Friday, February 17, 2017

The Pia Cayetano-Paolo Abrera Affair: A story of the project "INQUIRER Lifestyle Series: Fitness.Fashion with Samsung" Fashion Show

Based on "El Presidente: The Story of Emilio Aguinaldo and the First Philippine Republic" courtesy of Scenema Concept International, CMB Films and Viva Films, in cooperation with the San Miguel Corporation, Petron, Boy Scouts of the Philippines, Las Casas Filipinas de Azucar, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines, Aishite Imasu 1941: Mahal Kita courtesy of Regal Entertainment Inc. and BASFILM Production, Inc., Sa'yo Lamang (a 2003-2004 Mini Series) Story of Mayor Lito Atienza and his Wife Beng Atienza directed by Joel Lamangan and Dekada '70 courtesy of STAR Cinema.

Narrated by Dennis Antenor, Jr. (formerly Dennis Guisado of YES! FM 101.1) and Jupiter Torres, a documentary film about the project in the life of Philippines in the past 118 years.

After breaking free from the clutches of Spain on June 12, 1898, the country survived two more foreign invasions, a 20-year Marcos tyranny, and all the natural and man-made disasters that came in between and after.

Virtually all the nations of the world are heaping praise on the Philippines.

The tributes and accolades include wishes for progress and maturity as the country strives to overcome the regional economic crunch in its march towards the next millennium.

Aguinaldo read the country's declaration of independence from Spain at the main window of his Kawit mansion and waved the Philippine flag for the first time as the national anthem, composed by Julian Felipe, was played also for the first time.

The declaration of independence came after a series of decisive victories by the Katipuneros who routed some 250 Spaniards in the battles of Alapan, where the patriots prevented the hamletting of an entire town, and Binakayan, where they overran a Spanish arsenal.

That the victories came as tropical thunderstorms pounded Luzon in May and June of 1898 seems ironic in a time of scorching El Niño, eased only by occasional rains.

On Dec. 9, 1985, the first issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer rolled off the press with its banner story— “It’s Cory-Doy”. It didn’t even have a slogan, and so atop its masthead was a kicker: ‘A slogan? Help us write one and win a prize.’ The maiden issue, all 30,000 copies, sold out at P2 each.

“The job of a newspaper is to report the news. That in a word, is what the Philippine Daily Inquirer is all about,” said the paper in its first editorial ‘A statement of Purpose, Separating news from views,’ written by its first publisher, the late Max Soliven.

Noting that they lived in very interesting times, the editorial said the PDI will “chronicle these times with candor, and we trust, with courage.”

It was one of three alternative dailies that bannered the flight of the Marcoses at the height of the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution.

The first Inquirer issues looked like an unmade bed, recalled managing editor Jose Ma. Nolasco. ‘We didn’t have money, we didn’t have a printing press. We had stories on page one. [Those issues] will never win any design competition,” he said.

“When we established the Inquirer, we didn’t think that one day it would be No. 1. Never did it cross our minds,” Nolasco said in a recent strategic planning session.

Chronicling the mounting public opposition to the Marcos regime, PDI’s circulation grew from just 30,000 to more than 250,000 by the time the snap election was held in February, 1986.

Twenty-three-year-old Stephen Salcedo was pronounced dead on arrival at the Philippine General Hospital in Manila around 5 p.m. of July 27, 1986. His death was caused by multiple concussions in the head and body.

In just five years, in 1990, the Inquirer overtook another daily to become the biggest circulated broadsheet in the country as validated by a circulation audit done by Sycip, Gorres and Velayo. Since then, the Inquirer has kept its lead as the paper with the biggest circulation and readership.

In time for the launching of "INQUIRER Lifestyle Series: Fitness.Fashion with Samsung" project. The fashion show project was supported by various companies, such as: HSBC, The Peninsula Manila, Ayala Corporation, San Miguel Corporation, SM Investments Corporation, MVP Group, ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation, GMA Network, Inc. (GMA), People's Television (PTV) Channel 4, TV5 Network (ABC-5), RPN-9, IBC-13, Regal Entertainment, Inc., Solar Entertainment Corporation, STAR TV, VIVA Entertainment, Inc., various music and movie outfits, fast-food chains and food companies.

Initially, Senator Cayetano, along with Rina Go-Thorp and Paolo Abrera as co-guest models of the Manila Show. Their fathers former Sen. Renato Cayetano died on June 24, 2003 and while Caloy Abrera was died on April 17, 2004.

former swimmer Akiko Thompson, Atty. Amanda and Leica Carpo, models Phoemela Baranda and Trishan Cuazo, Manny Osmena’s wife Svetlana Pangan-Osmena and Ernie Lopez’s wife Jeena Llamas-Lopez was the first batch of guest models for the show in 2003.

Swimmer Enchong Dee, powerlifter Ruby Gan, educator Fely Atienza were added to as co-guest models of the event in August 2006. Mister Dee who was a student of De La Salle University in 2006. The logo was designed by Alizza Buitong-Mistades in July 2007.

The Makati City Government went go-signal for the streets will close due to the construction of the millennium celebration stage at Ayala Avenue and Makati Avenue.

Many events were happened at the time of the project, such as: the Eat Bulaga! Silver Special on November 18, 2004 at the Clark Centennial Expo in Angeles City, Pampanga, the "Hello, Garci" controversy, the 2005 and 2007 Southeast Asian Games, the PhilSports arena stampede, typhoons that hit Metro Manila and other provinces and the sinking of ferries.

Fashion becomes less a spectator sport when sport itself becomes the fashion.

This year’s competition theme is “The Philippines in the New Millennium”.

The 21st Century and 3rd Millennium is an important milestone for mankind. It brings opportunities for quantum leaps in total human development. Our business, health, entertainment, fashion, legal, media, political, religious and sports personalities are challenged to give a unique visual representation of what they see in the Philippines in the New Millennium.

Co-presented with Samsung, along with Shokubutsu Hana and Systema Tooth and Gum Care, it drew guests who cut across the fields of fashion, business and commerce, arts, media and entertainment. With the support of HSBC and Peninsula, the show had 12 sought-after designers melding their creations with the latest brand collections: Kipling with Vic Barba; Fila with Lulu Tan-Gan; Nike Golf with Anthony Nocom; Speedo with Louis Claparols; Adidas with Patrice Ramos-Diaz and Rhett Eala; Marks & Spencer with Arcy Gayatin; Aigle and Oxbow with Rajo Laurel; Bench with Joey Samson; and Puma with Ivarluski Aseron and Randy Ortiz.

“Fitness.Fashion” also scored a coup with the runway debut of fitness enthusiast and sports advocate Sen. Pia Cayetano. Other guest models were Akiko Thompson, Amanda Carpo, Rina Go, Paolo Abrera, Phoemela Baranda, Svetlana Osmeña, Jeena Lopez, Enchong Dee, Ruby Gan, Fely Atienza, Trishan Cuazo, catwalk queens Tweetie de Leon-Gonzalez and Apples Aberin-Sadhwani, and Inquirer’s own Tessa Prieto-Valdes and Leica Carpo.

As of latest reports, the 2015 First Quarter Consumer and Media View survey of The Nielsen Co., the Inquirer remains the top choice of 52.7 percent of ABC1 newspaper readers in major urban areas in the country.

The Manila Bulletin was a far second with a 34.3-percent readership, and the Philippine Star, placed third, with a 16.6-percent readership.

The Inquirer has also consistently ranked among the Top 1,000 companies in the Philippines.

The country’s paper of record, the Inquirer has chronicled the country’s history over the last quarter century. From the 1986 Edsa Revolution, the Inquirer was at the forefront of covering major upheavals, momentous events and powerful stories that changed the course of the nation’s history.

From the installation of Aquino’s widow Corazon Aquino in 1986, to her death in 2009 that led to the election of her only son Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III as President in 2010; from the unforgettable visits of Pope John Paul II in 1981 and January 1995, and Pope Francis in 2015, to the devastating earthquake in 1990, the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991 and the horrific Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in 2013; from the Senate vote to end the US military bases agreement in 1991, to the Centennial of Philippine Independence in 1998, when the Inquirer first published in full color.

Unequalled in its courageous reporting, the Inquirer played its watchdog role in the ouster of the corruption-plagued administrations of Joseph Estrada and the ascendancy of his predecessor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

To get back at the Inquirer for its exposes on his involvement in corruption, Estrada instigated an ad boycott against the paper on July 3, 1999 that lasted five months. The Inquirer survived on support from its loyal advertisers and readers who sent encouraging letters and even donations to keep the Inquirer going.

Fittingly enough, he Inquirer broke the biggest expose in decades—the P10-billion pork barrel scam perpetrated by businesswoman Janet Napoles. The groundbreaking series by Inquirer senior reporter Nancy Carvajal, under the meticulous guidance of editor in chief Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc, brought about wide-ranging reforms in the government’s handling of taxpayer money and sent at least three influential senators behind bars.

The pork barrel scam also earned Carvajal and the Inquirer all the major journalism awards here and abroad for two years running.

With interviews by Thelma Sioson-San Juan, Apples Aberin, Irene Perez, Cheche V. Moral, Fran Katigbak.

Videos by ABS-CBN News Library, Television Pool of Thailand, KMBC-TV, NHK International, PTV-4, GMA Network Library