Eight Advocacy Groups Come Together for a Nationwide HIV Testing Day on 26 May

Wazzup Pilipinas!

​LoveYourself, Inc. and its seven partner organizations come together to provide the first-ever multi-site community-led free and confidential HIV test on 26 May 2018 (Saturday) from 11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. entailing ten sites in Metro Manila, Luzon and even as far as Mindanao.

Dubbed as “This Is Me: Brave and Free,” LoveYourself invites individuals of various shapes and sizes to avail of the free and confidential HIV test by signing up at www.bitly.com/ThisIsMe2018, and to live their lives free from fear – fear of rejection, getting tested and stigma.

In Metro Manila, LoveYourself will hold testing in LoveYourself Anglo clinic along Shaw Blvd., in Mandaluyong City, and LoveYourself Uni near Gil Puyat LRT and Victoria by LoveYourself at 2/F Torres Bldg., 2442 Park Avenue, both in Pasay City; the Decent Image of South Signal Association (DIOSSA) at the 10^th floor of SM Aura in Taguig City; and the HIV & AIDS Support House (HASH) at the National Council of Churches in the Philippines building along EDSA in Quezon City.

For Luzon sites, the Cavite Positive Action Group (CPAG)-JCH Advocacy, Inc. will provide free and confidential testing at 804 Gonzales St., Barangay 11 Sta. Cruz in Cavite City; the Juan Posi+ive Movement at 104-B Roxas Street, Brgy. Lakandula in Mabalacat City, Pampanga; the GAYON at #32 Galang Compound, Sampaguita Street, Old Albay Legazpi City, Albay; and the Project H4 (Health, Help, Hope, Happiness) at Amos Tara Community Center, #41 Abad Santos St., Brgy. Masipag, Puerto Princesa City.

On its Mindanao-leg, the Kagay-an PLUS (Preserving Life, Uniting Society) will set up at Pearlmont Hotel, Limketkai Drive, Cagayan de Oro City; and the Olympus Society of Davao at #36 Loyola St., Bo. Obrero, Poblacion District, Davao City.

Department of Health (DOH) records showed that 912 persons tested positive for HIV in March alone. About 94% of which are males and 32% of the total came from the National Capital Region (NCR) followed by the rising cases in CALABARZON at 17% and Central Visayas at 7%. The DOH records also showed that 99 percent of the newly-diagnosed individuals got the virus through sexual contact, in which 86 percent were among men who have sex with men (MSMs). The 1% of the cases was contracted through needle sharing among injecting drug users.

“With the increasing number of people acquiring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), LoveYourself endeavors to gather fellow warriors in the advocacy for a stronger and resounding voice to promote self-empowerment in taking care of one’s sexual health, as a prelude to curbing the HIV epidemic in the country,” said LoveYourself Executive Director Ronivin G. Pagtakhan.

Apart from its primary goal of instilling awareness and action towards ending HIV, “This Is Me: Brave and Free” empowers one’s self-worth that inspires unity in diversity, and brings the message of love, acceptance and finding strength and courage to overcome fear, which are often associated with HIV and AIDS.

The first-ever multi-site community-led HIV testing day is also supported by the DOH through the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and its NCR-Office, Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc., Save the Children, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Philippines, Philippine NGO Council on Population Health and Welfare, Inc. (PNGOC), AusAID Australian Aid Program and HIVOS Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation. For more details on the “This Is Me: Brave and Free,” one may visit thewww.bitly.com/ThisIsMeInfo.

LoveYourself is a non-government organization and widely volunteer-led organization that advocates for HIV awareness, testing and treatment. It also the impetus for the first-ever Love Gala, a charity and awards event for HIV-AIDS awareness in Asia by gathering private and public institutions and youth-oriented organizations into the advocacy, and the creator of pioneer Ripple Awards that honors individuals who have had a significant impact in the HIV-AIDS landscape in Asia and the Philippines.

Why Don't We Invites You to The Invitation Tour in Manila

Wazzup Pilipinas!

  

You are cordially invited to “The Invitation Tour”. Atlantic recording group – WHY DON’T WE, are excited to be coming to MANILA for the first time and will be bringing their headline tour on August 26, 2018 at the Samsung Hall.

 

“The Invitation Tour” celebrates Why Don’t We’s latest EP, “INVITATION” – available now on all digital music retailers and streaming devices. The group has also unveiled the much anticipated companion video for their latest hit single, “Trust Fund Baby”. The video – shot by MTV VMA winning director Jason Koenig (Ed Sheeran, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis) – is streaming now on the band’s massively popular YouTube channel, which now boasts over 1.5 million subscribers. Written by multiple GRAMMY® Award-winning superstar Ed Sheeran and produced by British hitmaker Steve Mac (Ed Sheeran, Liam Payne, Clean Bandit), “Trust Fund Baby” immediately shot into the Top 3 on the iTunes Overall Songs Chart upon its release earlier this month, ahead of superstar artists like Drake, Bruno Mars, and Camila Cabello, and has press raving with BuzzFeed already calling it “a smash” and Rolling Stone gushing about “the song’s catchy, booming beat.”

 

Why Don’t We closed out 2017 on a remarkably high note. In addition to national television appearances on NBC’s “TODAY” and the syndicated daytime show “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” the young group performed on the entire iHeartRadio Jingle Ball tour, sharing the stage with some of the biggest names in pop music, including Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and Camila Cabello at NYC’s Madison Square Garden. The group was named MTV PUSH: Artist To Watch for the month of November, while simultaneously serving as Radio Disney’s “NBT” (Next Big Thing) featured artist, joining an impressive roster of “NBT” alumni including Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, Alessia Cara, Fifth Harmony and more.  Likewise, a raft of noteworthy press has been rolling in as of late, including features in Rolling Stone, People, and TIMEwho enthused that the band’s “…star should only continue to rise in 2018.” 

 

Amassing more than 120 million global audio streams, 2.4 million Instagram followers, and total YouTube views exceeding 145 million with over 1.5 million subscribers in just over a year, Why Don’t We is one of pop music’s biggest breakout stories. Taking an innovative and unconventional approach towards releasing new music and actively engaging their rapidly growing fanbase, the prolific young group – the quintet ranges in age from 16-19 years old - put out four EPs in under 12 months. Following their debut EP “ONLY THE BEGINNING” and followup “SOMETHING DIFFERENT” EP, it was last summer’s “WHY DON’T WE JUST” EP that first exploded, hitting #1 on iTunes’ “Pop Albums” chart, overtaking artists like Bruno Mars, Harry Styles, and Ed Sheeran. After selling out their first-ever headlining summer tour, the band put out their “INVITATION” EP – released in September to commemorate the band’s one year anniversary – which proved an even greater success, topping iTunes’ “Overall Albums” chart in six countries including the United States.  The band’s most recent single “These Girls” made a top 10 debut on the iTunes Store’s “Top Pop Songs” chart late last summer, and now boasts over 13 million worldwide streams while its colorful companion visual has logged over 40 million views at YouTube alone. The band also garnered early press attention from Entertainment Weekly, Us Weekly, and Billboard who named the band in their annual “21 Under 21” ranking, as well as  profile pieces on “Entertainment Tonight,” “Extra,” and “Access Hollywood.”

 

Catch WHY DON’T WE – Daniel Seavey, Zach Herron, Corbyn Besson, Jonah Marais, and Jack Avery – up close and person in Manila at the Samsung Hall. Tickets on-sale on Friday, May 25 via SMTickets.com or Call 470-2222.

 

Ticket Prices:

VIP Standing – P2,700

Balcony – P1,700

(Plus Ticketing Charges)

 

Why Don’t We – Popular Hits:

“Trust Fund Baby”

“Something Different”

“These Girls”

“Nobody Gotta Know”

“Invitation” and More!!

 

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Award-Winning FEU Short Film Goes to US, China After Local Victories

Wazzup Pilipinas! 

A short film from Far Eastern University will be screened as part of the Diwa Filipino Film Showcase at Seattle Center Armory Loft 1 in the United States on June 2 and will compete at the ShanghaiPRIDE Film Festival in China from June 9 to 17.

"Pua Iyam" (Coming Out), a film about a Filipino-Chinese student (Rowi Du) who discovers his true identity and feelings for his childhood friend (Raphael Cruz), further spreads its cinematic reach to other countries. This comes after it bagged the Best Screenplay and Best Actor in a Lead Role awards at the 9th Largabista Film Festival in Tacloban City, Leyte and a special citation on gender sensitivity from the first Palawan International Film Festival.

Written and directed by Juan Pablo Pineda III, the film previously won several awards from different student film competitions starting from its home turf in FEU then moving on to De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, University of the Philippines-Diliman and Mapua University.

"Pua Iyam" kicked off its victorious run last year by winning Best Film, Best Director, Best Performance and Best Poster in the Black Reel category of FEU's Sinepiyu 2017. It won for Pineda the Outstanding Direction trophy and for the production team of IndieGo Pictures the Gold Award for Best Picture and the Design Excellence and Technical Excellence awards in the Sibol Category of DLS-CSB's CineSB 7: The Main Installment. 

This year, the film took home the Best Cinematography award and another special citation from UP Cinema's Piling Obrang Vidyo XIV "for being able to incorporate identity and culture in one film that meshed together tastefully." It bagged the Cardinal Bronze Film Award, Best Film Editing and Best Cinematography in the intercollegiate category of CineMapúa 2018.

The film was also selected as part of CineMakulay Film Festival 2017, 29th Gawad CCP for Alternative Film and Video at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Indie Un-Film Festival at De La Salle University-Manila. It was also shown as part of Eksena 2017 organized by Dalubhasaan ng mga Umuusbong na Mag-aaral ng Araling Pilipino (DANUM) DLSU. 

"Pua Iyam is a film that is close to my heart. There are reasons why I should not give up -- my goals and my brother, who's in a comatose condition. As soon as he wakes up I would like to give these awards to him," the writer-filmmaker said.

Pineda got ample support from Du, who also line produced, edited and designed the sound for the film, and their classmates -- associate producer Maria Alanna Cargullo, production manager Lyka Valerie Dela Cruz, camera team members Karla Relis, Jose Miguel Ramirez and Amiel Ona, production designers Reina Rizz Esguerra and Kyla Lodriga, wardrobe and make-up artist Mickey Ponce, assistant director Zahara Depaling and script continuity supervisor Krystel Saguit. Mentor Seymour Sanchez served as creative consultant.

The film will be shown as part of Diwa Filipino Film Showcase's "Queer Stories" along with "Orlie" by Avelino Mark Balmes, "Queer Transnational Love in the time of Social Media and Globalization" by Adrian Alarilla, "Act Like A Woman" and "In This Family" by Drama Del Rosario, and "Akalingwan Nang Rosa (Rosa Forgets)" by Max Canlas. The film festival is made in cooperation with the annual Pagdiriwang Philippine Festival, celebrating the Filipino spirit wherever it resides by sharing Filipino and Filipino-American stories to the Seattle community.

"Pua Iyam" will then vie for international recognition at the ShanghaiPRIDE Film Festival, which supports emerging Chinese filmmakers and also brings cutting-edge international queer cinema to Shanghai. The ShPFF earlier worked with the Beijing Queer Filmfest to host film screenings and discussions before offering a wide array of events, as well as opportunities for filmmakers.