A Christmas caroling contest: $1,200 for your fa-la-la-la-la
The Christmas season is one of the most spirited, eventful times of the year, especially for Christian Filipinos. During this time, people set aside their differences as families reunite. Young and old gather to adorn their homes with festive lights and lanterns (also called ‘parol’), attend the Simbang Gabi, partake of a bountiful table, and sing Christmas songs.
In the spirit of Christmas, Synergy Production & Marketing, Inc., in cooperation with Western Union, is organizing the first Christmas Caroling Contest open to all Filipino American organizations. The contest will be held at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center on Saturday, December 5, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The main goal is to foster good cheer and unite Filipino Americans during a sentimental Christmas season.
“At Christmas, we all love listening to Christmas carols, so having the community leaders and members in our event, singing their favorite medley of holiday greetings and cheers is something to look forward to,” said Synergy Productions’ Grace Labaguis, who is the chief organizer.
She said, “This event is about camaraderie, which we hope to continue even after the holidays. We are very happy to work with Western Union in this endeavor. Their participation in this event truly shows their commitment in supporting our community. We also thank our sponsors, donors and friends for their contribution in making this event festive, meaningful, memorable and something to celebrate every year!”
Mylz Tolentino, Diaspora Marketing Manager of Western Union, added, “As we celebrate the holidays with our Filipino communities globally, our constant presence in our local market (NY/NJ) areas are our way to show support to the Filipino organizations and community service events. Western Union is committed to providing support through highlighting everything about us Pinoys — may it be through cultural festivals, Filipino talents in entertainment or film arts, fundraising projects and organizational philanthropic missions for Filipinos locally or internationally!”
One of the major sponsors, New York Area Manager of Philippine Airlines, Michelle M. Narvaez, also shared her support for the unique Caroling Contest.
She said, “On behalf of the Philippine Airlines team in New York, I wish to extend my Christmas greetings to our kababayans in the Tri-State and in the Northeast, and to the rest of our patrons in the East Coast. Philippine Airlines joins the Filipino community in celebrating the Christmas season with the Christmas Caroling Contest 2015. The Filipinos’ appreciation of the songs of the season is one of the joyous pillars that make up Paskong Pinoy in our culture.”
The FilAm community in the New York Tri-State is looking forward to watching or participating on stage at the Philippine Center, as they perform their favorite Christmas carols. Cash award ($1,200 for top winner), big raffle prizes, such as one Round-trip ticket to Manila courtesy of PAL, gift cards and certificates from the sponsors await the winners.
GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV & GMA News TV, the exclusive media sponsor of Christmas Caroling Contest 2015 also joins the FilAm community in this holiday kick-off event.
Joseph Jerome Francia, First President and Head of Operations of GMA International said, “As we mark the 10th anniversary of GMA Pinoy TV, I would like to greet our Kapuso in the U.S. a very Merry Christmas. We wish for our Kababayans to feel the warmth of love from family and friends in the Philippines and abroad this holiday season. We hope that you and your families will be blessed immensely this coming year and for years to come.”
Synergy Production & Marketing, Inc. hopes that this event will instill a long-standing tradition of Filipino-American fellowship and “serve as a catalyst for further unification within the community.”
The Western Union Company is a leading provider in global payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment services, they have a combined network of over 500,000 agent locations in 200 countries. For more information, visit westernunion.com.
Other sponsors include RTA Travel & Tours, Parol Connection, Santos Enterprises, MedStar Billing Technology & Resources Inc., Sweet Habana, Younique Cosmetics, SIRHC, The Filipino Reporter, Filipino Express, FilAm Who’s Who, The FilAm, FilAm Star and OSM!