CCP exec to perform in US concert for Yolanda rehab

WASHINGTON – Raul Sunico, president of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, will perform in a concert today at 4 p.m. at the McNeir Hall auditorium in Georgetown University to raise awareness of emergency restoration aid to 300-year-old heritage churches in Bohol and their communities devastated by last year’s 7.2 earthquake and affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

Sunico’s piano performance, Love for Bohol, intends to provide the Washington and Georgetown communities with classical and Filipino masterpieces specially arranged for this event.

“It is cultural enrichment that opens one’s appreciation to value heritage,” Sunico said.

“It is my hope, through this event, that we increase awareness of the need to save and restore important historical landmarks that transcend cultures.”

Besides worldwide acclaim as a concert pianist, Sunico is also an orchestral soloist and a composer-arranger of Philippine music.

A recipient of numerous awards, Sunico has been praised for “unusual gifts of lyricism and poetry in his playing” by his eminent mentor Sascha Gorodnitzki.

Sunico received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Piano Performance from New York University, Master of Music from Julliard School of Music, and Master of Arts in Statistics and Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, both from the University of the Philippines. His elementary and secondary education were completed at the Ateneo de Manila.

A special appearance by local Virginian and international pianist Carlos Ibay will open the event. Ibay’s special gift as a pianist and tenor has made him earn a worldwide reputation for his classical musical arrangements, despite his loss of sight.

“We are proud to have both Dr. Sunico and Mr. Ibay join us in this cultural presentation,” said Randy Puno, president of Georgetown University’s Club Filipino, sponsor of the event.

“It is an honor for us to engage the student communities of Georgetown University along with both American and Filipino communities for such a worthy endeavor in heritage restoration and cultural preservation.”

Restoration efforts were initiated by Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Cuisia Jr and his wife Vicky immediately after the earthquake struck Bohol on Oct. 15, 2013.

The Bohol Restoration Group (BRG) was formed as a result of this call to respond to the disaster and has, since then, been carried out by the work of volunteers in the fields of heritage restoration and preservation, including experts from the National Cathedral, Quinn Evans, Leuterio Thomas and UNESCO’s International Council on Monuments and Sites, among the many groups involved with stakeholders on the ground in Bohol.

Co-presenting with the Club Filipino of Georgetown University are BRG and the US-Philippines Society in cooperation with the embassy of the Philippines. Sponsors supporting this event are Beck, Mack and Oliver, LLC, Mobile.com, Chartered Forex, Inc., and the De Leon-Khanna Foundation. Proceeds of the event will benefit BRG’s ongoing restoration aid for Bohol’s heritage structures.

Meanwhile, the Philippine embassy in Washington, the US-Philippines Society and the Philippine Humanitarian Coalition will hold ecumenical prayers to mark the first year after Super Typhoon Yolanda hit Central Visayas. “A Year After the Storm, A Testament of Hope” will be held on Nov. 8 at 5 p.m. at the Philippine embassy.