Lettermen assured of safety
The well loved Lettermen trio have been assured of their security during their performance here in Iloilo on January 29, 2006.
Organizers of the Lettermen concert here assured that the famous singing group can expect nothing else except the equally famous warmth and hospitality of the Ilonggos who are eagerly awaiting the internationally acclaimed concert artists.
The assurance was made in response to American queries on the security situation in Southern Philippines where the trio is making a three-city stop - Iloilo, Cebu, and Davao, as part of their Philippine concert series.
The Lettermen is one of the most popular and enduring singing groups in America who have recorded numerous hit records and performed in thousands of concerts across the United States and overseas since they were formed in 1960. To their credit are a long list of immortal love songs inlcuding The Way You Look Tonight, When I Fall In Love, Theme From A Summer Place, Put Your Head on My Shoulder, Hurt So Bad, Graduation Day, and Shangri-La.
Organizers here said the only hazard that the trio could face would be from excessive adulation as fans of the trio, not only from Iloilo but also from the rest of the region, are eagerly awaiting their historic appearance in this part of the country.
The Iloilo City government itself is laying the red carpet welcome for the famed singing group as city mayor Jerry P. Treņas has declared January 29, 2006 as a Red Letterman Day in the city.
It was also reported that the mayor will personally hand over the symbolic keys to the city to the Lettermen as soon as they arrive. To further put emphasis to the special gesture, the hand-over will take place at the Freedom Grandstand in front of thousands of spectators during the height of the Dinagyang tribes competition. The city's officialdom consider the Lettermen concert here as a fitting crescendo to the annual Dinagyang Festival which is the city's showcase tourism event.
The Lettermen are performing at the Rose Memorial Auditorium of Central Philippine University for the benefit of the Dr. Graciano Lopez Jaena Foundation. The Foundation, led by former Iloilo Vice Governor Demy Sonza, is using the proceeds from the concert to put up a shrine for Graciano Lopez-Jaena, the Ilonggo national hero. Reportedly, the Foundation is also contemplating an expedition to Spain to look for the remains of Dr. Lopez-Jaena who died a pauper and was buried in an anonymous grave in that country.