Now in her 30's, Madonna Decena started singing when she was only three years old and started joining singing competitions at the age of 11 in TV shows, she then became a professional singer at the age of 16
 
Singing was her life and  she never planned to work in the office at all even if she made good in her studies, she was very active in singing activities till her college days
 
Life was not all glamorous for Madonna as she tried to land a job at McDonalds SM as a marketing trainee when she was a third year  High school student in AMA computer college. It made her realize the value of hard earned money.
 
After High school, Madonna went to Miriam College QC, but since she and her two brothers were going to school at the same time, her father found it difficult to support all of their education expenses.
This situation prompted Madonna to  ease the burden of her family by doing Band gigs and  Theater plays  which eventually opened the door for her career
 
After earning a degree in Communication Arts at Miriam college, she  started singing  with Bands , sang in Hotels and Bars as  a solo performer.
 
Madonna's talent was further enhanced to a higher level when she  became a part of several Musical Theater plays where she worked with Ms Celeste Legaspi of Musical Theater Phils , Audie Gemora of Trumpets and other well known productions. A worthy experience  reinforcing her craft with discipiline
 
She married a bandmate in the year 2000 and was blessed with two beautiful girls Ysl and Yra. But Madonna's limited singing engagements, and low paying fees in the Philippines gave her no choice but  to leave her family behind and work abroad,.. it will be in Singapore with her band.
 
This time the pay was better but it will be the start of a lonely journey, working away from her loved ones, It was also the beginning of the end for her 3 year marriage. After 2 years working as band singer in Singapore, she and her husband parted ways, she was now by herself and her two daughters to hold on. With the support of her parents, Madonna shifted her eyes to Europe, this time in the United Kingdom.
 
With the help of friends , Madonna flew to Manchester England as a sponsored student to study Music Construction and Production in MIDI school. It was a more difficult task this time, she has to earn a living while going to school even at a limited time,..she has to survive. During her studies Madonna was able to find a job at a Fruit and Sandwich shops to make ends meet sometimes doing Ten hours of work during the day. Her sacrifice during this time gave her a chance to save and send money to her kids and family.
 
But since her day job pay was not enough to support her family, Madonna heeded to her best  friend's Renz's advise. She went back to the thing she love most,.. singing. . Renz eventually found  Steve Jones Entertainments, a small management company who took Madonna as their talent. Granted with a working visa, Madonna started working with SJE and performed in several Lounge and bars.
 
During this time, she  joined two talents showcase the "Showcall" and the 2008 for Paul Bridson's Productions, both in the presence of talent agents, bookers and writers.  Critics named Madonna as  the "Most Appealing Solo Performer" and  the  "Best Act for the Night" respectively.
 
But even with her excellent  reviews,Madonna's career was on a stand still, shows and gigs were still few.
 
Upon learning of about Britains Got Talent in a karaoke bar with her friends , Madonna lost no time in joining. Fortunately for her, the show accepted  foreign talents to compete and she took it as a rare opportunity to get more exposure as a singer and fulfill her dreams for her two daughters
 
It was during the "Live audition" of BGT that Madonna wanted the world to see her talent, this was her moment.
 
Facing the judges Cowell, Piers and Amanda for the first time, one judge popped a question "what does it mean to you in joining this contest?"..almost by instinct, Madonna's two daughters flashed in her mind, their future lies in that very moment. and then answered in a cracking voice,"It means more work for me to save for my kids", then cried uncontrollably before the judges and the crowd.
 
People stunned at that sight lets go of a sigh of sympathy for Madonna.
 
Then after taking a deep breath, she started singing the song "I wiill Always Love you" by Whitney Houston, her voice shaky in the first lines of the song left the crowd frozen as to wondering whats going to happen. Years of experience on stage took control of Madonna's emotions , and as if It was scripted, Madonna continued and sang one of her most emotional performance. With tears in their eyes,the crowd roared with  approval as they gave Madonna a standing ovation for her performance.
 
With judge Amanda in tears,The  three judges finally gave Madonna  the 3 yes'es..before a deafeaning 2nd standing ovation from the gallery.

Madonna's unforgettable performance in BGT left everyone in tears and earned her the most popular contestant in the show, It made her video in the internet the most widely viewed and was all over the newspaper and TV news in the UK, in the Philippines and some parts of the world. She was also featured on TV  and radio shows.
 
But as they say "you win some and lose some",..unfortunately, Madonna's act in the semi-finals was not enough,..she didn't make it to the Finals of the BGT. 

Madonna with Charlie Green and Sharon

In her defeat, one thing is certain, she made her two daughters proud of her achievements.
 
But most importantly, Madonna served as an inspiration for her countrymen,  the Overseas Workers, whom just  like her, painfully left their loved ones behind ,and worked thousands of miles away just to give their family a better life...
 
Madonna's struggle for recognition continues, whatever holds her future, nobody knows, but with her talent, strong faith in God, and her unwaivering love for her family... there's no doubt that she will soon realize her dreams. She is a Filipino...  a World Class Filipino.

World Class Filipino came to existence because of the solid belief of the people behind this project on its subject … the Filipino and most especially because God has allowed this to happen.

We are first hand witnesses on how competent Filipinos are in any trade or profession, in any country and against any nationality as most of us are currently occupying job positions which could have been easily occupied by another race had we not been capable.

The idea of setting up this website first came up at a time when we were always being asked by foreign employers if we know of a Filipino who would like to work with them.  When asked why they prefer Filipinos… they site Filipino qualities such as the following: honest, loyal, friendly, fun-loving, honors commitments, good communicator, hardworking, creative and among others.  If you just happen to have the privilege of hearing these adjectives from people other than your “kababayan”… you would probably ask yourself why these people believe in us and why can't we?  Why other nationalities are appreciating us while we ourselves, at times, are still downgrading our capacities? 

As Filipinos working abroad, we believe we are representatives of our country.  Our performances today will have a direct effect on others who will choose to follow this route and to the image of Filipinos in general.  That's why we are always asking God for guidance at work and in everything we do.  That we may continue to do His will for His greater glory and thereby preserve the legacy of the Filipinos who came before us. In relation to this, please allow us to use this space to salute them.  They made lasting impressions internationally which practically paved the way and have opened up windows of opportunities for millions of Filipinos.

And lastly, we believe that everything we have, were just given.  Our strength, beauty, intelligence… everything.  We should therefore not be boastful and proud.  Instead, we should be thankful to the one who made you and me and share these gifts to everyone.   We may be small as people, we may be under-developed as a country and we are not perfect. But we are perfectly us… just the way God had designed us to be. 

Love.  Care.  Share.

Love God above all.  Care for others.  Share ourselves.