Martin Escudero acting prowess tested again in TV5’s HIV-themed series, POSITIVE

After being recognized for his award-winning portrayal as Remington in
the independent film, Zombadings I: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington,
highly acclaimed actor Martin Escudero returns to the small screens to
play yet another challenging and controversial role as a person who is
diagnosed positive with HIV in TV5's daring move to discuss one of the
most relevant yet silenced issues we face today.

POSITIVE revolves on the story of Carlo – a young and successful
professional who lives his almost perfect life as an Operations
Manager of a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company and as a
family man happily married to his pregnant wife, until he was
diagnosed positive of HIV. He begins tracing his steps backward, from
his times as a promiscuous teenager who lives a life of party and
drugs, to know where he got the disease.

Martin Escudero will play the lead.

Upon hearing that he would be playing as someone who lives with HIV,
Martin welcomed the role with enthusiasm.

"First time kasi that a whole series is dedicated to the life of
someone with HIV. It's an interesting series and it's a challenging
role, so I really have to prepare for it." said Martin.

Expecting the heavy drama scenes from the role he is about to portray,
Martin voluntarily submitted himself to workshops organized by the
AIDS Society of the Philippines (ASP) in order to know more about the
disease and to fully embody his character. Other casts, staff and crew
also joined the workshops to fully immerse themselves to the situation
and to accurately portray HIV for the series.

After knowing how the disease is transmitted, the rising numbers of
HIV/AIDS cases, and spending time hearing the stories directly from
persons living with HIV (PLHIV), Martin Escudero volunteered to get
tested for HIV.

"I wanted to get tested. Marami kasing natatakot magpa-test for HIV.
So I want to get tested to fully understand the feeling, para magamit
ko sa role ko bilang si Carlo" said Martin.

Martin won Best Actor both in last year's Gawad Tanglaw awards and
ENPRESS Golden Screen awards for his role as Remington in Zombadings
1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington. Besides Positive, Martin is also
doing another independent film, this time international.

Positive is set to air on Thursday, October 7, and part of TV5's
stronger primetime block.

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TV5 Strengthens News and Information Block

NEWS5, TV5's news and information arm, reaffirms its commitment to
provide quality public affairs programs from early morning to late
night by introducing its own line-up of new shows that are all in line
with the Kapatid Network's "Everyday All the Way" campaign.

Starting October 14, Kapatid viewers will be starting their day right
as Good Morning Club introduces its new segments. Grace Lee greets
viewers at 6:00 via "Good Morning Grace!" At 6:10am, Erwin Tulfo and
Martin Andanar will provide relevant information in "Good Morning
Sir". Cheryl Cosim, Tuesday Vargas, Twink Macaraig and Grace Lee will
exchange opinions as they tackle various issues and concerns on "Good
Morning Girls" at 7:00am. Christine Bersola-Babao will give a
15-minute pep-talk about motherhood as she hosts "Good Morning Moms"
from 7:45am to 8:00am. With these new segments offering essential
information in a "bite-size" structure, Good Morning Club provides
customized servings of reliable information for the viewers'
consumption every day.

Further, NEWS5 strengthens its position as a credible source of
information by introducing the KBO Block (Karunungan, Balita, Opinion)
offering a unique mix of informative and educational shows every
night.

Every Monday at 10pm, Paolo Bediones will try to dissect, refute and
prove certain commonly known facts in Demolition Job. Cheryl Cosim
will be scrutinizing and discussing the hard stories behind cold
statistics on Numero every Tuesday, also at 10pm. Wednesdays will see
Atty. Teresa Licaros tackling the plights and concerns of Overseas
Filipino Workers in Dayo at 10:30pm. EveryThursday at 10pm, Lourd
DeVeyra will give his own brand of history lessons and trivia in
History. Paolo Bediones returns everyFriday at 10:30pm on Astig to
talk about the science behind sports to prove that "Sa Sports, Walang
Tsamba."

And before TV5 viewers call it a night, NEWS5 will deliver
comprehensive back-to-back must-see programs starting with Pilipinas
News, anchored by Paolo Bediones, Cheri Mercado and Jove Francisco at
10:30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and at11pm on Wednesdays
and Fridays. Pilipinas News is followed by Reaksyon, which will
feature NEWS5 Head Luchi Cruz-Valdez and her touching interviews with
different people.

With the introduction of this new line-up of NEWS5's shows for new and
information, TV5 will surely create new habits for its viewing public
where they can start and end their day tuning in to the Kapatid
Network "Everyday All The Way."

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TV5 Goes “Everyday All the Way”

Get ready to change the way you see television as TV5 goes "Everyday
All the Way" with exciting new entertainment and public affairs
programs that will air from Monday to Friday, morning to evening,
starting this October 14.

TV5 starts the day right with the launch of the must-see segments of
Good Morning Club which will provide essential information to the
public in a "bite-size" structure for every viewer's consumption. The
new segments include Grace Lee's "Good Morning Grace!" from 6:00am to
6:10am; Erwin Tulfo and Martin Andanar's "Good Morning Sir" from
6:10am to 7:00am; Cheryl Cosim, Tuesday Vargas, Twink Macaraig and
Grace Lee's "Good Morning Girls" from 7:00am to 7:45am; and Christine
Bersola-Babao's "Good Morning Moms!" from 7:45am to 8:00am.

Gelli De Belen and Christine Bersola-Babao team up for the first time
in Face the People, where they will assist their guests in settling
personal issues with the help of the audience. This airs every weekday
afternoon from 4:30pm to 5:30pm.

Moreover, TV5's new primetime block will now start with the newest
barangay-serye on television, "Madam Chairman", top-billed by no less
than Megastar Sharon Cuneta herself and marking her first time ever to
star in a teleserye. Completing the cast of MadamChairman are Jay
Manalo, Ciara Sotto, Bayani Agbayani, Cita Obrero, Hermes Magpantay,
Fanny Serrano, and TV5's Artista Academy finalists Akihiro Blanco and
Shaira Mae Dela Cruz. Madam Chairman airs weeknights at 7:00pm.

Every night, viewers will surely be inspired with the quest of Ogie
Alcasid in finding love and joy after a loss in the new drama
seriesThe Gift, which airs at 7:30pm.

Another first is Aga Muhlach's foray in game show hosting as he
introduces to Pinoys the fun-filled Let's Ask Pilipinas, the local
franchise of the US hit Let's Ask America. Let's Ask Pilipinas takes
advantage of modern Internet technology as contestants get to play in
the comforts of their home. By participating through video calls on
their computers, tablets or mobile phones, they get a chance to win
P500,000. Let's Ask Pilipinas airs from 8:00pm to 8:30pm, Mondays to
Fridays.

Starting October 17, Thursdays take on a new meaning as TV5 offers the
never-before-done back-to-back airing of two weekly 1-hour primetime
series of Positive and For Love or Money, which will be aired at
8:30pm and 9:30pm, respectively. Positive bravely tackles the issue of
the rising HIV cases in the country. It is a compelling drama where
Martin Escudero plays the role of call center agent who, after being
tested positive for HIV, goes on a life-changing journey through his
past to trace the person who got him infected. For Love or Money, on
the other hand, brings back heartthrob Derek Ramsay on television as
he stars with TV5 drama princess Ritz Azul and timeless beauty Alice
Dixson in a captivating story of love and sacrifice.

Further, NEWS5, TV5's news and public affairs arm, strengthens its
commitment to be the credible source of information by introducing the
KBO Block of Knowledge, Information and Opinion where viewers can now
look forward to various informative and educational shows every night
starting at 10:30pm.

On Mondays, Paolo Bediones will try to dissect, refute and prove
certain commonly known facts in Demolition Job. Cheryl Cosim will be
scrutinizing and discussing the stories and facts behind relevant
statistics in Numero, which airs every Tuesday. For Wednesdays, Lourd
De Veyra gives his own brand of history lessons and trivia in History.
Thursdays will see Atty. Teresa Licaros tackling the plights and
concerns of Overseas Filipino Workers in Dayo. Paolo Bediones returns
every Friday on Astig to talk about the science behind sports.

And before TV5 viewers call it a night, Paolo Bediones, Cheri Mercado
and Jove Francisco deliver a comprehensive 25-minute news program in
Pilipinas News at 10:50pm, followed by Reaksyon at 11:15pm, featuring
NEWS5 Head Luchi Cruz-Valdez and her touching interviews of different
people.

Lastly, TV5 introduces a social experiment involving "half-local but
full-global" Fil-Brits in Juan Direction, where YouTube sensations
Brian Wilson, Daniel Marsch, Michale McDonnell, Charlie Sutcliffe and
Henry Edwards showcase the daily lives of the Filipino people. Juan
Direction airs every Saturday from 10:00pm to 10:30pm beginning on
October 12.

With this remarkable line-up of new shows, TV5 now has a complete menu
of program offerings to satisfy every viewer's cravings for tasteful
entertainment programming and relevant news and public affairs
information all week long. Indeed, those who made the switch and saw
how "Weekend Do It Better" on TV5 will be delighted to know that they
will be enjoying more innovative shows from the Kapatid Network
"Everyday All the Way" starting this October.

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TV5 DOES IT FARTHER: All new Pinoy Explorer takes travel to a higher level

ga Muhlach takes you to places you have never been before, here and
abroad, in the all new season of Pinoy Explorer. With new destinations
to conquer and new sights to see, Pinoy Explorer takes travel to an
all new level by helping the communities featured in every episode.

Pack your bags and prepare to discover the world with Pinoy Explorer
this September 15 only on TV5

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TV5 DOES IT FUNNIER: The master gagsters return to the original home of gag shows in Tropa Mo Ko Unli

The original gagsters from Tropang Trumpo, Ogie Alcasid and Gelli De
Belen, returns to the home of gag shows in Tropa Mo Ko Unli. Joined by
today's rising gagsters, Edgar Allan Guzman, Empoy, Alwyn Uytingco,
Eula Caballero, Ritz Azul, Jasmine Curtis-Smith and the top scholars
from Artista Academy, Tropa Mo Ko Unli is your newest, coolest barkada
that will spice up Saturday evenings with their wacky antics.

Tropa Mo Ko Unli will start to tickle your funny bone on Saturday,
September 14 on TV5.

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WEEKEND DO IT BETTER ng TV5, magkakaroon ng bonggang launch sa SM Megamall sa Linggo!

Kick off ng mga bagong show ng TV5 ang WEEKEND DO IT BETTER Launch
ngayong Linggo, Sept. 8, sa Megatrade Hall 2 sa SM Megamall. Ang
launch ng walong bagong weekend program ng TV5 (Showbiz Police, Tropa
Ko UNLI, Killer Karaoke, What's Up Doods? Pinoy Explorer (New
season), Who Wants to be a Millionaire (New season/Season 10), Wow
Mali Pa Rin, The Mega and the Songwriter), ay isa ding family day na
tiyak na magiging masaya, dahil sa mga activity, contest, at
performance ng mga TV5 artista na tiyak na inaabangan ng marami.

Imbitado ang publiko na sumama sa mga kasiyahan mula sa mga
sari-saring booth sa launch. Magkakaroon din ng grand raffle kung
saan maaaring manalo ng P100K na travel package mula sa Pinoy
Explorer. Iba't-ibang Kapatid artista, sa pangunguna ni Mega Star
Sharon Cuneta, ay makikihalubilo sa mga bisita, at kakanta.

Huwag kalimutang pumunta sa WEEKEND DO IT BETTER launch ngayong
Linggo, na bukas sa publiko mula 8AM hanggang 7PM. Huwag ding
kalimutan panoorin ang pilot episodes ng walong bagong show ng TV5 na
ilalabas sa weekend ng Sept. 14-15.

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Jasmine Curtis Smith, Eula Caballero Among PH's Hottest 20 Stars Under 20

After a total of 935,884 online votes, Kapamilya Teen Queen Kathryn Bernardo emerged as the hottest/brightest star in the country under 20 years old. Her on-screen partner--Daniel Padilla--came forth as her runner up.

Kathryn garnered a whopping 203,736 total number of votes in the online poll conducted by Starmometer which lasted for 14 days (two weeks). The Kapamilya Primetime Princess bested 49 other nominees from August 4 to 8 when the online voting began, until the poll was trimmed down to the final 20 and voting continued with integration of Twitter votes from August 8 to 18, 2013.

Kathryn's on-screen partner, Daniel Padilla, occupied the no. 2 slot by getting a total number of 148,415 votes. It's interesting to note that Kathryn and Daniel also captured the no. 1 and 2 slots in the first edition of our "Hottest 20 Under 20" poll in 2011. Kathryn and Daniel are set to star in the new Kapamilya primetime series "Got to Believe."

The new lead stars of the youth-oriented sitcom "Luv U" made an impressive debut in our #Hottest20Under20 poll. Nash Aguas bagged the bronze position (#3) with 143,265 votes. His co-stars Jairus Aquino and Sharlene San Pedro finished 5th and 6th, respectively.

Meanwhile, two artists from the latest batch of Star Magic Circle--Jerome Ponce and Jane Oineza--made it to the Top 10. Jerome, who is a cast-member of "Be Careful With My Heart," placed 4th while Jane, a New York Festivals Best Actress nominee for her 'MMK' performance, ranked 8th.

-- VIEW THE COMPLETE RESULTS HERE --

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Jasmine Curtis bags Best Supporting Actress award – New Breed category for indie film Transit

TV5 princess Jasmine Curtis-Smith was recognized for her superb acting role in Transit – one of the official entries in the New Breed category of the 9th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. TV5 welcomed this new development in Jasmine's career and congratulated the Kapatid princess on her first acting award.

According to Perci Intalan, TV5 head for entertainment productions, Jasmine's triumph in the recently held Cinemalaya Film Festival shows how "she has matured as an actress and has strengthened her craft". It will be recalled that Jasmine started her showbiz career in TV5. The network is proud of her and has always believed in her talent.

The Kapatid young actress starred in TV5's remake of the hit action-romance film Ang Utol Kong Hoodlum. She  also played the role of Epifania "Anya" Dionisio in Nandito Ako where she co-starred with Eula Caballero and American Idol Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta.

The young actress is part of TV5's primetime action series Undercover. She plays the role of Claire, the IT expert/gadgets girl in Derek Ramsay's team of undercover vigilantes. Undercover airs weeknights,7:30 pm at TV5.

During the recently held Cinemalaya Festival Awards Night last Sunday, Jasmine won the Best Supporting Actress award for the New Breed Category. In the film, she played the role of Yael, a daughter of an OFW who is not familiar with the Filipino culture because was born and raised in Israel. Yael insists that she is not a Filipino but an Israeli, which causes a conflict between her and her mother, Janet (Ms. Irma Adlawan). 

Playing the role of Yael is Jasmine's first role in the big screen. The Kapatid young actress had to learn to speak Hebrew fluently – as her character cannot understand nor speak in Filipino. 

"It was very difficult to learn how to speak Hebrew but at the end of the day, I think I have done my part well." says the young Curtis. 

The role of Yael was not handed to Jasmine in a silver platter. Just like the others, she went in lines and auditioned for the film when its organizers held casting calls for the roles. 

Jasmine welcomes the idea of doing a mainstream movie, but admits that she want to do another indie in the future. 

"Parang mas bagay kasi ako sa indie 'no?" she says.

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Support your school muse at the Miss NCAA 2013 via text votes

Show your school spirit by supporting your campus beauty representative to the Miss NCAA 2013.

The NCAA has partnered with SMART in helping you cheer for your favorite school muses who will be competing in the Miss NCAA Coronation Night on July 26 at the SDA Theater of the College of St Benilde in Manila. Broadcast of the pageant is on July 28, Sunday, 6PM on AksyonTV.

To get a listing of the candidates, type in MSNCAA2013<space>POLL and send to 9977. To vote for the your favorite muse, type in MSNCAA2013<space>POLL<space> letter of choice and send to 9977.

Voting is available for Smart and Sun subscribers only. Every text vote costs PhP 2.50 each. A subscriber can vote as many times possible. Voting ends on July 26 at 7PM.

For more information and photos of the candidates, watch the live NCAA games on AksyonTV or go to the Facebook page of NCAA on AksyonTV.

Catch the live NCAA games on AksyonTV every Monday, Thursday and Saturday starting at 4PM.

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Eula Caballero faces last epic battle in Cassandra: Warrior Angel finale

TV5's fantasy drama, Cassandra: Warrior Angel, reaches new heights as the hit primetime program inches closer to its season finale. In the show's last two weeks, Cassandra (Eula Caballero) must rally the forces of good for a final battle with the malignos. To do so, Cassandra will need the help of her estranged brother Cristoff (Alwyn Uytingco). But without any memory of their past, will Cristoff come to his sister's aide?
 
Larissa (Eula Valdes), who's finally reunited with her youngest son, Calix (Josh Stangeland), continues her mission to find her husband Uriel (Gabby Concepcion), but evil twin Azrael has already set his plans into motion, making sure that Uriel never finds his way to his family.
 
Lead star Eula Caballero has hinted that there are shocking deaths in the show that viewers need to watch out for. Another cliffhanger, she says, is the revelation of Cassandra's love interest. Amidst all the chaos, love has bloomed for our heroine and fans of the show cannot wait to finally see who Cassandra will choose. Will the angel Gabriel (JC de Vera) and his loyalty win the heart of our warrior angel, or will she go to the caring, kindhearted, and yet human, Jude (Albie Casiño)?
 
With all these and more in store for the finale, viewers will surely find themselves at the edge of their seats with the fast-paced and thrilling action of Cassandra: Warrior Angel. Don't miss its exciting last two weeks, weeknights, 7:00PM only on TV5.

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Robin Dude Returns to 'Istorifik'

The tandem of Akihiro Blanco and Chanel Morales returns this Sunday as the adventures of Robin Dude continue on "Istorifik: Pidol's Kwetong Fantastik" for the month of July on TV5.

Akihiro plays Hiro, a young man who grew up in the slums, and was given a magical bow and arrow that transforms him to the masked hero, Robin Dude. Hiro is enamored by the beauty of Marian (Chanel Morales), a young student whom she saved from danger in his past adventure.

The two meet the family of Dr. Magno (Lloyd Samartino) and his two children Trevor (AJ Muhlach) and Jana (Marvelous Alejo). But danger lurks nearby, as Gecko (Lucky Mercado), a human-turned-gecko, is endangering people in Pasong Makipot. One of the people that Robin Dude will save from danger is Jana, who is thankful and smitten for the young hero.

Catch Robin Dude in Istorifik Pidol's Kuwentong Fanstatik this Sunday, at 6:30pm, on TV5.

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Rescue 5 launches activity book on disaster preparedness

Kids enjoyed their activity books, but did so while learning something that could save their lives.  Almost 600 Grades 2 and 3 students of San Vicente Elementary School in Angono, Rizal received the Rescue 5 activity books on disaster preparedness during its launch last Friday, June 28, in time for the National Disaster Consciousness Month this July.  Along with the activity books, the Rescue 5 team also distributed 72-hour survival kits (backpacks containing a whistle, flashlight, crayons, notebook, pencil, clay and ready-to-eat snacks) to the students. 

Ten-year old Jhon Romulo "Jhon-Jhon" Vasquez, a Grade 3 student at San Vicente Elementary School, recalls how their house was submerged in floodwater during the onslaught of Habagat, in August of last year.  "The floodwater kept rising," Jhon-Jhon says.  "My family and I were forced to climb our rooftop, and were able to save only a few of our belongings."  Most of Jhon-Jhon's schoolmates were also heavily affected by the Habagat flooding, especially since their town is located near Laguna de Bay.  

The schoolchildren excitedly answered their activity books, while Rescue 5 recruits Manu Sandejas and Shawn Yao guided them.  Rescue 5 host Paolo Bediones also conducted a disaster preparedness demo which includes making an improvised flotation device, and doing the "drop, cover, and hold on," during an earthquake.

"We came up with the Rescue 5 activity book to motivate kids to learn about disaster preparedness," says News5 Public Service Head Sherryl Yao.  "By coloring and answering the different activities like puzzles and mazes, they can easily remember what to do during floods, fires, and earthquakes.  It also makes the learning more fun and enjoyable."

Ventriloquist WanLu and Marvin the Magician also performed to add more fun to the program.

The Rescue 5 activity book has passed the review of the Department of Education (DepEd).  According to DepEd Bureau of Elementary Education Director Marilyn Dimaano, "this material (activity book) will help create awareness on disaster preparedness among our pupils."

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