APSL sets 2022 PID concert at Sydney Coliseum

 
By Evelyn A. Opilas, PRO-APSL
Photos by Evelyn A. Opilas
Sydney-Australia
June 14, 2021
 




Australian-Filipino talents will get top billing at a Philippine Independence Day (PID) concert in 2022, giving home-grown entertainers an opportunity to perform at a world-class venue.



Australia Philippines Services League (APSL) president Cresencio Pilao said the concert is slated for Saturday, 4 June 2022 at the Sydney Coliseum Theatre, the announcement made during the APSL PID dinner show at West HQ’s Ambassador Room 12 June.



“We hope to make it an annual event, probably as a festival of Australian- Filipino entertainers who are trained in Australia, New South Wales in particular,” Mr Pilao said.



Attendees at the APSL PID dinner show were given a preview of the performance standard on offer, with renditions of much-loved musicals, popular hits and Filipino selections from Sydney vocalists Fasika, Brian Lorenz, Marcus Rivera, Dexter Villahermosa and guest Italian soprano Jessica di Bartolo.



Over 300 guests attended the APSL dinner show, including MP for Blacktown Stephen Bali, his wife Anne and their son Steve Jr; Mayor of Blacktown Cr Tony Bleasdale OAM and his wife, Nina, West HQ Chairman Dennis Dewhurst and his wife, Lexie; the West HQ Board and their partners, and several Australian-Filipino community leaders, among them, Marissa Dionson-Biala, Marivic Ayap-Flores, Danny and Tita Garcia, Jojo and Marideth Laquian, Grace del Rosario, Demi Robertson.



2021 also marks 75 years of Australia-Philippines diplomatic ties forged on 22 May 1946.



Cr Bleasdale congratulated the Filipino community on the occasion of PID and highlighted Filipino contributions to the city, including the presence of five Councillors of Filipino ancestry elected to the Blacktown City Council.



Mr Dewhurst welcomed the guests to West HQ, citing the various venues they could avail of within the precinct, including the recently-completed Sydney Coliseum Theatre.



Mr Bali said he spoke about the PID in the NSW Legislative Assembly 10 June, mentioning the APSL president, hence Mr Pilao’s name has been recorded in Hansard, the record of NSW parliamentary speeches, for a second time, the first being on 27 February 2020. This drew a vote of thanks from the APSL Team.

APSL ladies Erlinda Caramancion, Michelle Manodon, Yvonne Opilas, Norma Vargas and guest Marivic Ayap-Flores were congratulated on their participation in ‘A Filipina Collection of COVID-19 Essays’, an anthology on the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of 29 Filipinas from Australia, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, the United Kingdom and the United States.



According to its website, Sydney Coliseum Theatre “is the first of its kind in the rapidly growing region of Greater Western Sydney. Located within the exciting dining, health, accommodation and entertainment destination of West HQ… (it) is well positioned to welcome entertainment lovers from Sydney and beyond,,, The 2000-seat auditorium, can accommodate theatrical performances, corporate events, conferences and more.”





Celebrated among Filipino communities worldwide, June 12 marks the Philippines’ Independence Day, or Araw ng Kalayaan in the Filipino language.