Weaving was almost certainly a dying tradition that would die with the last of its weavers. With her mother, Anya Lim founded ANTHILL, a Cebu-based social enterprise that preserves the Philippine weaving traditions and brings weaving to a new generation of consumers through contemporary products. Anya has since received different accolades for ANTHILL, including being named as an Asia Society 21 Fellow.
Representing Filipino flavors on a global stage is Chef Jordy Navarra of Toyo Eatery, who won over the folks at the recent Madrid Fusion with his presentation on our local fermented fare, buro and bagoong. Chef Jordy also recently opened Panaderya Toyo, which offers a fresh take on the local Pinoy panaderya, such as the knotted pandesal, partly created with a traditional “tropical” process.
Yel Cast
Yel Cast is a celebrated leaf artist and children’s advocate. He recently dedicated five of his paintings to the 50,000 displaced children of Marawi, where the proceeds from his artwork would go to the children’s benefit.
Marco Ho (Bogart the Explorer)
You may know Bogart the Explorer as the Aussie-talking urban explorer from Davao City, but Bogart, aka Marco Ho in real life, is more of a shy type. When it comes to making investments, Marco says that he’s more of a “conservative type of guy” with a “low-risk” attitude, only involving himself in matters he’s absolutely confident about — like the foreign accents he shows off through multimedia production outfit, PaperBugTV, as well as the quality of Hoy Panga’s many delicacies.
Gee Canlas
You may have already watched Gee Canlas in teleseryes and sitcoms, such as A1 Ko Sayo, Music Uplate and Amazing Race just to name a few and now in the afternoon show Haplos or maybe you’ve seen her hosting in her signature quirky manner.
But not only is she an actress and a TV host; she is also a producer of several online shows! She heads All Things Cuckoo Productions, a company that partners with brands for hilarious content and GeeTv, an online comedy channel that cranks out funny episodes every week. Not only that, she also hosts When In Manila’s online music/love talkshow Gee Live every Thursday.
Leina Bolinas
Leina is a performer at heart and is also passionate about awesome and delicious food. As such, she became one of the three managing partners of the Excello Restaurant Management Group with Raymund Magdaluyo and Marvin Agustin, striving to elevate the Filipino dining experience and position the Philippines as a jum- off point for concepts in the region.
As Managing Partner, she handles Wolfgang’s Steakhouse in Resorts World Manila and Ortigas; Gen Korean BBQ House in SM By the Bay; and their newest, LUMU, a hip Filipino beerhouse-style concept in Makati City.
Vern and Verniece Enciso
V V: A Blog by Vern and Verniece is a travel, life, style and beauty blog that aspires to inspire girls like you to live the life you dream of having. It’s a blog that hopes to encourage you to get out of the four walls of your room and your comfort zones as you scream your hearts out trying out things that scare you. It’s a blog that desires to impart the lessons that they’ve learned in their 24 and 23 years of existence.
Charles Stewart Lee
Charles grew up in Manila, Hong Kong and LA before finally settling back in Manila, where he handled the overall marketing of the Vikings Group for four years. While he’s still involved with Vikings, he’s now more focused on Pacific Synergy Food & Beverage Corp., where he released their first product called SIP Purified Water. This water is filtered through volcanic rocks and bottled at the source, giving it a light and crisp taste.
Michael Josh Villanueva
Michael Josh is the Founder and CEO of GadgetMatch, Asia’s premier multi-platform technology media network. He started the company in 2015 as a go-to resource for anyone who needs help finding the right gadget to match their unique needs. A recognizable face in the international tech media scene, he is best known for tech review videos on GadgetMatch’s YouTube channel and for his regular guest spots on #TheFeed on Sirius XM.
Mikey Bustos
Born and raised in Toronto, Canada to two Filipino migrant parents, Mikey grew up wanting to entertain people. He placed 8th in the finals of Canadian Idol Season One in 2003 and started a Youtube Channel about Filipino culture. He is also an insect and animal fanatic, having even started a YouTube channel about ants called AntsCanada.
His Pinoy-inspired musical comedy concert has been touring for 3 years around the world including USA, Canada, Australia, Philippines, Singapore, Middle East, and recently in Palau, Micronesia. His main businesses today are his YouTube Channels, music/entertainment company, and AntsCanada.com an e-shop that sells ant-keeping supplies worldwide.
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