Preacher-Blogger Soriano wins as Most Educational to Follow by international web awards

screenshot of Bro. Eli's blog bearing OWA award badge

Although his main work is in preaching the gospel right from the pulpit, a homegrown Filipino religious preacher was able to bring international honors for the Filipinos in the websphere.

Taking advantage of technology to preach, Bro. Eliseo Soriano developed a blog that assisted his work in terms of expounding on biblical truths and had reaped many readers far and wide, asking questions of diverse kinds related to salvation and beyond.

The blog of the host of the religious program Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) was adjudged as the Most Educational to Follow in the recent 3rd Annual Open Web Awards (OWA) of Mashable on the 16th of December 2009.

Mashable reported that there were some 440,000 nominations with over 70,000 nominees. It also stated that they acquired 780,000 final votes. Out of 70,000 nominees, there came out only 50 total winners. Bro. Eli’s blog was chosen the best contender and defeated the 4 contenders in the Most Educational to Follow category.

The official blog of Soriano now bears the OWA winner’s badge along with the congratulatory remarks of the Mashable’s CEO, Pete Cashmore.

Bro. Eli’s blog, esoriano.wordpress.com, contains in-depth analysis, and studies of certain topics that are featured for discussion. Its uniqueness is the explanation of the blogger in the biblical and spiritual perspective which Soriano is most known for.

Over the years in his preaching, Bro. Soriano has earned many monickers such as The Most Sensible Preacher of our Time, the Phenomenal Preacher, Truthcaster, and the like. At the same time, he has earned many enemies for his exposing the truth about false beliefs. He is known for not having lost a single debate with pastors all over the world.

Bro. Soriano is the presiding minister of the Members Church of God International locally known as Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path). He is now focused in foreign shores particularly South America and reaches out to his congregation spanning six continents through satellite systems.

This was not the first time the blog had been awarded. Esoriano.wordpress.com was also declared as the Most Popular Website and had received as well the People’s Choice Award from Philippine Web Awards early this year. Bro. Eli’s official blog was launched on April 2007.

Mashable is an award-giving body that aims to recognize and award innovations in web technology. Its open web awards program is an online voting competition through partner websites. Mashable Open Web Awards is in its 3rd year this 2009.

This year the voting was done through Facebook and Twitter – the leading social networking sites today. Facebook and Twitter were among of the previous winners of the first OWA of Mashable, along with Youtube, iGoogle, and Digg.

A Sunday in the Life of Mr. Public Service

For most people, Sunday is a day of relaxation but for Kuya Daniel Razon, it’s another perfect day to spend it in service to the people.

. . .

Because of his humanitarian efforts, Kuya Daniel has been nominated to receive the National Thank You Day Award.  Other nominees include internationally-acclaimed boxer Manny Pacquiao, the late musician rapper Francis Magalona, Philippine comedy icon Dolphy, CNN’s Top 10 Heroes of 2009 Efren Peñaflorida, globally-recognized film director Brillante Mendoza, multi-faceted performer Lea Salonga. The late Cory Aquino received the award with 119 votes. Kuya Daniel got the second highest votes with 107.  Once again, thank you for all who voted for our dear Kuya Daniel.

Read full article at Kuya Daniel’s Fan Blog

Religious program in UHF turns 29 years in broadcast and reaching global audience

Manila, Philippines (11.04.09) – While households in many countries were busy preparing for their traditional Halloween and while the Philippines was then hit by a typhoon in northern regions during the 31st of October 2009, Members of the Church of GOD International (MCGI) have gathered for a different kind of celebration, and it was to celebrate the 29th anniversary of Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) in broadcasting.

MCGI members, the celebrators of the event, have gathered for the program’s celebration collaborating with their weekly thanksgiving course that MCGI is faithfully doing as preached by Bro. Eliseo Soriano, Presiding Minister of MCGI and the famed host of Ang Dating Daan program. MCGI members came together from different monitoring centers in the country and in abroad, having the Ang Dating Daan Convention Center, Apalit Pampanga as the host venue of the event.

Ang Dating Daan being a renowned religious program not only here in the Philippines but in many countries abroad, has received many awards and recognitions. In fact, it has been a recipient of 29 awards to this date, including that of Federation of Filipino Consumers, Inc., Development of Filipino Youth Inc., People Vision Magazine, National Biographic and Historical Research and the most recent Gawad Amerika Awards, citing the program as The Most Informative Religious Program in 2006. Its website angdatingdaan.org, bagged Philippine Web Awards’ The Most Popular Website for six consecutive years. Its segment “Biblia ang Sasagot, Itanong mo Kay Soriano” (The Bible shall answer, Ask Bro.Eli) has always been exceptional and never been imitated by other religious program.

After its opening prayer, the event had started with a greeting and inspirational remarks from Bro. Daniel Razon, Vice Presiding Minister of MCGI. He gladly mentioned before the congregation that there have been a total of 500 people who have been baptized from different chapters across the globe; in North America, South America and Latin America, and in Africa; while in the Philippines, there are newly baptized members from La Union, Davao del Sur jail, Leyte, Palawan and Apalit, Pampanga respectively.

Subsequently, Bro. Eli had greeted the congregation and acknowledged the support of the guests and viewers alike who patronized the program Ang Dating Daan.  Customarily, Bro. Eli preached a biblical topic for the thanksgiving of the MCGI congregants into two parts.

The anniversary presentation was celebrated with series of songs of praises by the MCGI members all around the globe. Some of the countries where MCGI chapters are situated and had participated are UAE, Australia, South American countries, as well as countries in Africa and Europe.

The celebration that the MCGI congregation held is a proof of its successful endeavor in propagating the Gospel in worldwide scope through its 29-year old program Ang Dating Daan. The program is presently being viewed in UNTV37 and the TOP channel in American and European countries. Bro. Eli’s preaching also extends into blogosphere through his official blog esoriano.wordpress.com (written by Elsie Morante and Robert Clarita Jr)

Ang Dating Daan: From humble beginnings to global broadcasting

Manila, Philippines (10.31.09) – Starting with just three persons to produce a radio-TV program, Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) that started way back in 1980 has reached its 29th year this 31st of October and is reaping hundreds of thousands of converts across the globe.

A religious program that not only dealt with God’s word, Ang Dating Daan is being hosted by Bro. Eliseo Soriano, himself as intriguing as the program that he hosts. Soriano is the Presiding Minister of Members of Church of God International (MCGI) and is highly in demand by the followers of this program but notorious to its opponents.

Not anymore a three-person production for having become sophisticated in its management, Ang Dating Daan has become a highly popular religious program today both locally and abroad. Now assisted with various media technologies, it has become possible for its scattered audience all over the globe to have a global celebration in their anniversary. It will be celebrated in multiple venues covering parts of six continents where MCGI has its chapters. As scheduled, it will have its live broadcast in UNTV 37 and live streaming in the Internet through untvweb.com.

The host venue will be in Apalit, Pampanga and it will accommodate participants from provinces in Luzon, while Araneta Coliseum, a dome that is able to accommodate 25 thousand people, will be for the participants of Metro Manila alone. The rest of the country will be able to monitor through the designated venues in every region, while the international chapters will accommodate the participants abroad.  The venues of the celebration will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. for members and visitors alike, especially for the guests who are curious or long to hear Bro. Eli preaching live in the congregants.

Bro.Eli Soriano and Ang Dating Daan have been recipients of 29 awards and recognitions due to the remarkable feature of the host and of the program. The exceptionality of the program among its religious genre is the live question-and-answer segment, Biblia ang Sagot, Itanong Mo kay Soriano (Ask Bro. Eli).

True to its name, Biblia ang Sasagot, Itanong Mo Kay Soriano, the answer that Bro. Eli gives is strictly coming from the Scriptures. Federation of Filipino Consumers, Inc., Development of Filipino Youth Inc., People Vision Magazine, National Biographic and Historical Research and the most recent Gawad Amerika foundation are just few of the many groups that recognized and awarded Bro. Eli through the program due to his sincerity in rendering religious service to the public.

The host on the other hand is an avid supporter of public service programs in the country, explaining the many support from the public to him. Some of the groups that recognized his charitable efforts are the Municipality of Apalit, Municipal Social Welfare and Development, Province of Pampanga; Sons and Daughters of Charity, Fil-Asia Research Society, Inc., International Research and Communication Center Inc., United Group of Charities and Human Development, Inc., Child Assistance and Rehabilitation Entity, Inc., and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Region 3.

Bro. Soriano was also awarded as Outstanding Religious Leader by Philippines Brotherhood and Sisterhood Council, Inc., the Free Media Associations of the Philippines, the Philippines Media Research and Progress Report, Inc., the Fifth Edition People Magazine, the New Life on Family Development and Youth Council, Inc., the Asian Research for Unity of Filipino Citizenry, and the Philippine Experimental Educational Research Society, Inc.

The Philippine Bible Society also recognized Bro. Eli with his contribution to the publication as he is associated with them in distributing the printed Bible free to the attendees of the Bible Expositions that MCGI is conducting.

These merits are proof of the distinctiveness of the humble yet in-demand religious program and its congregants as an asset to the nation. Soriano is highly regarded for his leadership both in civic and religious grounds.

Bro. Eli, as he is more popularly called, is in his 45th year in ministerial service while the program, Ang Dating Daan, is in its 29th year.

The three-person production that started the program was composed of Bro. Eli Soriano as the main host, Mr. Daniel Razon, the Vice-Presiding Minister of MCGI as then director and video editor, and Ms. Luz Cruz as researcher and make-up artist.

Razon happens to be the host now of Good Morning Kuya in UNTV.

Ang Dating Daan started over the radio as a 30 minute religious program in DWWA  in 1980 and the TV program was launched in 1983 on IBC 13. Sequence of events prompted the program to move from station to station. It is currently being aired nationwide in UNTV 37, while it is being aired on TOP channel in the boundaries of United States and Europe.

Isang Araw Lang (Just One Day) movie exemplifies public-service call

With the recent achievements of the Filipino filmmakers in international scene and the box-office hit records of the Filipino movies in local cinemas it is just timely that the Movie Writers Workers Foundation (MWWF) is on set to be revived through the major support of the famed public-service program host of Good Morning Kuya, Mr. Daniel Razon.

Dennis Aguilar, in his Tabloid column, wrote that Mr. Razon will support MWWF just to keep it in service again. The foundation ceased its function for unavoidable reason as stated by Aguilar. The support of Razon brought joy to the entertainment press.

This endeavor if materialized promises help to boost the Philippine film industry and the people involved in it as beneficiaries.  It will benefit not just the people behind the film, but the promise that more quality films may be produced eventually.

This act of concern can be an addition to Razon’s project under his campaign of “Isang Araw Lang” (Just One Day), an advocacy he started in UNTV, his current home station. The fervent promotion of this advocacy extends ultimately into having it a film version, titled Isang Araw Lang as well.

Isang Araw Lang movie, which Razon himself starred and directed gives a visual exemplification of how his campaign can be carried out in reality. A protagonist of the film who carries the spirit of the advocacy, also named Daniel, lives for everyday while applying his principle of selflessness by helping various type of people approaching him to the extent of being misinterpreted by others and opposing him, yet remaining firm with his belief.

The film includes the talents of Arnel Ignacio, Emilio Garcia, Tony Arevalo, Ryan Ramos, Natasha Ledesma, Robert Miller, Arnel Ignacio, and Rey “PJ” Abellana.  Screenplay was written by TV and film director, Lito De Guzman.

If Dante Mendoza bagged the Best Director awards this year in the recent Cannes Film Festival through his film Kinatay, Daniel Razon is eyeing a different prize for his film and it is through the potential gross of the movie.

He stated that the sales ticket of the movie will augment to the financial needs of his public-service he had been operating like the Transient Homes in Manila and Pampanga, Free Bus and MRT Rides, Medical Missions, Free Legal Service, and the recent Scholarship Program for College.

Perhaps the message that Daniel Razon is trying to convey by making this film is that the intention and motivation of a filmmaker is equally important as the message that the very film promotes to the audience.  The movie didn’t exploit any explicit material to make it intriguing that made it a standout among other digital films’ themes that are rampant today.

Isang Araw Lang advocacy is a call to carry out good deeds to self and to others even just for one day especially for those who are in capacity to do greater things to others. This advocacy he called have started in his morning public service show  in UNTV.

Razon also promotes anti-piracy as he understands the worth of honest sales that means a lot to the team behind a movie or of an album, from the producers to the artists.

Isang Araw Lang premiered in Meralco Theater on July 19, 2009 and in PICC Plenary Hall Pasay City on July 26, 2009. Movie tour in provinces and international venues is currently proceeding.

Just Like Charice: Natives of Foreign Lands embrace hard a Filipino teaching them of spirituality

Where have you been all our lives? They asked the man who seemed to know every nook and cranny of the Bible. But he belonged to a third-world country, one that is known for extreme poverty – material or moral – that racial slurs for the Filipino appear deserved and called for.

Although Filipino is one of the many races that are often victimized by racial slur of many countries that are economically superior, Filipinos abroad are continually creating phenomenal scenes and remarkable stories that challenge such claims from other races.

A very recent case of pinoy-bashing is courtesy of Chip Tsao, an editor of Hong Kong Magazine. He labeled the Philippines as “nation of servants”. Tsao, being self-claimed patriotic, explained in his column that the comment he made was due to his anger as he stumbled upon the news of Philippines claiming sovereignty over Spratly Islands. In his article he stated:

There are more than 130,000 Filipina maids working at US$3,580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong. As a nation of servants, you don’t flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.

Tsao only saw a certain phase of facts about the country regarding the statistics of Filipinos working abroad as domestic helpers. The reason to work overseas could be attributed to the unsatisfying local wages of the workers in the country.

It can be remembered that early quarter of 2008, a Hollywood actress Teri Hatcher cited a line with racial slur against Filipino Doctors in a TV drama in which she starred. This too became a news sensation. These are just the most recent ones, not yet including other high and low profile cases of racial slur against Filipinos in the past.

But it seems that Filipinos would not easily yield to this pinoy-bashing trend as some Filipinos are making it successful in the international scene with their exceptional gifts, not to mention the fact that 8.6% in 1.515 million Filipinos abroad are professional and highly skilled workers, according to Philippines Today. This one, Tsao might have failed to see.

If many of Pinoys have reacted in such sore manner, others are showing swiftly how different Filipinos are and don’t deserve such disparaging remarks.

Read full story here: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-262583

Listening to the songs of Daniel Razon

ONE OF THE SIMPLE things I did on Holy Week, between visita iglesia and joining the early morning procession on Easter Sunday, was catching up on my readings and listening to my growing collection of unopened CD’s.

It was a shame, I thought, to keep on amassing those albums without even trying them on for size, or at least, giving each one of them the benefit of a first hearing. It was like giving each of those singers, known and unknown, established, promising or never mind, their so-called day in court.

One of the pleasant discoveries of Black Saturday, which was when I started playing the albums in the Love Songs division, was ‘Songs of Love’ by Kuya Daniel Razon.

The CD had been on my desk for sometime, but after finally playing it recently, was I glad I didn’t give it away as was customary. Razon, better known as a morning show anchor (Magandang Umaga Bayan and Unang Hirit), Good morning Kuya, and now, civic worker, has come up with his own renditions of seven well-known love songs plus an original composition called ‘The Promise’ (by Angelito de Guzman), theme song of UNTV in 2006.

Razon’s deep baritone glides through each of the eight cuts like a seasoned balladeer. He hits the vocal peaks and valleys with ease in numbers like ‘Just The Way You Are’, ‘In My Eyes’, ‘Out Here On My Own’, ‘All My Life’, ‘Lean On Me’. A tinge of drama gushes forth in She’s Out Of My Life and the classic dependable, What Matters Most.

Daniel Razon belongs to a new generation of media people who define their careers by the work they do for others. An excellent photographer (he’s a nephew of the famous society photographer, Bob Razon, he has also published a coffeetable book and mounted an exhibit entitled ‘In My Eyes’ recently), motorcycle addict and musician, Razon is also a civic worker who put up a shelter for poor workers in the city. The shelter is located along EDSA, near the gate of Philam Homes.

In his youth, Daniel Razon showed promise as a singer on the discovery program, Starbrighters, produced and hosted once upon a time by former movie writer and line producer, Boy C. De Guia. – Nestor Cuartero

Source: Tempo.Com.Ph

Kuya Daniel calls for Just One day; Rotary Club of Kamuning first to respond

A recent bold call, Isang Araw Lang (Just One Day) initiated by Kuya Daniel Razon spread like wildfire on the Internet and has caused an organization to provide medical assistance to a public school in Quezon City.

Online publishers started blogging and uploading the video clips of an episode of the hit morning show Good Morning Kuya! (GMK), when Kuya Daniel disclosed to the public the underlying principles behind it.

Through the call, Kuya Daniel encourages every one who is capable to extend any help they can give to the less fortunate Filipinos in their own will.

While the catchy phrase Isang Araw Lang continues to surface on the internet, the Rotary Club of Kamuning responded immediately.

Continue reading here: danielrazon.com

The Beautiful Story of “Isang Araw Lang”

On February 24, 2009, Kuya Daniel and the rest of Pondahan were publicly professing their pondering on pressing issues that plague the Philippine people (Wasn’t reading that fun?). And then, the most ingenious of ideas, like a streak of light, comes from Kuya Daniel: What if a doctor or lawyer just gives one day of his service to his fellow for free? What if any Filipino who has the capacity to give will sacrifice just one day for his fellow in need?

Continue reading here: Kuya Daniel’s Fan Blog

Microsoft to close Encarta encyclopedia

SAN FRANCISCO—Microsoft plans to close its Encarta online encyclopedia, which competes in an arena dominated by communally-crafted free Internet reference source Wikipedia.

The US software colossus said that on October 31 it will turn off all its Encarta websites everywhere except in Japan, with that service to be terminated on the last day of December.

“The category of traditional encyclopedias and reference material has changed,” Microsoft said in an online message at its Encarta website on Monday.

“People today seek and consume information in considerably different ways than in years past.”

Encarta was launched in 1993 as competition for traditional reference books such as those offered by Encyclopedia Britannica.

Continue reading here: Inquirer.Net