XTREME Appliances opens first-ever branch in Robinsons Malls to serve more Filipino households

XTREME Appliances, one of the fastest-growing appliance brands in the Philippines, has announced the opening of its first branch in Robinsons malls. This exciting development marks a significant milestone for the company as it continues to expand its footprint across the country.

The new XTREME Appliances store, located in Robinsons Place GenTrias in General Trias, Cavite, offers a wide range of high-quality appliances that are designed to meet the needs of Filipino households. Customers can browse through an extensive selection of home appliances, including air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, and many more. They can also enjoy exclusive bundle deals giving them up to P28,000 worth of savings.

“We are thrilled to announce the opening of our first branch in Robinsons malls. This new store is a testament to our commitment to providing Filipino households with affordable, high-quality appliances that are designed to meet their needs,” said Paula Dizon, Brand Marketing Manager of XTREME Appliances

“Our goal is to make our products accessible to more Filipino families, and we believe that Robinsons malls provide the perfect platform for us to achieve this goal. We are excited to bring our range of appliances to Robinsons Place GenTrias and look forward to serving our customers in this new location.”

The new XTREME Appliances store in Robinsons Place GenTrias features a modern, spacious design that allows customers

whole family was the backbone of singing inspiration and support,” he says. “My family hired some guitarists to train my singing along with a guitar for rhythm and breathing techniques. It was a family effort, especially my mother’s. They boosted my confidence and helped me maintain composure on stage.

“I also had the initiative to run around Bansalan in the morning to improve stamina as part of preparation whenever an upcoming contest was about to happen knowing everything was at stake, and hoping to win,” he adds.

In those days, his favorite singing idols were those from the 1970s. “I listened to Victor Wood, and Eddie Peregrina or Susan Fuentes,” he admits. “But in the 1980’s, I started evolving my singing style listening to Basil and Leo Valdez, Anthony Castelo, Rey Valera, Dulce, Ivy Violan, Imelda Papin, Eva Eugenio, to name a few, when Jukebox was very popular in those days.”

He avoided following foreign artists due to bad English diction he had then, which could end up in laughter or criticism should he get it wrong during the competition.

Persistence is the key to his success. “My singing journey started from joining contests around the province, and to the big cities, up to Manila then representing the Philippines in Thailand eventually,” he recalls. “Win or lose was a constant challenge to browse through the products comfortably. The store is trained sales personnel who are always ready to assist customers with their purchases and provide them with expert advice on choosing the right appliances for their homes.

“We are delighted to welcome XTREME Appliances to Robinsons Place GenTrias,” said by Sid Benavidez, Mall Manager of Robinsons Place GenTrias. “We are confident that our customers will appreciate the high-quality and affordable appliances that XTREME Appliances has to offer. We look forward to working with XTREME Appliances as they continue to expand their presence in our malls.” in every singing contest that I have been to; it was the root of my training ground and I have so much to thank for it. I remember our living room filled with so many trophies, banners, medals and cheap plastic giveaways as part of the winning package on top of the money prize.”

XTREME Appliances is committed to providing Filipino households with affordable, high-quality appliances that are designed to meet their needs. Another branch of XTREME Appliances inside Robinsons Malls is set to open in South Luzon and Mindanao this Q2 2023.

Dela Cerna remembers his time when he was living in Davao City. “College days became a very serious deal with my singing as it became the bread and butter while singing in Davao City’s karaoke bars, and hotel lounges as well as ad hoc events where I got paid to sing,” he says.

He also joined the Ateneo Glee Club. “It was my first experience of singing in harmony in a chorus instead of solo singing in freestyle that I always was,” he says. “The Glee Club during my time was a solid singing group and I was proud to be part of it.”

There was a time when he was absent in class for days without telling anybody where he was going. “When I went back to school I was late for a period but I managed to sneak into the classroom,” he recalls. “I was very surprised that everyone started clapping, including the teacher. I found out that some of them saw me on television while I was in Manila for the grand finals. Luckily, I won that competition; I felt I was forgiven, otherwise it would have been a different story if I didn’t or perhaps second best.”

His different. “Metro Manila was the hub of all bigger singing competitions, bigger events and much bigger prizes including Bagong Kampeon, with children and adult categories on television,” he says. “During my time it was almost like a religion to be joining a singing contest; you have a list of barangays to register your entry from one area to another. Win or lose you have to enter the contest, a gamble like a sweepstakes and who knows you might get discovered somewhere along the way or being signed up.”

There was an interesting story on how he ended up in a CCP play. Along the way, he encountered some aspiring singers who eventually became his friends; some of them already had some experience working in theatre Tagalog musicals.

“I only went with them out of curiosity then encouraged me to try and audition later on,” he recalls. “I was reluctant and extremely worried at first because of my Visayan accent and I thought they would just laugh at me because my Tagalog was also not very good, let alone the hard accent.”

During his first audition at CCP, he was in awe. He met some people whom he only saw on television or magazines. “I was distracted until I got to work with them when I was luckily accepted in El Filibusterismo in CCP’s Tanghalang Pilipino, paving the way to join a tour in key cities of

Japan,” he recalls. “It was my first ever professional theatre experience which I learned so much from – a precursor to a much bigger theatre experience ahead of me.”

Dela Cerna left Bansalan in 1987 and stayed in Davao City until 1991. Then, he went to Manila to try his luck. “Winning in the first Zamboanga Music Festival was a big push to seriously try out what the music business was about by heading to Metro Manila with not much in my pocket to survive, which was quite a common story of struggle but pretty much part of everyone’s journey when you go to Manila to find your destiny as many people said,” he says.

In 1995, he joined the queue of countless hopefuls for Miss Saigon casting. “I got recalled consistently but never got lucky to be in the finals to be sent over to the next destination either to Germany or Australia,” he says now, “it was extremely frustrating. I thought it was because of my accent, or not being good enough.”

He said he only applied for the ensemble part at first. “I found out the choreography combination was too difficult at that time; but when I got to sing, I was continuously moved forward to the next lot of recalled hopefuls.”

He was applying for the role of Thuy, the villain of the show who was shot by Kim – the play’s lead character. “I was auditioning for (the part) predominantly because of my age; at that time, I was matched to be Kim’s cousin for the casting. The part also suited my vocal range, singing high notes on the stage while harassing Kim with the knife protecting her son Tam.”

Thuy’s casting notes read: “Strong willed, aggressive, and militaristic. Intensely patriotic and anti-American. Strong vocal and dramatic ability required.”

The description fitted Dela Cerna perfectly.

“I was offered the contract to perform Thuy in London’s West End while in Manila, and by the end of the week my batch were on the flight to London,” he recalled. “(There was) no time for goodbyes with my family in Davao –that’s how urgent the new cast was needed in London at that time.”

The rest was history.

When asked how he defines success, he replies, “Success is quite subjective for me, whenever you feel that sense of fulfillment of achievement, that feeling of contentment follows through - not entirely defined but felt.”

His final words: “I had personal questions about purpose and I often forget the reason and the singing gift that I have that brought me here (in UK) and changed my life for good. I wanted to be an inspiration to my younger family members, and to remember that I used my singing talent to help others - that in itself counts as a purpose, I guess.”