First Wish 107.5 Music Awards: A Triumphant Night of Music and Charity

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John Lesaca with Darren Espanto and Darrentics which won Most WIshful Fandom

The first Wish 107.5 Music Awards (WMA) staged on January 26, 2016 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum was a huge success as thousands of Wishers and music lovers gathered to witness a spectacular evening celebrating Filipino music.

Gerald Santos

Gerald Santos kicked off the program with his live performance of the Wish 107.5 Jingle. This was followed by a jaw-dropping pop-rock medley of Elvis Presley, Queen, and The Beatles hit songs performed by The Voysing, Jek Manuel, Sassa Dagdag, Juan Karlos Labajo, and Darren Espanto. 

Darren Espanto and Morissette 

The audience was further pumped up as Morissette and Darren Espanto shared the stage to sing a duet of Sia’s “Chandelier”. They had previously performed the song individually inside the Wish 107.5 bus, both of which were widely recognized and adored by fans and listeners.

Singing classic love songs such as “Almost Paradise”, “Perfect Combination”, “Always”, and “Way Back into Love” – Leah Patricio, Maki Ricafort, Daryl Ong, Morissette, Paolo Onesa, and Beverly Caimen took the stage for a stunning duets’ medley. 

Marlo Mortel, Jason Fernandez, Brad Go and Nyoy Volante for acoustic medley

Another medley followed, with Marlo Mortel, Jason Fernandez, Brad Go, and Nyoy Volante crooning acoustic classics such as “Sound of Silence”, “Dust in the Wind”, “Tears in Heaven”, “More than Words”, and “Be With You”. Jessica Reynoso and Maki Ricafort also shared a duet of RNB/Motown hits. 

Capping off the performances were Leah Patricio and Beverly Caimen’s powerful duet of Beyonce’s “Listen”.

A total of P1.1 million was given to six different beneficiaries personally chosen by the winners of the major award categories in the WMA.

Darren Espanto

World Vision, the chosen beneficiary of Darren Espanto, who won four major awards namely Best WISHclusive Performance by a Young Artist for “Chandelier”, Wish Ballad Song of the Year for “I Believe In Me”, Wish Original Song of the Year for “Stuck”, and Wish Young Artist of the Year, received a total of P 400, 000.

Food for the Hungry Philippines received P300, 000 as Jason Dy’s selected beneificiary. Dy won three major awards – Wish Urban Song of the Year for “Milagro”, Best WISHclusive Performance by a Male Artist for “Stay With Me/See You Again” mash-up, and Wish Male Artist of the Year.

5th Gen for Best Wishclusive performance by a group

Upcoming power vocal group 5th Gen’s beneficiary, the Divine Mercy Mobile Center of Music and Arts Therapy was granted a financial assistance worth P100, 000. 5th Gen took home the award Best WISHclusive Performance by a Group for their single “Contagious”. 

The wish-granting station also donated Php 100,000 to I Fight Against Human Trafficking, the chosen charitable institution of Yeng Constantino. The OPM star won the Best Wishclusive Performance by a Female Artist for “Ikaw.”

Another Php 100,000 cash assistance was extended to each of the chosen beneficiaries of Sponge Cola and Morissette – Child Haus and Home for the Angels, Sta. Ana Manila, respectively. 

Sponge Cola’s hit single, “Move On” was hailed as the Wish Alternative Song of the Year. Meanwhile, Morissette was named as the Wish Female Artist of the Year.

The presenters of the awards were the very own Wish 107.5 jocks - Faye, Jelly Kiss, Ray Holiday, Flynn Rider,Alice, and Princess Leigh – accompanied by some members of the panel of judges, Mr. Isah Red, Ms. Sylvia , Ms. Cory Quirino, and Mr. Andre Alvarez. 

Robi Domingo and Gretchen Ho

Real-life couple Robi Domingo and Gretchen Ho served as the hosts of the event.

From the spectacular performances and announcing of the winners, to the granting of checks to charities - the first Wish 107.5 Music Awards was indeed not just an ordinary awards night, but a triumphant evening of celebrating the “coolest musical experience” with great song performances and granting of wishes.

WINNERS – WISH 107.5 MUSIC AWARDS

1. Wish Promising Artist - Jensen and the Flips

2. Best Wish Cover - Darren Espanto - In Love Ako Sa’yo

3. Wishclusive Viral Video of the Year - Darren Espanto - Chandelier

4. Most Wishful Fandom - Darrenatics

5. Wishers’ Choice – Young Artist of the Year - Maris Racal

6. Wishers’ Choice – Female Artist of the Year - Morissette

7. Wishers’ Choice – Male Artist of the Year - Jason Dy

8. Wishers’ Choice – Wishclusive Performance of the Year - Don’t Know Why by Maris Racal

9. Best Wishclusive Performance by a Young Artist - Darren Espanto - Chandelier

Beneficiary: World Vision

10. Best Wishclusive Performance by a Group - 5th Gen - Contagious

Beneficiary: Divine Mercy Mobile Center of Music and Arts Therapy 

11. Best Wishclusive Performance by a Female Artist - Yeng Constantino–Ikaw

Beneficiary: I Fight Against Human Trafficking

12. Best Wishclusive Performance by a Male Artist - Jason Dy - Stay With Me/See You Again Mash-up 

Beneficiary: Food for the Hungry Philippines

13. Wish Urban Song of the Year - Milagro by Jason Dy

Beneficiary: Food for the Hungry Philippines

14. Wish Alternative Song of the Year - Move On by Sponge Cola

Beneficiary: Child Haus

15. Wish Ballad Song of the Year - I Believe In Me by Darren Espanto

Beneficiary: World Vision

16. Wish Original Song of the Year - Stuck by Darren Espanto

Beneficiary: World Vision

17. Wish Young Artist of the Year - Darren Espanto

Beneficiary: World Vision

18. Wish Female Artist of the Year - Morissette

Beneficiary: Home for the Angels, Sta. Ana, Manila

19. Wish Male Artist of the Year - Jason Dy

Beneficiary: Food for the Hungry Philippines

The Ice Bucket Challenge phenomenon

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The Ice Bucket Challenge aims to raise awareness and funds to help strike out one of the most popular rare diseases worldwide today - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

An advocacy, the Ice Bucket Challenge, with hashtag ‪#‎IceBucketChallenge‬ is an activity involving dumping a bucket of ice water on someone's head to promote awareness of the disease and encourage donations to research. It went viral on social media. The challenge dares nominated participants to be filmed having a bucket of ice water poured on their heads and challenging others to do the same. A common stipulation is that nominated people have 24 hours to comply or forfeit by way of a charitable financial donation.

What is ALS? 

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common degenerative disease of the motor neuron system.

Amyotrophic means that the muscles have lost their nourishment. When this happens, they become smaller and weaker.

Lateral means that the disease affects the sides of the spinal cord, where the nerves that nourish the muscles are located; and

Slerosis means that the diseased part of the spinal cord develops hardened or scarred tissue in place of healthy nerves.

Although ALS is incurable and fatal, with median survival of 3 years, treatment can extend the length and meaningful quality of life for patients.

ALS is often called Lou Gehrig's disease after Lou Gehrig, a hall-of-fame baseball player for the New York Yankees who was diagnosed with ALS in the 1930s. People in England and Australia call ALS motor neurone disease (MND). The French refer to it as maladie de Charcot, after the French doctor Jean-Martin Charcot, who first wrote about ALS in 1869.

Researchers are examining many possible causes for ALS, such as the autoimmune response (in which the body attacks it own cells) and environmental causes, such as exposure to toxic or infectious substances. Scientists have found that people with ALS have higher levels of the chemical glutamate in their bodies, so research is looking at the connection between glutamate and ALS. In addition, scientists are looking for some biochemical abnormality that all people with ALS share, so that tests to detect and diagnose the disorder can be developed. (Source: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Fact Sheet.)

Being a phenomenon, the Ice Bucket Challenge increased media attention. And with numerous celebrities, politicians, athletes, media and bloggers, and everyday people US and here in the Philippines posting videos of themselves online and on TV participating in the event.

I have read one sharing about his accepting, did the challenge, and video of Senator Sonny Angara. 

Aside from taking on the ice bucket challenge and donating to a local rare diseases support group, Senator Sonny Angara has filed Rare Diseases Bill (Senate Bill No. 2383) which aims to provide patients with rare diseases and their families better access to adequate medical care, health information, and healthcare products needed to treat their condition.

And more, aside from accepting the challenge and filing the bill, Sen.Sonny Angara will also donate US$100 a month for the next year to PSOD.

Here: 

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=704254102997475&set=vb.156752721080952&type=2&theater

and due to consistent demand, Sen. Angara did a second round, this one with more ice. http://youtu.be/kRo9MCrK7E4

ANGARA ACCEPTS ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE, FILES RARE DISEASES BILL

Aside from taking on the ice bucket challenge on Thursday and donating to a local rare diseases support group, Senator Sonny Angara has filed Rare Diseases Bill which aims to provide patients with rare diseases and their families better access to adequate medical care, health information, and healthcare products needed to treat their condition.

A rare disease, also known as orphan disorder, is any health condition resulting from genetic defects that rarely affect the general population. Rare diseases are often chronic, progressive, degenerative, and life-threatening.

The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) became one of the most popular rare diseases worldwide today, thanks to the ice bucket challenge that aims to raise awareness and funds to help strike out ALS.

World Health Organization (WHO) data shows that there are 7,000 known rare diseases. 50 to 70 percent of which affect children while 30 percent of patients die before they reach the age of five.

According to the Philippine Society for Orphan Disorders (PSOD), the prevalence of rare diseases in the country is 1:20,000, with 227 patient families in the PSOD registry representing 48 rare disorders as of 2014.

Among the most common rare diseases in the Philippines are the maple syrup urine disease with 126 patients listed in PSOD, and the mucopolysaccharidoses II with 49 patients.

Since these diseases afflict only a small number of people, there is a lack of health practitioners who are experts in the field, and only a handful of companies manufacture medicines for rare diseases in the country.

There is also little government support for patients and research centers for orphan drug development in the Philippines.

"Such a situation makes treatment, often life-long, costly and far beyond the reach of most Filipino patients," Angara said.

"It should be national policy that the state endeavors toward universal healthcare, even for rare diseases," stressed the lawmaker, who is one of the authors of the Universal Healthcare Act of 2013.

Angara's Senate Bill No. 2383 aims to ensure that every patient diagnosed to have a rare disease has access to comprehensive medical care, including drugs and healthcare products, as well as timely health information to help them cope with their condition.

It also seeks to create and maintain a Rare Disease Registry that will contain data on rare diseases in the Philippines, patients afflicted with rare diseases, and orphan drugs and products.

"This data will be utilized in formulating policies, identifying program interventions and designing researches that will eventually address the needs of patients with rare disease," Angara explained.

The proposed measure further seeks to mandate the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to include the cost of treatment of rare diseases in the benefit package, and to direct provisions from the sin taxes collection to cover the cost of care for patients with rare diseases.

Senators Pia Cayetano, who lost her youngest son to complications from a rare congenital disease, and Cynthia Villar have also filed similar bills.

"Definitely, this ice bucket challenge craze would eventually die down. Looking forward, there is a need to integrate public educational and informational campaigns in the current programs of the Health Department to identify persons afflicted with rare disease and help the public understand the special needs of such persons," Angara said.

Aside from accepting the challenge and filing the bill, the senator will also donate US$100 a month for the next year to PSOD.

Angara was earlier nominated by Cebu Rep. Luigi Quisumbing, and in turn, he nominated Sen. Cayetano and Pilipinas Smart Gilas Basketball Coach Chot Reyes to do the challenge.

Some Ice Bucket Challenge videos will be posted here in the coming days. 

14th Segunda Mana Charity Shop Opens

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Segunda Mana, a special Donation-in-kind program of Caritas Manila where it promotes the joy of giving to help those who are in need by donating items that are no longer needed used or unused, have too much of or about to throw away which have value and may be sold.

The Donation-in-Kind Program of Caritas Manila, Segunda Mana opened its 14th charity shop last May 9, 2014 at the 5th Level of Metro Point Mall, EDSA Rotonda, Pasay City.

Rev. Fr. Roberto dela Cruz, the Archdiocesan Minister for Restorative Justice, graced and lead the blessing and ribbon-cutting of the newest branch.

Caritas Manila bring people together with the hearts of service, caring and sharing. The Archdiocese organized a social welfare for uplifting the spirit and soul of unfortunate members in community for food, clothing and medicines for distribution among our poor brethren, and the education of their children.

Pre-loved items such as clothes, shoes, bags, toys, home and fashion accessories are donated by generous companies, organizations and individuals which are offered at friendly prices in Segunda Mana stalls.

Caritas Manila 

It’s the mission of Caritas Manila to instil the value of giving as a way of life. Through its pro-poor programs and efforts, they help sustain and uphold the organization’s mission to develop and empower the disadvantaged and the vulnerable. 

Caritas Manila’s flagship program focuses on education for the underprivileged youth under its Youth Servant Leadership and Education Program (YSLEP) which currently supports 4,000 students. YSLEP is an integrated youth development program that develops the youth’s potential in terms of knowledge, skills and attitude and trains them to become leaders. It utilizes training and formation that emphasize not just academic excellence but leadership while cultivating moral integrity and social commitment to the poor.

This is the 14th branch and the 12th mall-based store for Segunda Mana. Other branches are located at Makati Cinema Square, Isetann Cinerama Complex, Harrison Plaza , StarMall-Edsa, StarMall-Alabang, Victory Central Mall, Victory Shopping Center, Victory Pasay Mall, Farmer’s Plaza, Sta. Lucia Mall, Riverbank Center-Marikina, San Roque Cathedral and in Caritas Manila Head Office.

Metro Point Mall’s owners and management granted free space and stall for this program of Caritas Manila. 

As Rev. Fr. Anton Pascual, Caritas Manila’s Executive Director puts it, “Buying is the new way of giving.”