I don’t watch local TV but when I do, I’m always amazed with the commercials. Parang lahat bago. One of those that really caught my attention was the cute Anna Banana commercial of PLDT. Remember this?

PLDT myDSL Anna Banana Commercial

My first reaction was, “Awww..cute!“. I guess it’s because I’m a mom to a little boy. I was imagining the future when I would make fun of Noah when I find out about his crush or overhear phone conversations via the extension (although I doubt we’d still have landline by then).

I also found the commercial heartwarming and true because I know I’ll be that kind of mommy to Noah– supportive and proud– and that I’ll be his number one fan. I salute Derek’s mom although I know time will come that moms need to be more honest and transparent with their kids.

I was curious about the Anna Banana commercial and discovered there’s a full version of the Anna Banna song:

Anna Banana Original Song by Derek S. Lorenzo

The video was meant to be viral. If I didn’t know about the commercial, I’d think this was some kid let loose by his parents on the Internet. But then the YouTube channel username is annabananaDSL so it’s easy to identify that it’s some marketing ploy by PLDT for its DSL Internet service.

After five months, a certain Anna Benaza uploaded a video response to Derek’s Anna Banana. So it’s Anna Banana! Benaza-Banana…okay!

FOR DEREK original song by Anna Banana

Ouch! Kahit hindi ko naintindihan. Spell B-A-S-T-E-D. Again, if I didn’t know this is marketing, I’d say the girl is crazy for responding to Derek. Gawin bang public? Kawawa naman.

No more Anna Banana. 🙁

But of course, most fictional love stories must have a happy ending so Derek’s family helped him search for the new Anna Banana.

PLDT myDSL Anna Banana Revealed Commercial

Another Talent Search brought to you by PLDT MYDSL! By this time, I’m enjoying the series.

After more than two months of searching and more than 440 entries of aspiring Anna Banana, the search was narrowed down to three girls:

Top 3 Entries: Be Derek’s new ‘Anna’!

All three girls are pretty, smart, and talented but only one captured the heart of Derek and she’s my choice too!

Aria Cariño is Derek’s new Anna Banana  

The girl Aria is my choice for so many reasons. I like her voice, reminds me of Sarah MacLachlan. She sang an original. I wonder who wrote the song. Did she compose it herself or did someone write it for her?

She got me interested so I stalked Googled who Aria Cariño might be.

Who is Aria Cariño? Here are a few things I discovered about her:

• She now has an Aria Cariño Official Fan Page
• She has another Aria Banana Facebook Page
• She tweets.
• She’s on SoundCloud doing covers.
• You can ask her anything on FormSpring.
• Her favorite bands include David Bowie, The Beatles, Breathe Carolina, Duran Duran, and Yelle.
• She studied grade school in St. Paul College Pasig and is now a sophomore at Quezon City Science HS.
• Her birthday is on November 15.
• She has 3 brothers. Her parents are Aris and Gina Cariño.
• She was a kid reporter on Kids on Q years ago.
• She can play the piano and the guitar too. 🙂

You can check www.dereksnewanna.com for Aria Carino’s winning entry.
You can also check the site to see all the other beautiful Anna’s!