The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation’s Voice Symphony recently won as the grand champion in the Government Choral Competition spearheaded by the Civil Service Commission (CSC). The contest - held last September 17, 2012 at the University of the Philippines Theater in Quezon City - was part of the activities lined-up by CSC for its 112th anniversary celebration.

PAGCOR Voice Symphony bested seven other choral groups of various government agencies and local government units (LGU) nationwide. The finalists were the Maasin City’s Chorale of Southern Leyte; the Iligan City’s Buhangin Voices; the Pangasinan Provincial Chorale; the COMVAL Minstrels of the Provincial Government of Compostela Valley Province; the Coro De La Laguna; the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Chorale and the National Power Chorale of the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR).

“All choral groups went through rigorous auditions and we are so happy that we qualified for the contest. We owe our success to the agency and our management who supported us in representing PAGCOR and share our love for music,” PAGCOR choir master Crispin Ralph Reyes said.

According to Reyes, the rigorous training they went through for the event was not easy but their hard work and determination surely paid off. The PAGCOR Voice Symphony won a cash prize of P100,000, a trophy and a certificate for winning the championship.

Reyes shared that the PAGCOR choir members are very happy and proud to surpass their 1st runner-up finish in last year’s CSC choral competition. “When we stepped on that stage, we were confident of winning the championship. We trained very hard for this to bring pride to PAGCOR and to our fellow employees. Masaya kami na nagbunga ang aming pagsisikap,” he added.

The PAGCOR Voice Symphony rendered three songs : the commissioned contest piece entitled Ikaw ay Bayani composed by Noel Cabangon, Ako ay Pilipino and Iddem Dem Mallida (an ethnic war song).

The 2012 CSC Choral Competition panel of judges was composed of Noel Cabangon and officials of the Philippine Choral Directors Association (PCDO).

PAGCOR Assistant Vice President for Entertainment Bong Quintana who is a staunch supporter of the PAGCOR Voice Symphony was jubilant with the group’s recent success. “They truly deserve it. I witnessed how hard they worked. The daily eight-hour rehearsals for 17 days was no joke. Like the rest of the PAGCOR family, I am proud of them. I salute and congratulate all of them.”

The PAGCOR Voice Symphony was initially formed in 1995 as the Casino Filipino Silahis Choir. The group has been performing in big events, including singing engagements for the nationwide events of PAGCOR and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).

Emerging as runner-ups to the PAGCOR Voice Symphony were the choral groups of NAPOCOR (1st runner-up), DSWD (2nd runner-up), and the Provincial Government of Compostela Valley (3rd runner-up).

The CSC Government Choral Competition was a collaborative endeavor of the Civil Service Commission, National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and the Philippine Choral Directors Association (PCDO).

This year’s theme for CSC’s 112th anniversary - “Kawani, Ikaw ay Isang Lingkod Bayani” - highlights the significant contributions of Filipino state workers to the nation. The month-long celebration is a way of honoring outstanding public officials and employees by promoting heroism and excellence in public service through culture and arts.

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