Pilipinas2.0: Glossy Pinoy mag making a mark in the US

When Chicago businessman John Reyes and a gang of ritual-bound friends congregated at his home for pre-season liquid supping, the Bears were hardly on the bar list. Not on this airless, muggy day that was foretelling the end of summer time. That justified swigging beers in aeternum. That called for scarfing up crunchy coils of chicharon bulaklak soaked in peppered vinegar-and-soy concoctions and bitter, roasted peanuts dredged in fried garlic buds. The alcohol-cum-cholesterol-crested chatter took a nostalgic turn when talk of beaches and shopping back in ‘Pinas began.

"My friends always ask me why I keep going back to the Philippines. And I tell them again and again that I go for different reasons," explains the nascent publisher. Whether it’s for diving in Palawan, shopping in Manila, historical sightseeing in Mactan, spa-farming in Batangas, or medical tourism in Tagaytay, Reyes believes it’s all synonymous to the stuff that comprises the "good life" in the Philippines. Reyes’ friends, long-time-US- resident Phlips (Phil.-born) and never-balikbayan USBs (US-born), were surprised yet suspicious of his exotic tattles.

Up until December last year, entranceways and vacant corners of Filipino community grocery marts and restaurants were regularly jam-packed with a variety of tabloid-size newspapers filled with vociferous editorials and personal columns, a smattering of paid news content, and a flood of wedding and debutante photo albums populating their center spreads. Newsprint, given its ephemeral existence rooted in rapidly breaking news stories, ultimately turns out stale news as weekly and monthly publishing cycles slowly grind forth. And it gets thrown in the can.

"I think it’s high time that the Filipino community gets something that’s of good quality – written well, designed well, and that is better than what we have now. My concept of the magazine is to bring the Philippines to the local communities here in the US; basically just write about what’s good about the Philippines." Reyes believes that his readers are intelligent enough to want more than "just the regular, garden variety-type-of-writing that one finds in many of the existing tabloids."

Today, in monthly installments, Phlips and USBs are treated to an A-class, full-color glossy (with the biggest per issue circulation of any Filipino-targeted publication in North America, long shelf-life and high pass-on rate, notwithstanding), Pilipinas2.0, which bears the seed of a romantic idea to bring to America the Philippines. Not a political circus update. Nor an ugly economic bulletin. Not even the latest terrorist roundup. "We don’t want to write seriously because people already have their own problems and I don’t want to add any more by writing what’s bad. I think the newspapers tackle those problems enough."

Although Pilipinas2.0 abides by a monthly thematic direction, shopping in March, national independence in June, food in August, back-to-school in September, it unhesitatingly promotes island life (eg, Benguet Province, Boracay, Ilocos, Surigao) and the latest to-do of young entertainers (eg, Richard Gomez, Aga Muhlach, Martin Nievera, Diether Ocampo, Rica Peralejo, Francine Prieto). Even if an April issue covered the May presidential elections in the Philippines with subtitle "Your Choice — Special Election Issue," Reyes insists that the treatment was different. With its team of award-winning writers and creative designers, Pilipinas2.0 drew up some exclusive, high-caliber content that proved to be fresh, edgy, yet informational. "We weren’t doing it in a serious way. We basically gave a background of all the candidates and did a piece on showbiz personalities who went into politics. It was a very lightheartedly look at politics with more of a funny (note: sarcastic yet positive) twist to the whole Philippine political scene."

Pilipinas2.0’s front covers are colorful attestations to the Filipino artist’s creative ingenuity. "I have a very talented art director, Ernie Agtarep, who manages the entire design concept of the magazine," Reyes proudly explains. "He executes the eye candy that the magazine proudly displays to attract readers to an ultimately satisfying read."

"It’s the only true travel and lifestyle magazine nationally circulated in North America, and including parts of Canada, with fresh content that brings Filipinos closer to home and non-Filipinos more aware of the Philippines in a positive light," Reyes unabashedly proclaims. "And it’s read cover to cover." Aside from being distributed in major metropolitan areas in Illinois, Florida, New Jersey, New York, California, Nevada, and Canada, online versions of each issue of the magazine can be downloaded in PDF format from its Website, www.pilipinas2.com.

For 2005, readers can expect more pages, more articles, launching in more cities in the US, and perhaps, Europe. For advertising inquiries, contact Margie Toplis at 632 818 9745.