"No Man is an Island" Concert in Full Swing – A Fundraising Concert for the Philippine Mudslide Victims to be held in Toronto March 31

From Juno and Much Music Video nominee "ORA" to country singer Damon Steele to TV Travel Series Host/singer Bea Broda Connolly to Jamaican singer Granville De Peralto and more, an array of local Canadian community singers and talents will come together in a concert to help raise funds to build homes for the Philippine mudslide victims in Guinsaugon, Leyte.

On February 17, 2006, an entire mountainside collapsed and covered an area of 9 sq. km of Guinsaugan, Leyte with mud and boulders. Of the 1,857 population, only 152 bodies were recovered, over 1,000 were missing and presumed dead including 250 elementary school children and teachers with only 410 survivors. These survivors along with over 2,400 from nearby villages were left homeless and are now in temporary shelters

Billed as "No Man is an Island", the concert depicts the kind of response the unfortunate mudslide victims got: a spontaneous response of help from all people from different cultures and races all over the world. The singers and talents from different communities in Toronto are also coming together to show the mudslide victims that they are not alone and that there are people out there who cares for them. They are using their music and talent to show that indeed, no man or for that matter, a community should be an island.

Also performing are singer songwriter Cyril Macpherson, popular Filipino Canadian divas Karen Tan and Josie Deleon, accomplished piano and keyboard player Kerry Westel, musical director and arranger Mr. Bittersweet, aspiring musician and pianist William Tran, amazing diva Annalise Wilmer and a host of other singers. To add variety to the concert, there will be a ballet performance by the recent Oliphant Theatre First prize solo ballet winner, the young Justina Irene Aveyard, musical drum performances by the Hibbert Family, a song and dance show by ACS Artist, a Tahitian/Hawaiian dance by Carmen Carrasquilla while Martin Mc Dermott will play Sitar with Chris Dempster on the Flute together with the Drum Circle composed of Biljana, Liz, Lorenza. ( See attached list of performers with short bio)

The concert will be held on March 31, 2006, Friday from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the St. Luke's United Church at 353 Sherbourne corner Carlton St. Special guest for the evening is the Hon. George Smitherman, Minister of Health and Long Term Care and MPP for Toronto Centre. The concert will be emceed by Kris Reyes of City TV and CP 24. Tasked with coordinating the concert is the Artistic Director of the Mabuhay Philippines Festival Karen Pascual Binaday. General admission ticket is only $10 and the venue can accommodate up to 1,500. From 6:15 pm to 7:00 pm, singers from the LAO and Ang Bisaya singing group will be serenading the early birds with "kundiman" and Visayan love songs accompanied by guitars showcasing the typical "Filipino Harana Tradition".

The concert is organized by the Leyteno Association of Ontario (LAO), an association of people from the island of Leyte now living in Ontario. LAO is trying to raise $50,000 to build at least 30 houses, estimated at $1,500 each in Guinsaugon, Leyte which will be called Ontario Village. The LAO officers feel that its project should one that is tangible, can be inspected and has long term impact on the victims and the vicinity. The Association decided on a direct project in the area through a contractor which it can easily monitor and can be immediately implemented. At the moment, other well meaning corporations and individual as well governments like of Japan have pledged to build similar housing project for the victims. The Association will try to do its small share to provide permanent shelter to the estimated nearly 3,000 homeless people in the area.

To date, the LAO has raised over $25,000 including $5,000 from among its members alone, over $9,000 from the Canadian Multicultural Council Asians in Ontario with the rest from private donors and businesses. The association is also trying to pool the funds of other Filipino Canadian organizations doing fundraising events. A lot of organizations including the Philippine Chamber of Commerce Toronto have responded with pledges and will be turning over their donations for the Ontario Village Project later once their fundraising events are done.

LAO is hoping to raise the balance of its $50,000 goal through this concert (see attached project proposal) and requesting the support of every one. To them, every little help counts.

Organizations or individuals who would like to be part of the Ontario project can send their contribution directly to the Association as follows:
Leyteno Association of Ontario
4 Sunnycrest Road
Willowdale, M2R 2T4
Tel. No.: (416) 663-5089

Direct Deposit of Donations Will Be Accepted through our Trust Bank Account-Leyte Disaster Fund — Bank of Nova Scotia – Transit No 83162 * Account No 00566-1

A marker showing those who donated will be built in the proposed Ontario Village and the list of donors with amount will be published in the Filipino Canadian newspapers.

Tickets for the concerts available with members of LAO or call: Tessie Kohn- 416-663-5089, Edith Lomanta – 905-450-0412, Boyen Tupaz- 416-431-3128, Ethel Zabala-Laxa 416-512-0884, Jun Talana 905-826-5713, Pacita Elises-416-243-5182, Amy Ada 416-648-0554 or Pempe Saavedra- 416-841-0854.

For media inquiries regarding the Concert please contact:

Karen Pascual-Binaday (416) 897-6697 or Jose Saavedra Jr. (416) 841-0854

March 29, 2006   Posted in: Canada