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Meet the 6 grand finalists of 'Tawag ng Tanghalan'

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ABS-CBN News

<p>After more than a yearlong search, the rebooted &quot;Tawag ng Tanghalan&quot; has finally found its grand finalists. Get to know each one of them more below: </p><div><strong>Pauline Agupitan</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BDiIfzlv29Q" width="560"></iframe></figure><p>A teen with a booming voice, Agupitan hails from Lipa City, Batangas. At 15, she is the youngest among the finalists. Despite her age, she has already joined a number of local amateur singing contests. She was part of 2011&#x27;s &quot;Pilipinas Got Talent&quot; and TV5&#x27;s &quot;Talentadong Pinoy Kids,&quot; and auditioned for &quot;The Voice Kids.&quot; </p><p>Born in underprivileged conditions, she joined &quot;Tawag ng Tanghalan&quot; with the hope of providing a new home for her family. </p><p>In a previous episode, Agupitan was praised by Rep. Vilma Santos (6th district, Batangas), who told her: &quot;Malaking malaking karangalan po na dala po ni Pauline ang pangalan ng Luzon, pangalan ng Batangas, at especially ng lungsod ng Lipa.&quot; </p><p>On Friday, in an effort to clinch a grand finals spot, she earned a standing ovation from the judges for her hair-raising rendition of &quot;Unchained Melody.&quot; </p><div><strong>Noven Belleza </strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CpiawzOtRKg" width="560"></iframe></figure><p>A rice farmer from Negros Occidental, Belleza endeared himself to viewers of &quot;Tawag ng Tanghalan,&quot; not just for the sincerity in the way he performs, but also for his dogged determination to pull his family out of poverty. </p><p>He said that his family only lives off a weekly income of P1,000, and that he sacrificed his own education so that his younger siblings can get decent schooling. </p><p>&quot;Minsan naiinggit din ako sa mga ka-edad ko dahil sila libro iyong hawak, ako, kalabaw at pang-araro,&quot; he told the show. &quot;Pero kailanman ay hindi ko ikakahiya ang pinanggalingan ko kasi dito ako naging matibay.&quot; </p><p>&quot;Tawag ng Tanghalan&quot; is the first nationwide talent search that Belleza has joined. </p><div><strong>Froilan Canlas</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q0n7PwOo9r0" width="560"></iframe></figure><p>Canlas is a lot of things: a caring son to his single mother, a music teacher, and an instructor who teaches volleyball to impoverished kids along with his charity group. </p><p>But perhaps most notably, he&#x27;s an artist who likes to put his own stamp on OPM classics. Take for example his cover of &quot;Anak,&quot; which earned him a near-perfect score from the judges and a place in the grand finals. He added syncopated drumbeats and flute sounds to the already folk-ish rhythm, and even took the vocal notes higher to make his performance stand out. </p><p>His penchant for experimentation has made the Camarines Sur native a firm favorite to win the singing contest. </p><div><strong>Carl Malone Montecido </strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-7j2plv1mKw" width="560"></iframe></figure><p>Being born blind did not stop Montecido from pursuing his dream to become a singer. He first tested the waters of nationwide singing contests when he joined &quot;Pilipinas Got Talent&quot; and finished in the semifinals. </p><p>In &quot;Tawag ng Tanghalan,&quot; his wide vocal range allowed him to surprise judges with performances such as the one that helped him to clinch a place in the finals. Ditching his balladeer persona, he unleashed a gravelly voice he hadn&#x27;t previously shown when he covered Freddie Aguilar&#x27;s &quot;Estudyante Blues.&quot; </p><p>He aims to become an inspiration to people with similar physical disabilities. </p><div><strong>Sam Mangubat</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/63wsqOM5twY" width="560"></iframe></figure><p>Prior to joining &quot;Tawag ng Tanghalan,&quot; Mangubat was already a YouTube celebrity of sorts, uploading song covers as part of an online duo called &quot;Sam &amp; Jun.&quot; But he quickly became a darling of the singing contest thanks to his boyish charms and impressive showmanship. </p><p>He earned his place in the finals with his concert-worthy performance of Sarah Geronimo&#x27;s &quot;Kilometro&quot; that had most of the studio audience singing along and the judges fawning. </p><p>As of writing, his YouTube channel, boosted by his stint on &quot;It&#x27;s Showtime,&quot; has more than nine million views combined. </p><div><strong>Marielle Montellano</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FbyI-cuIpxg" width="560"></iframe></figure><p>Montellano, 17, is the second youngest among the finalists. She squeezed into the finals after scoring a tie with Agupitan on Friday&#x27;s episode of the singing contest, where she performed a pitch-perfect cover of &quot;Himala.&quot; </p><p>Back in 2010, Montellano figured in a motorcycle accident with her father and fractured her skull. She has repeatedly expressed her gratitude that she managed to survive the crash, and is determined to make the most out of her &quot;second life.&quot;</p>

<p>After more than a yearlong search, the rebooted "Tawag ng Tanghalan" has finally found its grand finalists.</p>

After more than a yearlong search, the rebooted "Tawag ng Tanghalan" has finally found its grand finalists.