USC hosts Cosplay charity

Aishiteru Fantasy Cosplay, a costume play-charity event hosted by the University of San Carlos Department of Hospitality Management, gathered 300 participants on Sept. 24 at Wrocklage Yard of USC main campus.

Nine cosplayers competed in the individual category of the cosplay competition.

Alan Villarias Jr. who cosplayed as a Red Card Guard of Alice in Wonderland, took home the first place. Ara Roxanne Catubigan won second place for her cosplay Suzaku Kururugi of Code Geass while Mellyzza Catingub came in third as Queen Amidala of Star Wars.

“Winning is about thinking positively. As for my presentation, I haven’t heard of a cosplay skit in Visayan dialect that’s why I gave it a try,” said Villarias who wowed the crowd with his unique skit.

Aside from the competition, games and activities such as raffle draws, Deal or No Deal, photobooths, and the awarding of the best costrippers were presented during the event.

Cosplay or costume play is a hobby where people dress up as their favorite characters from anime, video games and movies.

Michael Bryn Ortiz, a participant of the event, said “This is my first time attending a cosplay-charity event and I am impressed. It is nice to meet people who have the same interests as me. It’s also great to see the cosplayers get into their character really well.”

The beneficiary for the event is iLearners Inc., a nonprofit organization that aims to eradicate illiteracy in the rural areas of Cebu.

Andrew Buenaviaje, founder and president of iLearners, said “We are so thankful for having been chosen as the beneficiary. This is a really big help for our upcoming projects.”

“This event is advantageous in our part as well because we were able to let the public know that our organization exists and what it is all about,” said iLearners executive vice president Drake Catalcuña. /UP Cebu MassCom student Casey Moncal