The FCCP and its sensibility to the times

More than being proponents of arts and culture in the country, most of the members of the Friends for Cultural Concerns of the Philippines (FCCP) are distinguished individuals who are truly remarkable for their sensitivity to the exigencies of the times.

Attuned to the sweeping effects of global events, the FCCP has very wisely, and may I say, quite commendably, rethought its annual ball, previously entitled "Two Thousand and One Nights" and held it in a tasteful, but nonetheless delightful fashion.

As a result, FCCP president Thelma Gana deserves commendation for leading these exemplary women. Of course, there to assist Thelma were Mellie Ablaza, who was the director for this year’s affair, and Letty Syquia and Mila How, chairpersons for the committee.

During the ball, the ladies and their guests and friends instead chose to revel in music by the Manila Symphony Orchestra II, which performed passages from known classical pieces, as well as and a Christmas medley. The members of the MSO II have been supported by the FCCP since its inception.

The MSO II is composed of accomplished young musicians in their 20s who were trained under the Philippine Research for Developing Instrumental Soloists (PREDIS). Maestro Basilio Manalo and Sis Mary Placid Abejo, dean of the Saint Scholastica’s College of Music, founded PREDIS.

Much kudos should likewise go to the other ladies of the committee, such as Myrna Borromeo, Lulu Castañeda, Nori Ongsiako, Nene Leonor, Cez Manalo, Helen Ong, Chloe Romulo, Kay Siazon, Millie Reyes, Nellie Bengzon, Fortune Ledesma, Tereret Liboro, Pilie Aquino, Boysie Villavicencio, Annabelle Adriano, Alice Briones, Nena Casimiro and Karen Macasaet.

The UST Conservatory of Music and Arts rendered excerpts of classics from opera and Broadway. Participating talents included Joan Cano (soprano), Florence Aguilar (soprano), Erwin Andaya (tenor) and Noel Azcona (bass/baritone).

The FCCP was formed in 1979 when Lula Dawson, wife of the then-cultural attaché of the US Embassy, sounded the need for an organization to staunchly support the arts in the Philippines. Thus, the FCCP counts as its first president the widely respected Chito Madrigal-Collantes, one of the gentrified icons in Philippine society. It now has 198 members, of which about 80 to 90 work in special committees.