Pinay reaches finals of online global singing competition
A Filipina, Joy Loria, has advanced to the finals of the global online singing competition "Avon Voices." Launched this year by Avon Products, Inc. as part of its 125th anniversary celebration, the competition is a worldwide singing talent search. "It is such a privilege to be part of this global singing talent search," Loria said in a statement. "Nagpapasalamat ako sa Diyos sa biyayang ito." A nurse by profession, Loria works as a senior executive unit manager for Avon. She and nine other finalists will be flown to New York City in November for the finale. They will sing at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, in front of the panel of judges and an invited global audience. Two winners -- one of them an Avon representative -- will be determined by online votes and judges' decision combined. One of the celebrity jurors is Filipina singer and actress Lea Salonga, who was also a judge in the recently concluded Miss Universe pageant. Aside from Salonga, the other celebrity judges include: