MANILA, Philippines?There are two Filipinas in current US television shows ? actually two of the biggest talent searches.

As Inquirer Entertainment reported a week before the official announcement on Feb. 14, Filipino-American Ramiele Malubay has made it to the Top 24 of the world-famous reality singing competition ?American Idol,? airing on Fox in the United States.

On rival ABC, 19-year-old Mariel Jacoda is a finalist in ?Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann,? a new tilt hosted by ?Dancing with the Stars? judges and choreographers Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.

Inquirer learned of Malubay?s inclusion as AI finalist via blog/?spoiler? reports on the Internet.

The happy news about Jacoda was sent through e-mail by Inquirer reader and blogger Jonald Joni.

Idol?s idols

On the official AI web site, Malubay named Filipino singers Lani Misalucha and Regine Velasquez as her musical influences, along with Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin and the Jackson 5.

Malubay, 20, a sushi waitress from Miramar, Florida, said she started singing at 12, and also plays the piano and guitar ?a little bit.?

Proud Pinay

A quick check on Jacoda?s myspace blog confirmed her heritage.

In an entry dated Sept. 29, 2007, Jacoda wrote: ?About me being Filipina ? or Asian or an islander or whatever you?d like to call me ? I honestly don?t see why it?s ? an issue. I?m quite proud [of] my nationality ... ?

On the show?s official web site, Jacoda said her ethnicity had made it ?difficult? for her to break into the industry. She hoped that ?Dance War? would bring her into people?s homes ?in the least threatening way possible.?

Although the Chicago resident called herself ?drama-free,? she has a sob story.

She said she was driven and obsessed with success because her grandmother had given her the money to move to California to attend the Hollywood Pop Academy.

On the blog site, the singer-dancer named Whitney Houston, Eminem, Diana Ross, Beyoncé, and Earth, Wind & Fire as her musical ?idols.?

(E-mail: bayanisandiego@hotmail.com)