The Zonta Club of Cebu I celebrated its 50th anniversary with a grand fundraiser whose aim was empowering women through service and advocacy. The event was dubbed “Celebrate Life: Golden Years of Service and Music with Jose Mari Chan.”
As it was, Chan himself is marking 50 years as a performer and recording artist. He writes the music and the lyrics of songs that are well loved not only in the Philippines but in the international scene as well.
His popularity is patent. On show night, traffic was bumper to bumper leading to the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino where the event was held. Parking lots within a radius of one kilometer were overflowing.
Zontians in yellow outfits including Anita Sanchez and Bethilda Smith converged at the hotel foyer. Tessie Javier at the gate was ready with a pink rubber stamp to mark wrists.
Inside the ballroom every seat was taken by an enthusiastic audience. There were a number of front acts. Carol Ballesteros hosted the well-paced program.
Isabel Garcia, president of Cebu Zonta I, gave her welcome address, followed by the Knapsack Dancers, Blessie Villamor singing “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina,” Clifford Gawchua with his repertoire, and the striking Anna Fegi Brown with students from her Brown Academy of Music.
Main event
It was 9 p.m. when Chan stepped onto the stage to tumultuous applause, and more so when he said he had Cebu roots in Bogo, the city in northern Cebu that has been for centuries its capital of sugarland.
He acknowledged the presence of Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, and Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña with wife Councilor Margot Vargas Osmeña who seated beside Chan’s wife Mary Ann. They have been close friends for years.
Also mentioned were Rep. Raul del Mar with his wife Melanie, and former Cebu City Mayor Alvin Garcia who brought Chan over many years ago when Chan was first starting out.
He singled out Pedro and Ana (née Barba) Juan who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, dear friends Victor and Olga Mendoza, and Ben Yapjoco with his wife Zenaida.
There were many songs of yesteryears, some of them accompanied by anecdotes. The audience swooned or broke into applause.
There were jokes, too, some of them quite clever, others a bit off-color and oft-repeated which did not matter since Chan told them with such effectivity.
Well applauded
Chan did a formidable duet with Brown, whom he complimented for her showmanship and powerful voice. At one point he called on stage three of his children Joe, Michael and France to perform with him. A young girl named Joey also performed with them for the grand finale.
Two solid hours had passed and quite a number in the audience had been there since 7 p.m. Despite this, the crowd was clapping like wild.
Chan also announced the release of his latest album of 22 Christmas songs. He set up a table on stage, and happily autographed them.
The Zontians, who had earmarked the proceeds for their multiple outreach projects, one of them having to do with “an end to violence against women and children,” were happy with the turnout for the fundraiser.
Another beneficiary of the show is the Young Ladies of Charity School Foundation which provides Christian education to children from needy families.
Mila Espina was in charge of overall script and direction, project chairpersons were Emily Chioson and Barbara Tan, event chair was Tess Tan, creative director Junjet Primor and annotator was Gerard Cabras.
The Zonta Club of Cebu I is a member of Zonta International, a leading global organization of professional women founded in 1919.