The nearly 200-year-old bamboo pipe organ in Las Piñas City, said to be the oldest and most complete in the world, has survived time, storms and wars. But an annual concert festival that has showcased its unique, lilting music for four decades may be playing out for the last time due to waning funds and interest.
Inside a dimly lit function room at Manila Hotel, seats were waiting to be filled as only a handful of guests showed up for a press conference that was supposed to celebrate 40 years of a Philippine cultural institution.