Best home shows are on FYI

In FYI’s brand new series Zombie House Flipping, we meet the Robin Hoods of real estate led by millennial flipper Justin Stamper. Together with his badass band of house flipping mavericks composed of property scout and realtor extraordinaire Ashlee, construction king Keith, renegade remodeler Duke and adorable black lab Marley, they buy and fix up dilapidated, abandoned, bank-owned “zombie houses.” Skillfully cleaning up embarrassing properties in Orlando’s most upscale neighborhoods, the team works on delivering almost magical transformations, while making big bucks in the process. Catch their adventures as Zombie House Flipping starts airing on April 27, 9 p.m. Wednesdays. Three shows are about to show viewers how to turn junk to funk, 9 to 11 p.m. on April 22 and 29. First up is Trashformers, where two teams of up-cycling designers get three days to dig into a 28,000-pound discarded school bus and compete to create the next high fashion, must-have item of the season. Hosts Tanya McQueen and Tracy Hudson (Extreme Home Makeover) take on a different challenge as the Picker Sisters, journeying cross country and searching through every nook and cranny for great bargains and cool items to fill their new home store. These girls are ready to beg, borrow and buy their way across America just to find those furniture pieces and antiques that customers will die for. Rounding off the exciting line-up is latest series Buy It, Fix It, Sell It, where a trio of top professional ‘fixers’ battle for the best junk to transform and sell for big profits. Creativity equals cash for these pros and they have the vision and skills to back it up, with each episode delivering results that make viewers go “wow.” FYI™ is available on SKYCable Ch 79; Cable Link Ch. 44; Dream Satellite Ch 21. ★★★★★ Heroes across the sea What are you willing to do for the people you love? For Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), this question is something they live with every day. Every day, they answer it by spending time away from their families, working in a different world. Every day they choose to help, often at the cost of their own comfort. Working abroad requires big changes. It means going out of comfort zones and taking chances far from the convenience of the place they call home. Bringing their talents abroad for the sake of uplifting loved ones back in the country involves dedication, a strong will, and unarguably, a big heart.

For actor and TV personality Robin Padilla, calling these people “modern day heroes” is not enough for the amount of glory and sacrifice they give to the country. The actor, who is an avid advocate of OFWs, can very much relate to the stories these people tell. “Hindi ako bago sa kanila. Baliktad lang siguro ang sitwasyon ko dahil ako kumikita ako dito at pinapadala ko sa Australia. Pero alam ko ang pakiramdam ng malayo sa mga anak ko. (I’m not new to their situation. Maybe it’s the opposite because in my case I earn money here and send it to Australia. But I know the feeling of being away from my children.),” Robin said. The drive of these modern heroes and their dedication towards their loved ones are aspects that have always resonated with him. He shares the facets that make him admire these people succinctly and emphatically. “Kung sakripisyo lang, lahat naman tayo nagsasakripisyo eh. Yung tibay talaga. Kapag andun ka sa ibang bansa at solo ka, iba yun. (If it’s just about sacrifice, we all make them. It is really the strength of these people. It is different when you are in a different country alone).” The actor’s innate compassion for these individuals is the reason why he was chosen by a leading global money remittance service to serve as its face–and heart. Alex Chan Lim, country manager of MoneyGram International, Inc., Philippines praises the man for his sincere stand towards OFWs. “There was a meeting of the minds. When we first talked to him, we saw how he keeps true to his word. All the things that he says, they come from the heart. He isn’t the type of person who would just go out there for the sake of his job as an endorser. He has genuine care that touches the hearts of these people. And once you touch the softness of their heart, the rest will follow,” Lim said. The actor, who has represented MoneyGram since 2012, has been an effective conduit that connects Filipinos abroad to the culture they have temporarily left behind in the country. With the help of the brand, the TV personality has actively reached out to OFWs through a series of performances to bring joy to these modern heroes. MoneyGram has been participating and at some cases, mounting its own shows for free as part of their efforts for the OFWs. Padilla religiously participates in them to gamely entertain the OFW communities across the sea. Lim shares one particular experience they had abroad. “There was a time when we went to Saudi Arabia and we met an OFW who works at the hotel we checked in. When he saw us, he naturally got awestruck with Robin. He returned three times just to talk to us. We talked for hours and not once did I see Robin show signs that he was tired.” He continued, “What really surprised me is that he gave something that is really personal to him. That is out of his responsibilities as a brand endorser but he did it.” Robin gave one of the shirts he uses for his prayer sessions. “Sabi ko sa kanya, etong pangdasal ko na to, ang daming humihingi. Hindi ko to binigay pero ibibigay ko ito sayo. (I told him, there are so many people who asked me for this. I didn’t give it to them but I am giving this to you.)” Lim and Padilla pride their approach towards OFWs as progressive. “Nagsimula kami sa malasakit. Pero progressive kami sa approach. Sa mga performances, yung mga nagawa na namin, hindi na namin inuulit. (We started with compassion. But we are progressive with our approach. When it comes to performances, we do not repeat what we have done already.),” Robin explained.