Magnitude 6.6 quake hits Solomon Islands

A strong magnitude-6.6 earthquake rattled the Santa Cruz islands, part of Solomon Islands in the Pacific, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) says.


The quake hit on Monday at a depth of 38 kilometres about 3pm (0400 GMT) some 350km east of Kirakira, the main city of the Solomons' major island, Makira.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement there was no threat of a regional tsunami.

Azkals vs South Korea: Another charity game for Sendong victims

Image: Inside Sports

After playing with CF International de Madrid (CFIM) last January 7, the Philippine Azkals is slated to play another charity match, this time against the Incheon-based South Korean team on January 21.


According to the Philippine Red Cross, the Azkals-CFIM (with score 1-3) match raised P1.9M, more than the P1.5M target.


The match is for the victims of typhoon Sendong that hit parts of Mindanao last December 2011, that killed 1,200 people and left over 60,000 homeless. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated by ABS-CBN which will air the game live.


South Korean team is one of Asia's powerhouse, and the most successful Asian country in the FIFA World Cup (participated in 8 WC tournaments) so don't expect too much for the Philippine team. But, who knows? At least, many people will benefit from the upcoming match that will surely excite all football fans out there!


Subsribe to Reyn's Room's feeds to keep updated with the Azkals-South Korea match!

USTET 2012 Results

The University of Santo Tomas Entrance Test (USTET) results for examinations administered last year came out. It was released by the Office of Admissions on January 7, 2012.


Wanna know if you passed? Click the image below. It will direct you to the list of passers. You need to type in your applicant number and surname to proceed.

Click http://myuste.ust.edu.ph:8888/admission/results.jsp if the image above does not show up.


After inputting your applicant number and surname, you will get one of the following results (via Academic Clinic):


1. Passed – Self-explanatory. Go on and confirm your slot (after you give yourself a much-deserved pat on the back).

2. For Interview – Your USTET scores have qualified you for the next stage of your chosen program’s admission process. If you ace the interview (which we know you will), you’ll go through.

3. On Waiting List – Your USTET scores have qualified you for your chosen program. Unfortunately, you chose a quota course and the limited number of slots have already been filled up. If you are on the waiting list, you will have to wait for slots to become available (which happens when students with assured slots vacate them for other options – say a different program or a different college).

4. Did not Qualify – This means you did not meet the minimum cut-off scores of your chosen program or of the university.

5. Academic Placement – There is hope yet. Your scores may not have qualified you for your chosen program, but you did make the university’s cut-off grade. This means you have a chance of getting a slot in a program where your scores qualify. Of course, you may have to wait a bit before you find out whether you will have a slot or not since the university will first have to wait for confirmation from those who passed and then offer vacated slots to those in the waiting list.

So, did you pass? Congratulations! Welcome new Thomasian!

Feast of the Black Nazarene 2012 Live Stream

Watch the live streaming of the 2012 Feast of the Black Nazarene, via GMA News.

The feast is celebrated every January 9th of the year, with expected devotees of 9 million attending today. The dark-colored, wooden statue of Jesus Christ is being paraded from Quiapo Church to Quirino Grandstand.

David Archuleta on TV5

One the country's favorite international star is back again! He'll be doing a teleserye on TV5!


American Idol's David Archuleta is back in Manila to do a teleserye with Kapatid stars Jasmine Curtis Smith and Eula Caballero. He'll be coming on January 13, that will be his fourth time here!


David was welcomed on TV5's website:

"Ang bago nating kapatid, David Archuleta"


Welcome to TV5, David! Welcome to the Philippines, again! :P

David Archuleta is now a Kapatid

American Idol star David Archuleta will be coming to Manila on January 13 to do a teleserye.


TV5 posted that David will "do a primetime series with homegrown Kapatid stars Jasmine Curtis Smith and Eula Caballero."


That will be David's fourth straight year-visit to the country after his American Idol journey. He first visited the country, with co-Idol alum David Cook to do a one-night concert last May 2009.


David is also slated to do full-time Mormon mission on February. So before David will be on hiatus in the entertainment industry, he will be seen again by his devoted fans in the Philippines!


David, who just turned 21 last December 28, has been one of the most exciting young singer-songwriters in America since placing second in the 2008 running of 'American Idol', the hugely popular singing competition in the United States.

Congratulations to TV5, David, Jasmine, and Eula! This is another milestone to the Kapatid network!


Watch the announcement in Paparazzi:

Anne Curtis, Paparazzi confirm David Archuleta, Jasmine Curtis, and Eula Caballero TV project

Before David goes into a Mormon mission, he'll be doing a teleserye with Kapatid star Jasmine Curtis.


Anne Curtis confirmed this on Twitter.

There were rumors circulating that David Archuleta, American Idol Season 7 runner-up, will be the foreign celebrity to become latest Kapatid talent.


A January 4 People's Journal Tonight news about TV5's plan to get Archuleta as talent came out, headlining the management has failed to do it, because David has chosen to serve a full-time mission. The mission will last for two years.


But showbiz talk show Paparazzi also confirmed today that before David goes into mission, he'll be doing the project first. It was also reported that Eula Caballero will also be part of the show.


He'll be in Manila for 15 days to shoot the mini teleserye.


Congratulations to TV5, David, and Jasmine for the project! I'm sure this will be a hit!

Statement of Pauleen Luna's mom regarding alleged romance of her daughter with Vic Sotto

Both Vic Sotto and Pauleen Luna stay mum on the issue regarding their alleged relationship, but still, controversies draw out and people speculate about the real score.

Last December 4, Oyo Boy Sotto, Vic's son, intriguingly tweeted which most people thought referred to the Vic-Pauleen issue:

"Ang dami talagang mukang pera... ang daming lumalandi! Nakakalungkot (hindi sa akin) Haay nako...."

The issue grew bigger when it came out that Vic gave Pauleen material things as part of his "courting".

Pauleen immediately denied the allegations, saying it was only her past birthday that she received a gift from Vic, who is fondly called "Bossing", also a co-host in noontime show Eat Bulaga!.

Pauleen got even more hurt with issues telling she is "materialistic", "gold digger", or "manggagamit" with the gifts Vic give her, to the point that her family became affected.

Mrs. Chat Luna sent her statement through talk show Startalk about the issue:

"There is no better time for our thoughts, as parents, on the Vic-Pauleen issue, be heard but now, for we wish our daughter nothing more but a peaceful and fulfilled 2012.

"We're proud to have brought up Pauleen as a God-fearing child, and have full trust and confidence [in] whatever decision she makes.

"We have raised her and her brother as well-provided individuals encouraged to live their lives to the fullest.

"Since her start in this industry, she has but one goal—that is to enjoy what she loves the most—acting and hosting. What she earns from this profession comes secondary to her passion.

"That is why it pains her and us as well to hear that she is using someone else for financial gains. Just so everything si clear, Pauleen is not the breadwinner of the family.

"We, her parents, are very much able to perform this role for our brood. Whatever she earns is placed in her own account, for her own disposal and has been accounted for since.

"Although she is not obligated in any way to share, we are very proud of her being a blessing for those in need.

"She is a very simple lady with simple wants and needs. She has been smart in ensuring that her future is secured through her investments.

"Investments such as the new house she is building from her savings—contrary to the speculations that it was a gift.

"We would like to extend our regrets to Mr. Vic Sotto for being dragged in this issue.

"We respect his show of interest with Pauleen and trust that whatever she decides regarding this matter will be for the best of everyone."

Your thoughts?

'Bourne Legacy' star Jeremy Renner celebrates birthday in the Philippines

The new "Bourne" star, Hollywood actor and two-time Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner is in the country! In fact, he celebrated his 41st birthday here yesterday, January 7.


Renner is in Manila to film scenes for his film "The Bourne Legacy" which will be shown in theaters on August 3, 2012. It is the fourth installment of the Bourne series, and Renner has replaced the original lead star Matt Damon as Aaron Cross.


A fan named Maria Carmella Bontol (@miacarmella), who was at the same bar Renner was at, shared a picture of her and Renner through microblogging site Twitter, a day before the actor's birthday. He reportedly stayed in Manila Pen in Makati. Maria Carmella said Renner was nice, super kind, and approachable.

"Guess who's the new leading lady of Bourne Legacy?haha.Chilling with Jeremy Renner at Manila Pen.", she tweeted.


"The Bourne Lagacy" will commence shooting on January 11, with other stars as Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, and director Tony Gilroy.

Budoy meets... Budoy? Who is who? [The Jose Manalo and Gerald Anderson face-off]

The impersonator meets the real "Budoy"! Eat Bulaga! host and comedian Jose Manalo finally meets Gerald Anderson, the one who plays soap character "Budoy". Jose Manalo spoofed Gerald Anderson in the undisputed noontime show in the country, tagging himself instead as "Unggoy". The impersonation was an instant talk-of-the-town and even became a trending topic on Twitter.


The two met during the halftime Fastbreak charity event for Sendong victims at Fil Oil-Flying V Arena in San Juan City. Celebrities and college basketball players participated in the event.

Watch the video below via YouTube.