PWDs to hold concert in Dumaguete
By Jennifer C. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, May 16 (PIA) -- A group of musicians with physical disabilities from Quezon City, the Rondalla On Wheels (ROW) will perform in Dumaguete City on May 25 to June 2.
According to Great Physician Rehabilitation (GPRehab) coordinator Rolando Villamero Jr., the week-long concert of ROW presents will showcase the talents of persons with disabilities’ (PWDs).
GPRehab executive director Analou Suan said, “We take pride in inviting ROW to be in Dumaguete City to raise the awareness of the community about the capabilities of Persons with Disabilities (PWD) and to generate funds for GPRehab’s CHILD (Caring Hands to Inspire and Link with Differently-Abled Children) project.”
The ROW is a small orchestra with instruments like bandurias, octavinas, laud, guitars and contra-bass, as well as drums for rhythm.
The music serves as therapy, spiritual, and creative formation of ROW’s members outside their schooling in Elementary and High School.
The ROW has performed in various occasions in Metro Manila as well as Northern and Southern Philippines. They have also played in Europe, Japan and Hongkong.
In order to make their stay in Dumaguete City more meaningful, ROW, through GPRehab, has set activities which will allow them to showcase their talents to the community.
A mini concert will be held on May 27, 6 p.m. at Quezon Park. There will be a presentation on May 30 in Bayawan City. On May 31, 7 p.m., a major concert will be held at Bethel Guest House. A farewell concert at the Main Atrium of Robinson’s Place Dumaguete will be held on June 1 at 4:30 p.m.
Aside from the concerts, ROW will also be doing television and radio exposures, courtesy call, field trip, and interaction activity with Persons with Disabilities in Metro Dumaguete.
“We hope that our group will inspire Dumaguete City to be more accepting to Persons with Disabilities. We hope that our concerts will change the community’s negative perception towards disability,” expressed Richard Cepeda, ROW member. (MBCN/JCT-PIA Negros Oriental)
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Newly-restored altar of Siquijor church unveiled
By Jennifer C. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, May 16 (PIA) -- The United States Embassy and representatives of the local government units of Siquijor and Lazi, National Museum and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts has unveiled on May 15 the newly-restored and renovated main altar and pulpits of the San Isidro Labrador Church in Lazi, Siquijor.
The US Embassy has funded $15,000 for the conservation and restoration of the main altar and two pulpits of the San Isidro Labrador Church in Lazi, Siquijor, according to a US Embassy press release provided to the Philippine Information Agency-NegOr.
The project supported the repair and restoration of the church’s roof, main altar and twin pulpits and intricate wooden flooring which was completed in March 2012.
During the unveiling ceremony, Siquijor governor Orlando Fua, Jr. described Lazi as the “heritage center of Siquijor” as he proudly showed the guests the beauty and heritage of the Lazi convent and church.
Also present at the event were Lazi mayor Orpheous Fua, National Museum associate director Cecilio Salcedo, archbishop Onesimo Gordoncillo and a representative from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
The Church of San Isidro at Lazi was built in the latter half of the 19th Century under the Augustinian Recollects. It has two pulpits, original wooden statuary and high reliefs and intricate wooden flooring.
The church and convent were declared by the National Museum of the Philippines as National Cultural Treasures pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 374 due to their religious, historical and architectural importance, not only to the province of Siquijor, but to the entire Philippines.
The Lazi church complex also figures on the Baroque Churches of the Philippines list submitted by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a candidate for World Heritage Site classification. (MBCN/JCT-PIA Negros Oriental)