Filipina model, accusers hail Weinstein convictions

MANILA, Philippines — Harvey Weinstein was convicted in New York on Monday of sexual assault and rape, more than two years after allegations of the disgraced movie mogul's sexual misconduct sparked the global #MeToo movement.

The 67-year-old was acquitted of the most serious charge of predatory sexual assault but faces a lengthy jail term.

The guilty verdicts were hailed as a landmark moment for the #MeToo movement, with accusers, activists and attorneys lining up to congratulate prosecutors.

Here is the best of the reactions:

'Jumping for joy'

Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, a Filipina-Italian model who reported Harvey Weinstein to the New York Police Department in 2015 for allegedly groping her during a meeting at his Tribeca office, reacts outside of court to the news that Weinstein was found guilty of a criminal sexual act and third degree rape on February 24.

In an interview with Court TV, Gutierrez said that she feels "happiness, pure happiness" for the verdict.

"Just jumping for joy! This was the verdict that I was really wishing for not just for myself but for a positive outcome and experience to everything, so we can move forward the conversation, so that things like this should not get to this point," she said in the video interview posted on her Twitter page.

Ambra was a Miss Italy finalist. She also competed at the Century Tuna Superbods competition in Manila in 2016 and won as a runner-up.

'Collective healing' 

Actress Ashley Judd, one of the first Weinstein accusers to go public with her allegations, thanked the six women who told the high-profile trial that the ex-Hollywood titan had sexually assaulted them.

"For the women who testified in this case, and walked through traumatic hell, you did a public service to girls and women everywhere, thank you. #ConvictWeinstein #Guilty," she wrote on Twitter.

Actress Ellen Barkin simply named them.

"Right now Harvey Weinstein is on his way to prison. These are the women who put him away... Mimi Haleyi, Jessica Mann, Annabella Sciorra, Dawn Dunning, Lauren Young, Tarale Wulff," she tweeted.

High-profile accuser Rose McGowan tweeted: "Today is a powerful day & a huge step forward in our collective healing."

Italian actress and director Asia Argento, who told the New Yorker magazine that Weinstein raped her in 1997, posted a photo of herself and another woman on Instagram.

"Harvey Weinstein is now a convicted rapist. Two survivors cry and celebrate. Thank you God," she wrote alongside it.

Actress Rosanna Arquette paid tribute on Twitter to "the brave women who've testified and to the jury for seeing through the dirty tactics of the defense."

Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement, said in a statement: "The implications reverberate far beyond Hollywood and into the daily lives of all of us in the rest of the world."

Sciorra lament 

Gloria Allred, attorney for Sciorra and Haleyi, told reporters outside court that, "It's no longer business as usual in the United States."

"This is the age of empowerment of women, and you cannot intimidate them anymore, because women will not be silenced," she said.

"They will speak up, they will have their voice, they will stand up and be subjected to your small army of defense attorneys cross-examining them, attempting to discredit them," Allred added.

Some took to social media to express regret that the jury failed to convict Weinstein of predatory sexual assault based on the testimony of "The Sopranos" actress Annabella Sciorra.

She testified that Weinstein raped her almost 30 years ago as the prosecution sought to portray him as a career sexual predator.

"HARVEY WEINSTEIN HAS BEEN HANDCUFFED & TAKEN TO JAIL!" tweeted actress Rosie Perez, who testified on Sciorra's behalf during the trial.

"GUTTED FOR MY DEAR FRIEND #ANNABELLASCIORRA WHO TOLD THE TRUTH! YET I CONGRATULATE HER & ALL WHO CAME FORWARD FOR THEIR BRAVERY. THIS IS NOT ENOUGH BUT SURVIVORS TAKE COURAGE! THIS IS STILL A GREAT WIN!" she wrote.

"#IBelieveAnnabellaSciorra," actress Alyssa Milano wrote on Twitter.

Journalist and former Miss America Gretchen Carlson simply tweeted: "I hope the handcuffs are tight..." — With AFP in New York

philstar.com

Sri Lankan faces UAE court for making death threat vs. Pinay on Facebook

A Sri Lankan electrician faced a United Arab Emirates (UAE) court on Sunday for allegedly threatening to kill a Filipina co-worker via a post on the social networking site Facebook.

The Sri Lankan, 33, was also accused of making a similar threat to the Filipina waitress via text message, according to a report of the news site Khaleej Times on Monday.

He was charged the Court of First Instance for threatening to commit a crime supposedly after the Filipina turned down his marriage proposal, the report said.

The Filipina waitress, 24, told prosecutors that she saw the threatening message on Facebook in March.

She said she and the Sri Lankan used to work in the same hotel in Abu Dhabi.

While the Filipina was transferred to Dubai, the defendant allegedly kept calling her and sending her SMS messages.

The Filipina had her mobile number deactivated but later learned from a friend that the defendant posted on Facebook that he wanted to kill her.

After seeing the message, the Filipina sought police assistance and lodged a complaint.

Police in Jebel Ali arrested the defendant and seized his laptop in April.

For his part, the defendant said he and the Filipina met two-and-a-half years ago and entered into a relationship for one year.

He said he lent the Filipina Dh1,000 and she did not pay it back. He also claimed the Filipina ignored his calls.

But he admitted he wrote on his Facebook page that he wanted to kill her and asked people how he could do it. - VVP, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

Microsoft appoints first Filipina in top PH post

MANILA, Philippines — For the first time ever, software giant Microsoft has appointed a Filipina to manage its operations in the Philippines with the announcement of Karrie Ilagan as the local unit’s new managing director.

Ilagan, formerly the enterprise sales director of Microsoft Philippines, will be replacing John Bessey, who served at the top post of Microsoft Philippines for three years.

The appointment of Ilagan comes as the software company prepares to release Windows 8, its attempt at staying relevant in the tech industry amid taking hits from smartphone and tablet manufacturers.

“Our focus has changed tremendously over the past years. We are not just a company that sells software,” Ilagan emphasized in a statement.

As a six-year Microsoft executive, Ilagan led the expansion of Microsoft’s footprint in key enterprise customers in the Philippines, as well as the launching of key Microsoft products in the Philippines such as Windows Vista, Office 2007, Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008.

Ilagan said she will hit the ground running with continuing to “grow the local software economy” as well as pushing for consumers’ rights to have a choice in technology that brings them the best benefits, whether in personal or in business use.

“I believe that there are still a large number of Filipino companies that can achieve global competitiveness by enhancing their IT capabilities,” she said, adding that with the right combination of technology, education, and appropriate government help, “Microsoft Philippines can make a valuable contribution to the development of the country.”

An 18-year IT veteran, Ilagan served in key executive positions in a number of technology companies in the Philippines. Prior to joining Microsoft, she led IBM’s global small and medium business unit in the Philippines from 2003 to 2005, and was country manager of its personal systems group from 2000 to 2002.

Ilagan will be the second Filipina IT executive appointed at a top management position this year, following the assignment of Mariels Almeda Winhoffer as the new country managing director of IBM Philippines.

source: interaksyon.com

Pinay in Texas gets 20 years for attempted murder of lover's wife

HOUSTON — A furor erupted this week over a plea deal that resulted in a 20-year prison sentence for a murderous Texas mistress with the victim and her lawyer calling the deal “corrupt” and “laughable.”

Prosecutors fired back questioning the “integrity and ethics” of the lawyer representing the victim of the attempted murder.

Michelle Gaiser, 39, a Filipina, pleaded guilty to solicitation of capital murder for the 2010 attempts to kill Yvonne Stern, 54.

Gaiser claimed to have plotted the murders with her lover, Jeffrey Stern, Yvonne Stern’s husband.

Yvonne Stern has since reconciled with her husband and earlier this week prosecutors dropped all charges against Jeffrey Stern because Gaiser’s claims could not be corroborated.

Gaiser must serve at least half of her sentence before being eligible for parole, and with credit for time served she will be eligible in about eight years.

At the end of her sentence, she will be deported to her native Philippines.

Yvonne Stern wanted Gaiser sentenced to 40 years and read a scathing victim’s impact statement in court, accusing prosecutor Kari Allen of treating “this killer like her best friend.”

“This corrupt plea deal would be more understandable if she had not lived her adult life lying, cheating, stealing and trying to kill anyone who crossed her or stood in her way,” Yvonne Stern said.

“I feel completely betrayed by Kari Allen and Pat Lykos for making this crooked deal.”

Stern’s attorney, Chip Lewis, accused Lykos, the Harris County district attorney, of pacifying Gaiser’s lawyers by giving her a “laughable” sentence.

Lykos released a blistering statement in response to Lewis’ comments.

“Chip Lewis has once again demonstrated that he and the truth are strangers, and calumny is his constant companion. Defamation spews from his lips as naturally as breathing,” Lykos wrote.

She noted that Lewis, who used to be employed by the District Attorney’s Office, left “under a cloud.”

During his time with the District Attorney’s Office, Lewis was prosecuting a sexual assault case involving three defendants who were charged with raping an unconscious woman, Lykos said.

Without notifying the victim, Lewis had charges against two of the men dismissed, and had the charges of the third defendant reduced to a non-sexual offense, she said.

“Shortly thereafter Lewis resigned from the District Attorney’s Office and went to work for one of the defense attorneys involved,” she said.

“This is the man who proposes to stand in judgment of Kari Allen’s ethics and integrity. Were he capable of it, he should be ashamed.”

The sentencing capped a tumultuous investigation of the case.

“It is near impossible for me to put into words the pain and suffering this animal has caused me and my family,” Yvonne Stern said.

“I have suffered for two years due to this animal and remain scarred for life.”

“It is clear that this monster is very unstable and she should spend the rest of her existence behind bars where she cannot attempt to kill anyone else,” she said.

In exchange for her guilty plea and cooperation with the government, prosecutors had initially agreed to reduce her possible life sentence to a maximum of 25 years in prison.

The status of Gaiser’s previous deal was questioned after last Tuesday’s announcement that charges were dropped against Jeffrey Stern.

Last month, Jeffrey Stern’s attorneys held a press conference to state they had information that Gaiser was trying to have Jeffrey Stern killed from behind bars.

Paul Nugent read from a jailhouse letter Gaiser allegedly wrote in which the attorney said she ordered a hit on Jeffrey Stern.

“Michelle Gaiser — from her jail cell — has plotted yet another murder,” Nugent said.

“She has solicited an inmate to murder Jeffrey Stern for $20,000.”

Nugent said Gaiser wrote that the hit should happen near the Sterns’ vacation home in Aspen.

According to Nugent, the letter also said that if Stern was killed near the Aspen residence, “people will think the wife did the planning to kill him as revenge.”

Nugent said he turned the note over to the district attorney, who declined to bring Gaiser up on any new charges.

Prosecutors originally alleged that Stern, a prominent Houston lawyer, and his former mistress planned three failed attempts to kill Yvonne Stern.

In the third alleged attempt on her life in May 2010 she was shot in the stomach while sitting in her car.

Since the shooting Yvonne Stern has launched a civil suit against Gaiser.

Yvonne Stern initially filed for divorce after learning of her husband’s infidelity, but took him back.

She has said she does not believe he was responsible for the attempts on her life.

She told ABC News that the sloppiness of the attempts to murder her made her confident that her husband could not have been involved.

“Is this the plot of a mastermind? My husband is brilliant. He’s smart. He’s talented. He would never be capable of doing such a terrible job,” she said. - Filipino Reporter

source: gmanetwork.com

Filipina architect’s buildings awarded preservation grants

Sixteen historic places received preservation grants as part of the Partners in Preservation competition in New York City, the first-ever citywide effort powered by social media.

Four of the sites are current and past clients of UST alumna and preservationist architect Roz Li. These are the Brown Memorial Baptist Church in Brooklyn, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens and the Weeksville Heritage Center in Brooklyn.

“I am happy to share with you the good news that the restoration of the stained glass of the Brown Memorial Baptist Church in Brooklyn has been awarded a grant of $200,000 by American Express through their Partnership in Preservation Program,” says Roz in a statement. “Thanks very much for voting for this project through Facebook and other online sites.”

Roz is a registered architect in New York, New Jersey and the Philippines with more than 30 years experience. She received her Master’s degree in Historic Preservation from Columbia University and her architectural degree from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. A principal at Li-Saltzman, she is an advocate of preserving historic buildings through her Bakas Pilipinas foundation. One of its projects is the artistic San Sebastian Basilica in Manila known for its turn-of-the-century Gothic architecture.

The 16 organizations that received grants were:

▪ Brown Memorial Baptist Church, Brooklyn: $200,000 to complete restoration of Transept’s Roberts Memorial Tiffany Pilgrim window frame and glass.
▪ Henry Street Settlement, Manhattan: $175,000 to develop an achievable, measurable and replicable model for achieving sustainability in historic structures.



▪ Lower East Side Tenement Museum, Manhattan: $170,000 to arrest the active deterioration and loss of historic fabric within three of the “instructive ruin” apartments.
▪ Apollo Theater, Manhattan: $150,000 to restore specific decorative elements in the historic auditorium.
▪ Louis Armstrong House Museum, Queens: $150,000 to repair exteriors including patio woodwork and interiors such as bathroom tiles.
▪ Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx: $150,000 to conserve exterior of mausoleum including the resetting of uneven terrace stones and preservation of doors.
▪ Tug Pegasus & Waterfront Museum Barge, Brooklyn: $140,000 total with $90,000 to repair the main deck of Tug Pegasus and $50,000 to permanently preserve markings and historical “graffiti” on barge walls of the LV 79.
▪ St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery, Manhattan: $135,000 to replace exteriors including the portico floor, roof, and front arches.
▪ Alice Austen House Museum, Staten Island: $120,000 to repaint exterior and repair the roof’s decorative woodwork, shutters and chimney, and build a new handicap access door.
▪ Flushing Town Hall, Queens: $100,000 to restore windows and roofing, coinciding with the 150th anniversary celebration of the building.
▪ Staten Island Museum at Snug Harbor, Staten Island: $100,000 to renovate and reset the exterior stairs and conserve the cast iron staircase in Building A, which is being transformed into a new home for the Museum.
▪ Queens County Farm Museum, Queens: $80,000 to restore the farm’s exteriors by replacing the roof, windows, clapboards and exterior wall shingles.
▪ Federal Hall National Memorial, Manhattan: $75,000 to repair, clean and protectively coat the statue of George Washington.
▪ Caribbean Cultural Center, Manhattan: $70,000 to redevelop and renovate an 8,400 square foot former city firehouse to create its new home on 125th street.
▪ Weeksville Heritage Center, Brooklyn: $70,000 to reuse the existing shed structure for exhibit and program space and recreate a root cellar.

Forty sites from all five boroughs competed for public votes this spring for preservation funding. American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation will have infused $3 million in funding to preserve historic buildings throughout New York.

“This program is designed to encourage community support for preservation and have the public rally behind their favorite historic places to help us determine where these funds are needed,” said Timothy J. McClimon, president of the American Express Foundation. “The sites’ dedication and persistence paid off and should prove to have a lasting effect on these historic places.”

“By spotlighting the benefits of historic preservation and the need for funding to keep historic sites vibrant, this program has galvanized New Yorkers to recognize the treasures in their communities,” said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “The long-term benefits of the program are evident with the increased engagement of local preservationists by the historic sites through their web pages and social media channels, coupled with an increase in visitors to the sites themselves.”

source: thefilam.net

Pinay filmmaker Lea Dizon set to produce her first film in Hollywood

Just two months after finishing her masteral degree at the University of South California (USC) in the United States last year, independent Filipina filmmaker Lea Dizon received an offer to produce her first feature film in Hollywood.

Dizon, 32, a graduate of the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon City, took up a masteral course on film and television production at the USC.

Dizon told GMA News Online that two USC alumni — Matthew Breault and Alex George Pickering of the Fifth Floor Balcony Pictures — broached to her the idea of producing a science fiction film.

“I met both of them while taking my Masters at USC. We were all in the same class. I have worked with Matt before and I think he is a talented director. When he pitched me the idea which he co-wrote with Alex, I thought it was fantastic,” she said.

“It was just a no-brainer to decide to work with two of the most talented and most hardworking people in my class,” she added.

The movie “Impulse Control,” to be filmed in late 2012, is set in a world where a new disease greatly reduces the ability of humans to control their anger, a report of the Asian Journal said.

The movie will revolve around the life of a family who made their home a fortress as they try to survive the onslaught of people from the “outside world” who are affected by the strange disease. The family is torn-apart as members start getting infected by the disease.

The team expects the movie to be ready by December 2013.

“We are certainly planning to get it distributed everywhere. Of course the Philippines is on top of my list!” Dizon said.

“I thought it was a great idea! If you accidentally give someone the stink eye, you might just get killed. Isn’t that just so interesting?” she asked.

She said her favorite character in “Impulse Control” is Rain, the wife of one of the main protagonists and one of the millions who were afflicted by the disease.

“As a woman I relate to her. She is the type of character who has to balance vulnerability while still having to be strong in pulling everyone together,” Dizon explained.

“We always have to know when to be strong and when to reign it in and let go and have others be strong for us--that in itself is a strength,” she added.

Life after "Impulse"

Dizon said, after “Impulse Control,” her “goal is to always have projects that are in the works."

“Ideally at any given time, I'd have one that's finishing , one that's in production, and one that is being developed, and so that is what I'm trying to constantly do,” she said.

Dizon was originally from Angeles City and after graduating from UP Diliman, went on to work in the Philippines for a couple of years.

She then decided to chase her dream of working in Hollywood and moved to Los Angeles.

“I kept thinking how wonderful it would be to be able to tell stories that have the potential to reach as many people in the world as possible,” she says.

She found living in the US challenging and missed some things in the Philippines.

”Mabilis ang buhay sa Amerika. Walang time for drama, you just have to keep going and moving forward kundi maiiwan ka sa biyahe,” Dizon said.

”I miss the food and my family of course, and to be honest I miss having someone taking care of the house for me. Here, life gets so hectic that most of the time there's hardly time to see people,” she added.

She is thankful for her family and friends who have believed and supported all her projects all these years and would like to invite everyone to watch “Impulse Control”.

“To everyone reading this, please support our film! We definitely need more Filipino representation in the international scene. Let's do this. All together we can make this happen! To infinity and beyond!!!” - VVP, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

'Panny Girl' and Internet sensation Petra Mahalimuyak signs with Viva

Boss Vic del Rosario knew next to nothing about her. Only that she's popular on the Internet. The CEO of Viva Entertainment hadn't even seen any of her hit videos on Youtube.

But when he laid eyes on her for the first time Thursday he knew instantly that he was in the presence of a star, albeit one who speaks "panny".

Petra Mahalimuyak is a feisty fashion-forward Filipina who speaks in fluent but heavily accented English.

Boss Vic, who charts the careers of Sarah Geronimo, Anne Curtis, Vice Ganda, Cristine Reyes, and Willie Revillame, is confident that Petra Mahalimuyak can cross over to Philippine showbiz in a big way now that she has signed a management contract with Viva Artist Agency.

He wants Petra to be on TV, in movies, on the live stage, in CDs. "She is a new kind of comedienne—maganda, magaling, matalino!” he quipped after being bowled over by Petra during their first meeting in his office.

She looked every inch a leading lady in a chic royal blue mini-dress that showed off her fetching figure. It was only when she slipped into Petra mode to perform a short medley of her biggest viral hits that the "panny" girl emerged.

Yes, for the uninitiated, Petra Mahalimuyak is just a character. It was created last year by then-18-year-old Filipino-American model Ashley Rivera, who was born in Los Angeles, grew up in the Philippines and moved to Las Vegas in 2010.

"Petra is my alter ego," Ashley said. "She's the exaggerated version of me. She'll do whatever she wants. And she sincerely doesn't give a pack."

Petra Mahalimuyak, whose surname means "fragrant" in Filipino, was born out of boredom while Ashley was adjusting to her life in Las Vegas. She made her Youtube debut almost a full year ago, on April 12, with the video, "Make Up Tutorial by Petra M."

To date, her Youtube channel has over 50,000 subscribers, and it has also played host to Ashley's other characters, including the British fashionista Tiffany Madison and Petra's best friend, Jora Echusera.

Her 40-plus self-produced videos of tutorials, parodies, and skits—shot mostly in her bathroom using her iPhone—have received over 9 million total views. Her biggest hit, "How to get abs in 1 min," has been viewed 1,098,561 times as of presstime.

"I absolutely love entertaining people," said Ashley. "It's a passion of mine. I love to dance, act, sing, cook and just have fun. I don't take things too seriously. I just go with the flow."

Did she say cook? Yes, Ashley is a graduate of the Center for Asian Culinary Studies and could certainly carry her own cooking show.

With Boss Vic paving the way, she can expect mainstream Filipino audiences to soon bear witness to her considerable comedic skills.

On Saturday afternoon, Petra Mahalimuyak had a meet-and-greet session with her Facebook fans at Fez in Serendra in Taguig City.

source: interaksyon.com