Arriving fresh from their victory in a singing contest in Malaysia, parents and teachers warmly welcomed 29 students of Sta.Teresa College (STC) in Bauan, Batangas on Friday morning.

The STC high school students, whose group is named the "STC Cherubims", won in the Malaysian Choral Eisteddfod, an international singing competition last May 30.

The Cherubims were very much delighted by their unexpected victory, since they faced tough competition from South East Asian countries.

Trainor Aurelio Manalo said what made them "soar above the rest" was their unique song choices, which were all in Filipino. They sang three songs in all, one of which is a spine-tingling Ilocano song titled "Gapas."

Manalo said the audience and judges were so impressed with the Filipino team's performance, that the Malaysian Choral Eistedfodd criteria system will be reformatted to higher standards in upcoming competitions.

He said it had been an eye-opener for the organizers because competition was previously easy.

The STC Cherubims have competed and won in many song competitons in Batangas province. Because of their recent victory, the group was invited as guest performers in Singapore at a competition in December.