Band Composed of Personnel from the Philippine and Malaysian Consulates General Performs for Charity in Shanghai 
The CG Band gets guests tripping the light fantastic at CG Cultural Night and Charity Gala. (Shanghai PCG photos)
SHANGHAI 28 December 2023 – The Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai’s public diplomacy rocked the first-ever Consuls General Culture Night & Charity Gala Dinner to success on 08 December at the Grand Hyatt Jin Mao Tower in Lujiazui.
Philippine Consul General to Shanghai Josel F. Ignacio led his fellow diplomat-musicians in a rousing set that had guests on their feet, as they capped off a memorable night of warm fellowship and generous fund-raising for the needy.
The inaugural consular gala was the brainchild of the Dean of the Consular Corps (Fiji) under the auspices of the newly constituted “Consuls General Club”. In attendance were diplomats from the city’s 77 mission-strong consular corps, together with Shanghai’s who’s who, philanthropists and glitterati.
The dinnertime auction of items and offerings from the consular corps reaped a bumper crop of proceeds totaling CNY 420,900 or about USD 60,000. The amount is earmarked for the Heart to Heart Foundation, Bloodline, and Mei Ai Rong He School for the Blind.
Coming on the heels of the fundraiser were a series of memorable performances. Drawn from the host country were Chinese opera singers, Chinese traditional musicians, and a visually impaired musical group. The consular corps, for its part, contributed performances by a classical piano and string trio, a fashion and cultural show by Fijian students, and by the much- awaited “CG Band”.
The band was Filipino at its core, consisting of Consul General Ignacio (lead guitar) Consul John Francis S. Herrera (rhythm guitar), Attaché Mark Anthony Z. Geguera (drums) and Attaché Joel D. Mariñas (backing vocals; tambourine). Rounding off the group were Malaysian CG Syed Farizal Aminy Syed Mohamad (vocals), Malaysian Trade Consul Damian Santosh Samson (bass guitar).
The Phil-Malaysian sextet had guests up and dancing with rousing performances of The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Twist and Shout”, before bringing the house down with a spirited interpretation of Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba”.
Danish CG Mikael Winter (vocals; lead guitar) thereafter joined the group for two spotlight blues numbers: Jimi Hendrix’s “Red House” and Eric Clapton’s “Old Love”.
Closing the set was a CG Band-backed singalong of “We Are The World”, with all Consuls General present joining Chinese artist Simon Ma.
Beyond the gala event, the PCG performance pays homage to the high regard enjoyed by Filipino musicians in Shanghai and other major Chinese cities. “Rock diplomacy” has been part of the PCG’s broader public diplomacy toolkit under its present leadership. Living up to Filipinos’ reputation for musicality, the Consul General and his team readily accede to requests for impromptu performances in engagements with the consular corps and the Filipino community. END
Clockwise from top left: (1) singalong of all Consuls General with artist Simon Ma; (2) band backs Danish CG Winter (3) Gala Night guests up their feet; (4) CG Ignacio ; (5) Malaysian CG Syed Amini. (Photo courtesy of the Consuls General Club-Shanghai)
The PH-Malaysia “CG Band” with the Consular Corps Dean Fiji CG Yok Yee Chan (Center). The band members are (left to right): Attaché Mariñas, Malaysian Trade Consul Samson, Malaysian CG Syed Aminy, CG Ignacio, Consul Herrera, and PH Attaché Geguera. (Photo courtesy of the Consuls General Club-Shanghai)
For more information, visit http://shanghaipcg.dfa.gov.ph/.