VANCOUVEREYE ZINE

LAWYER BECOMES DIPLOMAT WITH A HEART by Tom Choy Vancouver, British Columbia “ Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become of value.” Albert Einstein D eputy Consul General (DCG) Leo Tito Ausan may have spent a limited time in Vancouver but his limited presence was huge to all the people he came across and touched their lives. His brief legacy will stay for a long time. “ I met DCG Leo in Surrey during the SPIDS Philippine Independence Day celebration and I felt DCG Leo’s genuine interest in talking to people,” quips Vancouverite Ana Napieralski. Before Vancouver, DCG Leo was also the previous Consul General of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He was in charge of helping kababayans who may be falsely accused of a crime. He made sure if there was voting to be done by our overseas workers in the Kingdom, he made it smooth and honest. He was also in charge of repatriation of deceased compatriots. He was a man with a mission. DCG Leo is a lawyer ...

By Tom Choy Vancouver, British Columbia “ Sit here, so I may write you into a poem and make you eternal.”    Kamand Kojouri TV host Boy Abunda on Youtube told Sharon Cuneta, “ We heard  you are very generous giving diamonds as gifts.” To which Sharon answered, “ Di naman Tito Boy. I just wanted to surprise Regine V, our Songbird.” Asked by Boy A. how she became generous, Sharon replied, “ I got it from my Dad(Mayor Pablo Cuneta of Pasay).” Sharon Cuneta, 53 has been entertaining ever since she appeared in Ike Lozada’s Bulilit portion of his show. Sharon mimicked her Aunt Helen Gamboa’s singing.  And then she was very young when she did her first movie, the Rosanna Ortiz and George Estregan starrer- Lovers For Hire. At the tender age of 11, Sharon sang “Bato Sa Buhangin,” and her uncle Tito Sotto, then VP of Vicor Records was impressed and asked her to make a record for his label. She recorded her first single, “Tawag ng Pag-ibig,” ...

“ There is no failure except in no longer trying.”   Elbert Hubbard It was not always happy going in the entertainment career of AC Bonifacio, hip hop artist, singer and actress. AC stands for Andree Camille. AC and dance partner Lucky just won as Grand Champions of a Filipino TV dance competition, Dance Kids. Lucky and AC were known as the Lucky Aces tandem in the dance competition. They were on a high after just winning 2 million pesos, a house and lot, 300,000 pesos shopping spree money and a contract with the famous Starmagic. Big Filipino entertainment stars are signed up with Starmagic. After this euphoric phase, Lucky left the tandem and AC and her Mom Cherry were still in Manila trying to generate activities for AC. There were few and far in between calls from the studio. AC is originally from Vancouver and now lives in the suburbs called New Westminster. There was a noticeable doldrum in AC’s career.” Shall we quit?,” Mom Cherry asks herself. “ Anak...

CONSUL GENERAL MEA ANNE CARES ABOUT PINOYS IN LOTUSLAND "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." John Maxwell by Tom Choy      Vancouver, BC      October 26, 2018 Ancient Greeks met and discuss issues in the Agora, an open space meeting place. In Vancouver, newly installed Hon. Consul General Maria Andrelita "Mea Anne" Austria initiated a Kapihan Sa Konsulado( Breakfast at the Consulate Office) to listen to the needs and challenges encountered by Pinoys. ConGen Mea Anne(she prefers to be called Mea Anne) says, " We want to listen more than we want to talk." ConGen Me Anne continues, "We just don't want to discuss issues but we want to come up with courses of action." She already promised the Vancouver media the 2019  Calendar of Events the Consulate General Office(CGO) intends to fulfill. She reiterated that the Kapihan intends to identify the pressing needs of the Fil-Can Community in Vancouver. And the...

FROM MANILA TO BARCELONA WITH LOVE By Tom Choy Vancouver, British Columbia “You hit a homerun not by chance but through preparation.”    Roger Maris ZIP Mercado De Guzman   is now living and studying in Barcelona Spain. Not content with his already deep and wide academic achievements, Zip is currently taking Postgraduate studies at Conservatori Liceu in Spain, majoring in Operas. Just like millennials who are no longer happy with their undergraduate diplomas and take up further studies, Zip does it for a different reason though. He wants to be the #FILIPINO Baritone “Numero Uno.” Zip , the Philippines’ up and coming, debonair Baritone par excellence has won the First Prize of the 2016 and 2017 American Protégé International Vocal Competition at the Carnegie Hall( Weill) in New York City.   “ Zip has the ‘it’ factor in the classical opera genre,” quips Cliff Belgica of the classy Company Tribu Productions. “ Zip is not only a baritone ...

"CARDINAL TAGLE DOES A LOT OF THINGS FOR THE HOLY SEE" Archbishop Michael Miller by Tom Choy Vancouver, British Columbia His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila recently visited the Catholic faithful of Vancouver. Praising the young performers in a musical before his keynote speech at a Catholic rally held at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Downtown Vancouver, he said  " Isn't it wonderful when it is sung, when it is danced...?," referring to the mini-musical show the young people of Vancouver just performed.  The Cardinal prefers to be called simply Cardinal Chito. For tonight's rally, don't expect Cardinal Chito to be quoting  chapter and verse numbers   of the Holy Bible. . He would rather tell stories and weave the gift of faith and God's love through stories of people he encounters everyday from anywhere in the world. The whole night, Cardinal Chito told stories upon stories of the people he come across in the ...

XFACTOR ISRAEL WINNER ROSE CROONS LOTUSLAND by Tom Choy Vancouver, British Columbia " Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but playing a poor hand well."   Robert Louis Stevenson When  Rose Fostanes won the XFactor Israel a couple of years ago, she was still a caregiver for an adult client. The country was strict when it comes to having a licence to earn money for foreigners. When she won the singing contest(on TV), she was initially not allowed to earn any money except being a caregiver. In the end, things worked out well for her when the country issued her singing licence. Rose or Osang, just like a lot of Pinoys or people with Pinoy blood simply blessed with the gift of music like Bruno Mars and Apl D Ap, is herself a magical singer. Osang, now 51, ever since she was 3 years old has been singing. She has competed in various amateur singing contests in the Philippines. When she won some amateur singing contests in the Philippines, she brought home th...

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CANADIAN by Tom Choy Vancouver, British Columbia Having lived in Canada for a couple decades, Canada becomes home for me and my family.  You appreciate how lucky you can be living in one of the best places to live in the world. Canada gives you comfort and honor. In return, we have to make Canada proud of us too. You feel welcome here in Canada despite some instances when people notice your colour is different from theirs. Sometimes you have to work doubly harder to prove you deserve to live in this wonderful country who embraces people who have chosen to stay here for good. When people tell me that Canadians contributed the insulin, blackberry, basketball and ice hockey and poutine, it gives me enormous pride and honour. Even if I have not invented anything huge, I love possessing the uniquely Canadian aura of being helpful to other people. I love volunteering in the soup kitchens of Vancouver Eastside. There is nothing embarrassing to be...