Filipino reaches grand finals of Brazil’s music fest

Filipino opera singer Gerard Macapagal, a great grandson of the late President Diosdado P. Macapagal, makes it as the first finalist of Brazil’s “Canta Comigo” Season 5. (Contributed photo)

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The Philippine Embassy in Brazil has congratulated a great grandson of the late President Diosdado Macapagal for reaching the grand finals of the Brazilian reality television musical competition Canta Comigo.

“We also take this opportunity to express our appreciation for your passion and showcasing Filipino talent in Brazil and the world,” Ambassador Joseph Gerard Angeles told Gerard Macapagal in a letter last April 26.

Gerard, who is a pianist, composer, and opera singer, is the son of Maria Cielo Dominique Leano, daughter of former Pampanga vice governor Cielo Macapagal-Salgado, the former President’s eldest daughter.

He won over all 100 judges, with the male host in video clips of the April 9 performance remarking that it was the first time in the series that the judges voted to qualify Macapagal, 31, as first grand finalist for Season 5.

He sang Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” in opera style and in Italian.

He introduced himself as a Filipino and coming from a clan of musicians after explaining he has been living in Brazil for two years now with his Brazilian wife.

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