SBMA rides on talent search craze



Vanessa Yamilao (right) reacts with surprise, as the judges announce her name as winner of the SBMA Singing Idol talent search and rival competitor Haide Elduayan applauds.

Showbiz-like glitz and glamour briefly took over the usually stiff corporate nature of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) as the agency came up with its own “Singing Idol” talent search under its employees welfare program.



Vanessa Yamilao, 29, of the SBMA Internal Audit Service, was proclaimed champion during the finals night held at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC) here on June 25.



The contest, which was made exclusive for SBMA employees, was the brainchild of SBMA administrator Armand Arreza, who decided to ride on the popularity of talent searches on television for the agency’s workforce development program.



In the final showdown of the contest, Yamilao rendered a husky-voiced version of “Till My Heart Aches” of Ella Mae Saison, beating Haide Elduayan, 55, of the Land and Asset Department, who sang “All The Man That I Need” of Whitney Houston.



Yamilao and Elduayan received P20,000 and P17,000 in cash, respectively, plus trophies.

After the finals, Yamilao said she could not believe she has made it all the way to the top. Accustomed only to the confines of the office as audit analyst since 2004, she now has to deal with “instant popularity” among the more than 1,000 SBMA employees.



“Now, I am not just the lady doing auditing stuff,” Yamilao beamed, admitting that her relations with SBMA colleagues became closer during the competition. ‘It’s a great feeling that people get to know you, and at the same time love you, not just because you are an ordinary SBMA employee, but because people has come to know one great thing about you,” she added.



Meanwhile, Elduayan related her performance to what she does, both in her career and personal life.

“Just like at home and in the office, I always try to do my best in whatever I deem to be the right thing to do,” she said.


She added that her family bonded closer during the competition, with her children serving as researchers for her contest pieces, and her husband preparing ginger tea to soothe her voice.



Yamilao and Elduayan emerged as the strongest contenders among the five finalists after the OPM (Original Pinoy Music) segment of the show. Yamilao sang Vehnee Saturno’s “Isang Lahi” while Elduayan belted out Dulce’s “Ako Ang Nasawi, Ako Ang Nagwagi” to surpass contenders Allain Corpuz of Human Resource, Ulysses Garcia of Transportation and Communications, and Genalyn Operania of Internal Audit.



The final five contestants were selected from 12 SBMA “Singing Idols” aspirants who made it through the auditions held on June 03.

The SBMA Singing Idol, a project of the SBMA Human Resource Management Department, is being aired over Olongapo’s community channel, SBC-22 (Channel 78).



Michael Manglicmot, choir director of the St. Columban Parish in Olongapo City, served as chair of the board of judges, while celebrity judges Teri Aunor and Mel Soriano joined the board during the final night of the event.

With the success of the first SBMA Singing Idol, SBMA officials said a sequel of the talent search will surely be staged next year.