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Who got the boot in 'The Voice of the Philippines' 1st battle round?

The Voice of the Philippines coaches Apl.de.ap, Sarah Geronimo, Bamboo and Lea Salonga. (Photo courtesy of ABS-CBN)

Reality singing competition “The Voice of the Philippines” continues to gain attention as its first battle round kicked off last Sunday, July 28.
 
Judge-coaches Lea Salonga, Bamboo, apl.de.ap and Sarah Geronimo picked representatives from their respective teams to pit against each other.
 
Fresh graduate vs siblings

Apl.de.ap assigned fresh graduate Tristhan Perfecto and siblings Guji and Grace Lorenzana to perform Stevie Wonder's “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” for the first battle round.

Guest judge and mentor Arnel Pineda was impressed with the siblings’ performance, but apl.de.ap preferred to let Tristhan stay in the competition.
 
“Grace, your transformation has reached like this new level. Ginulat mo ako. Guji is always a performer. Tristhan naman, again, another amazing transformation. I think you came out of your shell,” apl.de.ap said.

 
Bamboo chooses Lee   



The next battle round, which pitted Dan Billano and Lee Grane from Bamboo’s team against each other, is probably the most talked-about in social media.

Judges have mixed opinions about Dan and Lee’s version of U2’s “One.” Apl.de.ap and guest judge Joey Ayala chose Dan, while Lea liked Lee’s performance more.
 
Bamboo praised Dan for his soulfulness. But in the end, the seasoned musician chose Lee because she has “gut feel and artistry.”
 
“What I like is when you say a line, you say a phrase, you are emotive. There is emotion. It's a hard thing,” Bamboo said.
 
Lee thanked Bamboo for giving her a chance  even if she thinks Dan “did well vocally.”

“I wanna prove to you that I will do better on the next round,” promised Lee, who interpreted Freddie Aguilar’s “Anak” in the blind auditions.

Morisette shines


Team Sarah’s Morissette Amon and Lecelle Trinidad battled it out in the third round with their version of Donna Summer's “No More Tears (Enough is Enough).” The judges liked the two girls’ interpretation, but it was Morisette  whom Sarah chose in the end.
 
 “I wanna praise you for being able to sing that song perfectly. Gusto ko kung paano niyo binigyan ng flavor. Sobra ang panghihinayang ko kasi pareho kayong magaling. Lecelle and Morissette, pareho ko kayong mahal pero ang talagang nag-shine for tonight is Morissette.”

 
Mitoy stays
 


Mitoy Yonting and Chien Berbana from Lea’s team showed how wide their vocal range is when they performed Heart’s “Alone.” Mitoy got the thumbs from judges Sarah and Bamboo, while apl.de.ap preferred Chien.
 
In the end, Lea chose Mitoy because of her experience in the field.
 
“Yung experience mo speaks for itself. Pero nakita ko kung paano mo rin inangat si Chien,” Lea said.

Social media comments

Netizens, including local celebrities and The Voice coaches posted their #TheVoicePH sentiments on Twitter.