Pagcor to present ‘Pili-pinas’ musical at CCP

The stage is all set for the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to hold its grand musical competition, called Pili-pinas (Piliin ang Pilipinas): A Pagcor Musical, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) in Pasay City on September 2, 2017.

Pagcor said the contest will feature some of the country’s festivals, dances, folklore and mythical characters. It will be topbilled by “talented Pagcor employees from the Casino Filipino branches and satellite operations group in Angeles, Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, Ilocos, Olongapo, Tagaytay (and) Metro Manila,” as well as from its corporate offices.

According to Pagcor Chairman and CEO Andrea D. Domingo, the musical will showcase the diverse cultures, traditions and festivities in different places in the Philippines. “A total of 11 groups from different regions in the country will perform. The artists from Casino Filipino-Davao, for instance, will adopt the Kadayawan Festival theme, while performers from Casino Filipino-Cebu will adopt the Sinulog festival theme,” she said.

The Pagcor chief also said that, in the age of social media and easy access to foreign entertainment programs, it is so easy for many Filipinos to forget the beauty of their folk traditions. “Through this musical, we will relive the rich culture and heritage of our country,” she added.

Some of the interesting entries for the musical competition are the Panaad, Panagbenga, and Pintados for the festivals category; adaptation of the Biag ni Lam-Ang, Ulo ng Apo and Maria Sinukuan for the legend category; the Aswang and Darna for the Pinoy fantasy category; and Dances of Luzon for the cultural category.

Singer and Pagcor Assistant Vice President for Entertainment Jimmy Bondoc lauded the project’s noble objective of promoting Filipino culture, arts and tradition. “This is Pagcor’s way of highlighting the best and beautiful about the Philippines,” Bondoc said.

He also said Pili-pinas will be “special, because, despite the diversity, we will weave all separate elements into one continuous story to showcase the unity of the country through diversity.”

Aside from the cultural treat, Pagcor will also hold a grand raffl e draw for its guests, with a 2017 Toyota Innova (2.8 V Diesel A/T) as the grand prize. Second prize is a Toyota Corolla Altis (1.6 A/T), and the third is a 2017 Kawasaki Z650 motorcycle. To honor the talents and skills of show’s performers, competition winners will receive huge cash prizes.

The grand winner will receive P100,000 and a trophy; the fi rst runner-up, P75,000 and trophy; and the second runner-up, P50,000 and a trophy. Non-winning groups will get P25,000 each.

For more details about Pili-pinas (Piliin ang Pilipinas): A Pagcor Musical, call Pagcor’s Human Resource and Development Department at 0927-6164585.