Isay Alvarez, Lara Maigue, Rachelle Gerodias to headline benefit concert for mothers, children

MANILA — Singers Isay Alvarez, Lara Maigue, Rachelle Gerodias and Gerphil Flores will headline a benefit concert at The Manila Hotel on November 14 to raise funds for programs supporting maternal and child health, including nutrition initiatives and housing for indigent families.

Titled “Maluwalhating Pilipinas,” the Christmas benefit dinner concert is being organized by the Children’s First 1000 Days Coalition and its partners. Proceeds will support the Children’s First 1000 Days of Life program and Rotary Homes, which provides housing for families in need.

The concert’s title comes from The Manila Hotel president Atty. Joey Lina’s poem‑turned‑song “Maluwalhating Pilipinas,” a hymn to national love that doubles as a prayer for compassionate action. 

Gerodias said all four headline singers are mothers themselves, adding a personal dimension to the concert’s focus on maternal and child welfare. The performers will draw on their shared experiences of pregnancy and motherhood to underscore the importance of supporting mothers and their children.

Rotarians, including the former senator, will also join the performers onstage, alongside musicians Raffy Garcia, Reggie Nolido, Ador Tolentino, Bobby Alvarez and Egay Rubiano, under the direction of Joel Macanaya.

Funds raised will go directly to Rotary Homes and the Children’s First 1000 Days of Life program, supporting nutrition, prenatal education, and the construction of eight new socialized houses for indigent families in Barangay Putatan, Muntinlupa. 

Since 2018, the Makati Central Rotary Club has expanded from a single barangay to 19 sites, feeding more than 1,500 mothers and children with daily meals designed by the DOST‑FNRI. 

Alvarez, who now presides over the Philippines Ease of Doing Business Foundation, announced the launch of a third batch of 20 pregnant women in Muntinlupa, inviting local businesses to sponsor similar initiatives in their own communities.

With one in three Filipino children facing malnutrition, the “Maluwalhating Pilipinas” benefit concert aims to raise funds for programs supporting maternal and child health, nutrition and housing for families in need.