WE SEEMED to have overlooked a lot of things recently. Turn on the TV and you’ll see the seemingly endless babbles on the Senate’s probe on Extra-Judicial Killing which was linked to the government’s war against illegal drugs.
Log in to Facebook and the rants will not cease to exist there.
Admit it, there was a time that you seemed to have forgotten that the air still blows in and out of your nostrils and the only time you became aware of it was when you let out a heavy sigh over disgust and disappointments from what the media is feeding you recently.
While many were hooked on television and social media as Philippines’ weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz gave pride to the Filipinos for bringing home a silver medal from the recently concluded Rio Olympics, Dabawenyos seemed to be oblivious about the milestones that our very own fellows from Davao City had achieved through the World Championship of Performing Arts (WCOPA).
WCOPA? Is it a big deal? It is, no less, a competition that is the counterpart of the world sports Olympics in the field of performing arts where the best of the best among the performing artists all over the world gathers to compete in different categories.
Five participants for the WCOPA from Davao City’s Muzic'skool bagged medals for different categories last July 8 to July 16 in the United States. Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals, you name it. These Dabawenyos had never failed to amaze WCOPA judges.
WCOPA 2016 Awards
Marco Antonio Unabia (Dance - Junior)
• Gold - Dance Hip-hop
• Silver - Dance Jazz
• Silver - Dance Lyrical
• Silver - Dance Musical Theatre /character
• Gold - Dance Open
• Gold - Grand finalist
Jazmine Keira Sarmiento (Voice - Junior)
• Bronze - Vocal Opera
• Bronze - Vocal Open
Jizelle Dea Formilleza (Voice)
• Industry Award
• Silver - Vocal Latin
• Gold - Vocal Open
Mae-ann Bornillo
• Gold - Group Production
Jemimah Keziah Morales (Dance)
• Silver - Dance Ballet
Jizelle Dea Formilleza was among those who competed for the WCOPA and bagged awards for the Voice category during the competition. She won the Industry Award, a Silver medal for Vocal Latin, and Gold for Vocal Open.
Like her fellows from Muzik’skool who joined the competition, Formilleza was able to fly to the US for the competition through the help of sponsors.
In a Facebook interview, Formilleza shared that Damosa Land has sponsored P50,000 for her WCOPA trip which she said “was really a big help.”
“Aside from financial assistance, my friends from Damosa land have also supported me even before the competition as I always sing in their events,” Formilleza shared.
When asked about how was her WCOPA experience, Formilleza said that she can’t fully describe it in words but added that it “was rally [an] amazing experience.”
“It was my first time to [actually] go abroad and it was very overwhelming to be a part of the competition. It didn’t just hone my craft but it also gave me a chance to share my talent to the people from different parts of the world,” Formilleza said.