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UP Asian Center’s ‘Tabang Para sa Katawhan’ concert extends relief to MSU ‘internally displaced students’

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As expression of fraternal to support to affected students of the Mindanao State University-(MSU) Marawi City Campus, the University of the Philippines through the Asian Center (AC)-organized concert extended a modest financial contribution for the purchase of relief goods distributed recently to select beneficiaries.

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MSU System Vice President for Academic Affairs Prof. Alma E. Berowa led the enlistment of deserving students who have lost all means of support due to the continuing violence in the grossly devastated Mindanao city still under martial law. Instead of buying goods in Manila, rice, canned goods, some medicines, water, and the like were sourced locally after bank transfer of the proceeds of the AC-organized benefit concert.

VP Berowa wrote in gratitude to UP President Danilo L. Concepcion who also personally supported the concert: “We chose as your beneficiaries the internally displaced students  (IDS) who decided to come back to MSU to continue with their college studies, despite the war. ‘Nagbalik eskwela’ sila with nothing, except their hopes and dreams. So your contribution went a long way as we welcome them back to campus.”

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AC was able to stage the four-hour long “Tabang para sa Katawhan” (Help for the People) on 21 June at the GT-Toyota Asian Center Auditorium. Well-known musicians like Noel Cabangon, Chikoy Pura, Ferdie Jarin, Prof. MCM Santamaria, May-I Padilla and and the UP College of Music’s Guitar Society and and Edru Abraham’s Kontra Gapi. Darwin Absari and Kamaruddin Bin Alawai of the UP Institute of Islamic Studies graced the occasion with a couple of Tausug songs.

Faculty members, AC students and staff and their friends also braved the late afternoon heavy downpour and floods that stalled traffic on that concert day. Even the light and sound system provider gave substantial discount as his own contribution.

“Your act of voluntary contributions sent our way certainly gives us hope that out there are many good people among the Filipinos who believe that we are Muslims but we are not terrorists. That gives us the courage to go on against all odds,” VP Berowa said in ending her letter to President Concepcion and the AC principal organizer of “Tabang”.

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