RIYADH, 10 June — Two of the Philippines’ leading singers —Vina Morales and Randy Santiago — will be performing live at the Philippine embassy grounds in Riyadh on June 15 as part of a series of cultural programs lined up on the occasion of the 103rd anniversary of the Philippine independence.
The singers with their troupe will be flown to Riyadh later this week.
The Vina-Randy concert, sponsored by the Philippine televison channel TFC, is being organized in cooperation with the Philippine embassy, said Celeste Vinzon Balatbat, third secretary & vice consul, and Carmelita R. Hidalgo, cultural officer, here today.
This is the first major singing and dancing event of its kind to be organized here, wherein stars from Manila will participate.
Balatbat and Hidalgo said that the two-hour free-of-charge show would be open for all Filipino expats at the chancery grounds.
Vina, who presents a popular noon time variety show on ABS-CBN channel in Manila, is well known for her songs, which holds audiences spell-bound.
Randy, on the other hand, is hosting a daily noon time show, the “Magandang Tanghali Bayan” (MTB).
The two star perfomers have been associated with the ABS-CBN for quite some time now. They have also been associated with films.
A director for the Vina-Randy show would also be flown to Riyadh to present and direct this stage event.
Referring to other cultural events to be organized on this occasion, the embassy officials said that a cooking demonstration of popular Filipino cuisine would be organized in cooperation with Marigold Commodities Corporation.
The admission, however, to this cooking event as well as to the flag-hoisting ceremony on June 12 will be restricted to only invitees and embassy officers.
They said that a major ‘Independence Cup Golf Tournament’ would also be organized on June 15 followed by ‘Power Horse RP Independence Cup’ for indoor games at Fal Sports Center on the same day.
The embassy is also holding a painting contest, free eye consultation, free dental consultations and a self-defense training exhibition organized by the Riyadh-based women’s organization Mother.