Latest news with #Tagalog
GMA Network
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Stell of SB19 sings ‘Meteor Garden' Tagalog OST in new video
The 'Meteor Garden' fever is on for SB19's Stell! On TikTok, the P-pop sensation shared a 53-second clip of himself singing the Tagalog version of the 'Meteor Garden' theme song, 'Can't Help Fallin,' originally performed by Josh Santana. Fresh from their concert in Taiwan, Stell opened his short cover with the phrase 'Sa letrang S' before belting out the song's lyrics, accompanied by a minus-one track. Meanwhile, both netizens and celebrities couldn't help but gush over Stell's cover, with some even playfully poking fun at it. 'Grabe ka na dao ming su!' fellow celebrity Benedict Cua said, while another user commented, 'Good singer, do you do weddings? like as the groom?' 'Meteor Garden' was a hit Taiwanese drama that aired in 2001. It starred Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou , Vanness Wu, Ken Chu as the F4 boys and the late Barbie Hsu as Dong Shan Cai. Meanwhile, SB19 just had their 'Simula at Wakas' concert in Taipei over the weekend. Previously, SB19 held a two-night concert at the Philippine Arena to kick off their 'Simula at Wakas' world tour, which is in support of their EP of the same name. The world tour includes stops in California, Canada, Hawaii, Singapore, Dubai, and more. — Jade Veronique Yap/LA, GMA Integrated News
AFP
3 days ago
- Politics
- AFP
Ex-Iranian president did not die in latest Iran-Israel war
"Breaking news! Helicopter crash / According to the report, the plane carrying Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi exploded (June 24)," partly reads the Tagalog-language caption of a Facebook post shared on June 25. It displays an image that appears to be from a TV report, with The Tagalog-language chyron says, "Foreign leaders offered their condolences after the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi." Image Screenshot of the false post taken on June 26, 2025, with the red X mark added by AFP The posts circulated after Iran retaliated against Israel's major bombardment campaign on June 13 targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites and killing top officials (archived link). Residential areas have also been hit in the fighting, with the health ministry in Tehran reporting at least 627 civilians killed and 4,900 wounded (archived link). Iran's retaliatory attacks on Israel have killed 28 people, according to official figures. While Iran and Israel have been locked in a shadow war for decades, their 12-day conflict was by far the most destructive confrontation between them (archived link). A US-proposed ceasefire between Israel and Iran appeared to be holding (archived link). US President Donald Trump had accused both countries of violating the ceasefire he announced late June 23, but hours later he said that it was in effect. Several other users re-shared the circulating TV report as recent, and comments on the post indicate some users were misled. "Maybe this is just a show. Because Iran attacked last night," one user said. Another wrote: "Haha smell something fishy. Why did he die? Because they lost to America". But the widely shared image is from a news report in May 2024. of the news chyron found that the Philippine broadcaster News5 uploaded the report on its verified TikTok page on May 21, 2024 (archived link). The report originally aired on the May 20 newscast of News5's Frontline Pilipinas (archived link). Its video caption said in Tagalog: "The president of Iran was killed in a helicopter crash. The Iranian foreign minister also died from the accident." Visuals shared in the false post corresponded to the 1:06 mark of News5's video. Image Screenshot comparison of the false Facebook post (left) and the News5 report uploaded on TikTok, with the red X and rectangular elements added by AFP AFP reported the helicopter apparently made a "hard landing" in the Dizmar forest between the cities of Varzaqan and Jolfa in Iran's East Azerbaijan province, near its border with Azerbaijan, under circumstances that remain unclear (archived link). Former health minister and long-time parliamentarian Masoud Pezeshkian replaced the late Raisi after winning the 2024 presidential polls (archived link). The election was called early following the death of the ultraconservative president Raisi, and took place amid heightened regional tensions and domestic discontent (archived link). AFP has debunked other false information on the Iran-Israel war here.
GMA Network
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Elias J: From rubber tree tapping to performing on the global stage
Elias Lintucan Jr., more popularly known as Elias J, is a happy-go-lucky 25-year-old young man from Magpet, Cotabato who suddenly rose to fame for his famous dance moves and singing, which he initially posted on Facebook and now on YouTube. His official Facebook page, Elias J TV, has 6.1 million followers as of press time. Now he has not only toured and performed all over the Philippines but is also getting offers to travel in the US for a series of shows. The son of Nenita and Elias Lintucan Sr., Elias grew up waking up early before the crack of dawn to help his father tap rubber trees to get the latex, then off he goes to school after his rubber tapping. "That was my job every day," revealed the charming Elias when we interviewed him virtually. Speaking in Tagalog, Elias shared, "Tinutulungan ko ang Papa ko araw araw. Pagkatapos papasok na ako. (I help my Papa every day. After work, I then go to school.) The municipality of Magpet, where Elias comes from, has a population of only 52,800 according to the 2020 census. It is mostly agricultural and a forestland area where the soil is suitable for crops like rubber, coffee, cacao, black pepper and bananas. Despite the hard life, Elias maintains a positive attitude. Asked where he got that positive attitude, Elias revealed that he got it from his grandparents. "My Lolo and Lola told me that wherever I am in life, I should not think that I am up there already. Always stay grounded. Don't forget where you came from. Always be humble. Respect others." The former rubber tree tapper-turned-performer revealed that he got inspiration for his dance moves from cutting the rubber tree. He shows us his moves during the virtual interview. "Kunwari ito yung puno, hawak mo yung puno dito at yung kutsilyo sa isang kamay. Uumpisahan mo sa taas tapos pababa. Duon ko lang nakuha yung moves ko. (For example, if you are holding the tree this way with one hand, and you have the knife in the other hand, you start cutting from the top, and then you go all the way down. So, I was just inspired by that and got my dance moves from that.) Elias, who also sings and plays the guitar, confessed that he was inspired by his father, who loves to sing while working. "Sinundan ko lang siya (I just followed him.)" Right now, Elias also composes but admits he is more of a dancer than a singer. But he did teach himself how to play the guitar. "I just watched my Papa and my uncle play the guitar, and I just practiced on my own." His music, which is described by many as reggae and street style percussion, has been embraced by many. With his Kalumad Band, they were able to release the "Ohahay Elias J. TV & Kalumad Band – Live in Kidapawan City" album and it went to number two on Apple Music Philippines. Contributed photo Most of his band members are from Cotabato as well. "Mga kaibigan ko din sila; mga katribo ko. (They are all my friends; my tribe.)" He admitted that they have been friends for a long time. "Gusto lang naming magpasaya ng tao (We just want to make people happy.) and I think it has been a success." As for his journey from Magpet, Cotabato, and hopefully to the world stage with his Kalumad Band, Elias enthused, "Gusto kong kasama ko ang banda ko sa buong mundo. Gusto ko silang dalhin para mapaligaya namin ang mga tao sa buong mundo. (I want to bring my bandmates all over the world. I want to bring them so we can make people happy everywhere.)" His fame and success came faster after he posted on Facebook his daily life, then his dance moves, and singing. Soon, he gained a lot of followers. Now his videos are all over YouTube as well. Asked why he wanted to be famous, Elias said, "Gusto ko kasing maging inspirasyon sa ibang mga bata. Gusto ko silang maging proud sa isang katutubo nila, isang katribo nila. At hindi na nila ikahihiya ang tribo nila. (I want to be an inspiration to the youth. I want them to be proud of their roots, their tribe. I don't want them to be embarrassed by their tribe anymore.) I want to represent them and be an inspiration." Elias, who took up Criminology, admitted that he simply took the course because there were no professionals in his family. "Sa pamilya kasi namin, walang mga professional, o mga nakatapos pero hindi naman nakapagtrabaho. At saka, walang pulis sa lugar namin, puro teachers. (There are no professionals in our family, or they studied but never worked. Plus, there are no police in our area, only teachers." The truth is, he added, he wanted to be a seaman. "Kaya lang, takot ako sa hampas ng tubig kaya nag-aral na lang ako magpulis. At saka yung kaibigan ko si Ryan sabi niya sa akin, mabuti raw mag-aral kaming dalawa magpulis para magkasama kami. Kaya ako nag-aral magpulis. Kaso mo, hindi nga natuloy dahil nagsimula na akong makilala sa Facebook. (I am scared of the waves, so I studied how to be a police officer. Also, my friend Ryan told me that it is better for us to study to be a police officer so we will be together. Unfortunately, I didn't become a police officer because I already started to become popular in Facebook.)" But is he happy about his decision and what he is doing now? "Yes," he quickly replied. "Ito ang tibok ng puso ko at ito ang pinakamasayang gawain. (This is what I love to do, and this is the most fun job.) I love what I do." He revealed that when he is performing on stage, he gets strength and inspiration from people who are smiling and are happy to see him perform. "Mas ganado ako pagnakakita ako ng mga taong nakangiti. Lumalakas ang loob ko. Nawawala ang aking hiya. (I am more inspired when I see smiling faces in the audience. I gain more confidence. I lose my shyness.)" So how does he handle his sudden fame and success? Smiling, Elias humbly answered, "Hindi pa naman po ako talagang sikat. (I am not really that famous.)" He laughed. Turning serious, he disclosed, "Pinababayaan ko na lang yung mga bashers at tinutuloy ko ang aking panaginip. Walang nagbabago. Katulad pa din ako ng dati. (I don't mind the bashers, and I just continue to focus on my dream. Nothing has changed. I am still the same person.)" Because of his hard work as a performer, Elias was able to bring his mother, Nenita, back home from Bahrain, where she was working as a housekeeper. "Pinauwi ko na siya at kawawa naman. (I asked her to go back home because I feel sorry for her.) Now his mother is reunited with his father in Magpet, Cotabato. At 25, Elias is already a family man. He has a live-in partner, Abigail Cariquitan, and a four-year-old son with her, Apollo. Does he see his son turning into a performer as well? He gave a big smile and laughed, "Probably. Nadidinig ko siyang kumanta. (I hear him singing.) But I will not force him to be one. He can be whatever he wants. I will just support him." To the young Cotabato kids from Magpet who want to follow in his footsteps, Elias advised, "Kailangan may respeto ka sa sarili, sa nakakatanda sa iyo. (You need to respect yourself and your elders.) Be humble always. Follow your heart." And when he does realize his dream of being able to perform on the global stage, what would be next for him, we asked. Calmly, Elias said, "Maayos na hanapbuhay at tahimik na pamumuhay. Duon na lang sa bukid magtrabaho. Ganon lang ang pangarap ko. Kung saan man ako dalhin ng panahon. (I just want a good livelihood and a peaceful life. I can stay in the province and work. That's my dream wherever life takes me.) —MGP, GMA Integrated News
Kuwait Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Kuwait Times
Netflix TV drama ‘Secrets We Keep' exposes the dangers of domestic migrant work
Secrets We Keep (Reservatet), a Danish suspense series on Netflix created by Ingeborg Topsøe, delves into the disappearance of a Filipina au pair from an elite suburb of Copenhagen — and delivers a sharp social commentary on racial and class entitlements. Moving fluidly between English, Danish and Tagalog, the six-part drama is a nuanced indictment of the lack of moral accountability among the rich. On display are the prejudices and complicity of white women in enabling a culture of toxic masculinity that treats Filipina migrant women as sexualized and disposable commodities. The story starts with a tearful Ruby Tan — a Filipina au pair who works for the affluent Rasmus (Lars Ranthe) and Katarina (Danica Curcic) — asking for some help with her employers from her neighbour, Cecilie (played by Marie Bach Hansen). Cecilie is a successful non-profit manager and mother of two married to a high-profile lawyer. She employs Angel (Excel Busano), a Filipina au pair. Cecilie tells Ruby she cannot get involved. The next day, Ruby vanishes without a trace. The series is propelled by Cecilie's guilt in refusing to help Ruby. She is shocked at her neighbours' apparent lack of concern for Ruby's disappearance. Cecilie begins to sleuth for clues regarding Ruby's disappearance and she eventually decides to assist Aicha, a racialized policewoman assigned to find the missing au pair. Cecilie discovers a pregnancy kit by a trash bin where she had last seen Ruby. And she soon suspects Ruby's employer, Rasmus, of raping her. While the series lacks true suspense due to its predictable story arc peppered with clues about Ruby's disappearance, it is amply compensated by a sharp critique on the moral decay of modern society, systemic racism and the complicity of women in upholding white masculine privilege. Warped racist view of the world Secrets We Keep lays bare the warped world view of rich, white privilege, racism and the sexual fetishism of Asian women. At a dinner party one night, Rasmus and Katarina do not seem concerned about their missing au pair. Katarina labels Filipina au pairs as whores working in brothels. When discussing Ruby, Katarina says, 'she probably ran off to do porn.' In one uncomfortable scene, Rasmus taunts Cecilia's husband, Mike (Simon Sears), about his sexual preferences. Mike responds by saying: 'I don't have 'yellow fever.'' Cecilia sits silently beside Mike. Katarina also calls Aicha (Sara Fanta Traore), the policewoman, 'the little brown one.' At a formal dinner, Rasmus tells Cecilia: 'We stick together. We are from the same world, and we are loyal to each other.' High rates of violence against women The reduction of Ruby into a sexual object in the show reflects the high rates of sexual violence against Filipina au pairs in Scandinavia. It led the Philippines to ban the participation of Scandinavian countries in its 'informal labour' arrangement in 1998. Though the ban was lifted in 2010, Au Pair Network, an advocacy group, reveals that the program is still riddled with abuse. The Nordic Paradox is a term used to describe how Scandinavian countries, including Denmark, rank the highest in the Gender Equality Index yet suffer from very high rates of violence against women and intimate partner violence in Europe. At a recent gender studies conference in Stockholm, Ardis Ingvars, a sociologist at the University of Iceland who worked as an au pair for a year in the United States just after she turned 18, recalls her anxiety and apprehension as she moved to Boston. She said: 'Au pairs hope to be lucky with the family turning out OK. What is difficult to take is the attitude of 'ownership' that the children and families display over the au pairs as an unquestioned entitlement.' Ingvars said asymmetrical power relations embedded within the au pair system reinforce racial and class hierarchies. This is reflected in Secrets We Keep. Midway during Aicha's investigation, as she hits roadblock after roadblock, she cries out in frustration: 'She's a fucking nobody in their world.' Feminized labour exploitation Economic globalization, neoliberal policies and an increased dependence on the remittance economy fuses with the care gap in the Global North to fuel the feminized care migration from the Global South, many of them Filipino women. Au pairs are placed with host families who provide free board and meals in return for up to 30 hours a week of housework and child care as they learn the host language and customs. The au pairs are paid 'pocket money' of Danish Kroner 5,000 per month (approx $1,000 Canadian) out of which they also pay local taxes. One scene shows one of Cecilie's work meetings. A junior staff member expresses surprise that Cecilie has an au pair, labelling it a relic of colonial era racial hierarchies. Cecilie defends herself, and says the system survives because of the failure of men to keep up their domestic bargain and thus the need for women like her 'to outsource care.' She argues the Filipina au pairs 'are dependable' and she is 'a much better mother' because of Angel. But Cecilie doesn't acknowledge her privilege — that to be with her children and have a career is predicated on the exploitative extraction of care from Global South women. The female au pairs in Denmark must be between 18-29 years of age, childless, never married and at the end of two years, return home. Almost 50 to 75 per cent of au pairs in Denmark are Filipino women Cecilie's shock at finding out that Angel has a son whom she left behind in the Philippines is part of her denial. In the end, Cecilie is unable to confront her own complicity and decides to release Angel from their au pair arrangement. 'You know nothing about my world…You are very lucky,' cries Angel in anguish as Cecilie hands her the return ticket and an extra three months' pay to demonstrate her magnanimity. Secrets We Keep reveals the brutal reality for Global South au pairs as well as upper-class white women and their entitlements. It indicates that even though these white wealthy women may see mistreatment, they maintain their silence and participate in wilful gendered violence to hold onto that privilege, while maintaining a façade of compassion towards the disposable racial migrant other. - Reuters
AFP
5 days ago
- Politics
- AFP
AI fakes duel over Sara Duterte impeachment in Philippines
Neither were real. The schoolboys and elderly woman making their cases were AI creations, examples of increasingly sophisticated fakes possible with even basic online tools. "Why single out the VP?", a digitally created boy in a white school uniform asks, arguing that the case was politically motivated. The House of Representatives impeached Sara Duterte in early February on charges of graft, corruption and an alleged assassination plot against former ally and running mate President Ferdinand Marcos (archived link). But after convening as an impeachment court on June 10, the senior body immediately sent the case back to the House, questioning its constitutionality (archived link). Duterte ally Senator Ronald dela Rosa shared the video of the schoolboys -- since viewed millions of times -- praising the youths for having a "better understanding of what's happening" than their adult counterparts. The vice president's younger brother Sebastian, mayor of family stronghold Davao, said the clip proved "liberals" did not have the support of the younger generation. When the schoolboys were exposed as digital creations, the vice president and her supporters were unfazed. "There's no problem with sharing an AI video in support of me. As long as it's not being turned into a business," Duterte told reporters (archived link). "Even if it's AI... I agree with the point," said Dela Rosa, the one-time enforcer of ex-president Rodrigo Duterte's drug war. Five minutes' work The video making the case for impeachment -- also with millions of views -- depicts an elderly woman peddling fish and calling out the Senate for failing to hold a trial. "You 18 senators, when it's the poor who steal, you want them locked up immediately, no questions asked. But if it's the vice president who stole millions, you protect her fiercely," she says in Tagalog. Both clips bore a barely discernible watermark for the Google video-generation platform Veo. AFP fact-checkers also identified visual inconsistencies, such as overly smooth hair and teeth and storefronts with garbled signage. Image Screenshot of the AI-generated video with the "Veo" watermark highlighted by AFP Image Screenshot of visual details in the AI-generated image highlighted in red by AFP The man who created the fish peddler video, Bernard Senocip, 34, told AFP it took about five minutes to produce the eight-second clip. Reached via his Facebook page, Senocip defended his work in a video call, saying AI characters allowed people to express their opinions while avoiding the "harsh criticism" frequent on social media. "As long as you know your limitations and you're not misleading your viewers, I think it's fine," he said, noting that -- unlike the Facebook version -- he had placed a "created by AI" tag on the video's TikTok upload. While AFP has previously reported on websites using hot-button Philippine issues to generate cash, Senocip said his work was simply a way of expressing his political opinions. The schoolboy video's creator, the anonymous administrator of popular Facebook page Ay Grabe, declined to be interviewed but said his AI creations' opinions had been taken from real-life students (archived link). AFP, along with other media outlets, is paid by some platforms including Meta, Google and TikTok for work tackling disinformation. 'Grey area' Using AI to push viewpoints via seemingly ordinary people can make beliefs seem "more popular than they actually are", said Jose Mari Lanuza of Sigla Research Center, a non-profit organisation that studies disinformation (archived link). "In the case of the impeachment, this content fosters distrust not only towards particular lawmakers but towards the impeachment process." While some AI firms have developed measures to protect public figures, Jose Miguelito Enriquez, an associate research fellow at Nanyang Technological University, said the recent Philippine videos were a different animal (archived link). "Some AI companies like OpenAI previously committed to prevent users from generating deepfakes of 'real people', including political candidates," he said. "But... these man-on-the-street interviews represent a grey area because technically they are not using the likeness of an actual living person." Crafting realistic "humans" was also getting easier, said Dominic Ligot, founder of Data and AI Ethics PH (archived link). "Veo is only the latest in a string of rapidly evolving tools for AI media generation," he said, adding the newest version produced "smoother, more realistic motion and depth compared to earlier AI video models". Google did not reply when AFP asked if they had developed safeguards to prevent Veo from being used to push misinformation. For Ligot, guardrails around the swiftly evolving technology are a must, warning AI was increasingly being used to "influence how real people feel, pressure decision-makers and distort democratic discourse".
