Korina winner again!

Christmas came early for Korina Sanchez in the form of a grand slam in the country’s most prestigious award-giving bodies for broadcast.

Last July, the frontline anchor, commentator and chief correspondent of the ABS-CBN News & Current Affairs was chosen Broadcaster of the Year for Television by the Rotary Club of Manila Journalism Awards and recently voted the No. 1 Most Preferred/Admired Female TV Personality by the Anak TV Awards.

Two weeks ago, Korina also bagged the Ka Doroy Broadcaster of the Year Award from the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, joining the roster of awardees over the past 17 years including the late Jose Mari Velez, Ricardo “Dong” Puno, Francisco “Koko” Trinidad, Cheche Lazaro, Solita Monsod and Tina Monzon-Palma.

In her acceptance/thank-you speech during the awards ceremony held at the Taal Vista Lodge in Tagaytay, Korina defined broadcasters as “mere vessels who bridge the gaps, inform, educate and entertain; there is a lot more to be done.”

Adding that a reporter is only as good as the subject and that journalists are some of the most “overworked, under-appreciated, harassed and jaded of us all, but the thrill of bridging the gap makes it all worth it,” Korina credited her home station for her achievements.

“ABS-CBN has seen me grow; it gave me the opportunities to do what I thought I could do best. Without my home studio, I would not be what I am today,” in the same breath sharing her honors with her staff and the people behind DZMM, ANC and Channel 2 “whose work I simply represent.”

 The short AVP before her speech showed clips of Korina’s award-winning pieces, among them: Her investigative report on wire-tapping, the agenda-setting exposé on substandard whitening food supplements, her one-on-one with MILF leader Al Haj Murad Ebrahim at the height of the hostilities with government forces, select scenes of the big news in small lives from her show Rated K, some of her no-holds-barred commentaries on the DZMM Teleradyo and her on-air charities.

What next for Korina?

A Funfare DPA whispered that Korina might spring a “little shocker” sometime next year.

Charice shines at Macy’s affair

As the recent Funfare “scoop” (courtesy of Big Apple correspondent Edmund Silvestre) predicted, Charice would shine at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade held over the weekend.

Felix Manuel, one of Funfare’s “beauty experts” (he’s in New York working as a nurse), witnessed the event. Here’s his report:

I went straight from my night shift to Manhattan just to watch Charice during the 82nd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade which wound its way through the streets under sunny skies. Thousands of marchers carried giant balloons past throngs of holiday revelers including several of our kababayan.

As Funfare reported, aside from Charice, American Idol runner-up David Archuleta, teen idol Miley Cyrus and Rick Astley were also featured on the parade.

When Charice performed in front of Macy’s, she was cheered by both Pinoys and foreigners. Those beside me asked if all Filipinos sing as well. A lady told me that she wanted to see again in person “this little girl” from the Philippines because she saw her with Celine Dion at Madison Square Garden. Several others marvelled at Charice’s vocal prowess.

After the parade, even if she was under tight security on her way to a long, black limousine, Charice was accommodating and this endeared her to New York-based Pinoys. She waved and shook hands with the people and, I’m sure, if she had the time she would have agreed to pose for photographs with them.

An estimated 3.5 million spectators showed up for the parade and 50 million more watched it on TV at home. The 2.5-mile route started at Central Park and ended at Herald Square in front of Macy’s flagship store.

The latest on Mutya search

The candidates to this year’s search for Mutya beauties — Mutya ng Pilipinas-International, Mutya ng Pilipinas-Tourism Puerto Princesa and Mutya ng Pilipinas-Overseas Communities — were presented to the media the other day. The search is marking its 40th anniversary.

Will any of them surpass the record of Filipino-Norwegian Kirby Ann Basken, the Mutya ng Pilipinas 2006 from Norway who also represented her country in that year’s Miss Universe pageant? Could Pia Burgos, the Mutya-Scandinavia, be “it”? Pia is representing Norway’s Filipino community in the contest.

Incidentally, 2007 Mutya ng Pilipinas-Overseas Communities Jacqui Rodriguez cannot come to relinquish her crown because she is busy with her studies (taking up medicine) in Los Angeles. The niece of actress Vivian Velez, Jacqui represented Southern California’s San Fernando Valley Filipino communities. This year, Southern California is represented by Sugar Burgos (said to be one of the early favorites), who is the younger sister of 2004 Mutya ng Pilipinas Jamie Burgos, who represented the Philippines in that year’s Miss Intercontinental contest in Mongolia.

Winner of the 2008 Mutya ng Pilipinas-Tourism Puerto Princesa will represent the country in the Miss Tourism International contest in Kuala Lumpur second week of December.

All the Mutya events will be held in Puerto Princesa which is the host partner this year, made possible through the city mayor, Edward Hagedorn.

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