Wild card winner Angelo Bernal and youngest contestant Chlea Marie Trinidad are the official region representatives to global showdown

  DUBAI - Two budding Filipino talents wrote their own history as the first winners of the Global Tawag ng Tanghalan sa “It’s Showtime” Middle East region finals staged as part of One Music X at the Dubai Media City Amphitheater earlier this this month. After weeks of online voting and a grueling judging process, Angelo Bernal of the UAE and Chlea Marie Trinidad of Bahrain emerged winners, beating 440 contenders. Bernal and Trinidad won based on votes made via the TFC Live app and via the live judging during One Music X. The two champions have very different stories to tell. Bernal is a singing competition veteran. He bagged second place at the TFCKat Europe Finals in 2012 before moving to the UAE where he scored his first award in the emirates by winning the duets competition Expat Duets with partner Ryan Mayor. Bernal then went on to become the first Birit King at the “Birit Queens” concert this year. He was also part of Top 20 of the “Global Tawag ng Tanghalan” but initially failed to make it to the region finals. But as fate would have it, Bernal won the wildcard round dubbed OSN Search for the Ultimate TnT Resbaker. Bernal admitted believing his entry as a wildcard contestant dimmed his chances but instead, turn it into an opportunity to do better. “It had its impact on how I perceived my chances. But then again, I prepared for it and I thought, I’d give it my all and take my chances,” Bernal said. The Cavite native took a chance at “Feeling Good” by Michael Buble and Gloc 9’s “Sirena” but sealed his victory with the song “Habang May Buhay” by Wency Cornejo. How has he prepared for the global showdown and what can people expect? "I always give my 100 percent in every performance that I do. I have been waiting for this time to happen. Now that it is finally happening, I will enjoy every single moment of it. I will try to hit not only the highest note but also the heart of the audience and the listeners," he told Expatmedia.net "The audience can expect variety in terms of musical genre. I'm definitely pouring my heart and soul in every performance and in the process, the would get to know me as a person and an artist," Bernal said. For the part-time singer, winning this part of the competition inspires him as well as other talents to take a chance at what life has to bring. “Filipinos are everywhere worldwide and there are a host of talented Pinoys out there waiting to be given that elusive chance and be discovered. It helps us keep our dreams alive,” he said. While Bernal is a singing contest veteran, Trinidad is a newcomer in the business. Trinidad, originally from Naval, Biliran in the Philippines, is a 17-year-old student whose family moved to Bahrain in 2011 to explore more opportunities. From the roster of the auditionees and semi-finalists, Trinidad was the youngest. However, young as she is, Trinidad joined Global Tawag ng Tanghalan sa “It’s Showtime” to help her family. At pre-finals, she sang “I Believe I can Fly” by Yolanda Adams and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston and went on to become a finalist. Trinidad was determined to win and unlike the headline of her entry at Finals, Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing”, Trinidad gave it her all. Beyond her family inspiration, Trinidad also joined to share her gift to a wider audience. Trinidad said: “I know my talent will just be a talent if I don’t step it up”. And so, when the TFC announced the search for the iconic singing competition going global, Trinidad did not think twice: “I think Global Tawag ng Tanghalan is a great opportunity to showcase the talent of the Filipino people around the world. Not all talented Filipinos are in the Philippines. Some are in the other part of the globe working hard for their families and I think Global Tawag ng Tanghalan is the best possible way to approach those talented people”. Now, as the region finals winners of Global Tawag ng Tanghalan, Trinidad and Bernal are the official representatives from the Middle East cluster and will join ten other contestants at the global showdown on December 11 for the chance of becoming two of the first 1st Global Tawag ng Tanghalan Global Cluster Finals and the two global representatives to TNT’s Grand Finals or Huling Tapatan. Meantime, aside from the number of entries, the Middle East Region Finals also scored a milestone for earning a record online votes of 30,618 during the voting period of the Global Tawag ng Tanghalan. According to ABS-CBN Middle East Officer in Charge Joseph Arnie Garcia, the high turnout is rooted mainly in the fact that Filipinos are innately talented and a lot of them are just waiting to be discovered. Garcia shares: “Worldwide, and particularly in the Middle East, the Filipino talent abounds and TFC has been providing the platform for them to discovered and recognized. We will continue to provide such platforms and inspire everyone to contribute to this mission”. The Global Custer Finals on “Tawag ng Tanghalan” will be aired on “It’s Showtime” in December. 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