Friday, November 16, 2007

Himig Singers sweep Asian Choir Games

A Filipino choir group has cemented the Philippines' reputation as a nation of natural-born singers.

The multi-awarded Himig Singers of Davao City swept the First Asian Choir Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia, from Nov. 2 to 10, winning the top prize in the mixed vocal ensembles category, besting rival groups from China, Malaysia, Russia, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

They performed the Visayan folk song "Usahay" (Sometimes), "Circle of Life" by Elton John and the gospel hymn "Walls of Jericho."

Other Philippine groups also won top prizes in other categories in the Jakarta tilt.

In the mixed youth choir category, the Lyceum University of the Philippines Chorale took the gold diploma, a mere point away from the Gema Sangkakala Youth Choir of Indonesia, which was declared champion.

The Lyceum Chorale won the silver diploma in the folklore category while the Mandaue City's Mandaue School for the Arts Children's Choir finished second after Indonesia's Voice of YPJ, which was declared champion.


Philippine representatives also performed well in the Asian Open phase of the contest, with Quezon City's Coro de Sta. Cecilia winning the silver diploma in the mixed vocal ensembles category and the Mandaue School for the Arts Children's Choir bagging the gold in the children's choir category.

The Himig Singers won the National Music Commission for Young Artists awards in 1990 and 1993. It also brought home the Award of the Audience at the 2004 Vivace International Choral Festival in Veszprém, Hungary.

In 1997, the group won first prize in the mixed category and the grand prize in the 26th International Youth and Music Festival in Vienna, Austria, garnering the highest rating ever of 99.93 percent in the history of the competition.

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Source: Good News Pilipinas

UE Chorale sweeps Int'l Singing Contest

The University of the East Chorale bested over 35 choirs from around the world, including two others from the Philippines, to win the prestigious Grand Prix at the 2007 Busan Choral Festival & Competition in Busan, South Korea.

The UE Chorale's Grand Prix win is a victory for the Philippines and UE, signifying as it does “International Excellence in Classical and Pop Music.” This is underscored by the fact that the UE-based singing group also won the Gold Medal in the Competition's Classical and Pop Categories.

The competition proper of the 2007 Busan Choral Festival & Competition was held from November 1 to 3, 2007, at the Busan Cultural Center in South Korea. This was the second year in a row the UE Chorale swept the international chorale competition's Grand Prix.

Last year, the UE Chorale won not just the Grand Prix but also the Gold medal in the Pop category and the Silver medal in the Classical category. Both Competitions saw performances by choirs from all over the world, including the USA, Asia and Europe; this year, two other Philippine groups besides the UE Chorale took part: the University of Visayas Chorale and the Philippine Male Chorale.

In line with the Festival, the UE Chorale, who were in South Korea this year since October 1 until their return to the Philippines last November 4, held 27 concerts in various venues throughout South Korea, including Korea University and Cheong-Ju University. They won the Classical category Gold medal last November 1, the Pop category Gold medal on November 2 and the Grand Prix on November 3.

UE's world-class chorale is led by Ms. Anna Tabitha Abeleda-Piquero, the group's Musical Director and Conductor.

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Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Filipina wins int'l biotech award

The story of Rosalie Ellasus might have ended in undistinguished failure. Instead, this remarkable Filipino farmer battled against the odds to win the inaugural Dean Kleckner Trade & Technology Advancement Award, given by the Truth About Trade and Technology (TATT).

Rosalie may be a small lady, but she's one of the most gutsy and innovative farmers in the developing world. I was lucky to meet her last year in person.

Amazingly, she didn't grow up in a farming family. As recently as 1995, she wasn't even involved in agriculture as a profession. In fact, she had just been widowed, and was struggling to support her three children as a single mother.

So she took her savings and bought a little farm of 1.3 hectares (about 3.2 acres.)

Rosalie had worked internationally as a domestic aide and a marketing specialist--and she knew enough about farming to know that she didn't know how to run a farm. She hired a relative to oversee the operations. The results were disappointing. Rosalie realized that if they continued, she would never be able to afford to send her kids to college.

The enemies were pests and weeds. They were destroying her corn. "We got so many rejections from buyers," she said. The biggest problems were the corn borers, which drilled holes into her plants, creating pathways for mites, diseases, and fungi to infest her crops.

Desperate for a solution, Rosalie attended a pest-management school--and she learned about biotechnology. A visit to a farm that grew Bt corn convinced her that GM crops were the answer to her challenges.

"When I saw the Bt corn field, I asked, 'Why does this look very different from what I have planted and seen earlier?' I was intrigued at how clean the kernel and the cob looked."

She brought new know-how back to her town and became the first farmer in her region to try Bt corn. Although GM crops were already well-established commercial products, especially in the United States, Rosalie met with some local resistance. No matter where you go, there are always people who resist change--and Rosalie clashed with a few in her area.

Yet it was difficult to argue with the results. Her cornfields became the envy of her neighbors. Word spread that Rosalie was onto something--and that biotechnology had the potential to help other Filipino farmers. They followed in her pioneering footsteps.

She continued to embrace biotechnology, keeping up with new advances and always encouraging others to break new ground right alongside her. Last year, she planted her entire farm with corn with several biotech traits. "It was plain enough to see that the demo results were outstanding," she said. "I was truly convinced that a marginal farmer can improve her lifestyle if she will adopt biotechnology."

Specifically, she reduced her plowing and was able to replace labor-intensive hand-weeding with modest applications of herbicide. Her profitability increased and so did the size of her farm, which is now 6 hectares (15 acres).

Most important, biotechnology helped her meet her goals: "Even as a single parent, I managed to send my children to good universities from my additional income in growing biotechnology-enhanced corn," she said. "There was a magic transformation of my life."

Rosalie is an extraordinary person--but in many ways, she's also typical. Most of the world's planters are just like her, trying to eke out a living from a small amount of land and fighting against bugs, weeds, and bad weather.

Biotechnology holds the potential to help every one of them. If it can help a widowed mother in the Philippines send her kids to college, then surely it can help others feed themselves and their communities.

Next week in Des Moines, amid the events and festivities surrounding the World Food Prize, Rosalie will receive the first-ever Kleckner Award. Her plaque will recognize her "strong leadership, vision, and resolve in advancing the right of all farmers to choose the technology and tools that will improve the quality, quantity, and availability of agricultural products around the world."

She's a worthy recipient and an excellent role model.

John Rigolizzo, Jr. is a fifth generation farmer, raising fresh vegetables and field corn in southern New Jersey. The family farm manages both road side retail and wholesale markets. John is a board member of Truth About Trade and Technology.

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Source: Good News Pilipinas