NEWSFLASH

TOP ARTISTS IN BUTUAN FOR MINDANAO MUSICFEST

Butuan, Northern Mindanao, May 10, 2000 - Exhilirating music explodes in Mindanao this May as the recording industry's hottest artists from different music genres rock the 1st Philippine Tourism Authority Mindanao Musicfest slated at the Butuan City Oval Field.

Stoking the heat and sound waves of Butuan summer are the leading fixtures of pop, rock, rap and alternative in a six-hour intermarriage of Filipino music and domestic tourism dubbed as "Kantahan, Paukyaban Sadsasan sa Butuan" on May 19.

Music muses Grace Nono, Lou Bonnevie, and Chill, supergroups Wolfgang, True Faith and Brownbeat All Stars, homegrown band Sinag, plus MTV VJ Shannen Torres gather together in one sizzling showcase of musical and vocal artistry amid the historic backdrop of the regional center of CARAGA.

The PTA concert, the first of its magnitude to be witnessed in Northern Mindanao, is expected to draw hordes of Original Pilipino Music (OPM) aficionados in the region according to General Manager Lito Banayo.

GM Banayo paid homage to the power of Filipino music as an effective instrument in promoting domestic tourism saying "the rewards to be reaped from the music festival extend beyond the event itself."

"Staging concerts like these in various parts of the country, not only reaffirms the well-known fact that Filipino musicians are a gifted lot but also reasserts the international reputation that the Philippines is an enchanting archipelago," Banayo said. "Thus, such undertakings benefit the host city and nearby tourist destinations as well."

GM Banayo added that Butuan and the Agusan province abound with various "sites and sights of wonders" among them Masau (where the country's first true Catholic mass was reportedly celebrated), Butuan Museum, Agusan marshlands, Siargao (a world-renowned surfing site) and Surigao's numerous beaches.

For her part, singer-producer Lou Bonnevie of Dimitri Productions said the PTA and her production company have come up with a show that will feature the best representation of CARAGA region in terms of music, culture and tourism.

Interspersed with the musical numbers are visuals of the region's tourist attractions displayed on a giant screen.

The PTA musical extravaganza is the concert series' third installment since its debut last year. Previous concerts held in Tagaytay City and Dumaguete City both attracted huge crowds.