Focus on the Philippines: X Factor Australia’s Cyrus Villanueva coming to Manila

Plus: Miss Philippines Kylie Verzosa wins Miss International pageant; Filipino films screen at Hanoi International Film Festival; three Philippine islands cited as world’s best by Conde Nast Traveler

Philippines focus for weekend.Photo courtesy-Seven West Media
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Filipino-Australian singer Cyrus Villanueva is coming to Manila on November 5 to perform his first-ever concert outside of Australia.

Villanueva, 20, catapulted into fame after winning last year's edition of The X Factor Australia.

“Manila, Philippines – I’m so blessed to announce that I’ll be doing my very first international show,” he posted on his Instagram page. “I can’t wait to see all you guys there.”

Villanueva’s concert, which is free, is on Saturday at 4pm at the atrium of the Mall of Asia.

In a previous interview with The National upon winning the X Factor crown in November 2015, Villanueva said he was grateful for the support of his Filipino fans.

“Thank you to all my fans, particularly in the Philippines,” he said. “I really can’t wait to do a show there – I haven’t been back since 2012.”

Villanueva, whose father is Filipino and mother is Australian, auditioned for The X Factor last year after graduating from high school. He credits his father Jo, a full-time performer in Australia, as his mentor in music.

As part of his prize from the reality-TV singing competition, Villanueva bagged a recording contract with Sony Music Australia. His debut album, Stone, achieved gold status this year and went on to top the Australian and Philippine music charts.

Miss Philippines wins Miss International pageant

Filipino model Kylie Verzosa won the Miss International 2016 pageant last week in Tokyo, Japan. The 24-year-old triumphed over 68 contestants from around the world. Her win marks another pageant victory for the Philippines, after Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach won the Miss Universe 2015 pageant.

“I did not go on this journey alone, I had a lot of love from the people around me,” Verzosa said as she thanked her Filipino supporters. “This moment only happens in my dreams.”

She is the sixth Filipino to win the Miss International pageant, which was first held in 1960. Alexandra Britton, from Australia, was the first runner-up, and Indonesia’s Felicia Hwang the second runner-up.

Verzosa’s win coincided with a state visit by Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte to Japan.

During the pageant, she explained what she hoped to do if awarded the crown: “I will devote myself to cultural understanding and international understanding because I believe that it is with developing in each of us sensitivity to other cultures that we expand our horizons, tolerate difference and appreciate diversity.”

The Philippines last won the Miss International pageant in 2013, when Bea Rose Santiago took home the crown.

Filipino films screen at Hanoi film festival

Five Filipino films are screening at the Hanoi International Film Festival, which runs until November 5. Leading the Filipino delegation is filmmaker Eduardo Roy Jr and his gritty urban drama Pamilya Ordinaryo (Ordinary Family), which is competing in the festival's main section against 11 films from countries including India, Iran, Canada and Russia.

Mikee de la Cruz's Sibol is competing in the short-film section, while Lemuel Lorca's Water Lemon is included in the Selection of Asian Cinema section. King Palisoc's Tandem and Lawrence Fajardo's Imbisibol are showing in the festival's World Panorama section.

Filipino film and television actress Iza Calzado is one of five members on the main competition jury, alongside French filmmaker Regis Wargnier, American actress Geraldine Chaplin, Indian director Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Vietnamese director Dao Ba Son.

“So happy, proud and honoured to be part of the jury,” Calzado posted on social media. “Thank you, God, for allowing me to represent my country on the global stage.”

Three Philippine islands cited as world’s best

Boracay, Palawan and Cebu have been named as some of the best islands in the world by the Conde Nast Traveler's 2016 Readers' Choice Awards. The three popular Philippine destinations were voted for by readers of the international travel magazine.

Boracay, a resort island in the central Philippine region of Visayas known for its white sand, topped the list.

“This itty-bitty island is as close to a tropical idyll as you’ll find in Southeast Asia, with gentle coastlines and transporting sunsets,” the magazine said.

The Western island province of Palawan, which topped Conde Nast's list in 2014 and 2015, placed second. The island of Cebu, which is also known for its beaches, landed in fifth place.

Other destinations that made the list included Bermuda, Turks and Caicos, Mallorca in Spain, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and Vancouver Island in Canada.

artslife@thenational.ae