Art, concert and a requiem

Fifty artists of different persuasions gather in one huge group show titled “Art Expo at BGC” which  opens today, Sept. 8 at the  new University of the Philippines facilities at Bonifacio Global City.

The artists share only two common grounds: their love to produce excellent artworks, and their sincerity in donating part of the proceeds of the exhibit to build a scholarship fund for future and deserving students  of the UP College of Fine Arts  and to the Bantay Bata Foundation Inc.

A viewer of the exhibit will be amazed at the works of  50 of the country’s best artists. There are the creations of sculptor Pete Jimenez, bending to his will scraps of metal and iron, and Michael Cacnio’s whimsies with brass. Juxtapose those with Impy Pilapil’s play with  metal and glass  or Paul Quiano’s  with stone and cement.

The art expo includes the works of  Araceli Dans,  Tessie Duldulao, Janice Young,  Anna Vergel, Imelda Cajipe, Pearl Ortega, June Dalisay, Junyee, and Gigi Javier Alfonso among grand, elegant ladies.

Former CFA dean Neil Doloricon has produced new geometric forms and serious and “senior” artist Jeff Dizon proudly produces his biblical overtones with his women clad in non-traditional kimonos that sport collagen lips.

UP College of Fine Arts former dean and now professor emeritus Nestor Vinluan, collates the more than 100 works.

The University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts Alumni Association Foundation Inc. (UPCFAAAFI) has partnered with ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation for this project. Part of the proceeds will go to the “Bantay Bata 163” of the foundation.

UPCFAAAFI president Romy Carlos and vice president Carmen “Menchu” Martinez-Pascual spearhead this event with the rest of the board members: Paul Quiano, Anna Vergel R.S., June Policar-Dalisay, Pearl Ortega, Jeff Dizon, Junyee, Ernie Canlas,  Boboy Yonzon, and Boysie Villavicencio.

The show will run for one month; and as a matter of policy, as soon as the art works presently on display are bought, new works will replace those that have been taken home.

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An exciting  concert at the UP Abelardo Hall this afternoon topbills Manila Tytana Colleges president and former UP Diliman chancellor Sergio S. Cao with guest pianists DOST Undersecretary and first woman dean of the UP Diliman College of Engineering Rowena Cristina Guevara,  and Cultural Center of the Philippines president and dean of the UST Conservatory of Music Raul Sunico.

Entitled “NighTinGale: a milestone celebration, a musical tribute and a concert for a cause”, the concert is a three- in-one benefit show which celebrates life and friendship and community spirit.

It’s a  free concert, but donations are accepted and will go to the Nelia T. Gonzalez Undergraduate Scholarship program at the UP Virata School of Business (VSB). This concert is part of the activities UP VSB has lined up in celebration of its 100 years of business education in the Philippines.

The concert includes a musical tribute to one of President Cao’s closest friends, former UP Regent Nelia T. Gonzales who was recently conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws by UP. This is why the concert is named after her:  Nelia the NighTinGale. In celebration of NTG’s very accomplished life, Cao will sing an NTG playlist popularly sung during her early years.

The concert is also a milestone celebration for  President Cao who turned 55 on  Sept. 8. Cao is known for his birthday concerts which are fundraising events usually to help UP colleagues defray their medical and hospital expenses.

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Members of Cosmopolitan church of Manila  are in silent grieving over the passing of a well-loved  pastor,  Rev. Dr. Jose Andres Sotto.

“Reverend  Sotto lived a very inspiring life of hard work and was always aspiring and striving for excellence in everything he did,” writes Dr. Erlinda Senturias, a member of Cosmopolitan church. He was born to a poor family from San Jose, Nueva Ecija on Nov.  19, 1947. He was one of seven children of  Cabigas Sotto and Romana Andres Sotto.

Jose  wanted to be a medical doctor but when  his father died when he was only 18 years old, he had to forego the dream of becoming  a physician.

He studied at Wesleyan University, a Methodist institution in Cabanatuan City, graduating  with bachelor’s of science in education, magna cum laude.

As an honor student, he was selected as a scholar in a one-month training program of the Rizal Youth Leadership Training Institute (RYLTI) organized by the Young Men’s  Christian Association (YMCA) in Bataan in 1966. Melchor Morales described the program as a “training for leadership grounded on the values of honesty, justice, excellence, integrity and love of country.”

At the end of the 60s, Jose was active in the 4H (Head, Heart, Hands, Health) Club and was sent by the government for exposure to the 4H Club programs on life skills development in Pennsylvania, USA. Because of the internal situation of conflict in the Philippines in the 1970s  that led to the eventual declaration of Martial Law in 1972, he decided to remain in the United States and take  the opportunity to study.

He received a diploma in pastoral counseling and conflict transformation from Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University and a certificate in youth ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey. His other degrees are a master of education and a PhD in counseling and special education.

He was ordained into the Ministry by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1995.

While in Ontario, Canada, Dr. Sotto founded the South Essex Adolescent Crisis Services in response to the rising incidence of suicide attempts among teens in the area. This intervention program was the first of its kind in Southwestern Ontario, employing advanced case management approaches. He also served as a consultant to the Children’s Aid Societies of Ontario and the Detroit Youth Home, Michigan, USA, on cross-cultural issues in child abuse prevention and treatment, juvenile justice, and adoption.

He received many awards,  among them  Most Outstanding Filipino-Canadian in Canada on seven  varied occasions and Most Outstanding Man of the Year by the United Nations Global Vision Award given by the ROTARACT and INTERACT Assembly of Latin America, San Jose, Costa Rica.

In addition to his church ministry, he  worked as  a refugee law judge with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada for nine years.

He returned to the Philippines in 2006 and was requested to join  Cosmopolitan Church two years ago.

At the time of his death he  was a consultant at the International Justice Mission (IJM) for aftercare of abused children and trafficked persons.  He was also a practicing trauma therapist and pastoral counselor with expertise on suicidology. He had just completed a Department of Social Welfare and Development module on Trauma-informed Care with support from Consuelo Foundation and the International Justice Mission.

Bible scholar  Dr. Daniel Arichea,   said Joe’s  necrological service  was “for a joyous celebration of a life worthy to be celebrated and honored. Joe Sotto was many things in one. He was a Paul who said, ‘Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel.’ And he was a Barnabas who  encouraged so many people to  remain faithful in their faith. Through his counseling and friendship, many lives have been rescued from desperate situations and restored to healthy and wholesome human beings.”

Vee Yanson Geroso Torrevillas, a member of UCCP Cosmopolitan Church who now lives  in Gingoog City with her  husband,  retired humanities professor Warto Torrevillas, describes Dr. Sotto as one with “a brilliant mind that contains a million ideas for solving problems and overcoming crisis, trials and trauma with amazing creativity dedicated in service to God and humanity and who like a Good Samaritan ‘died with his boots on’ serving others.”

Pastor Sotto is survived by his wife Ruth, a registered nurse, and son Jonathan, an accomplished interior designer/project leader at Yabu Pushelberg, Canada.

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