Ateneo student wins 3rd in Beijing Sudoku tourney

MANILA, Philippines – A 16-year-old Ateneo de Manila University student secured the third place in the 2012 Beijing International Sudoku Tournament held in Beijing, China.

Sarah Jane Cua won third place in the age 18 and under category of the contest. 

 

The tournament drew 52 contestants from 13 countries and regions including the United States and Japan.

 

The incoming second year college student of Management Engineering at Ateneo de Manila University was awarded $300 for her win. 

 

Slovakia’s Zuzana Hromcova won first place and received $500, while Qui Yanzhe of China won second place and $400.

 

Dr. Simon Chua, president of the Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines (MTG), said Cua won first in the same category last year. The category awards were additional prizes besides the main contest.

 

The teenager was grand champion in the BRAND's Asia Pacific Sudoku Challenge in 2008 and 2010. She won second place in the 3rd BRAND's Sudoku Thailand International Open Princess Somsawali Cup held in Bangkok in 2009. 

 

Other contestants who represented the Philippines were Alvin Ian Chan of Ateneo de Manila University, Candice Renee Beatrice Solidarios of Integrated Montessori Center-Laguna , Clyde Wesley Ang of Chiang Kai Shek College, Ma. Czarina Angela Lao of Saint Jude Catholic School, Natalie Beatrice Dy of Saint John's Institute of Bacolod City and Ralph Joshua Sarrosa of the University of the Philippines Visayas in Iloilo, according to Chua. The team leader was Robert Degolacion, MTG executive director.

 

The participating countries in the tournament are the United States, Japan, host China, Slovakia, Taipei, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Malaysia, Poland, Singapore, Turkey and the Philippines.

 

The 2012 Beijing International Sudoku Tournament was organized by the Beijing Media Network and sponsored by the Beijing Olympic City Development Foundation, Beijing Sports Federation and the Feng Tai District Information Office in Beijing.

PH embassy raises funds for global charity

LONDON - The Philippine embassy in London joined over a hundred diplomatic missions in the city to raise funds and awareness on behalf of a global charity for vulnerable children.

Staff from the embassy were at the International Spring Fair at Kensington Town Hall to help sell and promote products from the Philippines, including pearls, jewelry, notebooks, glassware, woodwork and mats.

Hundreds of countries participated at the fair to promote their culture whilst raising proceeds for Children and Families Across borders (CFAB).

“It’s a good way to reach out to the general public in London, and to showcase Philippines as a country, its products and its people,” said Myla Macahilig, cultural attache at the Philippine embassy in London.

“For the Philippines to be part of this is an opportunity to be part of a worthy cause. And also to make sure that we are participating and making representation in the country that we are in. It’s our way of contributing to the host country, and to be part of the general community of nations.”

Each country was designated a stall on which to showcase their goods, from traditional clothing and accessories, to home decor and stationery, to special delicacies and beverages. Countries like Panama, Finland and Indonesia also highlighted their distinct national costumes.

A selected few were given the opportunity to feature homegrown performers promoting their traditional music and instruments, including a band from Columbia, a musician from China, and a singer from Poland.

“It’s a wonderful expression of international solidarity for some of the most deprived and vulnerable people in the world. We’ve got 112 stalls here from around the world. It’s an extraordinary recognition of the internationalism of this problem,” said Lady Davies, chairman of CFAB’s International Spring Fair.

CFAB, the UK branch of international charity network ISS, aims to protect children who become vulnerable due to conflict, migration, trafficking, abduction, asylum and family breakdown.

Founded in 1959, its services include legal aid, case assistance, liaison support, and training for international social workers, as well as running the Advice Line providing vital information on child care and protection.

“We help up to 2000 cases of separation a year and, as you can imagine, this cost a lot of money. This event raises money for all that work. Last year we’ve raised £80,000, and this year we’re hoping to do better,” Lady Davies added.

In 2010-2011, the UK-based charity worked on over 400 cases across 130 countries. According to its annual review, 33% of cases were about children in need of protection, 26% were in support of children in care, and 23% on dealing with abduction and mediation. The rest involved foster care and asylum (10%), adoption (4%), child trafficking (2%) and vulnerable adults (2%).

Since 2009, CFAB has raised over £1.5 million for its projects and services through donations, fees, grants and special events including the annual International Spring Fair.

Award-winning Fil-Spanish sculptor debuts at London art fair

LONDON - A Filipino-Spanish artist exhibited his work in England for the first time at an international art fair in the capital, following his successful exhibits in other parts of Europe.

Sculptor Raimundo Folch showcased his work at the Parallax Art Fair in Chelsea, a curated exhibit of contemporary artists from around the world across various disciplines including painting, photography and sculpture.

“England is always a good place for art, especially London. For a curriculum it sounds good, and you always try a market to see if your pieces are accepted,” he told ABS-CBN Europe.

The 52-year-old artist exhibited three of his works at Chelsea Town Hall in West London, including a majestic figure of a horse and chariot, a gentle woman and child, and a surreal galloping horse with wings.

“Raimundo’s sculptures are strong. It’s great to have him on board, and we’d like to have him back for another one. We’ve had a really high quality this time around. This is the fourth we’ve done, so as we get more established, it just keeps getting better each year,” said Kyle Gregg, exhibition manager at Barlow Fine Art Ltd, which organized the fair.

The Filipino-Spanish sculptor has been exhibiting his work in Spain for several years and, since 2010, he also started to participate in art fairs in Germany and France.

In 2011, his work was featured at the Carrousel du Louvre International Painting and Sculpture Exposition in Paris, where one of his pieces entitled “Sea Deity” was awarded the Baumel-Schwenck Prize, the highest distinction in sculpture from the French National Society of Fine Arts.

“Sea Deity was inspired by a simple graffiti line sprayed by someone on the wall near my studio. I really couldn’t believe it when I won. It’s a big achievement because France is an authority in art, where a lot of fashion and art come from. A prize from Paris has a lot of distinction,” he recalled.

Folch describes his style as a “synthesis” of various artistic movements, from classical Greek and Roman, to art deco and baroque, to surrealism and expressionism.

“It begins in my mind. I first have an inspiration which is what they call the ‘pareildolia’ effect, a process in which you see figures of animals or people in clouds and stains. I have a very imaginative mind,” he explained.

“I want to make movement in my sculptures. That’s one the characteristics of my work. If it’s a woman, for example, you can see the hair and clothes flowing in the wind. I’m fascinated by the expression of the body and its poise, but it must be graceful.”

His work is also influenced by surrealist master Salvador Dali, an artist he admires and can identify with since his early years as an artist.

“When Dali was a boy, he was saying that he can see the Lourdes in the teeth of his auntie because of the stain. And I understand him, because I also have an imaginative mind,” he said.

Folch has been living in Valencia since the age of 15. Born in Manila, he moved to the Spanish city with his parents and eventually studied at the School of Arts and Trade of Valencia, as well as the Manises School of Ceramics.

“Valencia has a big influence in my development. It is a land of artists and we have great arts schools there, and also ceramics, and materials for making ceramics, and that’s why all my pieces are made of ceramics.”

After London, Folch is planning to bring his work in New York and Manila. He lives and works in Spain with his wife and their children.

Calabarzon sent highest number of Pinoy workers abroad in 2010, govt says

Region IV-A (Calabarzon) sent the most number of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in 2010 —327,000 workers or 16 percent of some 2.04 million workers who left the country that year, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said.

According to a statement released by the NSCB about the 2010 statistics on OFWs, the next two regions that sent the most number of OFWs abroad in that year were:

• Region III (Central Luzon): 294,000 (or 14.4 percent of the total number of OFWs who left the country), and
• the National Capital Region: 282,000 (or 13.8 percent).

 
Meanwhile, Region XIII (Caraga), Region IV-B (Mimaropa), and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) sent the least number of overseas workers with each sending less than 2 percent of the total number of OFWs who left the country in 2010.
 
“Increasing numbers of OFWs are coming from the Ilocos Region, Central Visayas and Cagayan Valley,” the state-run statistics agency said.

NSCB cited that from 2008 to 2010, the number of overseas workers in the Ilocos Region jumped almost twice to 294,000 from 156,000.
 
“Overall, for every 10 women who work abroad as OFWs, there are 11 men,” the statement read.
 
Still, in some regions, sex distribution among OFWs differed.  
 
In Region XII (Soccsksargen), Region II (Cagayan Valley), Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and CAR, for every 10 female overseas workers, there are only three to five male, based in the 2008 to 2010 records.
 
“There is a very slight trend that our OFWs are getting older but their average age has been consistently about 34.4 years,” NSCB noted.
 
The statistics agency explained that male OFWs are older at 36 year old, while female overseas worker’s average age were only posted at 34.
 
The largest number of OFWs generally came from the 25 to 29 age group, representing about 25 percent of all overseas workers, NSCB cited.
 
“Our young kababayans are leaving the country for work, spending probably the most productive years of their lives away from their families and their friends,” NSCB stated.
 
However, female OFWs outnumber their male counterparts in the younger age group.
 
With overseas workers aged 15-24, there are only six men in 10 women who were leaving the country for work. In the age group of 25 to 29, there were nine men OFWs for every 10 women.
 
“This calls attention to the greater vulnerability of our female OFWs compared to male OFWs,” NSCB warned.
 
According to the statistics agency, 76 percent of the OFWs were hired in the occupational groups: laborers and unskilled workers, those engaged in trade and related works, service workers and shop and market sales workers, and plant and machine operators and assemblers.
 
Professionals and technicians and associate professionals comprise about 10 percent.
 
Female overseas workers, NSCB noted, are predominantly working as laborers and unskilled workers (domestic helpers), clerks, and service workers and shop and market sales workers.
 
Where do OFWs go?
 
According to NSCB, 79 out of 100 overseas workers work in Asia, while 9 OFWs would be working in Europe and 8 workers will be based in North and South America. Both Australia and Africa will have 2 OFWs in their continents per 100 overseas workers.
 
The three biggest work destination countries of OFWs were Saudi Arabia (21 out of 100), United Arab Emirates (15 out of 100), and Malaysia (10 out of 100), the statistics agency said.
 
Meanwhile, based on the 2010 stock estimates of the Commission on Filipino Overseas, the top 10 destination of Filipinos including OFWs and emigrants were:

1. United States, with 3,166,529 Filipinos
2. Saudi Arabia, 1,512,539
3. Canada, 667,674
4. United Arab Emirates, 636,154
5. Australia, 345,592
6. Malaysia, 316,273
7. Japan, 290,358
8. United Kingdom 196,740
9. Hong Kong, 169,749
10. Kuwait, 169,106
- VVP, GMA News

Jessica Sanchez wows crowd in 'American Idol' finale

Jessica Sanchez lost no time in letting viewers know she’s “in it to win it” by delivering a powerhouse rendition of “I Have Nothing” just minutes after “American Idol” Season 11 finale began Wednesday morning (PHL time; Tuesday night in the US West Coast).

 

The petite 16-year-old Filipina-American-Mexican sang the Whitney Houston song for round 1 of the top-rating show.

 

Phillip Phillips, the other finalist, on the other hand, sang “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King, accompanied by bongos and an electric guitar.

 

AI judge Randy Jackson said round 1 went to Sanchez, making the crowd go wild.

 

For round 2, the finalists got to relive their favorite performances in this season.

 

Sanchez sang "The Prayer" by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli while Phillips chose "Movin' Out" by Billy Joel.

 

AI judge Steven Tyler said Sanchez won the second round, but Jennifer Lopez, another judge, thought Phillips won it. 

 

Jackson believed it was dead even.

 

For the last round, the two finalists sang songs that would be their first single if they win the finals.

 

Sanchez's song is the pop ballad "Change Nothing", which is about love.

 

Lopez said a pop ballad should not be Sanchez's first single considering that the young singer has a lot of soul.

 

Jackson wasn't such a fan of the new song, but loved how Sanchez made more out of it. He also advised her to put in some "urban swag" into her songs.

 

Phillips' song, on the other hand, is an acoustic song entitled "Home" and he received a standing ovation from the audience after singing it.

 

Jackson said everything about it was perfect, from the production, the song, the band, and Phillips himself.

 

Lopez thought it was moving and different, while Tyler believed Phillips was "perfect" and sounded like Paul Simon.

 

Voting for US residents will run for four hours right after the performances.

 

The winner will be revealed on Thursday morning (PHL time). 

'A natural'

 

"She's a natural," said Filipino musician Jim Paredes in an interview on GMA News TV’s News to Go after Sanchez's final performance.

 

"At 16 years old and you can do that, my gosh! What are you going to do at 20? Parang pagaling lang nang pagaling from this point on. Hindi 'yun downhill," said Paredes.

 

He noted that Sanchez had an advantage in terms of being more mysterious than Phillips. “’Yungmold na babae na bata na minority, there's more myth about that. Mas average lang si Phillip in terms of what he is—he’s a white singer na magaling kumanta. Parang there's more mystery kay Jessica," he said.

 

Paredes also said it's important to choose the right song.

 

"May limitations din ang song. A singer can only do so much with a song. Considering that it's ‘American Idol,’ sometimes you don't even do the whole song; you do one half of the song only," he said, adding that a singer must capture the audience at once. 

 

"Within a few seconds dapat may takeoff ka na. That's why all of the songs that they choose, parangright away you up the ante already, may birit na," he said.

 

Paredes said that Sanchez is a versatile singer, but her natural style seems to be R&B. "'Yung kulot ng boses niya, 'yung kanyang dating, ‘yung kanyang mga birit, I think 'yun ang nakasanayan niya," he said.

 

He also said that winning “American Idol” would be "the icing on the cake." 

 

"I think she definitely has a career. The world has taken notice of her," he said, noting that others before her were successful even without winning first place on “American Idol.” — Karen Galarpe and Carmela G. Lapeña/LBG, GMA News

Pinoy fans gush after Jessica Sanchez does Whitney in finale

 For Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips, it’s finally over. They have done their best throughout the Season 11 of the singing reality competition "American Idol."

Now, all that the final two contestants have to do are to rely on the votes of their supporters and wait for the verdict during the final show tomorrow -- May 23 in the US (May 24 in the morning in Manila).
 
Sanchez and Phillips battled it out on performance night on Tuesday (Wednesday morning in Manila) when they had to sing three songs each.

According to an earlier report, the crowd went wild after "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson said Round 1 belonged to Filipina-American-Mexican Sanchez, 16, who sang “I Have Nothing” by the late Whitney Houston.
 

In Round 2, the finalists sang their favorites in this season.

While Sanchez sang "The Prayer," Phillips chose "Movin' Out" by Billy Joel.

Judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler had different opinions when they handed it out to Phillips and Sanchez respectively.

Jackson, on the other hand, thought both second round performances were “dead even.”

For the third and final round, the two finalists sang songs that would be their first single if they win the finals.

 

Sanchez's song is the pop ballad "Change Nothing", which is about love, picked by Simon Fuller, creator and executive producer of "American Idol." 
 
Lopez and Jackson both agreed that the song choice ‘limited’ her performance though they commended her for making more out of it.

On Twitter, fans were full of praises for Sanchez:
 
Patricia Q.: “Jessica Sanchez sings I Have Nothing . OMG. #TotallyWinning”
 
Maxine Colby: “Yesterday, LADY GAGA,Today, CJ CORONA, Tomorrow, JESSICA SANCHEZ: mga GAGA si Jessica mag-uuwi ng CORONA now ! #Round 2 #Corona in ICU.”
 
Raven Blu Jay™: “Ohh God!! Jessica Sanchez just sent everybody into the heavens when she sang The Prayer.”
 
♫ Menox ♫:  “Jessica Sanchez - "The Prayer" may have been her most stunning perf all season. Ugh! Poise. Musicality. Emotion. Conviction. Wow. #idol”
 
Ariana Nova:“Change Nothing- Jessica Sanchez ....I'd buy it.”
 - VVP/HS, GMA News

Jessica vows to give her all in 'Idol' finale

MANILA, Philippines – “Whether I lose or win, it’s like a win-win thing for me because I’m in the Top 2.”

This is what Filipino-Mexican-American singer Jessica Sanchez said in an exclusive interview with Fox All Access days before the “American Idol” finale.

Sanchez said she never thought she would be where she is now, with just a win away from becoming the next "American Idol". 

Sanchez was almost sent home after she got the lowest number of votes during the top 7 week on “Idol” only to be saved by the judges.

She, however, said she is glad that “all the dedication I’ve put into this has paid off a lot.”

“I’m a 16-year-old working really really hard. This is what I really wanted my whole life. I’ve just been hustling even since,” she said.

Sanchez admitted she is really a perfectionist and competitive by nature, and being on “Idol” has taught her a lot of things.

“I’ve been in so many competitions. I’m really competitive and I’m a perfectionist. It’s not like I’m competing with other people. It’s like I’m competing with myself. I just want to top myself in every performance. But this whole competition has changed that because...being with these people, they have taught me so much,” she said.

Sanchez said she actually feels home just by being around so many musicians on “Idol.”

“I’ve never had many talented people or that much home with me. I’ve never been around so many musicians and it feels like I’m in my place,” she said.

According to the San Diego native, she actually thought she was the one going home last week, not Joshua Ledet.

“Last week I thought I was gonna be eliminated that’s why the whole time I was smiling. And when they called my name, I looked like I was hit by a truck. That night my song choices, I knew they weren’t the best. That whole night I was just trying to be positive about everything that’s why I was smiling throughout my whole songs,” she said.

Sanchez, meantime, said she is confident with her song choices for the finale.

“I believe they are. We’ll see what America thinks but I love my songs choices. I’m comfortable with all my songs. I’m really excited to perform them,” she said.

On Tuesday night (Wednesday morning in Manila), Sanchez will face off with Georgia’s Phillip Phillips.

Asked how ready she is for it, Sanchez said: “I’m just gonna bring it all out. I’m just gonna put my heart into every song I will sing. I’ll just do my best for the finale.”