Former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday spent his 51st birthday celebration not by receiving gifts but by giving financial and material gifts to 51 Filipinos.
“We’re doing all of these para mag-thank you at makatulong sa inyo (We’re doing all of these to thank and help you),” Cayetano said during the livestream of the three-hour ‘We Sing as One II’ online concert on October 29, 2021.
The former Speaker gave away cash aid amounting to P1,000 to P10,000 as well as gadgets to each of the 51 winners, who were randomly chosen from the viewers who commented on the concert’s livestream.
An additional five winners also received P10,000 each during the event, which was held a day after his October 28 birthday.
The first ‘We Sing as One’ virtual concert was held in 2020 in aid of typhoon Rolly victims as well as Filipino musicians and artists who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
This year, the virtual concert featured OPM artists Thor Dulay (an administrator of Musicians Helping Musicians Philippines), MYMP, Nina, and Jimmy Bondoc.
Pido Lalimarmo, a veteran OPM singer-songwriter, also performed his latest song dedicated to the country’s frontliners.
The musicians thanked Cayetano for his continued support to the OPM industry, particularly to the artists who have lost their jobs ever since the pandemic hit.
“Salamat for the opportunity to be here, to play again. Very supportive ni Sir Alan sa aming musicians. Thank you so much,” MYMP vocalist Juliet Bahala said in between the band’s performance.
(Thank you for the opportunity to be here and perform again. Sir Alan is very supportive of us musicians. Thank you so much.)
Hundreds of beneficiaries of the Sampung Libong Pag-asa program from all over the country, including jeepney drivers, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), athletes and coaches, sari-sari store owners, barangay health workers (BHWs), as well as various cooperatives under his Presyo-Trabaho-Kita program also thanked Cayetano for the various forms of assistance he has been giving to them.
“Maraming, maraming salamat po dahil sa kalagitnaan ng pandemya ay nandyan po kayo para tumulong sa libu-libong pamilya na nangangailangan ng tulong pinansyal,” Angelu de Leon, a beauty consultant from Taguig City and a Sampung Libong Pag-asa beneficiary, said.
(Thank you very much for being there to help thousands of families in need of financial assistance in the middle of the pandemic.)
Cayetano’s fellow members of Congress, former colleagues from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), pastors, and priests also sent their well wishes, saying they will support the former Speaker in his future plans as a public servant.
