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Philippine Showbiz Today
October 22 - November 7, 2018
Jan. 22-Feb.7, 2015
Headline News
Doug McCallum mayoral victory
in Surrey a win for Filipinos
Doug McCallum is the
comeback kid in this year’s
October 20 municipal election in
B.C.
For McCallum, his third
attempt to return as mayor of
Surrey was successful.
Having lost the mayor’s seat
to Dianne Watts in 2005, and his
attempt to reclaim the chair in
2014, McCallum is once again
Surrey mayor.
It is going to be his fourth
term, following a 13-year hiatus
from city politics.
For the Filipino community,
McCallum’s victory is also a win
for Filipinos.
It can be recalled that in
the 2014 election campaign,
McCallum pledged to work with
the Filipino community to address
its needs.
These include helping the
community put back on track the
project to build a Filipino cultural
centre.
In an interview back then,
McCallum also promised to
support other cultural activities
like festivals and parades by
waiving police and other related
fees during these events.
“I want to help the Filipino
community,” McCallum said
during that time in a conversation
with the Filipino Canadian and
Multicultural Society of Surrey.
McCallum served as a Surrey
City Councillor between 1993-
1996 and as Mayor of Surrey
between 1996-2005.
McCallum has close ties with
the Filipino community dating
back to his time as mayor of
Surrey between 1996 to 2005.
Over this period, McCallum
worked closely with various
groups and stakeholders to
obtain land for a Filipino cultural
centre. However, the project did
not progress for many reasons.
In the campaign for the
October 20, 2018 election,
Filipinos in Surrey engaged in a
grassroots campaign to spread
the word that McCallum is a friend
of the community.
Ogie not the reason why
Regine made the move
Ogie Alcasid nixes talks that
he’s allegedly the reason why
wife Regine Velasquez decided to
transfer to ABS-CBN after being
with rival network GMA for twenty
years.
“I guess it’s just but natural
for them to think that way becau-
se I’m already here in the Kapa-
milya grounds,” he states. “But to
be honest, I never meddled with
any of her professional decisio-
ns. Never had I convinced her to
follow me here in ABS-CBN. It’s
still her call. I’m just here as her
husband.”
When they were both sti-
ll in GMA, they had done nu-
merous
projects
together
like SOP, Party Pilipinas, Celebrity
Duets and Sunday All Stars. Now
that Regine is a Kapamilya, many
ask if he will be open to do a pro-
ject with her if ever.
“Well, that sounds a good
idea! If that will happen, I’ll be gra-
The grassroots campaign
involved Rey Fortaleza, founder
of the ReyFort Media Group, the
umbrella company of Philippine
Asian News Today, Philippine
Showbiz Today, and Philippine
Canadian News TV.
In the October 20 election,
McCallum defeated Tom Gill of
the Surrey First party.
McCallum’s Safe Surrey
Coalition also won all but one of
the seats in city council.
McCallum told the crowd of
Safe Surrey Coalition supporters
on election night that Surrey will
be seeing its own police force, the
building of a SkyTrain extension,
the removal of paid parking on the
streets around the hospital and
“smart development” throughout
the city.
“This campaign was all about
change,” McCallum said to cheers
from the crowd. “And you have
just elected a council that is going
to make those changes.”
McCallum also said there
are “many more things to do
Regine returns
It was not really a transfer,
said Regine Velasquez.
The singer-actress cleared
she has returned to ABS-CBN,
where she started her career more
than thirty years ago.
“Not many people know I
started my career here,” she said
at her press con at ABS-CBN’s
Dolphy Theater on Oct. 17.
She
recalled
appearing
in several ABS-CBN shows,
including “Teen Pan Alley” with
Janno Gibbs and Bing Loyzaga.
Regine will be doing three
shows in ABS-CBN, “ASAP,” “Idol
Philippines,” and a sitcom with
husband Ogie Alcasid and actor
teful. It’s been ages since we last Ian Veneracion. She will also be
collaborated on a TV show. But singing the theme song, to be
just like what she already announ- penned by Alcasid, of the Angel
ced, we’re doing a musical sitcom Locsin series, “The General’s
together,” he says.
Daughter.”
Meanwhile, Ogie is thankful
“The reason why I’m here
that as for his own career,
he’s as busy as a bee.
He’s seen as a regular jud-
ge in It’s Showtime apart
from his inclusion in Home
Sweetie Home and ASAP.
“I’m simply grateful.
The spacing of my shows
are okay. My bosses always
see to it that I’m okay and
comfortable. I feel so bles-
sed when I moved here
and it feels as if I didn’t lea-
ve. In case you don’t know,
I started in the Kapamilya
lot with Small Brothers op-
posite Janno (Gibbs) in the
early nineties,” he ends.●
- JR Peters, TMT
and we’re going to do all of that,
literally, in the first couple of
council meetings when we start.”
The
inaugural
council
meeting will be Nov. 5.
The election results signified
a remarkable rebuke to the Surrey
First party that has controlled the
city’s politics since Dianne Watts
first unseated McCallum in 2005.
“We are a great city, a great
international city, and you have
elected a council that’s going to
fight for you,” McCallum said at
his election headquarters.
McCallum’s victory echoed
the stunning upset in Burnaby,
where a political novice, Mike
Hurley, defeated one of the
Lower Mainland’s longest serving
mayors, Derek Corrigan.●
is because I don’t how much
longer I will be able to sing. And
I want to work with very talented
singers, that’s it -- that before I end
my career I can say that I worked
with the number one station,” she
said.
“I realized that I still have
something to give. That’s why I’m
here, that’s why I returned. Now
is the perfect time” for her ABS-
CBN homecoming.
She is open to doing more,
she said, including singing
the
Kapamilya
Christmas
jingle, appearing in “FPJ’s Ang
Probinsyano,” recording albums
with Star Records, and movies
under Star Cinema.
She also announced her plan
to stage another benefit concert
for the reopening of Bantay Bata’s
Children’s Village.●
- Malaya