AJ Perez's Eyes Can't Go to Fatima Soriano

The family of actor AJ Perez, who was recently killed in a road accident, had wanted to give his eyes to blind singer Fatima Soriano after his mother saw her interview with Boy Abunda in “The Bottomline.”

But Dr. Mae Singson, one of Soriano's eye doctors, said this is not possible because her problem is her retinas and only corneas can be transplanted.

"Ang corneas niya ay normal. Ang problema sa kanya ay ang likod ng mata o ang kurtina ng mata called the retina. ‘Yon ang defective sa kanya and it has been defective since pinanganak siya. So changing the cornea, which is sa harapan ng mata ay hindi makakabigay lunas sa kanyang karamdaman. To this day, wala pa tayong effective na retinal transplant," said Singson.

But Soriano has accepted her fate. "I accept po kasi alam kong ito ang will ni Lord."

She even thanked the family of Perez for the kind gesture, and said that maybe someone else out there needs his eyes more than her.

"Baka may someone else po na matutulungan, kahit hindi po sa akin," said Soriano.

When teased that her fans are more disappointed than her, Soriano just giggled and laughed, "I was ready naman po, hindi po ako ‘yong type na ma-a-upset."

Singson said that there is a long list of people who need a corneal transplant.

"Kaysa maawa tayo sa kanya, tingnan natin ‘yong kabilang dako, ‘yong nangyaring iyon na hindi puwdeng maibigay kay Fatima, maaaring mabigyan ng kaliwanagan ang mata ng ibang tao; na maaaring gumanda ang kanyang paningin dahil sa pag-donate ng cornea ng pamilya ni AJ," Singson said.

Source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Remains of AJ Perez Transferred to Christ The King Parish

The remains of the teenage actor have been brought to The Christ the King Parish on Greenmeadows Avenue in Quezon City.

The actor's body was brought to the parish after a mass officiated by ABS-CBN's chaplain Fr. Tito Caluag at La Salle Greenhills chapel, where Perez's remains were viewed by his family, friends and supporters for almost 2 days.

The wake is also open to the public starting Wednesday from 9 p.m. until midnight. In succeeding days, public viewing will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and 9 p.m. until midnight.

Initial reports said Perez, who died at age 18, will be interred at the Manila Memorial Park after Holy Week.

Source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

AJ Perez's Non-Showbiz GF Shares Thoughts

“He made sure that I wouldn't feel that I was pushed aside.”

Young actor AJ Perez’s non-showbiz girlfriend, 17-year-old Steph Ayson, made this statement during her first media interview wherein she talked about her fond memories of Perez and how she took it when she first heard the news that he was killed in a car accident in Tarlac.

Ayson told ABS-CBN News that having a celebrity boyfriend was never easy.

"There've been quite a number of complications regarding privacy, with regard to our relationship, but the good thing about AJ is that even though we kept it in the quiet, he made sure that I wouldn't feel that I was pushed aside or whatever," Ayson told ABS-CBN News.

"He really made me feel special in every way that he could, even his friends, [by] constantly texting me," she added.

When asked what she liked most about Perez, she said: "I liked his optimism and capability to make people feel optimistic just as he is. And he's just very inspiring and sobrang determined niya."

Holding back tears, Ayson said she will miss Perez now that he is gone.

"I'll just miss the way he calls me every time may break sa taping. Sobrang kulit kasi niya, kahit text or call, or pati sa buong family ko," she said. "I'll miss of course having him around and I miss someone constantly bugging me to be okay."

Ayson admitted that moving on may take a while “but I know with God's help and AJ's help, I'll be fine."

On Sunday, the 18-year-old Star Magic artist was killed in a vehicular accident in Tarlac highway after doing a show in Dagupan.

Perez was with his father and 4 others when the ABS-CBN van carrying them collided with a Partas provincial passenger bus along McArthur Highway in Barangay San Julian.

Ayson learned about Perez’s death through his dad, Gerardo.

"At first, I couldn’t believe it until I saw AJ. Tito Gerry (AJ's father) was the one who called me. When he was telling me, it was hard for me to grasp the idea, so my sister had to call Tito Gerry again and asked and confirmed what happened," she said.

Ayson also recently opened her Twitter account to the public to “share the AJ I know with everyone. I've always been his fan since I was in grade school, too.”

Source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

ABS-CBN Stars Share Holy Week Plans

ABS-CBN contract stars have shared their plans and destinations this Holy Week.

Some said they will be spending most of the week with their family, while others will still continue to work.

Below are the plans of some celebrities this Lenten season.

"Plans for Holy Week? Good Friday nasa Sto. Domingo ako for the ‘7 Last Words.’ And then Easter Sunday, somebody is inviting me for radio tour. So, ‘yon pa din. I have to be visible and be heard sa Easter Sunday, kasi that's my calling." -Jaime Rivera

"’Yong exact Holy Week nandoon kami sa New York. First time ko sa New York, tapos magkakasama kami so sobrang excited ako. Sa summer naman sana makarating ng beach at somewhere na malamig." -Enchong Dee

"Holy Week siguro nandoon din sa States sabay sa US tour namin. Doon na din ako magbabakasyon." -Kim Chiu

"Ngayong Holy Week and summer ay may trabaho po. Pupuna kami ng States para mapasaya ang mga kapamilya namin doon." -Erich Gonzales

"Probably nasa US tour pa kami. I think nasa New York kami ng time na ‘yon. [Sa summer] magi-start na kasi ng work pero kung may time baka makalipad ng Boracay, kung ano ang kakayanin. Beach person naman kasi ako, pero sana may time kahit ilang days lang na makapag-beach." -Angelica Panganiban

"This Holy Week pupunta kami ng States, lahat kami, Star Magic World tour. Doon kami magce-celebrate ng Holy Week kasama ang ibang Pinoys. ‘Yon na din ang bakasyon namin sa summer, doon kami magpapasyal at magsho-show kami para sa mga Pinoy. -Gerald Anderson

"Ang nalaman ko ay punong puno ang schedule ko hanggang Christmas pa so wala akong panahon para magbakasyon." -Sam Milby

"Christian ako…. Pero hindi lang naman sa Holy Week lang, ‘yong reflection ginagawa all the time at ‘yong repentance, ‘yong respeto sa lahat." -Yeng Constantino

"Swimming paikot-ikot, pagbibigyan ang mga matatanda. Siyempre magdarasal, bonding with the family." -JM de Guzman

"Maga-out of town kasama ang mga kaibigan ko at saka pamilya." -Vice Ganda

"This Holy Week kakauwi lang ng brother ko from the States so mag-iikot kami sa Philippines for the short break that I have. Baka mag-La Union kami, Baguio ganyan, all-around." -Lauren Young

"The whole family, we go to Sto. Nino church, magla-light ng candle. The whole family we go to church, kakain sa gabi, tapos the next day sa beach kami the whole time." -Enrique Gil

"Sa Holy Week ang mommy ko ayaw niya kaming lumalabas tapos hindi kami kumakain ng karne. Sa bahay lang kami, ‘yon kasi ang nakaugalian namin. Bisita Iglesia at magre-repent." -Cristine Reyes

Source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Dimples Romana Happy to be Part of Mara Clara

As part of the cast of the Kapamilya teleserye remake Mara Clara, Dimples Romana counts herself lucky to be part of a talented cast that makes up the number one show on primetime television today. The 26 year-old said the cast has made it a point to bond even after the cameras have stopped rolling. “We’re close kasi we tape three times a week, so we bond during the in-between lunches and dinners. We also try to spend time out from the set to recharge. Kasi, because we’re doing a teleserye, we cannot help but feel all the drama presence so eating together is a good time to unwind and just chat. We have fantastic directors and writers so nakakatuwa na nakakahalubilo namin sila apart from just being co-workers in Mara Clara,” she told Push.com.ph

Currently playing the role of Alvira Del Valle, mother to both Clara (played by Julia Montes) and Mara (played by Kathryn Bernardo). Dimples, who had previously worked with Kathryn in other projects, said she did not have a problem at all working with the young lead actresses. “In the presence of the two girls, you don’t even feel that they’re so hot right now. Because they’re the same person they were. Every time I chat with them, it doesn’t feel different. Off cam, si Kathryn kasi lumaki na sa akin yung batang yun so para talagang anak ko na because she was the young Gretchen in Magkaribal and I was the mom so I worked with her na. she was also my daughter in Mangarap Ka, which was the show of Piolo (Pascual) back then. Kilala ko na yung bata. Napakamagalang. Magandang pamilya. Mabait sa magulang. Mabait sa mga kapatid. She comes come a very, very fun family so makulit siya in a way. Si Clara naman, she has two other siblings tapos she’s being taken cared of by her lola. Her mom is deaf and mute but they still stay together. Nakakatuwalang kasi ang bata pa nila pero professional sila katrabaho,” she shared with Push.com.ph.

Dimples said that even though was not able to catch the original series, she feels proud to be part of Mara Clara. “I wasn’t able to watch the original because I think I was already busy working during that time but I’m very familiar about the cast. Siyempre that’s Mara Clara, kaya nga ina ng teleserye because everything parang talagang nag-branch out from that particular hit back then. Parang surreal nga sa akin kasi after doing Agua Bendita, which was also a big hit. It was also number one at extended din na extended. Again, to be offered that’s as big as Alvira, it’s different especially for a character actress like me. Parang masarap yung pakiramdam sa akin na mapagkatiwalaan ng ganung kalaking role,” she said.

Dimples said that when they started on the popular remake, the focus was on doing justice to the role and the success was just an added bonus. “I can only wish that the project does really well but as for Mara Clara, we feel very blessed. As in sa set, we always find it very thrilling to know that we’re still number one after all the months na nakalipas at changes ng time slot kasi very late na rin so nakakatuwa na hindi nag-we-waiver ang suporta ng mga tao,” she added.

Source: www.push.com.ph

Angel Aquino on ANC's Kinse

Acclaimed actress, TV host, and women’s rights advocate Angel Aquino takes on her most daring role to date as she strips down in protest of human rights violations for the film project “Kinse” of ANC, the ABS-CBN News Channel.

“Kinse,” is a collection of four to six-minute short films on human rights directed by 15 Filipino filmmakers led by Erik Matti, Carlitos Sigiuon-Reyna, and Paolo Villaluna.

In the latest teaser for the project, Angel portrays a seemingly strong and glamorous woman, who after taking her clothes off piece by piece, reveals a battered woman with bruises all over her body.

In an interview with ABS-CBN, Angel revealed that she feels deeply for victims of human rights violations as her mother was also a battered wife.

“My tatay would make all the decisions at pag hindi siya nasusunod o pag may mga bagay na hindi siya natutuwa, madali niya masaktan yung nanay ko. Akala namin ang tatay ganun talaga role niya,” she shared.

Aside from lending her talent to promote “Kinse,” Angel will also anchor the six-part TV special on the project to be aired this May.

With two daughters of her own, Angel hopes she can help raise awareness on the issue through this human rights series. “Gusto kong malaman nila na hindi nila dapat payagan na mangyari ito sa kanila,” she said.

“Kinse” is ANC’s follow-up project to the vert successful and controversial film series “amBisyon2010,” which tackled the ten issues Filipinos should consider in choosing the next leaders of the nation.

Two of the 20 short films in that project, one directed by Cannes Best Director Dante Mendoza and one by award-winning filmmaker Jeffrey Jeturian, got an x-rating from the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board last year.

As ANC celebrates its 15th anniversary of telling the nation’s stories, it aims to again stir discussion and action through “Kinse,” which is produced in partnership with the Commission on Human Rights, and through the support of the embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Patricia Evangelista, the executive producer of 2011 New York Festival Silver and Bronze World Medalist documentary program “Storyline,” is at the helm of the project with her “Storyline” and “amBisyon2010” co-creator Villaluna.

To find out more about “Kinse”, go to www.kinse.tv or follow Twitter @kinseanc.

Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin Marathon Special on Holy Week

Missed the episodes of the high-rating series ‘Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin’? ABS-CBN gives its viewers another chance to watch the stirring episodes of the mentioned series via a marathon special this Holy Week, April 22 to 24, 8:30PM.

Viewers will be able to watch once again “Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin’s” pilot week until the episode last Friday.

Meanwhile, Coco Martin, star of ‘Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin,’ has been recently hailed as the Prince of Philippine Movies in the Box Office Entertainment Awards by the Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Foundation for the movie “Noy.”

“Siyempre po masarap sa pakiramdam lalo na’t may nakakapansin sa pinaghihirapan po namin,” Coco shared.

Meanwhile, Andi Eigenmann was declared as the Most Promising Female Star of the Year in the same award-giving body.

Refresh your memory and relive the first few episodes of ‘Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin’ this Holy Week on ABS-CBN.