Fil-Dutch boy passes 'The Voice Kids' audition

NETHERLANDS - An 11-year-old Filipino-Dutch boy passed the blind auditions of the TV talent search "The Voice Kids" in Holland.

A rising star of the Filipino community, Kim Regasa impressed the judges at the auditions of The Voice Kids Holland aired on Dutch channel RTL4 last Friday.

Regasa became popular in Holland and a star in the Pinoy community when he was dubbed by the Dutch media as the “mini Michael Jackson” in "Holland's Got Talent" in 2010.

He was only nine years old then and managed to finish in fourth place.

But that did not stop the very young boy from pursuing his dreams.

He took voice lessons and this year he’s back, trying his luck at The Voice Kids.

In the blind auditions, the judges are seated with their backs turned and they can only hear the voice of the contestant. Just one push of a button from a judge for the duration of the contestant’s song is enough to qualify the contestant to the next round.

If more than one judge pushed a button, the contestant will have the option to choose who he or she wants to be the coach.

In Regasa’s case, duo Nick and Simon immediately pushed their buttons and later followed by Angela Groothuizen.

The last judge Marco Borsato pushed his button a tad late.

Borsato explained he pushed his button at the last minute but it wasn't counted. To add to his disappointment, when Regasa was asked to choose his coach, he said he had always wanted Borsato to be his mentor.

Regasa ended choosing veteran songwriter and '80s singer Groothuizen with the hope that she will train him and properly hone his talent.

Regasa was among the 90 contestants picked from a total of 10,000 who registered for the The Voice Kids Holland.

Talpa, the production outfit of The Voice Kids, doesn't allow interviews while the contestants are still in competition.

Many youngsters who saw Regasa on the The Voice Kids are in awe of his voice.

Anne, a Dutch student who is on her last year of primary school, finds Regasa very good.

"Such beautiful tone," Anne said.

"He has a good style, he’s very good and he can sing," said Indy, another Dutch student.

After the blind auditions, only 45 contestants were left. They now form the three competing teams.

With his performance of “I Follow Rivers”, Regasa did not only captivate the judges but also now has amassed would-be voters.

“I invited my whole class and they said they're gonna watch and they thought sure I’m gonna watch and the next day, I mean the next Monday, they said he's very good. I think they like him,” eleven-year-old Pinay Lauren-Rome said.

Regasa is now preparing for the Battle Round on Friday, which will begin airing at 8:30 pm Holland time.

All that Regasa needs now is the full and solid support from the Filipinos in Holland, if ever he makes it to the live shows because all the text votes are going to ensure his survival in the competition up to the finals.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Gay Pinoys in Holland impressed with movie ‘Boy’

HOLLAND – “Boy”, a Dutch film about the life of a homosexual Filipino houseboy, has gained a number of fans, particularly gays.

Screened at the recently concluded Netherlands Film Festival, “Boy” collected fans from the Pinoy gay community.

Arvin Quirante, who starred as the boyfriend of the Pinoy houseboy played by Gerald Gonzales, also gained a league of fans.



Quirante, a professional singer and certified voice teacher in The Netherlands, has no experience in film acting.

His experience in acting is on stage when he was cast as Thuy, the lead role in Miss Saigon in The Netherlands and also as the understudy Thuy in Miss Saigon Manila.

Quirante said he was able to hide his nervousness at several delicate scenes like his kissing scene with Gonzales.

“Kasi part yan ng buhay ng gay. Otherwise, I’m not telling the truth about the gay society…about buhay ng bakla,” Quirante said.

Many gays who attended the festival are proud of the film.

“Maganda. It’s nice to see it. To see also a Filipino speaking Dutch,” Godwin Yosalina said.

“If you compare it to a poem it’s like a stream of consciousness-like script. Very natural, very not forced,” Jamaica Salcedo said.

Even the foreigners were impressed at the movie that was shown in both Dutch and Tagalog.

“I like the movie 'Boy' very much. It’s nice to see Filipinos acting,” Goran Turnsek said.

Boy was among the 14 films in competition for the Golden Calf awards, the Dutch equivalent of the Oscars but it did not receive a nomination.

In December, Boy will be among eight films to be shown on Dutch channel Nederland2 as part of the “One Night Stand on TV.”

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Teen in Holland marches 160 km for Filipino kids orphaned by human rights violations

Not a lot of teenagers are willing to wake up at five in the morning. Fifteen-year-old Kyle Baleva is not one of them.

The bespectacled teen was ready by 6 a.m. Tuesday so he could begin a 160-kilometer march in Nijmegen, the oldest city in The Netherlands, to raise funds for children back in the Philippines who have been orphaned by human rights violations.

Clad in a blue raincoat, Baleva joined some 45,000 participants in the four-day Walk of the World, which started Tuesday. Already on its 96^th run, the event remains one of the biggest sporting events in the country in terms of number of participants and public interest. It ends Friday.

Although this is his fourth time to take part in the Walk, which has him marching 40 kilometers each day, it is his first time to traverse the 160-kilometer distance meant for adults. In the previous years, he walked 120 kilometers during each event.

Fundraising for CRC kids

Baleva isn’t doing it for the exercise, however. He hopes to shine the spotlight on A Hand for an Orphan, a fundraising program initiated by The Children's Rehabilitation Center (CRC).

By donating either a fixed amount or 10 Euros for each day of the march, sponsors can help provide educational materials, food allowances, and medicine for orphans whose parents were either snatched in enforced disappearances or were killed extra-judicially.

CRC gives psycho-social support to these children and their families to help them overcome trauma, said Stichting voor Filippijnse Kinderen (The Foundation for Filipino Children) chairperson and Baleva’s mother Angie Gonzales.

To reach these children, CRC visits parts of the Philippines with "high incidences of human rights violations," as well as those with "intensive military operations."

Last year, the funds generated through A Hand for an Orphan were enough to support the basic needs of six children. CRC organized a peace camp for some 100 children as well.

"Every year, Kyle trains hard to participate in the 'Vierdaagse Nijmegen (Nijmegen Marches)' because through these efforts, he wishes to give more orphans more opportunities for healing," said Gonzales.

Sponsors can head to Baleva's profile page at https://www.devierdaagsesponsorloop.nl/index.php/ik-ben-sponsor?option=com_content&view=article&catid=2&id=5&did=52&src=sp to donate, although the site is in Dutch.

Alternatively, they can e-mail kyleswalk@filipinochildren.net for sponsorship details.

So far, pledges amounting to 600 Euros have been made.

Sponsors can keep track of Baleva's progress through a map on the event's website, http://4dfollowme.nl/, and typing in his registration number, 40G461, in the space provided for "Registration number participant."

source: interaksyon.com