UNO Loves Cindy

So the new issue’s out! And, as you can see on this site, the cover rocks. But what’s inside?

We’ve got a quite frankly astonishing shoot with the gorgeous Cindy Kurleto — photography by who else but Juan Caguicla, and interview by none other than poet/songwriter Aldus Santos. And then we have a feature on Ellen Adarna, again with amazing photos by Juan, made even more amazing by special guest artist Lala Gallardo (I’m not going to describe it, you just have to see it). Interview by yours truly, writer and closet gangsta rapper Luis Katigbak.

There’s lots more: Jessica Zafra on historically significant treasures, Tweet Sering on Manny Pacquiao and boxing (in more than one sense of the term), Noel Orosa on Kinatay, Norman Black on how to win a championship, Erwin Romulo on Lor Lapus (and PJ Harvey), longboarding in the Visayas, UAAP predictions, and more more more, fashion and business and pop culture coverage that is second to none. Just get it!

“No fun to be alone… Well come on, well come on, well come on!” — Iggy Pop

*Incidentally, Cindy Kurleto was also featured recently on Complex magazine’s list of 9 Hottest Filipinas. If you check it out, you will also come across former UNO cover girl Kat Alano (as well as images from our Anne Curtis cover shoots).

Judging the Philippines Graphic Literary Awards

So I was one of the judges for this year’s annual Philippines Graphic Literary Awards — also known as the Nick Joaquin Awards for Literature. Congratulations to Rosario Cruz-Lucero, Erwin F. Castillo, and Sasha Martinez, excellent fictionists all! (Read more about it here.)

Fun Facts About the UNO Staff, Part 1

1. During one overnight editing/writing session at the office, Contributing Editor Mihk Vergara demonstrated his heretofore secret ability to turn his head 270 degrees around, like an owl. Unfortunately he threw up a lot afterwards and had to be rushed to the hospital.

2. Editorial Assistant extraordinaire France Pinzon is not named after France the geographical location. Rather, she is France, the corporeal form of the essence of an entire country. She took human form to learn more about people, and migrated here after she realized she didn’t like the people in France so much. She spends her spare time scoffing at tourist guides that “get me all wrong.”

3. Creative Director Juan Caguicla was raised in the wild by a roaming pack of savage tattoo artists. One day, after his pack suffered a vicious raid by their mortal enemies, a gang of bloodthirsty photographers, he found an abandoned Rolleiflex 2.8F TLR. Though he knew it was forbidden, he could not resist figuring out how to use the implement and soon spent many a day testing its limits. When his treachery was discovered, his full-body tattoo rite of manhood was cancelled (to this day, one arm is almost completely bare), and he was banished from his pack. Now he is an outcast from both tribes, who uses his powers for the good of all.

The New UNO

Hello all. This is Luis Katigbak, Editor-at-Large (no fat jokes please). Just wanted to say that I am looking forward to the unleashing of the all-new UNO this June — after many sleepless nights, heated discussions, hunger pangs, and 3 AM epiphanies, it’s finally coming out! I can’t wait to see how people take it.

I’ve been working on magazines for over a decade now, and this is definitely one of the best teams I’ve ever worked with. Erwin “The Erwinator” Romulo, Juan “The Tattooed Man” Caguicla, Denise “Dahlin” Mallabo, Ramon “Supercontext” De Veyra, Mihk “Made in Hong Kong” Vergara, Jayvee “Mnemonic” Fernandez, “Gangsta” France Pinzon, the Notorious Shawn Yao, and of course, RJ “Tru” Ledesma, among many others, staffers and freelancers alike. We overhauled all the sections, got our favorite people to contribute, and made lots of grand plans. The June issue will feature pop culture goodness galore, a forgotten basketball hero, forward-looking fashion, an adventure trip, a mad filmmaker or two or three, and of course, beautiful women. We hope you like the end result.