Meet the Hosts of The Mare-Mare Club | LJ Moreno-Alapag and Mafae Yunon-Belasco

For a lot of Filipinos, moving to the United States can be difficult especially when doing so as an adult, with a family in tow, often a decision that comes major life and lifestyle changes. The move entails an insane amount of personal change, realizations, and seemingly insurmountable hardships when it comes to socio-economic changes. But at the end of the day, all of the sacrifice is worth it. Mafae Yunon-Belasco and LJ Moreno-Alapag are two of the many Filipinos that have taken the leap to America with their families and the growth they’ve experienced since stepping in the country is quite remarkable. From building their respective careers in the Philippines to starting a new life in the US with their families, this dynamic duo has joined forces to host The Mare-Mare Club, a show that aims to showcase their transition to America and put the spotlight on Filipino-Americans who are making strides in their respective careers and crafts on this side of the world. Before we talk more about the show, let's get to know the hosts a little better.

Lj Moreno-Alapag

Throughout her career, LJ has worn many hats. She started off pursuing her passion for acting at a young age. Through the years, she built a remarkable portfolio, appearing on the screens of some of the Philippines favorites like the ABS-CBN series “Gimik”, GMA-7’s sitcom “Kool Ka Lang”, Di kita ma-reach, Sgt. Maderazo: Bayad na pati kaluluwa mo, The Leaving, and Ang huling henya. 

Outside of acting, she has had her fair share in reality television. You may have seen LJ in the first ever The Amazing Race Philippines, where she and her partner CJ Jaravata ultimately beat 10 other teams throughout a competition that consisted of racing in 13 cities. At the end of the competition, the celebrity friends walked away with the grand prize of P2 million.

But this wasn’t the only reality show that LJ participated in. She was named Daredevil Chick in Pinoy Fear Factor, where she competed to be the first El Último Participante in Argentina, South America. Despite being the sixth person to get eliminated from the show, Lj gained popularity yet again for her courage and confidence.  

After graduating, Lj stepped away from the spotlight to pursue a career in teaching. After some time, she made her comeback to show business, appearing in the movie Status: Single alongside good friend Rufa Mae Quinto.

In 2015, LJ starred in TV5’s Happy Wife, Happy Life, which initially featured hosts who were wives of PBA players, giving viewers a sneak peek into the ups and downs that it entails. Here, she hosted with Jeck Maierhofer, RR Enriquez, and Danica Sotto-Pingris.

Throughout her career, LJ ran her business The Lollicake Factory. People from across the country loved her delicious cake pops, beautiful cakes, and wide range of assorted pastries that she had available. Despite having to switch up operations because of the pandemic, the business continued to thrive off selling their Ube Cheese Pandesal, Special Spanish bread, and so much more. 

LJ is happily married to her husband, Jimmy Alapag, who is best known for his time as a professional basketball player and coach in the Philippine Basketball Association and Asean Basketball League. 

Through the years, they became a family of six, with their children Ian, Keona, Calen, and Cayson. 

Lj, Jimmy and her family made the big leap to move to the United States in 2020. 

Mafae Yunon-Belasco

Mafae’s journey started in the beautiful island of the Philippines. When she was young, her family made the courageous decision to migrate to Australia, where she spent the majority of her childhood. By chance, she was placed in the Miss Philippines Australia pageant and ultimately won the two major titles up for grabs. In visiting the Philippines after her win, she realized the difference wearing a sash and crown made in impacting the lives of others and set her eyes on leveling up to join the prestigious Bb. Pilipinas pageant. 

Her journey to the crown was far from easy. She spent months away from her family and even was temporarily disqualified due to residency time. But with grit and determination, she was crowned Bb. Pilipinas World 2003 and won the opportunity to represent the Philippines in the Miss World 2003 competition in Sanya, China. Out of 100+ countries, she finished in the Top 5.

After passing on her crown, Mafae pursued a career in professional modeling. She built a portfolio that consists of work with some of the Philippines top designers, brands, and publications. Some highlights in Mafae’s career include walking the runways of Philippine Fashion Week, shooting commercials with world renowned brands like Mastercard, Mitsubishi, and Coke, appearing as a model mentor for Philippines Next Top Model’s Cycle 2, and traveling overseas to model in countries like Singapore, America, and Australia. Mafae has appeared on the covers of magazines such as Speed Magazine, Women’s Journal Magazine, Offcam Magazine, Mirror Magazine, and Rockwell Magazine, where she has shared her story. She now models part of the board of the Professional Models Association of the Philippines and is actively modeling in the US with Scout Model Agency.

Beyond her career in the spotlight, Mafae has made it a point to shed light on others and help  them be the best versions of themselves possible through her work as a certified life and personality development coach, sacred space holder and well-being boost facilitator. 

In addition to this, she founded her own business, Mafae Management Consultancy, a company dedicated to empowering companies and individuals in public relations & marketing, content creation, events management, online show production, and social media management. Mafae and her team have worked with clients all over the world to help raise brand awareness and establish online and offline presence. Since its start in 2015, Mafae and her empowered team of creatives have worked with clients across the globe, in places like France, Switzerland, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Japan. 

While on her quest to the crown, she met her husband, Nic Belasco, who is best known for his time playing professional basketball in the Philippine Basketball Association and across the globe in the Asean Basketball League. 

Through the years, they became a family of eight, with their children Nico, Mike, Moses, Nicci, Noah, and Melo. 

In 2022, Mafae and her family made the big move back to America to start a new chapter in their lives. Team Belasco landed in California on June 2, 2022 and have since established themselves in various organizations throughout their new home in Stockton, California.

Through the years, Lj and Mafae have remained the best of friends. From supporting their husbands courtside in arenas across the globe to weekly prayer group sessions to building their families, these mares have been through a lot together. As they make the transition to the United States, they have decided to let the world in on their journey through The Mare-Mare Club, produced by Mabuhay Studios. 

The Mabuhay Studios team consists of industry veterans. Hazel Abonita-Rivera, Executive Producer & Writer, and Ivan Dedicatoria, Director, who both have had their fair share in production for some of the most popular shows and films in the Philippines. Since their start, Mabuhay Studios has racked up over 3.6 Million views on Youtube and a combined viewership, on all social media platforms, of 7.3 Million in engagement. With everyone fusing their experiences together, we all are up for a treat as they take us on adventures across the United States and celebrate the wonders of being Filipino in America. 

Follow along their journey on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/@MabuhayStudios. 

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Written By Nico Belasco

Photographer, Writer, Speaker, Podcast Host, Creative

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