Pinoy defeats brother to win UAE singing contest
AL AIN, United Arab Emirates — Out of 14 weekly winners in a singing contest here, a Filipino senior sales associate in Rivoli Group emerged as winner with his renditions of Martin Nievera's “Ikaw” and Shayne Ward's “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
“I sang ‘Ikaw’ for my future wife. Tapos yung ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow,’ ay ino-offer ko sa tatay ko. Yun kasi yung lagi niyang pinapakinggan the whole week before he died,” Renzo Saforteza, 28, shared in an email interview.
Renzo said he did not know about the contest, called “Kanta mo, Upload ko! 2 WIN in 1 SINGING CONTEST,” until a close friend asked him to like his video entry.
“I thought that was the right time to join again. Matagal na rin kasing walang competitions na nasalihan,” he said.
For the contest, which was organized by Kabayan Weekly, the first Filipino newspaper in the UAE, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) would have to visit and “like” Kabayan Weekly's Facebook page then upload a recorded performance of another OFW.
Launched in August last year, the contest ran until December and was opened to all OFWs aged 20 years old and above.
“Plano ko kasi na ipa-contruct yung yero ng bahay namin sa Pampanga. Nayupi na kasi sa dami ng bagyo na dumaan sa Pinas. Siyempre, yung iba doon [ay] to share for good deeds,” Renzo said when asked what prompted him to join.
Brotherly competition
Renzo's brother, Ishmael "Bonz" Saforteza, was the one who uploaded his video. He also joined the contest and in fact won 1st runner-up.
Even though his brother was among the contestants, Renzo said there was no sibling rivalry between them. He said he was actually proud of his brother.
“Nakaka-proud yung feeling na kasali kami pareho magkapatid tapos kami pa natirang dalawa sa stage. Nung in-announce na 1st runner-up at grand, mas nakaka-proud,” he said.
If anything, what he felt at that time was inspiration.
“Merong konti bilang competitor. Magaling din kasi ang kapatid ko. Na-challenge din ako sa kanya kasi hindi siya nahihiya kagaya ko.”
Aside from Renzo and Bonz, Rodel Francisco, Jr. also went away victorious upon bagging the 2nd runner-up.
Prizes
The grand champion winner got AED 5,000 (P60,000), the 1st runner-up AED3,000 (P36,000), and the 2nd runner-up AED2,000 (P24,000).
Consolation prizes of AED500 (P6,000) and 10 percent discount in MediaCom products were also given to the “uploaders” and “singers.” —KBK, GMA News
“I sang ‘Ikaw’ for my future wife. Tapos yung ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow,’ ay ino-offer ko sa tatay ko. Yun kasi yung lagi niyang pinapakinggan the whole week before he died,” Renzo Saforteza, 28, shared in an email interview.
Renzo said he did not know about the contest, called “Kanta mo, Upload ko! 2 WIN in 1 SINGING CONTEST,” until a close friend asked him to like his video entry.
Renzo Saforteza says he dedicates his winning piece, 'Ikaw,' to his future wife. Contributed photo
For the contest, which was organized by Kabayan Weekly, the first Filipino newspaper in the UAE, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) would have to visit and “like” Kabayan Weekly's Facebook page then upload a recorded performance of another OFW.
Launched in August last year, the contest ran until December and was opened to all OFWs aged 20 years old and above.
“Plano ko kasi na ipa-contruct yung yero ng bahay namin sa Pampanga. Nayupi na kasi sa dami ng bagyo na dumaan sa Pinas. Siyempre, yung iba doon [ay] to share for good deeds,” Renzo said when asked what prompted him to join.
Brotherly competition
Renzo's brother, Ishmael "Bonz" Saforteza, was the one who uploaded his video. He also joined the contest and in fact won 1st runner-up.
Even though his brother was among the contestants, Renzo said there was no sibling rivalry between them. He said he was actually proud of his brother.
“Nakaka-proud yung feeling na kasali kami pareho magkapatid tapos kami pa natirang dalawa sa stage. Nung in-announce na 1st runner-up at grand, mas nakaka-proud,” he said.
If anything, what he felt at that time was inspiration.
“Merong konti bilang competitor. Magaling din kasi ang kapatid ko. Na-challenge din ako sa kanya kasi hindi siya nahihiya kagaya ko.”
Aside from Renzo and Bonz, Rodel Francisco, Jr. also went away victorious upon bagging the 2nd runner-up.
Prizes
The grand champion winner got AED 5,000 (P60,000), the 1st runner-up AED3,000 (P36,000), and the 2nd runner-up AED2,000 (P24,000).
Consolation prizes of AED500 (P6,000) and 10 percent discount in MediaCom products were also given to the “uploaders” and “singers.” —KBK, GMA News
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