Filipino-Belgian dancer makes waves in Europe

By Dheza Marie Aguilar, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

Posted at 12/15/2010 8:29 PM | Updated as of 12/16/2010 7:14 PM

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THE NETHERLANDS – A Filipino-Belgian dancer is making waves in the Netherlands for pioneering and taking contemporary urban street culture to a higher level through dance and theater performances.

Marco Gerris is popularly known as one of the members of the jury of the hit dance show “So You Think You Can Dance”. But he is also the founder and artistic director of “ISH”, a dance company which aims to train young people interested in underground disciplines like hip hop, break dancing, skating, martial arts and beat box. He adopts these disciplines and transforms them into dance and theater shows for the general public.

Gerris, who grew up in Belgium, is proud of being 100% Filipino. He was adopted by his Belgian parents from an orphanage in Cebu when he was only 3 years old.

Bringing street culture to the stage

Originally wanting to be an actor, Gerris got into dancing when he was kicked out of Antwerp’s Terleick School of Drama. Since moving to Amsterdam when he was 23 years old, he discovered street dancing and started his own company “ISH”.

“I felt that there’s too less hip hop and breakdance on stage and if you found it, it was always too little. And I said, I want to make a crew, a dance company, with all these underground skills like skating, martial arts, beatbox, hip hop, breakdance, what comes from the street and make a show with it. 10 years later we are still doing it and we are still developing and inspiring a lot of youngsters,” said Gerris in an interview with Balitang Europe.

“ISH” quickly jumped to popularity after its first show in 2000, and has since then gathered several recognitions. Their shows were a hit, not only in the Netherlands but also in the United States and Canada, as well as other parts of Europe.

Gerrris' life also inspired the award-winning documentary “Wheels of Fortune,” and he has played in several dance movies.

With an initial crew of 7 young people, Gerris strived to develop his company, and in 2005 achieved his dream of playing in Broadway at the New Victory Theater in New York together with his crew.

Pinoy docu film wins in Amsterdam

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NETHERLANDS – It was a story that made headlines in 2002 when an American Vietnam war hero was convicted of two counts of rape--a story that Director Monster Jimenez had followed in five years and released into a documentary film.

On its first worldwide in screening in the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam, “Kano: An American and His Harem” won IDFA’s top award for first screening. The IDFA jury tagged Kano: An American and His Harem as a “debut film of disturbing power and an exceptional achievement by a new voice in the documentary, Monster Jimenez.”

“With an extraordinary lack of moral judgementalness, Monster Jimenez takes us inside the mind of a man who sees himself as the Hugh Hefner of the Philippines but whom the courts see as a pedophile and rapist. But Ms. Jimenez not only creates a complex portrait of a troubled man that challenges stereotypes of the sex offender, she also lets us hear the voices of the women, and some of the wives, who came to depend on and even love Victor Pearson, the “Amerikano” who gave them a sense of financial and emotional security even as he also patronized and abused them.”

Jimenez said that the story of Victor Pearson is an unpublished article that she started writing in 2005 but she eventually made into a film. When asked about her goal in making this film, she said she only wanted to tell the story.

Protecting Pinoy seafarers in Somalia: What can RP do?

By Dheza Marie Aguilar, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Posted at 11/23/2010 5:16 PM | Updated as of 11/23/2010 5:16 PM

NETHERLANDS – Hundreds of Filipinos have already been kidnapped in the Gulf of Aden and around the Horn of Africa. Most of them are still in the hands of their captors. But hundreds of thousands more are still in dangerous waters around the Horn of Africa and risking their lives in the hope of a better life for their families.

Amidst the fear of their families back home and the call of maritime organizations to ban Pinoy seafarers from going to the Gulf of Aden, a Dutch ship owner urged the Philippine government to send ships to the Gulf of Aden to help in protecting Filipino seafarers.

“Do the same as the Koreans, Chinese and Japanese. They have at least one or two navy ships there and they are organizing escort convoys. In my opinion that is the best way to help them on the spot,” said Erik Berendsen, captain and director of KVB Moerman, one of the many Dutch shipping companies which are hiring Filipino crew.

Another Dutch shipping company hiring mostly Filipino crew, who does not want to be named due to their more delicate operations in the Gulf of Aden, also supports Barendsen’s recommendation.


Military Aid

In addition to the best management practice developed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that includes installing razor blade wires, fire equipment and water spray and lines around the ship, there are three ways to pass safely through the corridor of the Gulf of Aden, the notorious “pirate alley.”

DepEd's K+12 plan: Learning from the Netherlands

By Dheza Marie Aguilar, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Posted at 11/17/2010 3:05 PM | Updated as of 11/17/2010 3:05 PM


NETHERLANDS - Time and money. These are the two main issues why a lot of Filipinos, lawmakers, parents and students alike, are questioning the feasibility of the K+12 proposal of the Department of Education (DepEd).

Many believe that adding 2 more years to basic education will be more expensive, both for government and the parents, and will take additional years away from students, which they can otherwise use in looking for a job.

While Oscar Sañez, member of the Presidential Task Force on Education and President of Business Outsourcing Association of the Philippines, admits that it is a Herculean task to pass and implement the K+12 proposal, it actually targets to solve, in the long run, these problems. Parents will have to spend less money in sending their children to school, and graduates will easily get a job in a shorter period of time.

The K+12 proposal will involve a complete overhaul of the educational system in the country, from adding two years to the basic education, re-training of the teachers, increasing the number of classrooms, acquiring new software and knowledge from other countries and involving companies into providing the right kind of jobs for new graduates.

“The prospective is that we need an education reform. If we don’t do this, in the long term, many of our graduates will continue to fail relative to the other students in other countries competing with the Philippines for the same talent. This is a good step in improving the competitiveness of the Philippines in the area of skills and workforce development,” said Sañez in an exclusive interview with Balitang Europe in the Netherlands.

Brillante Mendoza impresses the Dutch

By Dheza Marie Aguilar, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

Posted at 11/16/2010 12:29 PM | Updated as of 11/16/2010 12:29 PM

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THE NETHERLANDS - Sound applause, standing ovation, admiration and a whole new respect for the Philippine cinema. These marked the premiere showing of “Lola,” one of the 9 films of Brillante Mendoza which will be shown until December 2010 in the Eye Institute in the Netherlands.

Attended by writers, philosophers, film critics and very discerning Dutch film-goers, "Lola" gathered very positive feedback from the audience.

Rene Wolf, Head of Acquisition of the Eye Institute, expected this reception when he decided to buy “Lola” and “Kinatay” 2 years ago to be shown in the Netherlands.

“We always look for new directors who have something important to say but also that it is very important that they give their own touch to the way they use film in telling the stories. I think for Brillante Mendoza this is the case. Both in what he has to say and the way he does it are very unusual. I would say both image and sound because I think sound is very important in his movies. That was what interested us very much,” Wolf told Balitang Europe.

Wolf felt that Mendoza is still quite unknown in the Netherlands, and there is a need to invest in a program to make him well known in the country so they decided to show all his 9 films in the Eye Institute in Amsterdam.

Although, there is yet no similar interest for other filmmakers and films from the Philippines, Wolf said that through Mendoza, they will pay more attention to the Philippine cinema. He also expressed an interest in old Filipino movies, especially those made by another award-winning director, Lino Brocka.

Pinays share secrets to business success

By Dheza Marie Aguilar, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

Posted at 09/08/2010 11:03 AM | Updated as of 09/08/2010 5:40 PM

NETHERLANDS – Determination and hard work are what define the Filipino migrant workers. 

With a burning desire to provide for a family back home, Pinoys always strive to be the best in their jobs abroad and eventually achieve the dream of having a better life for them and their loved ones.

But for those who dare to dream bigger, courage is an additional component to success. And this is what Pinoy businesswomen in the Netherlands shared in the second series of a business seminar conducted by the Philippine Trade and Investment Center.

Aquino urged to lift au pairs ban in Netherlands

By Dheza Marie Aguilar, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Posted at 08/05/2010 7:25 PM | Updated as of 08/05/2010 7:25 PM

THE NETHERLANDS - Their stories might be a lingering stigma to the plight of Filipino migrant workers in the Netherlands but their collective woe has been a resounding call to the Philippine government.

With the election of Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino in Malacañang, au pairs (nannies) in the Netherlands hope that, this time, they will be heard.

In 1998, the Philippine government imposed a ban on Filipinas leaving the country as au pairs because of the reported cases of abuse of Filipina au pairs in Sweden. But this did not stop young Pinays from going to European countries under the au pair program.

In fact, the number has actually surged in recent years especially in countries like Denmark and Norway where 75% of au pairs are Filipinos.

Ideally, the au pair system is aimed at cultural exposure for young women in European countries. But the European Commission also allowed girls from other countries to join the program.

Under the au pair system, participants should only perform light household work. They are entitled to travel and weekend allowances and study of the host family’s language.

In the Netherlands, au pair hiring is allowed for girls between 18 and 25 years old. They are granted a maximum of one year stay.

Unfortunately, for a big number of Filipina au pairs, the system is not working to their advantage.

The City of RotterdamThe City of Rotterdam: Gateway to European Commerce

published in www.nidesk.net


Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands and a melting pot of culture and business. Sitting strategically in the banks of rivers Maas and Rhine, the city owns the biggest port in Europe and with two international airports, Schipol and Rotterdam Airport, in close proximity, Rotterdam has established its vital role in Europe’s trade and commerce. It is home to some of the biggest companies in Netherlands including Unilever and Mittal Steel Company N.V., subsidiary of the largest steel company in the world. Among these corporate giants, other businesses and multinationals especially from the banking sector like ABN AMRO and ING are holding offices in Rotterdam.

The key to its continuously booming business activities is the easily accessible modes transportation. Reliable railway systems and road services, in addition to its ports and airports, makes it convenient to transport consumer goods in and out of the country through Rotterdam. It is connected to 31 sister and partner ports around the world, including international business hubs like United States, Japan and China.

Beurs-WTC: The Ideal Business Hub

Published in www.nidesk.net 


Standing proudly at the heart of Rotterdam with its 23-story edifice, the Beurs-World Trade Center has been the hub and venue of choice for both local and international business events in Rotterdam.

Beurs-WTC Rotterdam was built in 1987 with a total floor space of 76,000 square meters devoted to office spaces, retail stores, congress and event spaces, distributed over high-rise and low-rise buildings. It also offers other services including catering, business center, a dentist, tailor and dry cleaner. A proof that it only offers the highest quality of service is the Certified Congress Company or Het Erkend Congressbedrijf, who gave it a 5 hammer award, the highest rating being given to a congress center.
“The Beurs-World Trade Center in Rotterdam can offer office spaces with a wide range of high quality services and accommodates 240 tenants. Because the building is a WTC, tenants have all sorts of advantages, like using the services of the 300 WTC is worldwide”, Jolande Huijers, managing director of Beurs-WTC.

Report to Motherhood - TV5 host Cheri Mercado

by Dheza Marie Aguilar
September 24, 2008

Just how life changing is motherhood? Like any first time mom, Cheri Mercado knows.

The former news anchor of ABS-CBN was used to working habits from sun up to sundown. She started her day by waking up at 3 in the morning to host Magandang Umaga Bayan which airs at 5:30. The she rushed to the field to gather news, from 9am to 4pm. At one point she also anchored the late night newscast the Global News and a lifestyle show called Coffee Talk in the ANC Channel. Young and full of vigor, Cheri was at the height of her career in the Kapamily network.

But things started changing for the woman who was so used to the rat race when she learned that there is a “life growing inside her”. She started changing her priorities.
“The life growing inside of me was all that mattered then. All of a sudden the rat race didn’t make much sense and I couldn’t take care of my health with the kind of demands and schedule I had,” recalled the (age ) mother.

Dream Figure in Six Hours

by Dheza Marie Aguilar

August 5, 2008

Everybody craves and dreams for a supermodel figure, voluptuous behind, firm and proud front, a six-pack abs for men and a flat stomach for us girls. This degree of vanity makes gyms and fitness centres flourish, enhancement products to sell and derma and surgery clinics to maintain a good business despite the economic decline. One colleague noted that even if people are dealing with hard financial times, businesses that cater to being beautiful will remain strong. Blame it to magazines, Hollywood, television shows, the huge billboards around the Metro, to Filipinos’ innate narcissism, even to articles like this one; we will always make a way to have the dream body and the look that qualifies for the standard of beauty and sexiness.

But reality bites and no matter how hard we try or how long we starve ourselves, it is very difficult to achieve a perfectly sculpted body. It demands time, patience and a lot of discipline and of course money. But while most people cannot pledge 100% to the first three requirements, but have big bucks to burn, a new clinical surgery promises to be the answer to your six-pack abs desires.

Dutch water knowledge can help prevent Philippine flooding

By Dheza Marie Aguilar, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

Posted at 07/03/2010 12:24 AM | Updated as of 07/03/2010 12:24 AM

NETHERLANDS - While the Philippines has yet to fully recover from the devastation brought by Tropical Storm Ondoy and the successive typhoons in October last year, the country’s weather agency has recently announced the possibility of the occurrence of the La Niña phenomenon.

The rainy spells that come with it can trigger yet another “Ondoy” tragedy which the country cannot afford to have in just a year.

Rick Heikoop, water and sanitation specialists and professor of water management at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, understands this problem very well. For most part, Heikoop thinks that the flooding problem in the country, especially in the urban areas, has a major connection to urban planning.

Filipino home gallery opens in Netherlands

By Dheza Marie Aguilar, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau

Posted at 06/25/2010 11:22 AM | Updated as of 06/25/2010 6:17 PM

THE NETHERLANDS - Sitting on her dining table, Rhoda Piedra lovingly admires a series of abstract paintings hanging on her wall.

These are her father’s works and she says having them displayed in her house gives her a sense of closeness to her deceased dad. Piedra becomes emotional while recalling memories of his dad working on his art projects at school.

Raul Piedra has been dubbed Master Texture Builder of the Philippines. His abstract paintings are famous for the intensity of colors and praised for its unique textures.

Filipina wins ING business award

By Dheza Marie Aguilar, ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau
Posted at 06/15/2010 7:48 PM
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THE NETHERLANDS – Marianne Olano’s biggest dream is to become a well-known journalist. Before venturing into business, she worked as a writer for ABS-CBN Naga City and various publications in the country.

But after chasing her dream for several years, she realized she needed to find a more financially-rewarding career.

Unlike others, however, who sought better jobs in big cities, Olano went back to her hometown in Naga City and explored the possibility of starting her own business. Her father strongly disagreed with her plans, citing her lack of knowledge and capital. But she was determined to succeed.

RP Post in Netherlands focuses on seafarers for OAV

ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau | 03/12/2010 7:05 PM
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THE NETHERLANDS - The Philippine embassy in The Netherlands is exerting extra effort to encourage Filipino seafarers to vote.

One month before the start of the overseas voting, the embassy is busy preparing the list of manning agencies and shipping companies employing Filipino seamen. To ensure that the ballots have been received and the votes mailed, the embassy plans to call each and every one of them.

The mobile nature of jobs in shipping demands additional work for the embassy. According to Consul General Frank Cimafrance, they need to investigate first whether those seamen who were registered in the Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) still have existing contracts before they can send the ballots.

Start Your Own Business-PTIC Advises OFW

Becoming a businessman is a culture that Filipinos were not born with. In most situations, especially for those who were raised in the provinces, the primary means of income that most parents would want their children to have is from bachelor degrees that are attained from universities most commonly in the field of education, seafaring, accountancy, engineering, IT and medical care. Incidentally, these were also the fields where most Filipinos are very much in demand abroad and consists the majority of Filipino Migrant Workers. Once a daughter or a son gets a job overseas, the family already considered that the financial situation has already been taken care of.

Overseas Jobs are not forever

Working abroad is a sure way of having a stable income for Filipino families but it can also be a problem on a long-term basis. Once a Filipino Migrant Worker looses his job or something untoward happens, the means of financial sustainability of the whole family collapses, leading from one problem to another.

Netherlands bullish over India's booming market

As India emerges as an economic force to be reckoned with, the Netherlands is moving in to capture a slice of the action with both governmental and private ventures.

India is rapidly emerging from its reputation as a mere outsourcing destination for Western companies seekinglower costs. With a market proportion, huge work force and economic growth that can rival that of China, India is swiftly establishing its position alongside economic superpowers.

In the first half 2009, India's economy posted a growth of 6.1%, while the AsianDeve'lopment Bank (ADB) projects growth of 7% for 2010.

Wout Biegstraaten, Business Development Manager for the Internationaal Ondernemen en Samenwerken (Agency for International Business and Cooperation) believes now is a good opportunity for "Dutch businesses to position themselves quickly and powerfully on a rapidly growing, very competitive market with distinctive knowledge, products and services."

Bisperas ng Pasko

An announcement blared from the invisible speakers just as I reached the station from work. It looks like I am going to stay out in the cold for another 20 minutes, waiting for the train going to the province of my in-laws. Together with my boyfriend, they are the only family I will be celebrating the Christmas with. It is zero degrees and the wind is blowing. I just lost my gloves few hours ago and my coat is only good for autumn. I still haven’t learn how to dress for the cold. This is my first winter.
The gifts are lying near my feet; two paper bags and a book beautifully packed in gold wrapper with intricate laces. Few compared to the number of presents I would be preparing had I been at home. But these cost almost the same as I have allotted for the presents for at least 20 relatives in the Philippines.

I wanted to buy that leather boot they have on sale in the boutique near my office. The pair is a gorgeous reddish-brown, knee-high and very warm. It is the perfect winter boots, my feet would not be wet and cold again from walking in ankle-deep snow. But the price would cover the month’s rent, electricity, water and noche buena. I decided to be a good daughter and send most of my money to the Philippines. Family comes before personal necessities, especially during occasions like Christmas. The balikabayan box must be filled and no one should be forgotten. This is a responsibility that a Filipino migrant can never escape, that I happily obliged to.