'Pepito Manaloto' child actor wins Hollywood tilt

Child actor Joshua Pineda of the television sitcom "Pepito Manaloto" won the prestigious "Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World" and the "Junior Grand Vocalist of the World" titles at the 2011 World Championships of the Performing Arts in Hollywood over the weekend. According to a report on the Visayan Daily Star, Pineda a third grade student who hails from Negros Occidental, plays the role of Chito in the television situational comedy "Pepito Manaloto," which airs on GMA Channel 7. Joshua is enrolled in a home study program of the Victory Elijah Schools Systems in Antipolo City. The report quoted Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. as saying that Pineda performed Frank Sinatra’s “They can’t take that away from me." Joshua is the son of Augusto Pineda, a sales engineer, and Jesusa Pineda, a former English teacher of the University of St. La Salle high school in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. The report said began singing Gospel songs when he was four years old and performed at malls, hotels, and corporate events. Joshua's favorite Gospel song is “Upon this Rock," the report added. - VVP, GMA News