It should have been a double victory for the Philippines as everyone expected Marielle Corpuz will grab the Senior Grand Champion Performer of the World award in the recently concluded World Championships of the Performing Arts 2008, but what happened?

Only 3 senior contestants made it to the final cut in which one will win the highest honor of being this year’s Senior Grand Champion Performer of the World. The 3 contestants who battled for the title were Noryn Azis from Malaysia, Andrew Clarke from Jamaica and our very own Marielle Corpuz from the Philippines.

Watch the video of the final bout rehearsal in the senior division below:

Pretend that you are not a Pinoy and you are to pick who among these 3 should win the coveted title, who will you pick? Here’s my take:

Noryn Azis from Malaysia sang “One Moment in Time” by Whitney Houston. She is a belter and she’s hitting the high notes very well. Basing from the rehearsal video, she looked great and she sang very well but her performance was lackluster.

Andrew Clarke (the winner) from Jamaica has a powerful voice and you can tell that his genre is broadway. Basing again from the rehearsal video, he had a couple of flat notes although we don’t know for sure if those flat notes were present in the actual competition.

Lastly, our very own Marielle Corpuz sang “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston. Setting all biases aside, Marielle is a clear stand-out among the three, vocal-wise and performance-wise. But why did she lose the title Senior Grand Champion Performer of the World? Did she overdo her performance? Was the Whitney Houston song too big for her? Or the organizers just want to share the other major award with another country since the Junior Grand Champion Performer of the World award was already won by another pinoy? We really can’t tell.

But on a bright note, the Philippines is still a force to be reckoned with in the “Talent Olympics,” in the same way that candidates from Venezuela are similarly regarded in the Miss Universe pageant. Hope we can duplicate, or even surpass, this feat again next year. If the government could fully support Team Philippines at WCOPA, then we can send delegates in other categories like dance, modeling, acting and instrumental.

Here is the list of champions from all divisions of 2008 WCOPA:

Juniors

Vocal Group – Quintet Gotas de Luz (Guatemala)
Dance – Marketa Frajkowska (Czech Republic)
Female Model – Tayla Robson (South Africa)
Male Model – Kole Smith (United States)
Dance Group – M U C Junior Dancers (Jamaica)
Actor – Claudia Perez Vigoa (United States)
Vocal – Catherine Loria (Philippines)
Instrumental – Quintet Gotas de Luz (Guatemala)

Seniors

Dance – Christay Kotze (South Africa)
Variety – Cecilia Andren (Sweden)
Female Model – Yulia Sharshakova (Moldova)
Male Model – Nick Vaden (United States)
Dance Group – 2 Fries (Denmark)
Actor – Dinah Bradford (United States)
Vocal – Andrew Clarke (Jamaica)
Instrumental – Darnell Thomas (Trinidad & Tobago)

Here are the over-all winners from the Philippines:

* Dexter C. Villahermosa – Male – Vocal Pop – 25&Over
* Glee Nette P. Gaddi – Female – Vocal Gospel – 10-under
* Glee Nette P. Gaddi – Female – Vocal Open – 10-under
* Glee Nette P. Gaddi – Female – Vocal R&B/Soul/Jazz – 10-under
* Mariangela Soleil F. Trinidad – Female – Vocal R&B/Soul/Jazz – 16-24
* Roberto Luis O. Sison – Male – Acting Open – 10-under
* Rose Marielle T. Mamaclay – Female – Vocal Open – 16-24
* Rose Marielle T. Mamaclay – Female – Vocal Pop – 16-24
* Stephanie Denise E. Dos Santos – Female – Vocal Pop – Age 11-15
* Stephanie Denise E. Dos Santos – Female – Vocal Broadway – Age 11-15
* Stephanie Denise E. Dos Santos – Female – Vocal Country&Western – Age 11-15

And here are all the medals we won in WCOPA 2008:

# Abegail S. Dorado

* GOLD – Female Vocal Latin – 16-17
* GOLD – Female Vocal Open – 16-17
* GOLD – Female Vocal Pop – 16-17
* GOLD – Female Vocal Pop – 16-17
* SILVER – Female Vocal Broadway – 16-17
* SILVER – Female Vocal Broadway – 16-17
* SILVER – Female Vocal R&b/soul/Jazz – 16-17

# Catherine I. Loria

* GOLD – Female Vocal Gospel – Age 13-15
* SILVER – Female Vocal Pop – Age 13-15
* SILVER – Female Vocal R&B/Soul/Jazz – Age 13-15

# Cherry Maine C. Palad

* SILVER – Female Vocal Country&Western – Age 11-12
* SILVER – Female Vocal Gospel – Age 11-12
* BRONZE – Female Vocal Broadway – Age 11-12
* BRONZE – Female Vocal Pop – Age 11-12

# Dexter C. Villahermosa

* GOLD – Male Vocal Pop – 30&Over
* SILVER – Male Vocal R&b/soul/Jazz – 30&Over
* SILVER – Male Vocal Rock – 30&Over
* SILVER – Male Vocal Rock – 30&Over
* BRONZE – Male Vocal Broadway – 30&Over
* BRONZE – Male Vocal Broadway – 30&Over

# Dexter Villahermosa And Abegail Dorado

* GOLD – Group Vocal Broadway – 18-24
* SILVER – Group Vocal Gospel – 18-24
* SILVER – Group Vocal Pop – 18-24
* SILVER – Group Vocal Gospel – 18-24

# Filbert B. Girado Jr.

* GOLD – Male Vocal Rock – 30&Over
* SILVER – Male Vocal Broadway – 30&Over
* SILVER – Male Vocal Contemporary – 30&Over
* BRONZE – Male Vocal Gospel – 30&Over

# Filbert B. Girado, Jr.

* GOLD – Male Vocal Rock – 30&Over
* BRONZE – Male Vocal Gospel – 30&Over

# Glee Nette P. Gaddi

* GOLD – Female Vocal Gospel – Age 8-10
* GOLD – Female Vocal Open – Age 8-10
* GOLD – Female Vocal Pop – Age 8-10
* GOLD – Female Vocal R&B/Soul/Jazz – Age 8-10
* SILVER – Female Vocal Broadway – Age 8-10

# Manuel Enrico O. Sison

* GOLD – Male Vocal Gospel – Age 13-15
* SILVER – Male Vocal Broadway – Age 13-15
* SILVER – Male Vocal Contemporary – Age 13-15
* SILVER – Male Vocal Open – Age 13-15

# Mariangela Soleil F. Trinidad

* GOLD – Female Vocal R&b/soul/Jazz – 18-24
* GOLD – Female Vocal Rock – 18-24
* GOLD – Female Vocal Rock – 18-24
* SILVER – Female Vocal Broadway – 18-24
* SILVER – Female Vocal Broadway – 18-24
* BRONZE – Female Vocal Pop – 18-24

# Miguel Lorenzo O. Sison

* GOLD – Male Acting Open – Age 11-12
* SILVER – Male Vocal Contemporary – Age 11-12
* SILVER – Male Vocal Gospel – Age 11-12
* BRONZE – Male Vocal Broadway – Age 11-12

# Paolo Antonio C. Ledesma

* GOLD – Male Vocal Broadway – 30&Over
* GOLD – Male Vocal Contemporary – 30&Over
* GOLD – Male Vocal Contemporary – 30&Over
* SILVER – Male Vocal Opera – 30&Over
* BRONZE – Male Vocal Pop – 30&Over
* BRONZE – Male Vocal R&b/soul/Jazz – 30&Over
* BRONZE – Male Vocal Pop – 30&Over

# Rachel Isabella Razon

* BRONZE – Female Vocal Broadway – Age 13-15
* BRONZE – Female Vocal Contemporary – Age 13-15

# Reynaldo C. Concepcion

* GOLD – Male Vocal Open – 25-29
* GOLD – Male Vocal Open – 25-29
* SILVER – Male Vocal Broadway – 25-29
* SILVER – Male Vocal Contemporary – 25-29
* SILVER – Male Vocal Gospel – 25-29
* SILVER – Male Vocal Pop – 25-29
* SILVER – Male Vocal Broadway – 25-29
* SILVER – Male Vocal Contemporary – 25-29

# Roberto Luis O. Sison

* GOLD – Male Acting Open – Age 8-10
* GOLD – Male Vocal Broadway – Age 8-10
* GOLD – Male Vocal Gospel – Age 8-10
* SILVER – Male Vocal Open – Age 8-10
* SILVER – Male Vocal World – Age 8-10

# Rose Marielle T. Mamaclay

* GOLD – Female Vocal Broadway – 18-24
* GOLD – Female Vocal Contemporary – 18-24
* GOLD – Female Vocal Open – 18-24
* GOLD – Female Vocal Pop – 18-24
* GOLD – Female Vocal Broadway – 18-24
* SILVER – Female Vocal Rock – 18-24

# Sison Brothers

* GOLD – Group Vocal Open – Age 11-12
* GOLD – Group Vocal World – Age 11-12
* SILVER – Group Vocal Broadway – Age 11-12
* SILVER – Group Vocal Gospel – Age 11-12
* SILVER – Group Vocal Pop – Age 11-12

# Stephanie Denise E. Dos Santos

* GOLD – Female Vocal Broadway – Age 13-15
* GOLD – Female Vocal Country&Western – Age 13-15
* GOLD – Female Vocal Pop – Age 13-15
* SILVER – Female Vocal Rock – Age 13-15
* BRONZE – Female Vocal R&B/Soul/Jazz – Age 13-15