By Joey Aguilar/Staff Reporter


Twelve out of 18 contestants have made it to the grand finals of the Kantahan sa Doha (singing contest) which will be held during the Independence Day celebration on June 14 at Sheraton Doha.
The five Filipino finalists for the kids category included: Christenzen Magadia, Yara Leane Fabricante, Edgar Gian Barnardino, Kiana Nicole Hubalde, and Julia Louise Tabo.
Winners for the adult category are: Jarlene Queen Villanueva, Kristine Mendoza, Kenneth Mendoza, Rufino Rufo, Rhona Aileen Rizada, Jad Reambillo, and Romel Navarra.
“The judges had a hard time choosing our finalists since all of them are talented. Our fellowmen will be enthralled with their singing prowess on the big day,” said Alan Bulan, the competition chairman.
Culture attaché Richard Billedo and some Filipino community leaders attended the semifinal which was held at the Philippine School of Doha (PSD) on Friday afternoon.
Bulan had been inviting overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have the passion in singing to join the annual competition.
Many of the finalists for the adult category work as sales and marketing representatives while a male participant is a mechanical engineer. The young contestants are studying at PSD and at the Philippine International School-Qatar.
Ambassador Crecente Relacion told Gulf Times that the Philippine Independence Day Organising Committee (PINOC) has been hosting the Kantahan sa Doha every year.
“We thought we won’t be able to attract anymore talent but we’ve been proven wrong,” he said. “Every year the crop of contestants is getting better.”
He described this year’s contestants as superb, talented and world class whom he said Filipinos could be proud of.
Local dance groups M2CD and Extreme Level Danz, together with the Klische and Madvolt bands, entertained the audience with special performances during the event. Besides the singing contest, Bulan said a battle of the bands and a dance group competition will also be held on the same day.
Meanwhile, PINOC members held a meeting right after the singing competition to finalise the programme for the annual celebration. More than 500 OFWs will volunteer for the much-awaited event. The organisers want to double attendance from 10,000 to more than 20,000 this year.
A group of Filipino cyclists known as Padyak Qatar will display some of their bikes and promote biking as a healthy lifestyle among expatriate workers in Qatar.