Reality in Paradise...

Going for the Gold - Philippine Madrigal Singers in Davao City

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Organized by National Artist professor Andrea O. Veneracion on 1963, the University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers is composed of students, faculty and alumni from the different colleges of UP. Demonstration of their notable musical competence, they were the first choir in the world to win the European Grand Prix for choral singing twice in 1997 and 2007.

This year, the Philippine Madrigal Singers have been already invited to perform during the American Choral Direcors Association, National convention in Dallas and during the America Cantat in Bogota/Columbia. All these coincide with the group's celebration of its 50th year.

I was able to watch and listen the choirs performance already sometime in the 1980s during its world tour while staying in Berlin.

On March 5, the world-renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers are to set to enthrall Davao with their impeccable musicality. With choirmaster Mark Anthony Carpio, the group is expected to perform sacred songs. the audience will be also captivated with powerful classics, i.e. from Rossini and others.

The second half of the concert will be an aode to Philippine culture with folk songs and others.

Dare not miss this very rare chance to be in audience with music royalty. Catch the Madrigal singers on March 5 at 6 pm at the SM Lanang Premier Atrium in Davao City. For inquiries please call 082 - 285 0943.

Philippine Madrigal Singers Photo Documentary

Music Royalty - Philippine Madrigal Singers in Davao City soon

Catch them on March 5 at 6 pm at the SM Lanang Premier Atrium. Admission is free, but you are required to buy a eco-friendly shopping bag for 140 Pesos per ticket.

More details are following here soon...

Araw Ng Davao - Part II

 

Kristine A. Estoque, Mutya ng Davao 2013 (Best in Talent) and Talent Showcase (February 20, 2013).

Photos (with friendly permission) from the City Information Office Davao City.

Araw ng Dabaw 2013

Peace in Mindanao? CONTRAST

Re-published Editorial from Mindanao Daily Mirror from February 12, 2013 with friendly permission of the the publisher Marietta Siongco.

The contrast could not have been starker. President Benigno Aquino's visit to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) stronghold of Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat was marked by festivities, sports events, a fluvial parade, and plenty of optimism for a future that, while still tentative, no longer looks impossible bleak.

Some 13 years ago, then-President Joseph Estrada went to the same place - then called Camp Abubakar - in a scene of destruction and waste as the military overran it in pursuance of his "all-out-war" on the MILF. The only festivities that were done by soldiers who feasted on lechon and beer -both forbidden under Islam- brought in by Estrada himself. The desecration was never forgottten and set back the peace initiatives to almost unsalvaeable levels.

The contrast between the two leaders' handling of the MILF can be jarring, and both have their share of supporters and critics. Even now, as President Aquino makes inroads to peace by visiting Camp Darapanan, some sectors are saying he is making the wrong move, and that sooner or later conflict will once again erupt in Mindanao. But it is to his credit that the President has apparently taken things personally in the island: he is thus far the only president to have visited an MILF stronghold in peace. The message he is trying to convince has obviously reached his audience: peace is not just a matter of taking to the negotiating table but also in actually meeting each other, shaking hands, even feasting and playing together. 

Time will tell if all this work, but at least for now, there is a reason to be optimistic. For the first time, peace in Mindanao is not an abstract concept discussed in Metro Manila or Malaysia but an actual event, in one which Mindanaoans themselves are participants.

Brownouts to Persist in Mindanao till 2016?

BAD NEWS FOR ALL OF US IN MINDANAO? This is written by PNA-Philippine News Agency...

 

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Electricity consumers in Mindanao would have to endure continued power outages until 2016, when the construction of new coal-fired power plants goes full steam, it was learned over the weekend.

The energy committee of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) reached this conclusion last week after reviewing the government’s responses to resolutions on tackling issues in the power and fuel sector that were submitted to President Aquino at the conclusion of the 2012 Philippine Business Conference.

Mindanao, except the cities of Davao and Cagayan de Oro, endures daily power shortages that result in brownouts.

Robert Calilim, chairman of the PCCI’s sub-committee on power, told representatives of the power sector in Mindanao, as well as some of the country’s biggest power companies, that a solution could be adopted if the government activates the hydroelectric generators in the area during peak hours.

In his presentation, Calilim, also a senior executive of the power-generation subsidiary of San Miguel Corp., boldly proposed making coal-fired geothermal and diesel plants the baseload electricity generators.

He said hydropower plants along the Agus and Polangi rivers in Bukidnon province should only be used during peak hours.

Calilim explained that the peak-hour requirements of Mindanao totals only 1,279 megawatts, much lower than the generating capacity of power-generating plants in the area that was initially computed at over 1,600 megawatts.

“The region has excess capacity of 400 megawatts. There should be no shortage there,” he said.

This approach to the brownout problem has not been taken, however, because of an existing policy that requires using the hydropower plants as baseload generators. This means the electricity these produce will be used first.

According to Calilim, this policy continues to be observed because the electricity produced by the dams is much cheaper than other energy sources.

A trade-off will be necessary, and consumers will have to pay about P1 more per kilowatt-hour with the diesel plants, including power barges deployed there once the power crisis starts to worsen.

Calilim assured, though, the sacrifice would be temporary. Once coal-fired plants are connected to the grid, these will replace diesel plants as baseload sources of power.

13,404 Migratory Birds Counted

A total numberof 13,404 migratory birds were recently counted by the three teams of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Division (PAWD) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-XI (DENR-XI).

The 7-day bird watching/bird counting activity was done in Malalag Bay, Davao del Sur; Carmen, Davao del Norte and Banaybanay, Davao Oriental in line with the Annual Asian Waterfowl Census (AWC) for migratory birds.

There were 3,738 birds found in Malalag, Davao del Sur, 3,914 birds in La Paz, Carmen, Davao del Norte and 5,752 birds in Banaybanay, Davao Oriental.

These municipalities are the only three identified temporary habitats of migratory birds in the month of January after crossing the continents.

DENR-XI Regional Executive Director Joselin Marcus E. Fragada said that bird watching/bird counting activity aims to obtain information on the population of migratory birds at wetlands in the region as well as to monitor on an annual basis the status and condition of wetlands. This year, most of the migratory birds that were counted are Black-winged Stilt, Little Egret, Common Tern and Whiskered Tern among others.

Last year, a total number of 7,836 migratory birds were counted on the same areas and these were composed of species like Godwit, Sand Plover, Common Greenshank and Black-winged Stilt to name a few.

AWC is an annual event which takes place during the second and third weeks of January. The census was initiated in 1987 in the Indian subcontinent and has grown rapidly to cover over 32 countries.

According to the National Wetlands Program, many species of water birds fly in droves during winter to go to warmer and more hospitable tropics. After winter following weeks of hoping from one country to another, waterbirds go back the same way feeding on marine species of animals and plants found along the shores. (DENR-XI PR)

THANK YOU VERY MUCH DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCES REGION XI FOR PROVIDING ME WITH YOUR PRESS RELEASE.

Toni Gonzaga to Host The Voice of the Philippines

Ultimate Multimedia Star Toni Gonzaga is officially the host of "The Voice of the Philippines", the country's edition of the worldwide hit singing competition. Toni shared to give viewers a glimpse on what to expect on her new show: "It's a singing competition with a different concept. We will showcase the best singers in the Philippines, you have never seen before."

The Voice is a unique singing competition where auditions are based solely on vocal ability. In the first stage called the "blind auditions", all four coaches must listen to the artist without facing him or her and must their buttons if they want the artist to be part of the team they will mentor.