Miss Universe 2017 in RP is ‘80 percent’ sure

When Margie Moran won the Miss Universe title in 1973, the following year, the world’s leading beauty pageant was held in the Philippines. Amparo Munoz of Spain won the title that year. If it pushes through with Pia Wurtzbach as the reigning Miss Universe, this will be a redux for the country.
Estimated to cost US$10 billion to stage in the country, the buzz is that Okada with Tony Boy Cojuanco have committed US$3 million and Henry Sy is providing the Mall of Asia Arena as pageant venue plus accommodations. But the venue is not final as Davao City, Cebu City and Vigan are also being considered as possible venues.
The last time the Philippines hosted the pageant was in 1994 when Sushmita Sen of India won the crown. Boosting tourist arrivals, the event created awareness of the Philippines as vast tourism paradise.
If it pushes through, this is the third time that the country is hosting the Miss Universe pageant after 22 years. When President Rodrigo Duterte approved the concept, he specified that the Philippine government will not finance the world-class event, which its organizers accepted.
With the Department of Tourism (DoT) Secretary Wanda Tulfo Teo yet to announce if the 2016 Miss Universe in January 30, 2017, will be hosted by the Philippines, the buzz is that it’s “80 percent” sure. As a major international event, it will definitely be a big boost to country’s already booming tourism industry.
The pre-event exposure in over a hundred countries that send representatives to the pageant is immense. They will provide the DoT various roadshow presentations overseas in partnership with leading wholesalers of airline tickets, travel agencies and tour organizers to launch promotional and marketing projects, cascading to the world how beautiful the country is.
Watched all over the world by millions of viewers, the actual airing of the pageant will focus attention to the Philippines during its actual broadcast.
Six major destinations get global exposure: Davao City, Cagayan de Oro, Boracay, Cebu, Vigan and Palawan. Potential tourists arrival post pageant can spread the years after the event. The benefits are immeasurable.
These exposures will save the government millions of dollars in country advertising and promotion using various media platforms, such print, broadcast, television and billboards in major capital cities to enhance “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign.

MMFF 2016 LOGO AND THEME SONG COMPETITIONS EXTEND DEADLINE. The 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival calls on all creative and innovative Filipinos to participate in the MMFF Logo Design and Theme Song Making competitions and win as much as P50,000, a Sony tablet and all-access passes to all MMFF movies. Deadline for submission of entries is extended from August 15 to 31.
For the MMFF Logo Design competition, participants may submit up to two logo entries that satisfy the MMFF Executive Committee criteria: concept (40 percent), originality (30 percent), and relevance (30 percent). Logo entries, preferably in vector format, must be sent with the registration form at

officialmmff@gmail.com.
The MMFF Logo Design competition winner will receive P20,000 in cash, all-access passes to all MMFF movies for two, and a Sony tablet.
For the MMFF Theme Song-Making competition, participants may submit up to three entries in MP3 format. Song entries must be three to five minutes long, written in English or Filipino, and must fit the committee’s selection criteria: musicality (30 percent), lyrics (30 percent), originality (30 percent) and impact (10 percent).
Song entries must be sent with the lyrics (in Word format) and the registration form at officialmmff@gmail.com. The MMFF Theme Song-Making winner will receive P50,000 in cash, all-access passes to all MMFF movies for two, and a Sony tablet.
Winners for both the logo design and theme song making competitions will be announced on September 12 and will be posted on all official MMFF social media platforms.
MMFF went through a major change when it reformed its board of directors and set up a new selection criterion for future entries. The new season of the MMFF begins with the logo design and theme song making competitions to set the new tone of one of the country’s most beloved and most anticipated December events.
Deadline for submission of entries is August 31. Join the #reelvolution! For full contest mechanics, visitwww.mmff.com.ph and like the MMFF Facebook page:www.facebook.com/mmffofficial.  

NAÏVE VISIONS OF RURAL LIFE. Naïve art is created by someone who has no formal education nor training that most artist go through. It is characterized by a childlike style and the simplicity of execution. Often considered as outsider art, the style is an outside-the-box execution of academic painting.
Art Circle Gallery proudly presents Monique Villaflores and Fredito Pelipada, two artists whose Naïve art, simple yet straightforward visions of rural life, is a nonconformist offer of a distinct perspective to Filipiñana art to run from August 24 to September 4 at Art Circle Gallery, Shangri-La, Edsa Shangri-La Mall, Mandaluyong City.
From Pakil, Laguna, Villaflores’ love for her children and passion for travel allows her to see her surroundings through a child’s eyes. The freedom to paint whatever she wanted coupled by her childlike wonder shaped her into an artist that is able to create artworks she can truly call her own.
With no formal training, Pelipada’s distorted figures of cherished memories of Catanauan, Quezon, became his muse. His characters in a dreamlike state. Dreaming of the past when days where simple and peaceful.

NYOY RETURNS TO HRC. Nyoy Volante is set to perform live at Hard Rock Café (HRC) on Aug.  26 (Friday, 9 p.m.). Nyoy dishes out his greatest hits as culled from his impressive catalogue of multi-platinum full-length studio albums. Fans and music buffs can look forward to an evening to beautiful music as Nyoy performs his show-stopping hits such as “Nasaan Ka Na,” “You’re My You,” “Pikit,” “Someday” and “You’re Not Mine,” as well as a sampling of today’s hottest chart-toppers paired with party anthems and homegrown favorites.
Other featured artists at HRC this August are Side A (August 27), Part 3 (Sundays and Fridays), Paula Bianca (Mondays), Silk (Tuesdays), Arpie & The Multivitamins (Wednesdays), Kudos Loves 80s (Thursdays) and Verse 5 (Saturdays).