2017 Tawag ng Tanghalan Champion: Noven Belleza's Homecoming Parade

Last January 28, 2017, thousands welcomed him at the Victorias City plaza upon his return before the grand finals of the national singing competition.

       (Noven's January 28, 2017 homecoming)

This time, on March 20, 2017, he returned as the champion.

Noven Belleza, a farm boy who helped in his family's livelihood, once said that, when he was working in the fields, he'd sing to the carabaos. Now, his audience was no longer limited to four-footed animals.

Noven arrived late from Manila on March 20, but his fans and fellow Victoriahanons swarmed the Victorias City plaza until he showed up to sing a few songs that night.

                                  (It didn't rain on Noven's parade)

                   (Parading under the sun)

The next day, amidst the noon-time sun, the City held a welcome parade for him by including his float in the parade for students from local schools who were holding a cheering competition that afternoon. 

Everyone went out to welcome and greet the first champion of a national TV variety show's singing competition. Noven rode a float prepared just for him, and was standing, looking out towards the crowds along national highway, whose north-bound lane was closed to accommodate the students, teachers, and Noven's float.

And by the roadside, along the fences of the Victorias Plaza, a huge tarpaulin hang declaring him as the city's pride. (The greeting actually contained a glaring grammatical error, and whoever authored it must have missed his or her English 101 lessons).

      (The audience included teachers, parents, and                   students who were holding a cheering 
            competition after Noven's performance)

 

(Noven being whisked away in a van)

Noven sang again onstage but with a lesser audience this time compared to the one the night before. The audience was actually prevented from crowding the center of the plaza because of the cheering competition after. And onstage, Noven was seen being reunited with his former high school teachers. 

                                

A small incident happened, though. There was a public lambasting of someone who earned the ire of a public official after Noven was quickly dragged back to his waiting van after singing only one song. I heard that his handler was later declared persona non-grata by the city council of Victorias because of some not-so-pleasing reasons, one of which was that Noven was allegedly prevented from taking selfies with his former high school teachers.

After Noven got inside his waiting van that day, the van stayed put and the public official took to the microphone to do his lambasting. After a minute or so, Noven got out and went up stage again and sang another song, much to the delight of his fellow Victoriahanons.

Well, it was almost a perfect homecoming, but a homecoming nonetheless. 

A month later, Noven graced the fiesta celebration of Victorias City on April 26, and I was able to have photo with him before he took to the stage that night.

    (The tarpaulin with a grammatical error: if the                    noun is plural, so should the verb!)

Congratulations again, Noven!

And good luck to your singing career!

 (The huge Noven tarpaulin with grammatical error)

2017 Tawag ng Tanghalan: Victorias City Welcomes Noven Belleza!

I noticed his huge billboard on the stage the night before. I couldn't read what the big letters said because the Victorias City plaza in Negros Occidental, Philippines, was dimly lit.

The next morning, under the bright Saturday sun, I had to ask what 'NOVEN' meant as it was the word written in caps on the billboard, the word I couldn't make out the night before. I later learned 'NOVEN' was Noven Belleza, a native of Victorias City in the Negros Island Region, who made it to finals of Tawag ng Tanghalan, a singing competition held by a noontime show in Manila, Philippines.

         (Thousands waiting for Noven at the plaza)

He would arrive at the city plaza for a homecoming, where he would be welcomed by his neighbors, fans, supporters, and the students of the Victorias National High School, his alma mater.

Among the thousands who welcomed him, Miss Divina Farinas, his former teacher at Victorias National High School, told me that Noven finished his high school four years before but couldn't go on to college because of financial difficulties. Noven, she said, had to work on a farm to help his family.

(Current and former teachers from 

the Victorias National High School)

From the videotaping of the dancers and drummers on an almost empty plaza using a drone two hours before Noven actually arrived, to the nicely decorated vehicles that would fetch him from the Bacolod-Silay Airport, and his entrance into the plaza while riding a vehicle that was preceded by drummers and dancers, Noven's homecoming was obviously scripted by the people behind the TV show, much like a homecoming of the finalists of American Idol.

But scripted or not, the loud cheers and screams from his young supporters, especially those from the Victorias National High School, proved that they were indeed proud that he and his talent in singing made it big in Manila. 

(They're just happy to cheer and welcome Noven)

       (Even tricycle drivers wanted to see Noven)

I learned from his teacher that Noven used to compete during area meets while he was still in school and even borrowed long sleeve shirts to wear during singing competitions. Now, he probably has his own glam squad behind him.

                    (Noven is welcomed by his kasimanwa)

I heard that before he got famous, he would seek help from some government officials for financial assistance but didn't get much. But during his homecoming, I could see a lot of local officials riding on his popularity. Hmm.

                       (The boy who used to work on a farm 
                         stopped city traffic)

I didn't exactly know about the details on how to vote for Noven during the finals in Tawag ng Tanghalan. But if you were a follower from Victorias, I'm sure you voted for him to win the competition, which would surely change his life forever.

I looked up his performances on Youtube and I think he sounds like Arnel Pineda, the Filipino vocalist of Journey who replaced Steve Perry. He also sounds like Air Supply. So, in the future, if Arnel retires, Journey's type of 'sound' can still live on with Noven providing the band's vocals. Who knows? 

Good luck, Noven!

(Note: Less than two months after this homecoming, Noven returns to Victorias City as the champion)