The 28 achievers

MANILA, Philippines - In keeping with The STAR’s 28th anniversary, we have made a list of the 28 Pinoy Achievers (at random order):

apl.de.ap — Born Allan Lindo Pineda, apl.de.ap is a member of the American group Black Eyed Peas. The Fil-Am shows his love for the Philippines by composing songs that speak of patriotism and he never fails to give back to Pinoys through his Apl.de.ap Foundation.

Dingdong Dantes — From being a member of Abztract Dancers, Dingdong shot to fame when he entered the acting scene particularly in his portrayal of Sergio in Marimar with real-life girlfriend Marian Rivera in the title role. His good looks and well-built physique have also landed him on E News’ 25 Sexiest Men list. Away from the limelight, Dingdong is chairman of Yes Pinoy Foundation and ambassador for youth of National Commission for Culture and the Arts. He, too, manages his own film studio named AgostoDos Pictures.

 Charice — Described as “The Girl with a Big Voice” by Oprah Winfrey when she initially appeared as guest on Oprah, Charice had gained worldwide recognition after an avid supporter uploaded her performances on YouTube in 2007. Pinoys have become prouder with her guest appearances in Glee. These days, Charice continues to perform in concerts abroad.

Michael Christian Martinez — He is the first figure skater from the tropical country to qualify for the Olympics and the only Pinoy athlete to represent the country in the 2014 Winter Olympics. Last heard, Michael will again compete abroad next month.

Sarah Geronimo — From being named Star for a Night champion, Sarah has become one of the country’s most popular singers and later earned the title Popstar Princess. Sarah, too, has successfully branched out to acting with a number of box-office flicks to her credit.

Rose Fostanes — This Pinay caregiver has proven that Filipinos are truly talented when she won the first season of X-Factor Israel. She recently released her self-titled album under Star Records.

Arnel Pineda — After a series of unfortunate events in his childhood, Arnel initially worked on his way up as the vocalist of The Zoo. It was in 2007, when Journey guitarist Neal Schon discovered him through his performances of American songs posted on YouTube. Arnel’s strikingly similar voice to former Journey frontman Steve Perry had led him to become the new lead singer of Journey.

Dennis Trillo — The Kapuso talent has never failed to leave a mark on the audience since he appeared in his movie debut Aishite Imasu. He again made a remarkable portrayal as the gay husband Eric in My Husband’s Lover with Tom Rodriguez as his lover. Their “loveteam” has been popularly known as TomDen.

Eugene Domingo — Whether on stage, in film or on TV, expect her to give her best. No wonder, Eugene has gained acting recognitions here and abroad, most of which are for the Best Actress category.

Angeli Bayani — Her name began to ring a thousand bells when she appeared in the Singaporean film Ilo Ilo by Anthony Chen. But what was considered as the biggest head-turner was her winning the Best Actress trophy in the recent Gawad Urian for Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan. She bested, among other nominees, award-winning actresses Nora Aunor and Vilma Santos.

Rachelle Ann Go — Just like Sarah, Rachelle Ann rose to fame through her singing talent. She was the grand champion in Search for a Star in 2004 and after releasing a number of albums and doing concerts, Rachelle is fortunate enough to star in the West End revival of the hit musical Miss Saigon as Gigi van Trahn.

 Tom Rodriguez — His joining the reality show paved the way for a showbiz career. Tom had become a household name since his “love team up” with Dennis Trillo clicked with the public.

Ryzza Mae Dizon — Who would have thought that her being a wildcard contestant in Eat, Bulaga’s Little Miss Philippines could lead her to winning the grand title that eventually brought her fame and fortune? Now called as Aleng Maliit, Ryzza is the youngest TV host of her own show.

Richard Yap — Dubbed as the Accidental Idol, Richard didn’t expect that his playing Papa Chen in My Binondo Girl would signal the start of a promising showbiz career.

Bea Rose Santiago — The Bb. Pilipinas beauty gave the country its fifth Miss International crown in 2013 (Gemma Cruz Araneta, 1964; Aurora Pijuan, 1970; Melanie Marquez, 1979; and Lara Quigaman, 2005). Her exposure in another local pageant before joining Binibini and her experience at the Elite Model Management in Canada worked to her advantage in Tokyo.

Megan Young — After three runners-up and a number of semi-finalist placements at the oldest beauty pageant, Megan finally wore the elusive diamond-studded blue crown. The Fil-American beauty did an impressive showing in the pageant’s fast-track challenges, especially in the Modeling event.

Ariella Arida — The University of the Philippines graduate continued the successful Top 5 placement of the Philippines at the Miss Universe pageant (Venus Raj in 2010; Shamcey Supsup, 2011 and Janine Tugonon, 2012). Her confidence sashaying on the catwalk and acing the nerve-wracking Q&A had won the hearts of her kababayan here and abroad.

Pepe Diokno — Another UP student created buzz abroad by securing the Luigi de Laurentiis (Lion of the Future) Award at the 2009 Venice Film Festival via his debut film Engkwentro. After the Venice stint, Pepe’s film about two gangsters had also graced Thessaloniki, Rotterdam, Jeonju and Vienna film festivals.

 Robert Lopez — He is behind the Oscar award-winning Let It Go. With his recent win, Robert has joined that prestigious circle of artists, who have received awards from Tonys, Oscars, Emmys and Grammys.

 Jericho Rosales — Since his TV shows such as Pangako Sa’Yo and Dahil May Isang Ikaw have reached territories beyond the Philippines, viewers in countries like Vietnam and Malaysia know Jericho Rosales. His popularity has also introduced them to his music.

 Sen. Grace Poe — She has definitely stepped out of the shadow of her famous dad, Fernando Poe Jr. People will always remember her as the passionate, calm MTRCB chair and the brains behind the SPG-G-PG new rating system of TV programs, plus that familiar sound in promoting responsible viewing among adults and children. She topped the senatorial race in 2013 and is being eyed to either run as president or vice president in 2016.

 MiG Ayesa — After placing third in the talent search Rock Star: INXS, MiG has released albums and graced the stage through musicals like Burn the Floor and Rock of Ages. His portrayal of Stacee Jaxx is definitely one for the books.

 Vice Ganda — He is known as the Phenomenal Artist/Unkabogable Star. The title was due to the success of Vice’s movies (Petrang Kabayo and Praybeyt Benjamin) and albums. The former comedy bar talent is seen practically every day on TV (It’s Showtime on weekdays and Saturdays, and his self-titled show, Gandang Gabi Vice, Sundays).

 Coco Martin — At the beginning of his career, he was touted as the Indie King. But Lady Luck had a bigger plan for him. In no time, Coco has become every Kapamilya’s Teleserye King.

 Daniel Padilla — The Teleserye Teen King is the other half of the popular KathNiel love team. Starting out as an aspiring Kapamilya artist, Daniel has grown up leaps and bounds as his generation’s top recording, TV and movie star.

 Jessica Soho — A Kapuso throughout her broadcast career, Jessica is known for her heart-tugging and no-spin-off reports and documentaries. This has gifted her numerous recognitions from local and international awards like Peabody and Reader’s Digest.

Denny (a.k.a. HaveYouSeenThisGirl) — From online (Wattpad) to the big screen was the path her novel Diary ng Panget had treaded on. The tale of Eya, her female lead character, was a hit among teeners and that explained the movie version’s success at the tills.

 Christian Bautista — His tag as Asian Pop Idol is based on his music’s universal appeal and soothing voice. Songs such as The Way You Look At Me have helped Christian create a fan base in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. He is one of those artists who can cross over from mainstream media (TV, radio and film) to theater and back.