Philippine All-Male Choir Returns from Concert-Competition Tour of Sweden, Germany, Denmark and Switzerland

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Filipino all-male choir ALERON returns to Manila after a successful month-long European tour, having performed around Sweden, Germany, Denmark and Switzerland.

Under the theme of Exploring Identity, the tour’s highlights include emerging victorious at the 2nd Limburg Male Choir Festival in Germany, winning championships in the Men’s Vocal Ensembles and Male Choirs Open categories.

The only non-European choir in the roster of participants, ALERON was also awarded the Special Prize of the Hessian Prime Minister, a distinction given to the group that earns the highest score across the entire competition. Its Ensemble Director, Christopher Arceo, was among the two conductors awarded the Special Choirmaster Prize, along with Matthias Rajczyk from Germany.

The Festival was organized by the Cäcilia Lindenholzhausen, one of the most prominent and leading male choirs in Limburg an der Lahn, known to be the center for male choir singing in Germany.

Following its success in Limburg, ALERON took part in the Svenska kyrkans gosskörsförening’s (Swedish Church’s Boy’s Choir Association) Gosskörsfestival (Boy’s Choir Festival) held in the verdant, lakeside municipality of Rättvik. The annual festival brings together boy’s choirs from all over Sweden, serving as an avenue for choral education and fellowship among its participants in an entirely non-competitive setting.
In celebration of its 25th anniversary this year, the festival featured ALERON Ensemble Director Christopher Arceo as its first non-European guest conductor, working with the combined forces of around 300 male choristers in the performance of choral pieces including Vivaldi’s Gloria, Händel’s Hallelujah Chorus, Åhlén’s Sommarpsalm, Poulenc’s Laudes de Saint-Antoine de Padoue, Tallis’ Hear the voice and prayer, and works by Filipino composers Nilo Alcala (Kaisa-isa Niyan) and Eudenice Palaruan (Nonot Kamo Kanako).

ALERON’s travels saw the group performing in numerous iconic venues such as the Uppsala Cathedral (the largest church in the Nordic region), Linköping Cathedral and Lund Cathedral, where the group provided music for a High Mass in culmination of the Pilgrimsvägen Skåne Blekinge's 10th anniversary, a hiking journey for devotees centered on spirituality and God.

Visiting and performing for Filipino communities in Stockholm, Bochum and Basel also served as an integral part of the group’s journey: singing at the 11th Filipino Marian Pilgrimage at the Zisterzienserkloster in Bochum, Germany on June 8, and performing a concert and Mass at the Clarakirche in Basel, Switzerland on June 14 and 16.

ALERON also had the privilege of meeting with Ambassador Leo Herrera-Lim (Philippine Ambassador to Denmark) and Ambassador Denis Yap Lepatan (Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein), who invited the choir as a guest of honor at the 121st Independence Day commemoration held at the Philippine Embassy in Berne last June 15. The Embassy presented ALERON in a feature concert at the Yehudi Menuhin Forum on the same day.

ALERON first came into existence in 2006 as the alumni ensemble of the Ateneo de Manila High School Glee Club under the leadership of its current Ensemble Director Christopher Arceo, and continues today composed of male choristers from diverse backgrounds. The group has been a consistent recipient of financial grants by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in support of its international endeavors.

In continuation of its season theme of IDENTITY, ALERON will be staging a homecoming concert on July 28, 2019. Visit ALERON’s official Facebook page at www.fb.com/aleronchoir for more details.

Go Negosyo, DTI-Mentored Enteps in Iloilo

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"Most probinsyanos have so many disadvantages in so many things. So, normally the next thing you'll do is to work harder because you have to compensate for the things that you're not familiar with, the things that you don't know much about. So I think that's one trait that if you have so much disadvantage stuck on you, against you, you'll tend to exert more effort. If you recognized that, then it will become your advantage."

Double Dragon President and CEO and Founder of Mang Inasal Edgar “Injap” Sia II inspired his kababayans through his message in the 19th rollout of Go Negosyo’s Mentor Me On Wheels at the Northpoint Event Center, SM City Iloilo last June 21, 2019.

In his message, he added: “You can start small and if you plan properly and you work hard to execute your plans, it's still possible for you to grow to a certain size and successfully compete in a nationwide scale just like how we did our business. So I think, to all of my kababayans, you just have to really carefully study whatever you want to achieve and then once you've studied the industry, the terrain, you have to execute passionately, and to really work hard. It's not optional for you to have some sacrifices, that's your contribution to be able to reach your goal to grow the business. For me, it is the inspiration that it’s possible for a probinsyano, like me, to start small and grow."

Go Negosyo in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and through the help of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Council (MSMED) brought the free mentorship to the City of Love which catered more than 400 and was mentored by 50 mentors.

MMOW program was led by Jerry Clavecillas, Director of Bureau of Small Medium Enterprise

Development - DTI and was joined by Rebecca M. Rascon, Regional Director of DTI- Region 6, Maria Corazon Bulatao, President and CEO of Quad X, Rey Lapid, President & Founder of R. Lapid’s Chicharon & Barbecue, RJ Ledesma, Co-Founder of Mercato Centrale Philippines, and many more mentors!

Aside from MMOW, Go Negosyo also conducted its second rollout of MME in Region 6. Together with DTI, Bureau of Small and Medium Enterprise Development (BSMED), MSMED Council and esteemed partners who joined forces with the aim to supplement graduates of KMME and KAMMP and link them to financial institutions and market platforms.

MME featured three forums on Money, Market, and Digital. Business matching and business consultations on banking institutions, microfinance institution, financial tech institution, digital market platform, mall/supermarket representative, and cashless payment provider were also presented.

SM Supermalls is an official venue partner of Mentor Me on Wheels. This free mentorship program will roll out in selected local malls nationwide. Watch out for MMOW in Baguio City this June 27, 2019! Register at http://bit.ly/MMOWBAGUIO

Be mentored online! Download the Mentor Me Mobile App now on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

San Isidro to be the Cacao Capital of Davao del Norte

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Local agricultural players pledged to make the municipality of San Isidro become the "cacao capital of Davao del Norte" in a stakeholders forum organized by the Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF) last July 19.

Representatives from the local government, business sector, community leaders, farmers and PEF trustees as well as its program committee members met to lay down their visions to contribute in the area development of the municipality.

"This is a welcome development for us because San Isidro is a fourth-class municipality. We need the support from other stakeholders to cope up with the limitations," Municipal Administrator Allan Delideli said.

San Isidro has 3,600 hectares of cacao farms and is known for its tableya and cacao beans production.

Aside from developing the cacao industry, the participants also discussed strategies to cope up with the falling prices of copra, with inputs such as intercropping cacao with coconuts, good farm practices, value-adding, and improving the quality of nuts.

According to PEF Executive Director Roberto Calingo, the stakeholders forum became opportunity for everyone to strengthen partnerships and cooperation.

“(This is an opportunity) para mapakinggan kung paano magkakaroon ng pagkakaisa ng pananaw kung paano pauunlarin ang kabuhayan ng mga pamilya at kung paano papalakasin ang cacao commodity," he said.

For her part, PEF board vice chairman Carmencita Abella said that the convergence of all stakeholders is a step towards improving opportunities for the farmers in San Isidro.

"Ang punto ng ginagawa natin ay maitaas ang income ng farmers,"she said. "Hindi natin maiingat ito kung hindi tayo magtutulungan."

The stakeholders forum is part of the two-day visit by PEF board and program committee members to look into the Foundation's efforts in developing the agricultural value chain in the municipality.

The group visited model and demo cacao and coconut farms, as well as local enterprises of the Laak Multipurpose Cooperative and Chokolate de San Isidro.