Giordano’s World Without Strangers Music Festival

MANILA, Philippines - “A world without strangers is a borderless one where people walk hand in hand and celebrate life as one,” said Rico Blanco, Giordano Philippines’ latest brand ambassador.

This is exactly what happened at the first-ever World Without Strangers Music Festival held at the Glorietta Activity Center, Palm Drive. The free-for-all festival featured 15 local bands and introduced Blanco’s latest single World Without Strangers which is Giordano’s running credo.

Set to a light, upbeat tone, the song is about a world where there is no class or cultural divide; a world where everyone is bonded by a familial tie. Guests swooned to Blanco’s comfortingly familiar signature singing style, which put a Filipino stamp on the song that is still relatable to everyone, anywhere in the world. The song’s official lyric video was also launched during the event.

Hosted by Boys Night Out, the stage sizzled for eight hours straight as bands kept the crowd’s spirits high with every guitar riff and heart-pumping song. The bands were Callalily, Sponge Cola, Urbandub, Franco, Up Dharma Down, Gracenote, Techy Romantics, Taken By Cars, Kala, Autotelic, Join The Club, Cygnet, Maude, Hidden Nikki and Yolanda Moon.

The Giordano Statement Tee Design Contest, which attracted a large number of entries, revolved around the World Without Strangers theme. Ten designers, five from the male category and another five from the female category, were recognized during the festival. The Top 10 designers are Gino Jardinico, Timmy Joy Raymundo, John Angelo Tan, Ivan Marc Robinson, Nadine Encarnacion, Benedict Lim, John Francis Pasicolan, Katherine Francisco and Cathleen Kay Bayani, whose design for both male and female categories were chosen.

The winning designs will be released in Giordano stores by the end of the month.

As Giordano rallies for a world without strangers, 12 individuals were also recognized during the festival who have contributed to creating that ideal world. The awardees, called World Without Strangers Citizens, range from social workers to artists, from writers to taxi drivers.

Among the awardees were Alex Eduque, volunteer; Jose Yap Dalisay, Palanca award-winning writer; Karen Jimeno, lawyer and social worker; and Efren Penaflorida, teacher.