By Janine Santos
The year 2015 has surely come to a close, but not without a bang from the best and the brightest Filipino-Australians who have made it to the headlines. They are the many exceptional individuals who served as our source of pride as Filipinos.
We are all familiar with the roster of talents which have graced our pages in the past few years: Marlisa Punzalan, Anne Curtis, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Jason Day and James Reid to name a few. But this year, we welcome 2016 by highlighting some of the people who made the previous year just as memorable by making their success as one of our own.
Darling of the chess world
In a sweeping move to find a mate, FIDE titleholder for Woman International Master Arianne Caoili got engaged to Armenian grandmaster Levon Aronian on the 18th of February. Caoili, Manila-born and one of Australia’s leading chess players, met Aronian in 2006. Aside from her upcoming wedding with the Armenian player, she is also completing her PhD in Germany on Russian-Armenian relations. She has a jazz album tucked under her belt and currently works for a global consultancy firm.
Showbiz shining stars
The Living Room would not have been complete without its guest Kate Ceberano. Kate, who has appeared in various films and television shows, has been making waves as far back as the ’80s as a soul and jazz singer in Australia. Born to a Filipino-American father and an Australian mother, she has made her way up the ladder as a back-up singer, eventually winning Best Female Vocalist at the 1986 Countdown Awards. Since then she has been a staple voice in Australian mainstream and was dubbed Queen of Moomba in 2013. Aside from her brief stint in The Living Room, she also sang the Australian anthem at the AFL Grand Final last 3 October.
APO Hiking Society’s Jim Paredes had his share of screen time as well. Appearing on StarFlix’s mobile series Must Date the Playboy under Star Cinema, he starred alongside Xian Lim, Kim Chiu and Jesse Mendiola. Playing Xian Lim’s father, Paredes and the other cast members serve as the romcom fix for the telenovela cravings of the Filipino-Australian community. A full-length movie based on the series was released on 23 October.
24 Oras’ Chika Minute has welcomed a new host: Sydney-raised Iya Villania. Iya, born to both Filipino parents but who grew up in Australia, is the new face of the news program’s showbiz segment. She even went as far as taking in the role of Iyadora in her recaps of the phenomenal AlDub Kalye-serye.
Ylona Garcia is surely ‘winging’ it on her new teleserye On the Wings of Love (OTWOL), which started airing last November. After placing first runner-up in Pinoy Big Brother (PBB): 737, she has been out and about as Star Music’s newest recording artist and #SpotifySpotlight 2016 representative. Born to medical practitioner parents, she started singing as front act to touring artists in Australia such as Martin Nievera and Sarah Geronimo. She has released two songs on Spotify after her PBB win, one of which is her original composition titled ‘Win the Fight’.
Of course, it has to be said that OTWOL’s lead, James Reid has become one of the Philippines’ hottest stars, with a regular TV show, movies, recording deals, concert and commercial endorsements tucked under his belt. Like Ylona, James first rose to fame after his PBB Teen edition win in 2010. Since then, there’s no stopping this Filipino-Australian from dominating Philippine showbiz and the hearts of throngs of fans.
Filipino versatility on the world map
And who would forget the Filipino chef who put our dishes on the gastronomic map? John Carasig not only dreams of serving Filipino traditional cuisine to the global community but also of marrying his dancer beau Dave Evangelio. Making it to Masterchef’s Top 12 has brought Filipino dishes and desserts such as adobo and halo-halo to the Australian audience and to the judges who were all praises for the food’s novelty. He has started an online-based food venture, Adobo Kitchen, which recreates many Filipino favourites to be served to Australians and hopefully to a bigger and more global community in the future.
And the biggest feat of all for the year 2015 is Cyrus Villanueva who brought the house down with his X Factor win. In a two-peat win following last year’s Marlisa Punzalan, the community has once again proven the vocal prowess of the Filipinos. On the 24th of November, all eyes were glued to the TV as the 19-year old from Wollonggong broke down after being announced as the new X Factor winner.
Being the humble Filipino that he is, he thanked all his supporters including his mentor Chris Isaak. Nothing shows best the Filipino’s love for music than the back-to-back win of the two contestants. Cyrus’ self-titled album was released on the 9th of December under Sony Music Australia, and we couldn’t wait for what this year has in store.
There’s talk that these Filipinos who bring us a sense of pride are important in keeping our Filipino identity. There’s no denying that Pia Wurtzbach’s win in the Miss Universe 2015 pageant did unify us Filipinos, from the parloristas back home to the OFWs the world over—all glued to the mishap that happens to be her winning announcement. And for the hardworking Filipinos in Australia, the Australians with a Filipino heart, the disunited communities of Filipinos, and the Filipinos who are missing home, we all know how these people on our list gave us the much needed push to keep us going through the year that was. So by this year, we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a longer list and wishing everyone a more unified 2016!
