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BRIGHT and talented Filipino children will be showcasing their talents, good looks and their quick wit in a special pageant as part of Philippines Independence Day celebrations being staged by the vibrant expat community in Bahrain.
Around 20 youngsters, aged between three and 10, will be stepping out on stage to entertain family and friends at the Sheraton Hotel on Saturday, strutting down the catwalk in trendy evening wear and displaying their special skills and witty responses during a question-and-answer session.
The top contenders will be crowned Munting Prinsesa and Prinsipe (little princesses and princes) during the event being organised Media Circuit with the support of the Philippine Embassy in Bahrain.
Leslie Arlen Garduque, Media Circuit’s managing director, said: “Most of the events taking place in our community these days are always targetted towards adults so we thought that we’d do something different and come up with an event catering to kids.
“We do have this kind of contest back home attracting a large number of participants. They are very popular.”
The organisers are confident families will flock to the festivities which will also include interactive games and musical performances after the contest.
An open audition took place at the end of May to narrow down the number of those invited to appear in the grand finale. The interest in the show will result in the event becoming an annual attraction.
“We aim to create a platform for young boys and girls to showcase their talents and develop their public-speaking skills,” Leslie added. “We hope that this pageant will become a stepping stone for our children and help them reach their full potential.”
The winning pair will each walk away with $500, plus a host of prizes.
After the contest, the fun will continue with games involving audience participation and entertainment by local groups in Bahrain.
The fun and festivities will be followed by The TFC (The Filipino Channel) HOUR, will be supported by the country’s biggest TV network ABS-CBN, the mother company of TFC. The highlight of the celebrations will be a mini-concert conducted by popular Filipino celebrity singer, song writer and actor Martin Nievera.
He is one of the main hosts of the musical variety show ASAP on ABS-CBN and one of the four celebrity judges of The X Factor Philippines. In terms of albums, he has garnered 18 platinum, five double platinum, three triple platinum and one quadruple platinum album sales and appeared in 11 movies and seven TV series and specials.
Leslie said: “Martin was here over a decade ago and he is quite excited to be returning to Bahrain to again perform for the Filipino community – this time celebrating the 120th Philippine Independence Day.”
Alfonso A. Ver, the ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to Bahrain, says the entire Filipino community in the kingdom is excited by the celebrations lined-up. “The Martin Nievera and Munting Prinsesa and Prinsepe concert will surely be a highlight as we celebrate the 120th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence and the 40th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Bahrain,” he said.
“I invite everyone, not just Filipinos but our brother and sister Bahrainis to come enjoy Philippine culture, songs and dances, with this event featuring no less than the Philippines’ concert king, Martin Nievera, alongside performances from newly-discovered talent in the Filipino community in Bahrain.”
The Philippines and Bahrain established diplomatic relations in the early 1980s with the Philippine Ambassador to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, accredited as ‘non-resident Ambassador to the State of Bahrain’. In 1992, due to the growing number of overseas Filipino workers, the Embassy of the Philippines in Bahrain was formally established with ambassador Leonides T Caday at the helm.
Over the years, the Filipino community has grown to become the fourth largest expatriate society on the island with around 60,000 Filipinos in Bahrain considering the kingdom their ‘second home’, as well as to becoming ‘positive contributors’ to the community, the ambassador added.
The pageant, which is free to the public, will start at 10am and end at 5pm. The concert, which is priced at BD7 for general admission and BD20 for VIP tickets, will start at 7pm. The doors for the show will open at 6pm.
For further details, call Leslie on 36311563 or contact Sheree on 36361195.
