Fairies and Pixies. Hansels and Gretels.

Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgenders and Friends…

Fly to Malate on December 6, 2008, Saturday, and be part of the grandest Rainbow event in Philippine History!

1PM - Registration at Remedios Circle

3PM - Parade (Remedios Circle - Pedro Gil - Orosa)

6PM - Program and Pageant (Orosa)

10PM - Party at Orosa St.

Put on your best fairytale and fantasy costume and join the grandest Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) event of the year: the 2008 Manila Pride March.

For more details, visit the 2008 Manila Pride March Official Website!

(Feel free to copy and paste and re-blog or share via email this post! Click here to copy HTML code for easier reposting)

©2008 Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?. All Rights Reserved.

We recently posted a contest here sponsored by BratPack where the best story/experience about their backpacks wins a bag from BratPack.

Congratulations to Mutya Venturanza!  Here’s her winning story:

I graduated from the University of the Philippines Manila. During that four years of college, I only used 1 bag – my green backpack which accompanied me through thick and thin. It was given to me by mom as a birthday gift during my last year in high school. Knowing that I will soon be entering the university, my mom made sure I will be having a sturdy bag to carry all my stuff (which turned out to be just a notebook and my kikay kit since I seldom buy textbooks for myself back in college). At first I was turned off with the backpack given to me – imagine, its green! I would have preferred pink! But as time went by, my green backpack proved to be very useful. For one, I was not able to have it washed all those for years and it still looked the same green backpack I received during my birthday!

I was able to easily fit in my new university with my green backpack. After all, I am at the University of the Philippines where everyone uses no other bag but a backpack. Plus, the green color matched the University’s official colors!

My green backpack was my constant companion all those four years. I hiked with it, went to rallies with it and survived pickpocket fiascos with it. Yeah, my bag was slashed two times – both times while I was inside the jeepney. The zipper was opened twice at Quiapo and taft Avenue. But I’m happy to say that my bag and I survived in one piece!

My bag witnessed my transition from the high school girl to the grown up I have become. And my bag transitioned too! It started clean before I entered UP. After four years, my bag is already unrecognizable with all those button pins attached to it – from the pins used by political groups in campus, pictures of Che Guevarra and Mao Zedong to the more conservative logos of my organization. My green backpack became a testimony of the political ideology I was supporting during my college years.
But wait, did I mention that my green backpack also shared my crying moments? We did! I was in Baguio when a guy whom I dated for sometime told me that he liked another guy. So there I was, under the Oblation at UP Baguio, with my green backpack. But since I was too embarrassed to let others know I was crying, I cried my heart out while covering my face with my backpack. I sobbed all afternoon but thank God, my back pack is absorbent, it absorbed all the tears!

After graduation, I let by bag retire. If I had a choice, I would have used it in law school. But nah – its time to get a new one. It has been years since I parted with my green backpack. But it shall remain a proof that yes, I survived my four years of college — tattered, but in one piece.

You may claim your prize via: GeiserMaclang (c/o Arbee Panga) Unit 7C, 114 Tuscan Bldg., V. A Rufino St., Legaspi Village , Makati City Tel: 812.8828/ 812.9199, 0917.605.8122

Bratpack is a member of the Primer Group that carries global brands that makes for a practical and personal billboard of expression for urban dwellers, promoted through collaborations with the indie art and music scenes’ finest. Inspire. Interpret. Express. For inquiries email bratpack@primergrp.com or visit their website at http://www.bratpack.ph.

Bratpack has branches at Robinsons Place Manila, Robinsons Galleria, SM Cagayan de Oro, SM Davao, SM The Block, SM Pampanga, SM Southmall and Ayala Cebu and another branch soon to open at Greenbelt 5.

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©2008 Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?. All Rights Reserved.

I would like to personally thank Red Box for graciously sponsoring the LGBT Bloggers’ Night last Sunday, November 16 at Red Box, Greenbelt 3.

Also, I would like to thank Joyce Pogoy and GeiserMaclang and the Blog and Soul Movement for helping us make this event happen.

And of course I’d like to thank all the LGBT Bloggers and their friends for coming and having fun with us!

For those who missed it, we know there was something else more important that you had to attend to, and we completely understand. (Photos to drool over to follow)

Congratulations to Yffar and Rainbow Bloggers Philippines for the launch of the group blog.

Congratulations also to the winners of Delifrance and Red Box GCs and domain names (courtesy of BaklaAko.com, of course hehe).

But the party and the fight is not yet over. The Manila Pride March 2008 is almost here and we still have a lot of things to accomplish!

It is in this light that we are inviting (once again), all LGBT bloggers (and supporters of LGBT causes) to join us as we represent our online community in this year’s Pride March. We will be scheduling another get-together and meeting before the end of November so we can all discuss how we will represent our community at the Pride March. We already have a budget for the rental of the truck we will use for the float.

What we need now is commitment from everyone to join us on December 6 as we represent the LGBT Blogging Community at the Pride March. We need your help, support, and participation so we can tell not only the online world, but also the rest of the universe that we are here, we are queer, and we will stand up and fight for our rights!

The registration form for the LGBT Bloggers for the Pride March can be found below:

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You may also register via this link: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=pBMbzxkhfXMIuzVyY2lcDNg&hl=en

Please feel free to pass the message and/or copy-paste this entry and the form. We need all the participation and the help we can get! (If you are not out but want to join the march, we can certainly accommodate you and we already have some ideas as to how you can join us!)

Mabuhay tayong lahat!

©2008 Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?. All Rights Reserved.

Image via Wikipedia

In an interview with the press, we got some trivia and tidbits and chika from the three finalists (Aries Lagat, Veejay Floresca, Philipp Tampus) about what Project Runway Philippnes was like.

Here are some of the behind-the-scenes chika from the finalists:

• All the finalists (including their families who were with them during the taping of the finale) had to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. They were not allowed to say anything to anyone about the results because if they did, they would have paid P4 Million!
• Veejay is happy that Aries won: “Ang dream talaga naming tatlo is to put up a nice show.”
• Veejay will have a solo show at the Philippine Fashion Week next year. He will have a 45-piece collection.
• Veejay did not raise his rates that much. He shared the price range of his designs and creations and it sure is not that high! Very affordable and truly value for money! (Go to his website at VeejayFloresca.com to get in touch with him.
• Lois, the winning model paired with Aries, will not be doing the fashion spread for Mega Magazine since she has already left to pursue a career as a flight attendant.
• The shoot for the Mega Magazine fashion spread is yet to be scheduled.
• The finalists shared that Apples Aberin-Sadhwani, Rajo Laurel, and Teresa Herrera are very nice people off-cam.
• Veejay shared that Apples always sends them food - at the taping or at their Amorsolo Mansion residences.
• Aries shared that Apples even sent them “a spa” - masseuses - to their official residences because she knew how stressful and tiring it was to be in the competition.
• Philipp doesn’t know yet how much he will charge. He even joked about him not having receipts and calling cards yet.
• Philipp also shared that one of the biggest challenges for him was to practice restraint in his designs. Working as a designer in the Middle East, he was used to designing for women who loved (and requested and demanded) over-embellished designs.
• One of the reasons why Philipp had “issues” with editing his work on the runway was that he wanted to show his range. He knew that he could create simple yet elegant designs but he did not want to show them on Project Runway Philippines. He wanted people to see the intricacies of his work.
• The finalists also shared an anecdote about a production crew who overheard that international fashion and accessories designer Rafe Totengco made a phone call to Project Runway US Mentor Tim Gunn. It was said that Rafe asked Tim to watch Project Runway Philippines on YouTube because our designers are much more talented and way better than the ones in the US. (We still have to verify if this is true).
• The designers shared that one of the hardest parts of the competition was the physical aspect. Their limbs and arms sometimes hurt so much because of all the cutting, sewing and pressing that they needed to do.
• Veejay shared that he does not hate Eli (regarding their fight in one episode). He admitted that he was hurt but he and Eli are okay now and he respects Eli as a person.
• Philipp shared that in the Middle East, the best designers are Filipinos. He also shared that the notion of a “Saudi” designer and their designs as “baduy” has already been broken, thanks to their generation (the likes of Cari Santiago and Michael Cinco).
• Aries will put up his own shop in Metro Manila.

More to come soon!

Thanks to Solar Entertainment, ETC Entertainment Central and Club Bureau for making the interview possible.

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©2008 Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?. All Rights Reserved.

Rainbow Bloggers Philippines is now a dot com and will be launched on Sunday, November 16 at the LGBT Bloggers Night at Red Box!

Details here: RBP: www.rainbowbloggers.com na!

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©2008 Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?. All Rights Reserved.

We recently got the chance to do a short one-on-one interview with Project Runway Philippines judge and “F” fashion designer Rajo Laurel. We interviewed him right after the Viewing Party of the Season Finale of Project Runway Philippines Season 1 at Club Bureau (a pretty cool bar at A Venue along Makati Ave.).

Watch the interview to find out what Rajo’s thoughts are about the recently concluded first season of Project Runway Philippines!

Rajo Laurel on Project Runway Philippines from AJ Matela on Vimeo.

Thanks to Solar Entertainment, ETC - Entertainment Central, Club Bureau and Trisha Ilarde for making this possible.

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©2008 Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?. All Rights Reserved.

You read that right!  Boyzone is the first ever boyband to have a gay couple in their video. (But this is not the first video in history to show a homosexual couple kissing).

One of its members, Stephen Gately (who cam out in 1999) is paired with a male actor while the other members are paired with females. in their latest video for the single “Better”.

The Boyzone boys (oh well, they’re grown men now) originally wanted their own partners to appear opposite them in the video but none of the other halves agreed. They eventually decided to just have actors play opposite each member. It is interesting to see that such openness and hopefully acceptance, is being displayed in a video of a group who once rocked (and still do) people’s socks off. The decision to put a gay couple in the video was the whole band’s and the other members pushed Gately and said that he had to do this and that it would be fantastic.

And indeed it is! The video is quite heartwarming and the song actually made me cry a tear or two. Sob. Sob.

Source: First gay couple in boyband video

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©2008 Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?. All Rights Reserved.

This Saturday, November 15, all eyes down south are on Dumaguete as Hari ng Negros presents:

“Legends of Sugarlandia - The Hari ng Negros Body Paint and Tribal Fashion Show” co presented by Fashion TV.

This promises to be another hot and sizzling event so if you’re in Dumaguete City, somewhere near Dumaguete City, or can fly to Dumaguete City this Saturday, go now and see the Legends of Sugarlandia!

For tickets please call or text 09173140114. This promises to be one incredible show that will surely go to the extremes.

For mor information, you can visit the Hari ng Negros blog or their Friendster account!

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©2008 Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t forget! It’s this Sunday, November 16!

It’s the LGBT Bloggers Night at Red Box!

Register now (Deadline for registrations is on Saturday, November 15 at 12 Noon!). You may register via the form below or via this link.

©2008 Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?. All Rights Reserved.

Aries Lagat, the 25-year old designer from Ozamis City, ruled the runway!  The first season of Project Runway Philippines has just concluded and Aries Lagat emerged victorious.

Aries is now the Next Big Filipino Fashion Designer.  Aries won the following: P 500,000.00  (about US$ 11,000.00) from Beverly Hills 6750; a fashion editorial in Mega Magazine; a designer showcase by Mannequin Inc.; Sewing Machines from Brother International. A recent addition to the prizes is the collection that he will design for SM.

For those of you who have seen photos of the collections online prior to the airing of the two-part finale, you might have seen at least one menswear in all of the collections of the finalists (Philipp Tampus, Veejay Floresca, and Aries Lagat). While watching the live runway finale at SMX last October, I was also kind of surprised to see a male model (all three male models in the collections were HOT!) in each of the collections.  I figured that this probably was the last challenge during the finals. I  assumed so because menswear was never a part of any challenge.  And I was right, it was indeed the last challenge! Tonichi Nocom, head designer for SM, gave the brief to the designers (first half of the two-part finale).

The Philippine adaptation of the hit US TV show showcased the talents of Filipino designers not only to the Philippines but to the rest of the world! 14 aspiring designers from all over the country sewed, cut, and cried their way through the creatively compelling, mentally challenging, physically demanding, and emotionally draining challenges.

Here are the OFFICIAL PHOTOS of the some of the garments from the collections of the finalists (courtesy of SOLAR Entertainment Corporation):

Aries Lagat

Veejay Floresca

Philipp Tampus

More photos, tidbits, and trivia from our interview with the finalists in the next few days! And yes, we also have a one-on-one video interview with Project Runway Philippines Judge Rajo Laurel and video interviews with the finalists (from the Project Runway Philippines Finale Viewing Party at Club Bureau, A Venue, Makati City)!

(Special Thanks to Club Bureau located at A Venue, Makati Ave., Makati City and Solar Entertainment Corporation, Trisha Ilarde, and ETC - Entertainment Central!)

(For those who are wondering, the reason why I stopped doing the recaps was not only because I was caught up with work in my full-time job, but also because it took too much time and effort to do recaps - only to find out that other people are copying and pasting the content onto their own blogs without proper attribution.  So yes, Project Runway Philippines was also challenging for me!)

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©2008 Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?. All Rights Reserved.

I think this is one of the most well-said, if not the best said, arguments about California’s Proposition 8. And yes, this came from Keith Olbermann!

Why does this matter to you? What is it to you? In a time of impermanence and fly-by-night relationships, these people over here want the same chance at permanence and happiness that is your option. They don’t want to deny you yours. They don’t want to take anything away from you. They want what you want—a chance to be a little less alone in the world.

Only now you are saying to them—no. You can’t have it on these terms. Maybe something similar. If they behave. If they don’t cause too much trouble.  You’ll even give them all the same legal rights—even as you’re taking away the legal right, which they already had. A world around them, still anchored in love and marriage, and you are saying, no, you can’t marry. What if somebody passed a law that said you couldn’t marry?

and

And here are people overjoyed at the prospect of just that chance, and that work, just for the hope of having that feeling.  With so much hate in the world, with so much meaningless division, and people pitted against people for no good reason, this is what your religion tells you to do? With your experience of life and this world and all its sadnesses, this is what your conscience tells you to do?

With your knowledge that life, with endless vigor, seems to tilt the playing field on which we all live, in favor of unhappiness and hate… this is what your heart tells you to do? You want to sanctify marriage? You want to honor your God and the universal love you believe he represents? Then Spread happiness—this tiny, symbolic, semantical grain of happiness—share it with all those who seek it. Quote me anything from your religious leader or book of choice telling you to stand against this. And then tell me how you can believe both that statement and another statement, another one which reads only “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

and

You don’t have to help it, you don’t have it applaud it, you don’t have to fight for it. Just don’t put it out. Just don’t extinguish it. Because while it may at first look like that love is between two people you don’t know and you don’t understand and maybe you don’t even want to know. It is, in fact, the ember of your love, for your fellow person just because this is the only world we have. And the other guy counts, too.

SOURCE: Gay Marriage is a Question of Love

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©2008 Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?. All Rights Reserved.

It’s the episode we’ve all been waiting for!

See the final collections of Aries Lagat, Veejay Floresca, and Philipp Tampus on the runway of the Philippine Fashion Week Spring Summer 2009! This is it!

I have seen the live runway shows (but still don’t know who the winner is) and I can say that all of you are in for some big surprises!

Who will win the following: P 500,000.00  (about US$ 11,000.00) from Beverly Hills 6750; a fashion editorial in Mega Magazine; a designer showcase by Mannequin Inc.; Sewing Machines from Brother International? Who will become the first winner of Project Runway Philippines and get tagged as the Philippines’ Next Big Fashion Designer?

Find out tonight at 10:00 PM (Manila time) only on ETC - Entertainment Central!

ETC - Entertainment Central can be seen on the following channels (and cable providers):

SBN 21 (Free TV)
Channel 16 (Sky Cable)
Channel 30 (Destiny Cable)
Channel 48 (Cable Link)
Channel 27 (Dream Satellite)
myTV

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©2008 Bakla Ako, May Reklamo?. All Rights Reserved.

Harry Potter is all grown-up!  Daniel Radcliffe, the young man who plays Harry Potter on the big screen, is baring it all in Broadway as he plays the lead role in Equus.

Fake photos of Daniel and his twat have sprawled all over the Internet in the last couple of months and people have been crazy about them!  Of course many people realized later on that those were fakies.

So has anyone ever taken photos or videos of Daniel in his full frontal glory while doing Equus?Well, for those interested, today is your lucky day!  We have photos and the video too!

OMG Blog has recently released this photo below (after the jump), which is sort of a collection of the naked Daniel Radcliffe. Read more (to view the photo and get the video)

Daniel Radcliffe Nude in Equus

(Go to OMG Blog for the full-sized photo)

Oh and the video?  We received this link where you can download the video of Daniel Radcliffe in his nude scenes on Equus.  (The video is a little grainy and quite small and you may need GOM Player or VLC Player to view it.)

Daniel Radcliffe Nude Photos Source: OMG Blog

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