Philippine Advocacy Through Arts and Culture
...envisions a future where each person's right is respected and upheld...
AFFILIATE ARTISTS and FRIENDS
Panyolito. Belinda, Henessy and Mithi make up the Panyolito group. Mithi is the guitarist. Henessy and Belinda are the singers. They all enjoy performing songs and music that are relevant to our times. As young people, they also have their own favorite contemporary music, artists and songs.
Levy Abad Jr. Levy Abad Jr., singer, songwriter, cultural activist, is a great believer in the role of art for helping people understand their circumstances and transforming their world. Art, aside from giving shape to emotions, must help to kindle hope in peoples' hearts for freedom and justice. Art in general or a song in particular must expose, oppose and propose solutions to existing social injustice. Art must serve the people. Some songs written by Levy include Sana, Awit ng Pag-asa, Awit sa Bayani, Martsa ng Pagkakaisa, Light a Candle, Oh God, Land of Peace, You're a Terrorist, Kahit Kailan, Hanggang sa Muli, Sa Aking Paglayo, and Na-shock Ako.
Alex Felipe. Alex Felipe studied Political Science at the University of Toronto with the intention of entering law. When he realized the amount of work that went into it, he decided to become a photographer instead. In reality, he fell into photography quite by accident. He first picked up a camera in late 2002 while working, volunteering and backpacking his way around Southeast Asia (in 2001-2002). Today, he freelances for a variety of organizations and publications.
Henessy Cruz is a member of the Panyolito group and is an excellent soloist and vocalist. She plays the guitar and other instruments. She is a cultural activist and sings Pilipino songs from Tagalog, Visayan to Ilocano. One of the movers of PATAC, she has organized events like the September 2008, Evening of Peace and Music, Himig ng Pag-ibig and Na-Shock ako and much more.
Mithi Esguerra is a member of the Panyolito group and is the main guitarist of the group. An accomplished guitarist and is very involved in the Filipino youth issues. She leads Migrate Ontario Youth. She is also one of the movers of the PATAC youth. A community and cultural activist.
Dylan Hamada performed in some events of PATAC, notably in the Himig ng Pag-ibig concert where he wowed the crowd with his rendition of Harana. Dylan is with the Filipino Canadian Association of Ryerson.
The Migrante Ontario dance troupe is a group of caregivers organized by Migrante Ontario. They specialize in interpretative dance.They have performed in community events like the PIDC 2008 Mabuhay festival and more recently at the "Himig ng Pag-ibig: Philippine History and Struggles through Song", a Valentine fundraiser presented by Philippine Advocacy through Arts and Culture on February 8, 2009, Toronto, Ontario,.
Mary Auxi. Mary is a songwriter and singer. She has performed in PATAC organized events like the September 2008, Evening of Peace and Music, Filipino Huh? Essay Award ceremony in December and the recent Himig ng Pag-ibig concert on February 2009. She loves to write songs that are dear to her and her loved ones. She is exploring her Filipino roots through music and with other PATAC artists.
Puede bang Magsalita band is a group of friends who love to jam and share their talent. They bring funky and danceable music to events they appear in.
Francesca Esguerra. Francesca Esguerra is an aspiring visual and graphic artist. Most of her work is inspired by FIlipino art, Philippine history and social justice issues in the Philippines. She migrated to Canada in 1994 with her family. She believes that her identity is firmly rooted in her people's history and ongoing struggle for genuine freedom and justice. Francesca is currently a member of Migrante Ontario Youth and Migrante Ontario, an alliance of individuals and community organizations dedicated to fighting for the rights and welfare of migrant Filipinos.
Celia Correa is a member of the Philippine Artists Group (PAG) and a visual artist who specializes in painting images of Filipino common everyday life. Her works have been exhibited at OISE, PIDC and PATAC events.
Teodoro Honrado (Dors) is a passionate skillful guitarist who enriches performances through his skillful guitar accompaniment. He also sings and knows a lot of the nationaiist and progressive songs sung in the late 70s and the 80s.
Divine Montesclaros. Divine Montesclaros is a graphic design student at OCAD. She is responsible for creating the posters that PATAC uses for its campaigns and concerts. A current member of Migrante Ontario Youth as well, she believes that breaking down the barriers between different cultures is the only way to enhance the quality of creativity. For the past five years, Divine has been passionately devoted to design and photography.
Belinda. Belinda is one of the youth founders of PATAC and a member of Panyolito. She started singing when she was four years old. Over the years, she has performed in a lot of community events to help them raise funds. She now sings regularly at the noon mass at her parish church and assists the choir director in managing the Children's choir in her parish. Belinda believes that "to whom much is given, much is expected".
TNT (Tinig ng Tibak). Founded by Cynthia Palmaria and Marco Luciano in Montreal, this group now resides in the greater Toronto area. Current members are: Cynthia Palmaria, Mithi Esguerra, Paulina Corpuz and Theresa Fajardo. These women sing songs that speak of the realities and struggles of women.
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