DoT seeks global stage for Filipino talents

TOURISM Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco met with Gerry Mercado, the national director for the Philippines of the World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) at the Department of Tourism (DoT) office in Makati City on Friday to explore opportunities. Secretary Frasco and the WCOPA Team Philippines explored prospective partnership opportunities to showcase Filipino talent worldwide. Frasco lauded the team's efforts to discover, develop and promote excellent Filipino artists from across the country's regions, which aligns with the DoT's mission to offer more opportunities for people to "Love The Philippines." "If you inject the tourism component, it's to be able to use your talent to provide opportunities for others," Frasco said. "As tourism ambassadors for the country, we are able to attract visitors to come to the country and provide livelihood in terms of our tourism destinations," she added. WCOPA, also referred to as the "Olympics of the Performing Arts," is an international competition that began in 1996 and brings together outstanding artists across the world. Participants from different countries compete in disciplines such as singing, dancing, acting, modeling and instrumental music, with industry experts, including talent agencies and producers, serving as judges to choose winners in each category. The Philippines first competed in WCOPA in 2005, and since 2013, Mercado has headed WCOPA Team Philippines, which handles live auditions throughout Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The group also arranges seminars and boot camps to help Filipino contenders improve their talents and prepare them to compete on a global scale. "And that's the ultimate goal of the department, which is to ensure that we're able to mount executions, campaigns, performances, exhibitions, etcetera that not just represent the best of the Philippines but, more importantly, bring returns for the Philippines," Frasco said.