital after the bus i was riding home turned turtle along the north luzon expressway, help came an hour after other survivors and i sat drenched in the rain

Baket 9: I sold newspaper around the old Buendia and Taft Avenue. It was the "Daily Express", the only publication out after martial law was declared.

Baket 10: I edited a travel magazine: Asean Journals.

Baket 11: I swam in the Dead Sea in Israel.

Baket 12: I know how to weave the sulihiya

Baket 13: I'm left-handed but can play the guitar just like any right-handed

Baket 14: I once "re-connected" another man's severed finger after an accident at the filming of Indio

Baket 15: I have blood relatives in Miami who originated from Cuba and they are blonde and blue-eyed.

Baket 16: Nida Blanca is my favorite actress.

Baket 17: I used to page myself in my EasyCall

Baket 18: My driver once left me at the gasoline station thinking that i was at the backseat when he drove away. He came back for me after two hours.

Baket 19: I like Davao City and GenSen.

Baket 20: I was an officer in our high school military cadet training

Baket 21: I won my first award when i was six in a UNICEF painting contest: Seven pesos, which my brother and i spent buying toys and Crazy Foam.

Baket 22: I auditioned for the Miss Saigon

Baket 23: I am not a good salesman

Baket 24: I am electrophobic

Baket 25: I slept on the floors of the Medical City ICU waiting area for five days while waiting for my partner to come out of comma

Baket 26: Pag may topak ako, i can consume half a gallon of ice cream in one sitting... at home only because (see baket 26)

Baket 26: I am lactose intolerant. Sanggol pa lang ako kape na ata pinaiinom sa akin ng ina ko

Baket 27: When i was 8, i strayed away from my mother's side and got lost in the wet market (Carbon) of Cebu City. We were reunited after an hour or so. At least tapos na syang mamili. I have the feeling she never noticed i got lost at all!

Baket 28: For the lack, or absence, of funds, i used to stare at the ducklings sold outside our school gates for hours until the vendor took pity and gave me one weak duckling to take home... it died the next day

Baket 29: I hate ducks.

Baket 30: I am an impulsive shopper.

Baket 31: I once got out of a driving violation (swerving) ticket by flashing my Office of the President id ...unintentionally.

Baket 32: I am a massage addict

Baket 33: For a time, all my shirts were the color blue

Baket 34: My first real (as in not imaginary) girlfriend was a lovely, doe-eyed lass from Palawan. We met at a science camp in high school. She wrote me once. I lost her letter. End of love affair.

Baket 35: I failed zoology once in college.

Baket 36: Whenever i get a recurring dream at night, it comes true.

Baket 37: I like to change the way i part my hair every once in while.

Baket 38: For a very, very long time i thought the lyrics for "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" went like this: you don't have to say you love me/ JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN

Baket 39: My first published poem came out in 1976 in MOP TOP music magazine.

Baket 40: I was the grand champion in the metro manila-wide interschool extemporaneous speaking competition after having picked the lousiest topic from the bunch: generation gap

Baket 41: I prefer to walk than to take a cab

Baket 42: My driver, after realizing i was not seated behind him in the car, tried to look for me in the trunk!!!! When asked why he would look for me in the trunk, the driver replied "Eh baka po nagbibiro si sir!"

Baket 43: I did not fire the driver. He continued to drive for me for 9 more years.

Baket 44: The most painful experience i had was burying my partner who passed away in 2004.

Baket 45: The most expensive material gift i received was a Guy Laroche watch in 1993 and i still wear it up to now

Baket 46: I'm allergic to shrimps, bagoong, crab meat... and BEER

Baket 47: I managed a hip resto bar in Eastwood City for five years

Baket 48: I used to practice crying or shedding a tear in front of the mirror without contorting my face

Baket 49: I can memorize my students names (all 40 of them) after the first day of classes

Baket 50: I always remember other people's birthday a week before the date but completely forget to greet them on the date itself.

To be continued... OC kasi ako eh.

The Search is On!

The search for outstanding physicians is on with the 19th Dr. Jose Rizal Memorial Awards. The annual event is spearheaded by the Southern Tagalog Association of Medical Practitioners and presented by the Philippine Medical Association in cooperation with United Laboratories, Inc.

This event was launched last March 24th at the Discovery Suites with cocktails in honor of this year's new batch of judges headed by no less than Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Esperanza I. Cabral.

Four outstanding physicians will be chosen in the fields of Clinical Practice, Government Service, Academe & Research and Community Leadership. Apart from the honors and distinction that go with the award.Winners will also receive specially designed trophies, medallions and plaques courtesy of United Laboratories, Incorporated.

Each of the 12 category finalists will receive fifty thousand pesos worth of Unilab medicines for donation to any charitable institution of their choice.

The four category winners will receive one hundred fifty thousand pesos worth of Unilab medicines for donation to any charitable institution of their choice.

In addition, Unilab will also sponsor the attendance of the four category winners to a medical convention in the united states. The prize includes convention registration fees, air-fare, and hotel accommodations

All that in honor of the Filipino physicians of distinction!

Awarding ceremonies will be held at the Isla Ballroom of the EDSA Shangrila Hotel on May 21, 2010.

The Power of First Impressions

Communication expert Jill Bremmer shares these insights and I reprint:

I had the pleasure of watching the movie "Working Girl" again recently. It stars Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, and Sigourney Weaver and tells the story of how a girl from the "wrong side of the tracks" succeeds in the pressurized world of big business. I never tire of seeing this movie. The plot, direction and acting are all first-rate, but I love it because of what it teaches us about the power of first impressions. Melanie Griffith's character knows that she must remake her New Jersey image in order to be accepted as a Manhattan professional. So she does just that. She changes her wardrobe, hairstyle, even her voice. And what happens? She is instantly welcomed into the high stakes world of mergers and acquisitions. She knew instinctively that, in order for her ideas to be heard, she had to first "look the part." By making some simple adjustments in her outer image, she was given the opportunity to reveal her inner qualities.

This movie illustrates beautifully what psychologists, communication experts and image consultants have been saying for years. First impressions count! Packaging is important, whether we're considering a house, a product or a person. We think what looks attractive or reliable from the outside must surely be on the inside. We judge books by their covers; we buy houses based upon curb appeal and we take people at face value. And they do the same to us!

I'll agree with you that none of this seems fair. People should be judged by their inner values and beliefs, but it is often the first impression that determines whether someone will stick around long enough for you to reveal those wonderful qualities. Very few people will ever see those documents that define who you are, such as your resume, diploma or birth certificate. Like it or not, it is often that first impression that determines your future, more than your professional achievements, family background or educational credentials.

When you step into a room, people make subconscious decisions about you. Within about thirty seconds, they've judged your economic and educational levels, your social position and your levels of sophistication and success. And keep in mind that they're basing those decisions purely upon what they see, i.e. your wardrobe, hairstyle, smile and posture.

After about four minutes, they've also made decisions about your trustworthiness, compassion, reliability, intelligence, capability, humility, friendliness and confidence. At this point you've probably had the opportunity to speak, so they're now taking into account the way your voice sounds, the content of what you say and how you say it.

Impressions are based upon instinct and emotion, not on rational thought or in-depth investigation. They are the product of the associations we make between outward characteristics and the inner qualities we believe they reflect. In other words, we filter everything we see and hear through our own experiences and biases and assign a stereotype to them. First impressions are a kind of human shorthand.
When we talk of stereotypes, we instantly think of race or gender. But we all harbor assumptions regarding almost every human trait imaginable: tall or short, heavy or thin, articulate or not, clean or dirty, well mannered or rude, organized or disorganized. Whether we like to admit it or not, we all believe that one trait is preferable to another.

Part of the problem is that we have no time today to make informed decisions. We have become a transient society, leading fast-paced lives with sound-bite mentalities. Our encounters with others are brief and lack substance. So we've come to believe "what we see is what we'll get". I believe television is largely the culprit. Television creates stereotypes and reinforces them constantly. It's also conditioned us to expect messages to be delivered in thirty seconds. To prove my point, try watching a commercial, TV show or full-length movie without the sound. You can easily determine the characters and plot just by watching them. Analyzing the visual messages from their clothing, behavior and body language is all you need to understand the relationships and story lines.

Are first impressions lasting impressions? Yes, for a couple of reasons. First, our life experience has taught us that our first impressions of others have usually been correct. And when these subconscious judgments were reinforced again and again, we grew to trust and believe in our instincts.

First impressions are also lasting because we hate to admit we make mistakes, so we cling to our opinions rather than revise them. Psychologists tell us that, once we apply a stereotype to someone, we spend the rest of our days seeking to validate it. Our rational brain kicks in and looks for every opportunity to confirm what the emotional side, with all of its biases and stereotypes, originally believed. That's not to say that negative first impressions can't be overcome, but it will take much time and effort. Remember that you're trying to overcome human nature and that's not an easy task.

So what can we do to be in control of how others perceive us? Confucius said, "In all things, success depends upon preparation, and without such preparation, there is sure to be failure." All you have to do is to decide who your audience will be in any given situation, determine your objectives and make choices that match the audience's expectations. Do you want the promotion, the recognition, the relationship? Whatever your objectives may be, decide what qualities the decision-maker expects from that type of person and then dress, behave and communicate in the expected way.

Take a cue from successful salespeople. They employ a technique called "mirroring". They know that when they reflect the posture, speaking style and wardrobe of the other party, they open the lines of communication. That person begins to see them as someone who understands them and who shares their same values. Trust is quickly built and the deal is sealed. Try the same technique yourself. Think ahead to your objectives each day and whom you will encounter. Make choices that reflect their style of dress, behavior and communication and watch what happens!

The A, B, C's must be studied, analyzed and managed in order to make positive impressions on others.
• Appearance
• Behavior
• Communication

Do You Want to be a Star?

Gusto mo bang sumikat?
I was recently invited by Rated K for an interview about how to break into show business. It's one great episode especially for the starry-eyed out there. Hosted by Korina Sanchez and aired Sundays over ABS-CBN. Video is courtesy of ABS CBN.

Rated K 31 Jan10 courtesy of ABS-CBN WWW FlipBooth... - Watch more Videos at Vodpod.