Samantha, pals raise funds for Pablo victims

New York-based off-and-on actress Samantha Lopez-Edwards recently hosted a get-together for friends at popular French restaurant Felix in Lower Manhattan (NYC) to raise funds for victims of Typhoon Pablo (international codename Bopha).

“Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental look as if an atomic bomb exploded there because 90 percent of the area was destroyed!” said Samantha in an interview with Big Apple correspondent Edmund Silvestre for Funfare, describing the disaster. “As opposed to Ondoy, Katrina or even Sandy, Bopha caused the destruction of not just lives and homes but also the livelihood of these people. All banana plantations are destroyed. They can rebuild homes but they have no work.”

Samantha, who shot to fame as Gracia, the Showdown Girl of the longest noontime show Eat, Bulaga! in the mid-’90s, said that the $20 donation from each of her friends will cover food and medicine. She wired a total of $1,000 early this week to her friend Carmina Mapa-del Rosario whose family lives an hour and a half away from the badly-hit towns.

Carmina will take care of the distribution of donation through the Archdiocese of Davao del Norte, according to Samantha’s New York-based friend Ria del Rosario-Santos, daughter of Davao del Norte Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario.

“It’s not much but it can go a long way for people who are just trying to survive,” Samantha noted. “Those people didn’t even think about Christmas anymore. There are sick babies with gangrene limbs and who will most likely die.” More than 1,000 perished, and thousands of families were displaced by the monster typhoon.

This is the second time Samantha (who is a Cebuana) raised funds to help disaster victims. The first was during Ondoy, another super typhoon in December 2009.

“Even if we are far from home, we always have to do something for those who need help back home,” she added. “We cannot just sit back and watch. Little things when put together can help people in need. In fact, we’re looking at the possibility of holding a Filipino Night at least once a month at Felix to be able to raise emergency funding in case the need arises, even before calamity strikes.” Felix is managed by Samantha’s close friend, Anthea Robles, a former Miss Philippines-International.

Back row, from left: Janine and Trevor Jimenez, Lourdes Jimenez, Baby K. Jimenez, Nina J. Almeda, Usec. Chito Brilliantes (former ambassador to Canada) and Girlie Jimenez. Seated are Tessie and Boy Lim-Aco.

Samantha, who is now a licensed real estate salesperson connected to AC Lawrence Real Estate LLC, is married to Warren Edwards, a famous New York shoe designer.  

“I’m focused right now on my new career in real estate, but I’m willing to accept acting projects kung maganda talaga at kaya ng time,” said Samantha whose recent acting assignments include the GMA drama series Basahang Ginto and Time Of My Life. She came home for a brief vacation last year.

Among Samantha’s special guests that night was Pinay supermodel Lucia Santiago who graces the December 2012 cover of Runner’s World magazine. Lucia, a UP Fine Arts graduate and currently finishing accounting, is best known as the fierce, leggy teenager from Angeles City, Pampanga, who beat Nina Ricci Alagao in the 1997 Elite Model Look Philippines. Nina, of course, was later crowned Miss Philippines-Universe in 2000. Towering at 5’11”, Lucia was also the 1996 Body Shots winner.

Still active in modeling in the Big Apple, she has worked with major brands like Armani Exchange and Baby Phat and has posed for ace fashion photographers. She has also done bit roles in some Hollywood films like The Devil Wears Prada and What Happens in Vegas, and in the TV shows Gossip Girl and Project Runway.

Trevor Jimenez of Pixar Films

In town on a short visit during the holiday season was Trevor Jimenez, the Pinoy-Canadian story artist at Pixar Films. Trevor and wife Janine were honored with a dinner party by his mom, Lourdes Jimenez (also of Canada and now currently residing here).

Funfare featured Trevor a few years ago when he was studying animation at Sheridan College. His film then, Key Lime Pie, won as Best Cinematography at the Student Showcase category of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and was adjudged Best Animated Short at AFI (American Film Institute) Dallas 2008. It’s an animated film noir about a man’s obsession with key lime pie.

From Canada, Trevor moved to New York in 2008 to work at Blue Sky Studios (Ice Age 3, Rio). Other films he has worked on: The Lorax (for Universal/Illumination), Prep & Landing: Naughty or Nice (Disney Feature Animation) and Frozen (a Disney Feature Animation showing in December this year). Trevor is now based in San Francisco with wife Janine.

His local showbiz connection: Toronto-based Balikbayan journalist Baby K. Jimenez is Trevor’s aunt and Gabby Concepcion’s wife Genevieve Yatco-Gonzales is his cousin.

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