JCI Manila: University of Leaders, Incubator of Movers

Wazzup Pilipinas!

It was 1947, a mere two years after World War II, and Manila was still devastated – the second most-destroyed city of the war. Its former glory was replaced by rubble, and reconstruction had barely begun.

Around the same time, a young man named Artemio L. Vergel De Dios was inspired by a feature in PIC Magazine on the US Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees), which helped the government through the leadership of individuals. He took it upon himself to help rebuild the nation through the first and oldest leadership organization in Asia, the Junior Chamber International Manila. Formerly known as the Manila Jaycees, Vergel de Dios and Ramon V Del Rosario knew that was the only way to successfully restore Manila to its former glory was to get purposeful individuals focused on the same goal. Thus, on September 12, 1947, the first JCI Chapter in Asia was born.

Since then, JCI Manila has been fostering leaders who help strengthen the nation by addressing modern-day devastations like extreme poverty, natural disasters, unemployment, and malnourishment through a vision of providing development opportunities that empower young people to create positive change.

As the leading global network of young, active citizens in the country, JCI Manila has long been known as the early training grounds of notable alumni who have become movers and shakers not just in their respective fields, but within the country and around the world. Within its ranks rose such names as Mr. Washington Sycip, Ambassador Alfonso Yuchengco, Ambassador Ramon V. Del Rosario, and Mr. Henry Sy. JCI Manila has become an incubator of leaders in the public and private sectors, immersing themselves in civic duties that help propel the country and its citizens forward.

Discovery Channel Hunts for Lost Fortunes on Treasure Quest: Snake Island

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In 1524, Portuguese conquistador Aleixo Garcia led an expedition through the uncharted jungles of Brazil to search for Incan gold. Allied with thousands of warriors from the Guaraní people, they attacked and pillaged Incan settlements and reportedly amassed a vast fortune. But greed took hold of Garcia’s allies, and the Guaraní warriors killed Garcia and his men to claim the treasure for themselves. The Incan gold reportedly made its way to the coast, where legend has it that the locals hid the fortune in the most daunting and secure place they know of: Snake Island, located off the south eastern coast of Brazil.

Over the last 500 years, everyone who has attempted to look for the missing treasure -- hundreds of millions of dollars-worth of lost Incan gold, and now known as The Treasure of the Trinity -- failed. But hopefully, not this time around.

TREASURE QUEST: SNAKE ISLAND, an all-new series premiering September 21, 10 PM, on the Discovery Channel, will take viewers along a grand expedition with an elite team of treasure hunters who have a new theory on where Snake Island lies - a remote location home to around a thousand of deadly vipers, and known as the Bermuda Triangle of Brazil.

"The Treasure of the Trinity is one of those legends that when you hear it, gets under your skin and you just can't let go. I put together a team of the best treasure hunters out there in the world. And we are going to go out and get it," said Cork Graham, the team's expedition leader. Graham has dedicated his life to searching for lost treasure. At the age of 18, he participated in a covert search for Captain Kidd's treasure off the coast of Vietnam but was captured and accused of being a spy. He is now focused on the Treasure of the Trinity and determined that it will not escape his grasp.

Discovery Channel zooms in on the real-life treasure seekers who set out for two months with their eyes on the ultimate prize. Joining Graham on his quest are Mehgan Heaney-Grier, Expedition Dive Master; Jeremy Whalen, the Ship's Mechanic; Bryan Fry, a Herpetologist and the team’s reptile expert and Keith "Cappy" Plaskett, the Boat Captain who will navigate them through treacherous waters and brutal storms that unexpectedly form without warning, testing the limits of his sailing skills.

Ballet Philippines’ Hugot Sa Rosas Makes A Comeback On September 20

Wazzup Pilipinas!

For one night only, Ballet Philippines 2’s acclaimed concert, Hugot Sa Rosas, returns for a performance at the CCP Little Theater. Set to music from Vincent de Jesus’ Songs to Slash Your Wrist By, the show highlights the talents of BP’s junior company and its new breed of dancers and choreographers. The show premiered at Ballet Philippines Studio One in February 2015, as part of Fringe MNL.

Original Pilipino Music shines in this production, with songs sung by industry icons such as Aiza Seguerra, Noel Cabangon, Jett Pangan, and OJ Mariano interpreted into dance form by Ballet Philippines’ young choreographers. The performances include Erl Emmanuel Sorilla’s “As Long as I Can Wait”, set to Pangan’s vocals, and “Sirang Oyayi” to Cabangon’s “Duwag”, as well as other songs performed by Daryl Ong, Sweet Plantado, Kalila Aguilos, Daryl Reyes, and Aiza Seguerra.

Hugot Sa Rosas also features the premiere of the dance film, Where the Light Settles. Comprised of three music videos to Autotelic’s “Unstable”, Maya’s Anklet’s “Kung Alam Ko Lang”, and The Sun Manager’s “In Darkness”, the film is directed by AJ Orlina, starring BP’s Denise Parungao & Timothy Paul Cabrera, and features choreography by Paul Alexander Morales, Gillianne Therese Gequinto, and Erl Emmanuel Sorilla. The film is a Ballet Philippines and Sindikato presentation of an Alter the Native and Smashed Pumpkin Projects film.

The show tackles the Filipino concept of Hugot – an action of taking inspiration from one’s own personal experiences and emotions, especially in love, to produce emotionally powered works of art. The Rosas are the experiences that are created upon, deemed the symbolic object of the different faces of love.