WE’RE glad to hear from The Jazz Society of the Philippines, USA that a Filipino-American, Jon Irabagon, has just won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition.

Jon, said to be the first Filipino to win this competition that is ranked no. 1 in the world in terms of prestige, won a $20,000 scholarship and a record contract with Concord Music Group, one of the leading jazz labels in the US.

Raised in Chicago, Jon has been playing the saxophone since he was eight years old. He cinched his historic victory at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. We can’t wait to watch the new FilAm pride — he will perform at the 4th Annual Filipino-American Jazz Festival at the Catalina Bar & Grill, also in Hollywood, on December 27.

A SURPRISE treat for Joseph Henares and his fellow finalists in the recent Scripps National Spelling Bee championship was a trip to the White House.

“It was surreal,” Joseph said to us via e-mail. “Right after the semifinals, we were told that we had an appointment to meet with the First Lady. We were led straight to a waiting bus. With sirens blaring and Secret Service vehicles following our bus, it was really cool. Mrs. Bush graciously welcomed us in the Blue Room and spoke with us for about a half hour.”

For Joseph, however, the highlight of his national Bee experience was “placing in a three-way tie for third place,” quite an accomplishment since he was “a first-timer in the nationals.”

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JOHN HENARES, the proud father of Joseph Henares (who tied for third place in the Scripps National Spelling Bee championship finals held Thursday in Washington, D.C.), e-mailed us about his family’s experience: “We had such a great time in the nationals that we are encouraging Joseph’s 12-year-old sister, Marian, to take us there again next year.”

John, who is homeschooling Joseph, Marian and two other children in Connecticut with his wife Jean, quipped, “No pressure on Marian though.” John grew up in Bacolod City while Jean was raised in La Union.

John added, “My dad in the Philippines just texted me saying that he has seen your write-up in the front page of the Inquirer today. He told me that his cell phone is busy with congratulatory greetings! One thing though that I’d like to clarify is that Joseph is not eligible to do Spelling Bees anymore. The rules state that eligibility is limited only to 8th graders and lower. Joseph is in 8th grade this year.”

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