CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, (PNA)– The City Choir of San Fernando landed fourth in the 2013 Civil Service Commission national government choral competition Wednesday at the University of the Philippines theater in Diliman, Quezon City.
The 29-member choir, composed of city hall employees, was selected as one of the eight finalists of the group singing contest and was among 18 regional contenders nationwide.
The competition was one of the major activities lined up for the 113th Philippine Civil Service Commission Anniversary.
“As a Fernandino and the city’s vice mayor, I am so proud that we made it to the top 4 because they are truly the pride of the city,” Vice Mayor Jaime Lazatin, who attended the contest, said.
The City Choir of San Fernando is the two-time regional champion of the CSC Central Luzon government choral competition.
The group was formed in 2003 with local singer, arranger and voice coach, Prof. Sonny Briones as conductor.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Singers brought home the championship title while the National Power Corporation chorale and the Dept. of Social Welfare and Development chorale placed 1st and 2nd runner-up, respectively.
The NAPOCOR chorale was awarded as having the best arrangement of competition song and the best conductor award was given to the BSP singers.
Special awards were also given to the best choirs in their respective regions, namely, the NAPOCOR chorale (NCR), Coro De La Laguna (Luzon) and South Cotabato division teachers choral (Mindanao).
With this year’s theme “Tatak Lingkod Bayani: Isabuhay, Ipagmalaki at Ipagbunyi,” the competition was held in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Philippine Choral Directors Association.