Task Force Ondoy Going Strong in Ateneo

A personal project inspired by my Multimedia Journalism class with Prof. DJ Clark

Published: Ateneo.edu, October 2009

Task Force Ondoy from Angel Constantino on Vimeo.

September 28, 2009, Quezon City — Task Force Ondoy is in full swing at the Ateneo College Covered Courts. Volunteers are busy receiving donations, repacking goods, and preparing for deployment to areas struck by the typhoon.

According to volunteer Eric Santillan, mobilization for Task Force Ondoy started last night. It was spearheaded by the Ateneo Sanggunian, the university’s student council, with the help of some Jesuit social organizations.

Santillan is heartened by the sheer number of goods and people who came to help. “Last night it wasn’t this big. Donations were coming in and organically it just grew and grew. Now we have around 800 to 900 volunteers from everywhere. I saw a grade 5 kid volunteering and a 70-year-old grandmother sign up. People of all ages came. We are helping out several areas, like the Gawad Kalinga areas of Ateneo. I heard they are also sending goods out to Barangka, Marikina. Just this afternoon, they sent to Cainta, which is probably the hardest hit area right now.”

Volunteers first sign up at the registration booth. A short orientation follows so the volunteers know what to do. Various donations are also welcome. Santillan says, “Water is really needed right now. Slippers would be a good thing to donate. There’s also a need for mattresses, blankets, canned goods, and plastic bags for the individual packing.”

Ateneo Alumnus and singer Miguel Escueta has been going around giving help where it’s needed. He invites others who are capable to help out too. “Me and my family were fortunate enough not to be hit badly by the storm. For the people who are still okay, I think it’s your calling to help out as much as you can. A lot of people are in need of help, they’re stranded, they haven’t been able to come home, and they don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s useless if you stay home. Try to do whatever you can. There are a lot of relief centers—in Alabang, in Paranaque, near Quezon City. Just ask around and for sure you’ll be of great use around the Metro. Be informed and do what you can.”

Read more...

Typhoon Fails to Dampen Spirits of Candy Fairgoers

A project for my Multimedia Journalism class with Prof. DJ Clark

Published: Candymag.com, September 2009

Candy Fair 2009 from Angel Constantino on Vimeo.

September 26, 2009, Manila — Despite the heavy rains and floods caused by Typhoon Ondoy, loyal readers of Candy magazine braved the storm to get to the Candy Fair at the Mega Tent Events Venue in Pasig. Candy is the Philippines’ number one magazine for teens and the fair is an annual event for their readers.

Candy’s Team Publisher Christine Ko explains more about the magazine and the Candy Fair. “We help Candy girls about every aspect of their lives like school, relationships with their friends, families, and boys. We tackle all their interests: books, pop culture, music, movies, the latest celebrities, and other stuff like fashion and beauty. The Candy Fair is an annual event which is basically a gathering of all the Candy Cuties, the Candy girls, and the TeenTalkers.” TeenTalkers are members of TeenTalk, the message board of Candymag.com.

At the fair, guests could go around the different booths to play games, shop for items like accessories and bags, watch a fashion show by clothing line Terranova, and interact with the Candy Cuties—a pool of the cutest guys the magazine features every year. The Candy girls could even “get married” to a Candy Cutie of their choice at the Goldilocks Marriage Booth.

Actors and former Candy cover boys Dino Imperial and AJ Perez also graced the event despite the storm. They came up with an impromptu dance tutorial which the girls enjoyed.

Despite the low turnout, Candy girl Ana Gonzales, who has been reading the magazine since she was in grade school, attests that the event was not a failure. “It’s super fun to interact with the Candy editors, celebrities, and all the Candy girls. It’s all rainy outside but here it’s super fun. Everyone’s having a great time with all the freebies and the program.”

Though the event was cut short due to the weather, the Candy girls went home with lots of goody bags, autographs of their favorite celebrities, photos with the Candy Cuties, and even more fond memories with their “best-est friend.”

Listen to the Candy Fair 2009 Podcast:

Powered by Podbean.com

View the slideshow for more photos from the Candy Fair:
Click on the image to read the caption.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Read more...

My Favorite Place: Kapurpurawan White Rock

Last summer, my friends and I went on a road trip to Ilocos. Of all the places we visited, the Kapurpurawan White Rock Formation in the town of Burgos left the biggest impression on me. Watch the video to see why.

My Favorite Place from Angel Constantino on Vimeo.

Read more...

5 Top Spots to Run In Without Getting Lung Cancer

City sidewalks are busy sidewalks dressed in exhaust and smog. Take these paths instead.
By Angel Constantino
Photo by Roland Aquino

Published: Spot.ph
Section: Entertainment

1. La Mesa Eco Park
Known as "the lungs of Metro Manila," the La Mesa Watershed Resort and Ecological Park in East Fairview offers runners a respite from the smog-infested streets of the city. The park is open everyday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., but it's best to go on weekdays, as the park tends to get crowded during the weekends. For only 50 pesos (P40 if you're a QC resident), you get to breathe in the fresh air as you run through trails with varied terrain. You can opt to run on the road around the park or go into the forested mountain bike trail. The entrance is near the Petron Fitness Trail and the butterfly garden, so you might just see some colorful butterflies accompanying you on your run. For an added challenge, run up more than a hundred steps that lead to the La Mesa Watershed, Metro Manila's primary source of drinking water. The dam is off-limits though so once you hit the fence bordering the dam, it's time to run back down again.

How to get there: From Commonwealth Avenue, turn right at East Fairview Subdivision's Winston Street (after Mercury Drug Store). Turn left at Dunhill Street and go straight till you reach the entrance to La Mesa Eco Park (www.lamesaecopark.com).

2. Ateneo and UP Campuses
Rows of towering trees line the streets of these two universities in Quezon City. Aside from providing runners with shade from the sweltering heat, their presence offers a sweet-smelling breeze. For a full workout, run the perimeter of the Ateneo campus, passing the Blue Eagle Gym and the Church of the Gesu, all the way around Bellarmine field. It's best to run before or after school hours to avoid heavy traffic. In UP, one can run around the 2.2 km academic oval, which has one lane exclusively for bikers and runners. (The whole road is closed off to motorized vehicles on Sundays.) But for a more scenic and challenging route, run around the outer periphery of the campus (You can try the route used by UP mountaineers for their qualifying runs).

UP also has a lot of large gardens and lagoons, so if you're feeling adventurous, go ahead and blaze your own trail. Be sure to have some fish balls, kikiam, and a fresh cup of taho (or two!) after your workout.

How to get there: Ateneo de Manila University is along Katipunan Avenue. To get to UP Diliman from Katipunan, turn left to CP Garcia, then turn right at the next intersection. Turn left at the end to get to the UP academic oval.

Read more »

Read more...

Trail Running 101

On Sunday, January 18, I had a different kind of running experience. Instead of running on the paved streets of Manila, I ran (well, more like half-ran, half-wobbled) on the trails at the foot of Mt. Batulao in Batangas. Here’s a blow-by-blow account of my experience!

5:30 am I drove to Evercrest Golf Club with Roland and other AMCI members. It was 10-minutes away from Alfonso Hotel, our digs for the night. The road was winding and enveloped with a heavy fog, pierced by my headlights.

5:55 The 10-km runners assembled at the starting point, ready to conquer the trail. We said a short prayer and sang the National Anthem.

6:00 And we’re off! I was only wearing the sleeveless, dri-fit TNF singlet, my knee-length Mizuno leggings, a Nike cap, and Merrel running shoes. It was cold, but I didn’t mind. I wanted to feel the fresh air brush against my skin.

6:15 I wished I had worn my real hiking shoes. The trail was rocky and I could feel the stones under my feet. I ran slowly at first because it was still dark and I was concentrating hard on where to step, carefully avoiding sharp rocks and cow manure.

6:30 The sky was starting to get light, but the sun’s rays could not break through the thick clouds. I was starting to feel at ease and ran a little faster. By this time, the seasoned 20-km runners, who started running about 10 minutes after us, were beginning to overtake us.

6:35 I reached the water and first aid station with Roland and Kim. We took a quick break to have a sip of water and catch our breath.

6:45 The rest of the trail was gently rolling. It brought us around the hillside, where we could see rows and rows of cornfields. The craggy peak of Mt. Batulao loomed in the distance.

7:00 We had to go down a steep, narrow trail filled with loose stones and mud. Ropes were set up to guide us down. Thank God for the awesome weather. At least the ground was dry and our shoes and socks were spared from being caked with mud.

7:05 We crossed the hanging bridge with ease, then made a steep, uphill climb. I was out of breath by the time I reached the top.

7:15 We were back on the road, where Roland and I met Bitoy as we passed by the Chapel on the Hill. It was tempting to just walk, but we were encouraged to start running again when we saw other AMCI members taking pictures.

7:30 We made one final sprint and crossed the finish line!

7:45 After stretching and getting our freebies (Gatorade, Men’s Health September 2008 issue, and TIMEX discount cards), we grabbed our cameras from the car and took lots of photos.

8:15 We stood by the finish line to cheer for AMCI members in the 20-km category who were just finishing their runs. (Congratulations to my batchmate, Mercy, who won 1st place in the female division!)

9:15 We headed back to Alfonso Hotel to eat breakfast. Coffee, chicken tocino, one egg, and a cup of fried rice was not enough to restore our energy!

12:00 After a quick nap, we headed to Hawaiian Barbecue—my fave restaurant in Tagaytay—with Bitoy, Christy, Marga, Marris and Ver to have a hearty lunch of spam rice, baby back ribs, chicken, barbecue, assorted seafood, and sweet pineapples. Aaah… my favorite part of the day! :)

Read more...

MTV Famous

August cover girl Claire tells us why winning this year’s MTV VJ Hunt totally rocks!
By Angel Constantino

Published: Candy Magazine, August 2005
Section: On the Cover

This was my first cover feature for Candy. Luckily, Claire was very friendly and bubbly, making my job a lot easier!

Here is an excerpt from the article:

Fast Facts
Full Name: Mary Claire S. Olivar
Nicknames: Claire, Claire-Bear, Clairol
Age: 19
Birthday: January 21, 1986
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Why did you decide to join the MTV VJ Hunt?
I thought it would be a really cool job and that I would meet a lot of great people. When I was in high school, I interviewed MTV VJ Sarah Meier for a project and she is just the coolest person for me. I know it sounds corny but meeting her really inspired me to get into this line of work.

What made you stand out from all the other people who auditioned?
The producer said what he remembered about me was that I wore a bright yellow top!

How did you feel during the auditions?
I auditioned in Megamall and it was nerve-wracking ‘cause there were literally hundreds of people. I had to wait for hours—I was applicant 168! I was trying to memorize my spiel while the people in front of me and behind me were also trying to memorize theirs. It was so confusing ‘cause we all had different spiels.

What was it like being with the other finalists?
It was really fun and the atmosphere was not competitive at all. Everyone was super nice and friendly. A lot of romances developed among the finalists too! Haha!

To read more, grab a copy of Candy's August 2005 issue!

Read more...

Tribute to Your Best Friend

Five ways to let your best bud know she's your number one pal!
By Angel Constantino

Published: Candy Magazine, August 2005
Section: Bond, Girl!

Here is an excerpt from the article: 

To preserve the wonderful memories of your friendship, direct a tribute video for your best bud! Take shots of your favorite things and your favorite hangouts, interview her parents, siblings, and other friends, and ask them to say something good about her or give her a special message. Don't forget to add some special effects and put her favorite songs on the soundtrack!

To read more, grab a copy of Candy's August 2005 issue!

Read more...

Goal For It

Here are some tidbits of inspiration to help you face your fears, live life to the fullest, and achieve your dreams!
Compiled by Angel Constantino

Published: Candy Magazine, July 2005
Section: Candy Candor

This is a collection of some of my favorite quotes. I compiled it for the July 2005 issue, with the theme "Make It Happen!" and Candy Teen Model Search Winner Ellen Adarna on the cover.

Read more...

It's All in the Cards

By Angel Constantino

Published: Candy Magazine, July 2005
Section: Bond, Girl!

When my high school friends planned to go to a tarot card reader, I really wanted to go with them but I had work that day. Luckily, I managed to convince my boss to let me write a story about it. This article was the result. :)

Read more...

Profile of a Dream Guy

Searching for Mister Right just got easier!
By Angel Constantino

Published: Candy Magazine, July 2005
Section: Candyman

I've always believed that knowing what you want is the first step to getting it—and that applies to finding the right guy as well! That was my idea for this piece, which was my first full length article as editorial assistant of Candy.

Read more...