Concert, party time for Busan bets tomorrow

The PhilSports Arena lights up tomorrow night with the year’s biggest free concert the Alay Sa Gintong Medalya: The Thanksgiving Concert with the country’s heroes in the Busan Asian Games being feted by the country’s top performers led by concert queen Pops Fernandez.

Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski and her fellow Busan gold medalists Django Bustamante, Antonio Lining, Paeng Nepomuceno and RJ Bautista will be at the center of the appreciation concert co-presented by the Philippine Sports Commission and Samsung Electronics Phils. Corp.

Ogie Alcasid, Geneva Cruz, South Border and John Lapus will be on stage beginning at 8 p.m. to join the concert cum Christmas party for the national athletes, a good number of whom brought honors to the country by bringing home another seven silver and 16 bronze medals from the Busan Asiad.

Joining the celebration which PSC chairman Eric Buhain said caps a fruitful year of Philippine sports are Jay Cayuca and the LOC Band and the Casino Filipino Parañaque Voice Symphony. Fronting for the entertainers are the country’s karatedo, taekwondo and judo national athletes who will do an exhibition-demonstration number while the Samsung Cheerleading Team that drew attention in Busan will also be in the concert to add light to the evening.

But highlighting the event will be the handing out of more than P4 million bonuses to the medal winners from Samsung through its president and CEO Sang Youl Eom. Sang, through Samsung’s generosity, has promised before Team Philippines did battle in Busan, to shell out cash bonuses to medal winners.

Project coordinator Arsenic Lacson, also the PSC’s media officer, said only a few tickets remain and these could be obtained from his office at the PSC administration building inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex on Pablo Ocampo Sr. Street (formerly Vito Cruz), Malate, Manila (telephone 526-7221). Walk ins would be accommodated.

The Thanksgiving Concert is the second of a series of concerts the PSC and Samsung has lined up to drum up support and awareness for Filipino athletes who compete in the international arena.

The country’s top sports leaders, including PSC commissioners William Ramirez, Leon Montemayor, Michael Barredo and Cynthia Carrion, Philippine Olympic Committee and national sports association officials, coaches and trainers are also expected at the concert.