As they say, Christmas is a season of giving. Many of us spend this time preparing for the usual parties and celebrations with our friends and family. However, many of our countrymen are unable to enjoy the season in their homes and in the company of their families and friends.
In keeping with the season’s spirit of fun and generosity, the Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity and Phi Lambda Delta Sorority of the UP College of Medicine carried on the traditional event annually held at the Philippine General Hospital Atrium to bring Christmas cheer to the patients and their relatives who will be spending their holidays in the wards of PGH.
This year’s event, Only the Phinest: Sangkaterbang Sorpresa, Sangkaterbang Ligaya was started off with a bang. Hosts Van Euldem Diaz Battad Φ2013, John Vincent Usita Magalong Φ2013, Sis Giselle Cerrillo Φ2013, and Sis Gellie Maglasang Φ2013 entered the stage with a dance spiel that brought smiles and laughter to the patients and their watchers in attendance. After a brief introduction, they immediately raffled off the first few prizes to lucky members of the audience.
At the beginning of the program, the hosts asked for volunteers from the audience to showcase their talents in exchange for the chance to win any of various prizes. Several of the most energetic people in the crowd took up the challenge and engaged in a dance-off to the song Gimme Gimme. The raffle prizes ranged from food items and Noche Buena packages to handy stand fans.
Still settling down from the previous segment, the audience surprisingly welcomed the first of the show’s guest stars, Kapamilya Star Cherry Pie Picache, arrived. This year’s event featured well-loved personalities such as Ramon Bautista, Grechen Ho, Bettina Carlos, and Thomas Torres. Each of them was featured in games and activities which allowed them to showcase their hosting skills and interact with the crowd, much to the watchers’ liking. Some of the most memorable moments were Cherry Pie Picache poking fun at the listed choices in the Pera o Bayong game, Ramon Bautista using cheesy pick-up lines on his co-hosts, and the cameo appearances of last year’s hosts Jose Nicolo Domingo Antonio Φ2012 and Angelo Maria Mendoza Salonga Φ2012.
As the program neared its end, the Neurosurgery band headed by Brod Gerardo Dizon Legaspi Φ1983 and also featuring Brod John David Blanco Mata Φ2004B made an appearance, playing hits such as “Sunday Morning” and proving once again that the doctors of PGH are also multi-talented individuals. This was preceded by a brief description of Only The Phinest’s history and how it has successfully lightened the load of the patients of the hospital.
To cap off a fun and entertaining night, gift packages were distributed to all the members of the audience, fulfilling an earlier statement made by one the hosts. True enough, “Walang uuwing talo. Lahat panalo!” In the years to come, the Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity and the Phi Lambda Delta Sorority will continue holding this event in order to ensure that only the finest is given to the patients of PGH during the most awaited season of Christmas.
