Mowelfund, Mr. C, Merk's celebrate 2014

It has been more than four decades since former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada founded the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation (Mowelfund) at a 6,700-plus square meter lot in Quezon City, close to San Juan where he lived and was mayor at the time. Mowelfund was a most ambitious undertaking then, recalled Boots Anson-Roa, the foundation’s concurrent executive director and president. Mowelfund was conceptualized with the twin mandates of providing welfare and film education opportunities for the marginalized and contractual film worker with no regular employee benefits. These included medical, hospitalization, death and livelihood benefits.

Film luminaries at the time like FPJ, Dolphy, lawyer Espiridion Laxa, National Artist Eddie Romero (all now deceased), together with Susan Roces, Marichu Vera Perez Maceda, cabinet member Guillermo de Vega and first executive director Rolfie Velasco lent the much-needed support.

Last March 29, Mowelfund celebrated its 40th year highlighted by free medical, dental and optical services, diagnostics, children’s programs, raffle contests and giveaways for beneficiaries and dependents. Mayor Erap proudly handed out recognition certificates to the members.

 Throughout the 2014 anniversary, the series of activities includes an ukay-ukay fair featuring clothes and accessories donated by celebrities; a fun run; a Light Sculpture Exhibit by artists from out of the country; a mammoth extravaganza featuring 40 performing artists and coinciding with the 95th year of local film production; the construction of the Mowelfund Wall of Fame; and the launch of a coffee-table book on Mowelfund and its contribution to the film industry.

 Meanwhile, music man Ryan Cayabyab (Mr. C to most) is set to celebrate his 60th birthday at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo with The Music of Ryan Cayabyab. The concert will also feature the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra in its first Spotlight Series, a succession of concerts featuring the best composers and performers gathered under a single roof. Performances are on May 3, at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Mr. C’s very successful Philpop competition has also been going great guns since it was formed and is now on its third edition. Recently, the 12 finalists for 2014 were announced. Sadly, only a few are familiar to us — Mike Villegas, guitarist-turned-advertising executive (husband to composer-singer of indigenous music Bayang Barrios); the talented Soc Villanueva whom we didn’t even know is already living in Australia; and Jungee Marcelo. What this means is that we should listen more to songs from the younger batch.

Philpop is a songwriting competition open to amateur and professional Filipino composers, in all musical genres. It is meant to raise awareness of Original Pilipino Music (OPM). A maximum of two songs created solo or with a collaborator is allowed. The grand prize is P1M; second prize, P500,000; and third prize, P250,000.

Our last celebration was that of Merk’s Bar Bistro, which is hopefully settling down to its third and final home. For the many years since we got to meet Roni Tapia-Merk and became a regular visitor at Merk’s Bar at Greenbelt 3 in Makati, we have marveled at the fortitude with which she helped her husband Richard Merk reach his dream of maintaining a venue for jazz artists and lovers, and helping keep jazz music alive. When they moved to Merk’s Place nearby, we were still an avid audience. Now, they are at EDSA Shangri-La Hotel with a full line-up of bands and entertainers from Thursdays to Saturdays, with special performances. We hope this will be their last move.

Watch out for Manila Pilipinas Like Kita with performers Cesar Montano, Ava Jagueta, Cacai Bautista, Richard, Rachel Anne Wolfe and Janice Caraga. Then there is Barkada sa Calesa reuniting past Calesa Bar regulars like Verni Varga, Jacqui Magno, Pat Castillo, Isay Alvarez, Emcy Corteza and Judith Banal. And on May 11, Mother’s Day will be remembered in Serenades, I Love You Mom.

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