`Canatuan Idol’ talent search brings out the best in mining community
Clearly, the crowd was spellbound by her voice. For a moment, there was silence as all eyes were on Rheann Palma as she crooned the opening lines of “I Have Nothing”, a song popularized by ‘90s pop sensation Whitney Houston. Then the audience clapped, cheered and swayed as Rheann effortlessly reached the highest note like a pro. As she bowed down when her song ended, an appreciative audience gave her a standing ovation. Judging by the reaction of those who were present, Rheann was the night’s runaway winner of the first “Canatuan Idol”, the newest sensation in this mountain community that hosts TVI Resource Development Philippines, Inc.’s copper-zinc mining operations.
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Above, Rheann Palma, 16, from TVIRD’s host municipality of Siocon hits a high note as, below, the big audience erupts in cheers to show their approval. Rheann bested 21 other hopefuls who vied for the title. The talent search, she says, “afforded me the chance to personally see the mine site. Actually, it was my first time to be exposed in a mining community, and I was impressed with what I saw. The camaraderie among the employees and the way the company cares for them are quite evident. Contentment is reflected on their faces. I am sure this is the reason why they are fiercely loyal to the company.”
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True enough, the svelte Rheann, a 16 year-old senior high school student, was declared champion of the three-month search, patterned in part after the global television talent show, “The American Idol”. And, like its continental counterpart, the Canatuan Idol, a project of the TVIRD’s Human Resources and Administration Department (HRAD), was a crowd drawer!
“The idea to hold the ‘Idol’ came from Renne Subido, TVIRD Vice President for Corporate Social Commitments and, Yulo Perez, VP for Philippine Operations. Luis Santos, VP for Finance also liked it! The three then contributed personal funds for the search,” Cyril Baylosis, Canatuan HRAD manager said. “We thought, too, that the idea is great. As we expected, the talent search entertained the employees who work 24/7 at the mine, as well as members of their families who stay with them in the mine site. Moreover, residents of host and impact communities who heard about the contest also entered. We learned that those who watched the search every Saturday always went home happy! The search, no doubt, brought in a lot of goodwill among those who competed and watched.”
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The Canatuan Idol finalists with the finals jury members Zimbri Cardenas, a former band member (center, in white jacket); Michael Reyes, a music teacher at the Siocon National High School (center, in black shirt); and Myra Collado (partly hidden behind Rheann). The Canatuan Idol contestants and those who came to watch them are a microcosm of the Filipino and his love for music and singing.
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Apart from Idol’s entertainment value, Baylosis believes the search afforded the employees the opportunity to showcase their other talents, such as singing and playing musical instruments like the guitar. “Idol provided a welcome break from the usual routine of going to the Plant and to their homes after work hours,” he said.
“The search also made us closer to the community,” Fred Gonzaga, head of the Mobile/Electrical Section, added. “Of course friendship and camaraderie were also developed among the employees.” Gonzaga smiled when he said he didn’t know that his power tender, John Rey Sumatra, could sing well. Gonzaga was one of the three judges during the elimination round along with HRAD Senior Supervisor Nerie Suyom but had to inhibit himself during the grand finals because his unit had two contestants who reached that level: Sumatra and Nonong Molina, a mechanic.
The champion received P10,000 cash, which “motivated all wannabe singers to join the audition and the contest proper,” said Suyom. “We discovered the many talents of our employees along the way; employees who sing and play instruments like true professionals!”
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They can sing well, too. From left, Rheve Hayag from TVIRD Canatuan’s Mine Department; Princess Grace Caballero from Malubal, RT Lim in adjacent Zamboanga Sibugay (2nd runner up); and Jimuel Salig from TVIRD Canatuan’s Assay and Concentrate Management Department (1st runner-up).
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“The first time I went on stage, I was so self-conscious that I almost forgot the lyrics of my piece,” Dodong Hayag, a contestant from the Mine Department, related. “But I was able to recover and, I would like to think, delivered my song well. I did not win, but the experience taught me to always come prepared. It was also like going to work. We have to prepare ourselves. We have to be disciplined and at all times be self confident.”
“I consider the fact that I was given the chance to enter the grand finals already as an achievement,” HRAD’s George Malunok said. Before the grand finals, he was among the favorites.
The other winners of the search were Jimuel Salig of the Assay Laboratory, who was adjudged first runner up. He sang while playing his guitar like a true acoustic singer. Second runner-up was Pysche Betong, a resident of Malubal, RT Lim, Zamboanga Sibugay Province.
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Above left, Idol semifinals judges Chichi Salvatus and Frank Castro from TVIRD Canatuan Assay & Concentrate Management Department and Finance Department, respectively. Above right is Lyra Collado, chair of the jury. The huge audience included children who flocked to Canatuan to watch the talent search, considered as one of the biggest events in this ancestral domain of the Subanon indigenous people.
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Rheann, who was so elated when he topped the search, said she used her prize money to help her family and to fund her studies. “I am grateful to TVIRD for the chance it gave me to join the Canatuan Idol,” she averred. “Besides the opportunity to win because of my talent, the search also afforded me the chance to personally see the mine site. Actually, it was my first time to be exposed in a mining community, and I was impressed with what I saw. The camaraderie among the employees and the way the company cares for them are quite evident. I am sure they are happy working for TVI. And I am also sure their families are happy as well. Contentment is reflected on their faces. I am sure this is the reason why they are fiercely loyal to the company.”
The Canatuan Idol contestants and those who came to watch them are a microcosm of the Filipino and his love for music and singing; a love that has produced musical wunderkinds like Broadway star Leah Salonga, pop sensation Charice Pempengco, and rock band Journey’s lead singer Ariel Pineda, as well as wannabes like pound-for-pound boxing living legend Manny Pacquiao. Music and singing are so much a part of the Filipino culture, as it is in this remote mountain community. They are a source of joy and, in this talent search’s case, an eye-opener. Canatuan Idol made employees and host community members alike realize that to be able to win, one must work hard for it. Truly a value that TVIRD has taught its stakeholders well. (Lullie Micabalo)
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Above, TVIRD officials were also present to show their support, from left, TVIRD Canatuan Human Resources and Administration Manager Cyril Baylosis, TVIRD Vice President for Philippine Operations Yulo Perez, and TVIRD Canatuan Finance Manager Jimmy Guillermo. “The idea to hold the ‘Idol’ came from Renne Subido, TVIRD Vice President for Corporate Social Commitments and, Yulo Perez, VP for Philippine Operations. Luis Santos, VP for Finance also liked it!,” says Baylosis. Below, the finalists in a grand production number. “The search also made us closer to the community,” Fred Gonzaga, head of the Mobile/Electrical Section, adds.
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