By Rosette Correa
On 9 -10 November 2025, for the first time, the Filipino-Canadian youth choral group, Himig Kabataan Cultural Society (HKCS) (https://www.himigkabataan.com/), upon the invitation of the newly established, one-year old, Philippine Embassy in Bogata, enthralled audiences in Colombia with their passionate renditions of songs in English, Spanish, Tagalog, and Visayan. This is a historic first formal performance by a Filipino group in Bogota delighting audiences, most of whom have never heard Filipino songs before.
On 9 November 2025, the HKCS captivated the Catholic faithful at the Capilla de Nuestra Senora de la Consolacion y Correa in the Chapinero District of Bogota during their mini concert with their enchanting renditions of “Lead Me Lord”, “Pasko Na”, “Eres Tu”, and “Padayon”, after a eucharistic celebration. Tears, applauses, and standing ovation punctuated each song HKCS sang.
Then on10 November 2025, the HKCS again charmed the hearts of the audience at their solo concert, “Harana: Songs and Melodies from the Philippines“” at the Casa Dann Carlton Hotel in Bogota, which the Philippine Embassy in Bogota hosted for the the diplomatic corps and representatives from government agencies, universities and think tanks, and friends of the embassy. HKCS’s soulful performances of “Rosas Pandan”, “Pobreng Alindahaw”, “Limang Dipang”, “Bayan Ko”, “When I Fall in Love”, “Eres Tu”, and “Umagang Kay Ganda” fascinated the audience and brought them to their feet, hearts touched, soul-stirring feelings evoked.
The first Philippine Ambassador to Colombia, Adrian Bernie C. Candolada, expressed his thanks and praise to HKCS: “Thank you so much, Himig Kabataan, for coming over to Bogota and performing before a big audience. We thank you for a great support. We are proud that you were able to perform. We highlighted so much cultural similarities between the Colombians and Filipinos.” Many in the audience expressed the same delight and gratitude to the HKCS singers, all home-grown Filipino-Canadian youth talents from Surrey, BC, that some called them “Young Filipino-Canadian Ambassadors of Filipino Songs and Culture
HKCS has come a long way from their practices in the living room of their Executive Director Bea Correa, a junior at the Simon Fraser University, who has high hopes for the group she leads: “Now that HKCS has made its international debut, I am hopeful that we will continue to share our talents with the world; I dream that not only Himig will be given the chance to expand its outreach, but the other divisions of HKCS like Tugtog, Indak, and Likha as well. I hope that more young Filipino-Canadians continue to join HKCS to help share and preserve the beauty of Filipino culture.” Bea’s love for Filipino melodies started from songs sung to her by her mother Rosette Correa: “Bahay Kubo was the first song with lyrics that I remember learning, but I know that the lullabies sung to me by my mom when I was little come from Filipino folk songs from her own mother.” Bea’s leadership in forming HKCS is inspiring. She provides this advice: “Leading and managing a group is not a one-man show. Establish connections with members of the community that you know can carry out a task that you might not know how to do. Asking for help and support will not diminish your role as a leader.”
The 11-youth delegation of HKCS to Bogota had a once-in-lifetime experience during their Bogota concerts. Joining the group were Ally Alipio, Marc Billedo, Diego Cloma, Mireia Cuenca, Chiasa Guerrero, Heather Igloria, Matthew Perez, Ryiel Reyes, John Reyes and Angelo Sakai. The members share their share their thoughts and memories of this cultural trip thus:
- Kirsten Allyson Alipio, 23 – Executive Graphic Design Head, Soprano 1 & 2 – “The best part of travelling to Colombia is experiencing and learning everything we could about the culture, art and history within the little time that we had. It was amazing to share the warmth and traditions of Filipino culture with the people I met, and to see how well it resonated. At the same time, I learned so much about Colombian culture and made connections that reminded me how much we all have in common, no matter where we come from. It was a truly enriching experience that deepened my appreciation for my heritage and broadened my perspective on the world.”
- Marc Billedo, 21, Founding member, singer, bass – “The best part of our trip to Bogotá was our main performance and the short reception afterwards. Although I was nervous performing for people from a completely different culture than what I was used to, I felt proud to share Filipino culture through song that night. After the performance, so many people came up to us and shared how much they enjoyed it, and it was a great chance for a cultural exchange.”
- Diego Cloma, 20, Tenor section leader /Tenor 1 – “The best part of the trip was sharing and performing songs from our culture. It was awesome seeing how others connected with our music despite language barriers. We were also welcomed with such kindness and hospitality, which made this trip a wonderful experience.”
- Bea Correa, 20, Founder & Executive Director, Soprano 1 – “I found so much joy in being able to present the beauty of Filipino culture in music to an audience who may not have been exposed to it prior to our time in Colombia. It is an honour and a privilege to have the freedom to celebrate our culture in Canada, let alone on the global stage–as youth we represent the future of the Filipino-Canadian community, and I believe that in this experience we showed Filipinos all over the world that there is hope in preserving the beauty of Filipino culture.”
- Mireia Cuenca, 17, Alto 2 – “The best experience was getting to connect with the audience members after the performance. Everyone was so incredibly warm and friendly. Although there was a bit of a language barrier due to my lack of Spanish proficiency, it was so beautiful to me that they all expressed a feeling of being so touched by the songs – showing that music truly is a universal language. It was humbling to represent Filipino culture as a Filipino-Canadian. It was also heartwarming to experience the commonalities of faith, values, and culture we have with Colombians. Shoutout as well to all the delicious food I got to try!”
- Chiasa Guerrero, 18, Alto Section Leader/Alto 1 – “The best part of the trip was being able to connect with the people from Bogotà and learn their stories as they learned ours. It allowed me to see how music can touch others’ hearts and bring people together despite language barriers.”
- Matthew Perez, 24, Conductor, Bass Section Leader, Bass 2 – “The best part of getting to perform in Bogota was seeing how much our music resonated with others which goes to show how much music transcends language barriers. What was also great about being in Bogota was just the sheer hospitality and kindness of everyone we met.”
- Ryiel Reyes, 19, Tenor 1 – “The best part was being able to share our music in our native language with other cultures. It was really special to see how people from across the world connected with and appreciated the beauty of Filipino music.”
- Angelo Sakai, 21 -Tenor section leader / tenor 1/ original 8 member – “The highlight of my trip had to be the performances. Bringing our music and artistry across the world and sharing our Filipino culture will always be something I’m proud of.”
ReyFort Media 
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