How do you define “extreme” in the most explosive, home-building sense of the word?

This is how TV5 defines it: For the season-ender of “Extreme Makeover Home Edition Philippines,” or EMHEP as we have come to know it on Twitter, the show is unveiling not just one new home for a deserving family, but 28 houses for an entire community!

The show is on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. on TV5, and I do hope you will tune in to see how we built a whole Gawad Kalinga village in Dupax, Nueva Vizcaya. It will be an epic finale, for sure!

Over the past months, our EMHEP Design Team bus has brought us back and forth to Nueva Vizcaya so many times. The bus has beds, which help while away the eight-hour journey. Design Team members Joby Belmonte and Tristan Jovellana have really neat beds, while mine is all covered with feathers, accessories and many outfits. The back of the bus brims with clothes of our other member, Divine Lee.

Main host Paolo Bediones has made the bus a star in its own right, exhorting the families and their neighbors to shout, “move that bus!” on Reveal Day.

Indeed, EMHEP’s tagline, “Bagong Bahay, Bagong Buhay,” has meant much to the families we have touched this past season. Our build sponsors, like Smart Communications, have been exceptional in getting all this done. Furniture is provided from SylPaulJoyce, and home electronics come from Samsung.

Unlike the international editions of the Endemol show, EMHEP goes further by providing education grants through AMA Colleges, and livelihood projects through Sundance and Bosch.

In our pilot episode in Mabalacat, Pampanga, Design Team member Marilen Faustino-Montenegro designed a spa room for Apung Norma and the Austria family for extra income. They were also given Pampanga’s Best products to sell.

Intense pressure

Each episode is emotionally charged with love and devotion, all while we work under the intense time pressure of a TV weekly episode. The massive scale of this finale episode is unparalleled, with some many generous sponsors coming in, like Handyman, HCG, Mariwasa Tiles, Super Steel Pipes Corp. and Bestank  Water Tanks, Uratex, and so many more.

The mega-finale project was completed in record time, thanks to the combined hands of the local government, the Army and hundreds of GK volunteers. The family of Rep. Carlos Padilla generously donated the land where the new Gawad Kalinga Bagong Bahay, Bagong Buhay Village is located.

Bringing new hope to deserving Filipino families and communities has brought so much joy, as we complete each episode with a cast of hundreds, ranging from the hard-working EMHEP crew to all our other construction partners. Over the season, EMHEP direk Monty Parungao was able to capture moving scenes that made for lots of tear-jerking moments.

Indeed, the show continued its pay-it-forward concept by providing free bus rides to commuters on certain routes last week. The “EMHEP Libreng Sakay Bus” gave free rides on Fridays for a whole month.

TV5 has truly been a progressive network, pushing the envelope on delivering exceptional shows. I so appreciated being part of EMHEP. We’ve redefined the meaning of extreme TV, bringing in the ideal of changing lives and sharing blessings.

Daphne’s home lines

A fellow Kapatid on the network is Daphne Oseña-Paez, who has a lifestyle talk show, an eponymous furniture label available at Dimensione, and now, a line of home fragrances for Bench.

Her home furniture line is stylish, of good quality and quite affordable. My favorite is her signature piece, the Daphne chair, because it’s so playful and a bit feminine with woodcarvings in gold finish. Handmade by an export-accredited award-winning furniture manufacturer, the chairs may look delicate, but they are designed to last. I checked out the complete line at Dimensione at the Fort, and I was tempted to buy all colors!

I took home instead all three scents of Daphne’s home fragrance line. Mint Jasmine Infusion is a mix of floral and mint, inspired by an outdoor kitchen in Tuscany. Homemade Lemon Tart is reminiscent of freshly baked pie, a universal scent designed to appeal to all ages and lifestyles. Acres of Lavender, which aids in sleep, is woodsy, soothing and relaxing.

Amanda’s new TV show

These days, there are so many celebrity moms going the entrepreneurial route. Gorgeous Amanda Griffin-Jacob will be premiering her new show, “Amanda, Loving Life,” on July 8 on the Lifestyle Network. The press launch was recently held at Aria Cucina Italiana, Bonifacio High Street.

Amanda’s website, www.glamomamas.com, allows her to share useful tips on young motherhood and balancing different aspects of life with style and ease. The show allows her to extend her reach into cable.

Close friend and fellow wonder woman Joey Mead-King gave a heartwarming introduction to the afternoon’s star. The first season of “Amanda, Loving Life” kicks off with her personal motherhood story, as well as secrets to losing post-pregnancy weight. Fitness, beauty and vacation time are also covered. Fashion guru Rajo Laurel shares some fashion pointers for dads as well.

The three friends, Amanda, Joey and Rajo, will also be all together with their furry pets at the upcoming Bow & Wow Benefit Dinner at the Rockwell Tent on June 30. This special event will feature a scrumptious buffet by Gaita Fores’ Cibo di M and organic wines from Healthy Options for the humans.

For the pets, there is a mouth-watering buffet by Bow & Wow and a heavenly dessert buffet for pets by Swell Sweets.

Tickets are available at Bow & Wow stores in Greenbelt 5 and Shangri-La Plaza, and at the Rockwell Grove model unit in the Powerplant Mall. All the proceeds will benefit Cara Philippines.

Uniqlo opens

Then again—how do you define “extreme” in the shopping sense of the word? Uniqlo.

The global apparel brand from Japan opened in the SM Mall of Asia this weekend, and discounts are available for this first week. Uniqlo CEO Tadashi Yanai redefined extreme when he said they intend to open 50 stores in the country over the next three years!

A visit to Uniqlo may just be the best way to spend Father’s Day with Dad. Happy Father’s Day!

Follow @tessavaldes on Twitter or e-mail [email protected].