Youthful members of Team Philippines at the World Championships of Performing Arts 2014. AJPRESS PHOTO
CARSON, California – Mayor Jim Dear and Mayor Pro-tempore Elito Santarina honored Team Philippines’ delegates at the 2014 World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA), who paid a courtesy call at City Hall on Thursday, July 24.
The delegates received certificates of recognition for their world-class performances at the recently concluded WCOPA competition in Hollywood on July 18, bagging two major championship titles.
Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World, the 12-year-old Lloyd Montebon, and Senior Grand Champion Performer of the World, Raymark Alminasa and Eddie Melody of Xtreme Dancers, who all hail from Mindanao, were overjoyed by their achievements that “make us proud to be Filipinos.”
Aside from Montebon and the two dancers, 2005 WCOPA Senior Grand Champion Performer and Filipino male singer, Jed Madela, and his talent manager-Philippines’ WCOPA National Director Gerardo Mercado were also present to receive their certificates of recognition.
Madela joined this year’s competition to serve as a mentor to the 45 Team Philippines delegates. Meanwhile, in an interview with the Asian Journal, Mercado said he could not believe the team won the competition’s major championship titles for two years in a row.
“I’m speechless. We have proven that we can bring more Filipino delegates with various talents [like singing and dancing] this year,” Mercado said.
The day before the competition, Madela and Mercado also paid a courtesy call to Philippine Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim in Los Angeles to discuss the WCOPA competition and other related issues of the competition (i.e., financial backing and the continuation of bringing Filipino talents in the US).
They were also given certificates of recognition by Los Angeles Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell and the Philippine Department of Tourism for “their efforts and commitment” to represent Philippines in the competition.
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