Making friends with the young

Last Saturday, thousands of people gathered at the College of Medicine Auditorium of the University of Santo Tomas for the first Himig Kabataan Para Sa Diyos at Bayan, an interschool songwriting competition organized by the Campus Ministry of the Ministry for Youth Affairs of the Archdiocese of Manila. I was told that the Campus Ministry has been actively working with students, chaplains and ministers inside campuses nationwide for the past 25 years.

The songwriting competition (which we hope will be a yearly affair) is a response of the campus ministry to the evolving personality and character of the youth inside the campus. By using music as means of expression, the campus ministry acknowledges its power to foster a better relationship among all people inside and outside the campus. There were seven finalists from different schools.

Some songs were interpreted by the composers themselves, others by their friends. The atmosphere was jovial and friendly. The songs were basically about peace, faith and love. Nothing really new, if you ask me.

But they’re not new issues because for many generations, we haven’t really done much or we haven’t done much when we could have done more. Himig Kabataan Para sa Diyos at Bayan confronted me with the stark reality that the young is partly our responsibility. The youth still want to be heard. They want their own space in this world. They clamor for peace because they want a better place to live in. And are we listening? And if we are, are we listening enough?

That Saturday evening, I got this eerie feeling that every generation, has the same young people – some are more angry, others are more complex – but all of them want their opinions counted no matter how negligible and trite they may be in the eyes of elders who have totally gone astray running after elusive gold bars and completely forgetting that once, they, too, sang songs about peace, faith and love.

The cycle can be stopped by joining forces against our own weaknesses.

This is where I salute the Campus Ministry for its unflinching dedication to making friends with the young students inside every campus It’s a friendship that will hopefully make today’s young different from the young of generations past.

Anyway, congratulations to Marissa Saavedra, Fr. Jun Sescon and Msgr. Vicente Bauson. And bravo to the winners of the first Himig Kabataan Para sa Diyos at Bayan, Renato Sarmiento first place, Arman Tajanlangit second place, and Rommel Goyo, third place.

Hope to see you all again next year!

Going Retro With Cris

"Curl up and get into that loving feeling," teases Cris Villonco, who is in town for a summer break from her studies at the Sarah Lawrence College in New York. It’s a retro and relaxing night of subtle songs that await Cris’ fans when she stages her intimate concert billed Cris Villonco at Dish tonight.

On a three-month vacation from her first year at the famous college, Cris decided to spend part of it onstage, a place she undoubtedly loves. Cris is doubly excited since she will have good friends Martin Nievera, Jose Mari Chan, Johnny Velasquez, 17:28, and Dexter as special guests.

At Sarah Lawrence, Cris is taking up Music, Literature and Psychology. "My first year was very good, very stressful, but good. I learned a lot from my academics and even socially. It’s been a really great experience," she says. In school, not many people knew that Cris is a pop star in Manila. However, when her schoolmates found out about it, they insisted on seeing her portfolio and CD. Cris politely told them, "I’m no big star. I’m no Britney." Not yet, I say. And time, talent are on Cris’ side.

While she is also in town, Cris will also be busy working on her second album, and a music video.

Cris Villonco at Dish is presented by PLDT, Swatch and Siemens. Stage direction and script by Gina Godinez with musical direction by Mel Villena. Cris Villonco at Dish is a production of MXN and is for the benefit of the Bigay Pagmamahal Foundation.

Romeo and Juliet

National Artist Rolando Tiño’s Filipino translation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet will be presented by The Actors’ Repertory Theater (The ART) at Concordia College Auditorium in Paco, Manila on Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The well-loved Shakespearean classic has been the subject of countless productions by theater lovers. Romeo and Juliet has also been made into a movie, the most famous of which starred. Leonardo Di Caprio before his box office breaking movie. The Titanic.

The Actors’ Repertory Theater production of Romeo and Juliet will have Julia Clarete and Arnold Reyes as the star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet. Also in the cast are Dominer Nantes, Roence Santos, Lowell Conales, Pam Servando, Jerald Napoles, Sam Nepomuceno, Jerold Igharas and Cedric Nicomedes as Tybalt.

Romeo and Juliet will go on tour at the Canossa Academy, Lipa City on Aug. 23, and Batangas State University in Batangas City on Aug. 30 and 31.