After two years of performing here and abroad, the Loboc Youth Ambassador Band has released its first album, a compact disc containing a repertoire of old time favorites and modern musical compositions. The album was first introduced during the inauguration of the Loboc School of Music and Recording Studio last January 24 and distributed as giveaways to the guests. Its carrier album called “TILAOB” is now for sale to all who love good music. The CD is sold at the Loboc Tourism Complex and the LYEA office at the Loboc JAD Auditorium, and at the Loboc Children's Theater during its regular shows every Friday and Saturday evening. The Loboc Youth Ambassador Band is also performing by invitation in shows and concerts in the towns and city in the Province of Bohol, Metro Manila and other provinces in the Philippines as well as overseas. The Band is now starting to record its second album which will now be in DVD format, showing the beauty and heritage of Loboc. Proceeds of this project will be used to support the kids in their studies and other needs of the band.
The Recording Studio in Loboc is not exclusive to the band. It accepts recording from other individuals and institutions that want to produce music, documentary and other projects in CD/DVD format. The Loboc Youth Ambassador Band is a poverty alleviation project of the Loboc Youth Education Association, Inc. (LYEA) and supported by LGU Loboc, Province of Bohol , First Consolidated Bank (FCB), Philippines Australia Community Assistance Program (PACAP) and the National Commission of Culture and the Arts (NCCA). It is designed as a multi-stakeholder and counterparting project that involves government, non-government organizations, private individuals, civil society and foreign agencies. Donors and supporters include President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Ambassador Carlos Chan, Secretary Arthur Yap, Congressman Adam Relson Jala and SEC Commissioner Eladio Jala, Vice Governor Julius Cesar Herrera, Country Bankers Insurance Corporation, Khandee Uy, Ricardo Lim, Misereor of Germany, Heirs of Antonio Digal, USA Mission Group, Bohol Sandugo Foundation thru Deputy Mayor Mario Uy, Tagbilaran City Mayor Dan Neri Lim, Loboc Association of Barangay Councils, Diocese of Tagbilaran, and Tigum Bol-anon sa Tibuok Kalibutan through its president, Ms. Betty Garcia.
The beneficiaries are all interested kids, both boys and girls, from grades 3 to 4th year high school and residents of Loboc, who are trained in notes reading and instrumentation for free, and are provided with free musical instruments, solicited from patrons and donors. The objective is to support these kids to avail of free college education by becoming members in school bands in the province and elsewhere. Hopefully this will help in poverty reduction considering that education is the greatest equalizer. These students come from the barrios who have to walk from 3 to 6 kilometers just to study music. To date, the project has 495 students of the three batches and 350 of these students have their assigned instruments. Ninety-eight of these students are now college scholars in BIT-International College , Bohol
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