VOICE Independent Music Awards (VIMA) Malaysia?s Indie Awards has named a Filipina, Issa Rodriquez, as its first inductee into the VIMA Hall of Fame Awards. VIMA is one of Malaysia?s highly regarded award giving bodies that recognizes individuals/media who have championed the Malaysian music scene.

Rodriquez is the National Director of GBOB Global Battle of the Bands- the world?s biggest live music competition for bands playing original /non-commercial music.

For those who may find Issa a familiar face, Issa Rodriquez spent a ten-year career in broadcast journalism in Manila. She has anchored primetime news in Channel 4 for several years, before moving to marketing communication and publishing in Kuala Lumpur which has been home to her for the last eight years.

A live music enthusiast at heart and a former vocalist for Rage, one of Manila?s top rock bands in the ?80s, Issa first came across The Global Battle of the Bands (The GBOB Challenge) in 2005 when a friend, who was the National Director of GBOB Philippines introduced her to the Founder of GBOB International Ltd. in the UK.

Since then, she has helped shape music competition in Malaysia giving local band hopefuls the opportunity to get noticed by the artist & repertoire departments of big record companies. GBOB is meant to be the one true breeding ground for home-grown emerging musical talents to be judged and noticed by the most respected figures in the international music business.

Issa is set for a bigger challenge as GBOB Malaysia is set to host the GBOB Challenge World Finals in 2010, the first time ever for the world championship to be held outside London. Tina Funtanilla

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