WHEN poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “Music is the universal language of mankind,” he was on to something. How else can you explain toddlers as young as two years old getting teary-eyed over a touching song on Sesame Street? Or how K-Pop songs, written mostly in Korean, have swept the world by storm?
In last week’s column, my colleague Kane Errol Choa highlighted the power of music as a communication tool: how jingles stick to us even decades after the products they were written for have gone obsolete; how ABS-CBN station IDs have become sources of happiness and hope for Filipinos.
For songs to have that much power, they must be written well—and that’s no easy feat. So many elements have to come together: music, lyrics, arrangement, production, interpretation. While we are innately creative—yes, I’ll go with that stereotype because I believe in its truth—we can’t just rely on sheer creative talent to churn out songs that can speak to people, no matter the language used, and stoke emotions, whatever they may be.
Enter PhilPop Musicfest Foundation. For those of you who are old enough to remember the Metropop, PhilPop started off as something like that: a songwriting competition. From 2012 to 2016, PhilPop gave both aspiring and experienced songwriters a platform for their voices to be heard. But the stellar cast behind PhilPop did not want to stop there.
PhilPop Executive Director Dinah Remolacio called 2017 PhilPop’s “pivot year”—when it was decided that there would be no competition that year, and that focus would be given on conducting boot camps all over the country.
“PhilPop’s main objective is to empower every songwriter to shape Pinoy culture through original music. As we search for that distinct Filipino sound that could potentially cross borders and put OPM songs on the world stage, the songwriting festival has been a tactical tool to discover and enrich that sound,” she related. “With its aggressive and progressive approach to songwriting, it was able to reinforce diversity. It paved the way for regional songwriters and works, written in the vernacular, to be heard by mainstream [audiences]. It has become a powerful platform where artists can be discovered. It triggered trends nationally.”
Powerhouse cast
Dinah is no stranger to the music scene. Before being tapped to manage PhilPop in 2016, she was already the executive director of the Organisasyon ng mga Pilipinong Mang-Aawit (OPM). She now concurrently manages the two organizations. This unique position has allowed her to leverage on synergies between the two groups, creating positive ripples across the local music industry and among local artists.
Helping her make PhilPop’s vision a reality are some of the biggest names in the music industry, including National Artist Ryan Cayabyab, and multi-awarded songwriters Noel Cabangon, Trina Belamide, and Jungee Marcelo. I personally could not think of a better team to help shape the future of Philippine music. Aside from their overflowing talent, they all share the same passion for sharing their knowledge with the next generation of Filipino songwriters.
“Only one thing drives me, and that is to educate the Filipino songwriter not only with tools to create, not only about their inherent rights, but to inculcate in them the power they possess in creating new music movements—movements that can propel the Philippine music industry to greater heights. A music movement can be a style, a unique genre, or an entirely new sound for the world to hear. But it must first be a sound so loved and consumed by the locals that we can turn the tide in our favor vs. imported music,” Cayabyab related.
Belamide noted the great strides that PhilPop had made over the years in terms of output: “I have seen how those who have taken the time to listen to PhilPop’s songs are delighted and impressed with the kind of music fellow Filipinos are able to come up with. Filipinos love music, and I think we just need to discover or re-discover what Filipino artists can offer. It is my hope that PhilPop can help create an ecosystem that will make Filipino music creation sustainable.”
Remolacio agreed, citing how PhilPop served as a launchpad for the careers of prolific songwriters Thyro Alfaro and Yumi Lacsamana, as well as twins Paolo and Miguel Guico, more popularly known as the leaders of the nine-member band Ben&Ben.
“A number of budding songwriters in the regions have gained confidence in pursuing their respective professional careers as artists, after PhilPop. The nurture aspect of the PhilPop boot camp has drastically improved the output of the festival and the lives of young talented musicians and artists. It has opened a lot of doors, opportunities, and a vast network that were initially limited for the [more established] songwriters, pre-PhilPop,” she said.
Paying it forward
On top of their talent and passion for education, PhilPop’s coaches and mentors are also filled with the desire to give back to the industry that they love. Marcelo recalled having also been a beneficiary of songwriting competitions, including Metropop and PhilPop, and the exposure that these gave him worked wonders for his career and his craft.
“So when the opportunity was offered to me to help in the development of the PhilPop boot camps and training workshops—as part of the core group in charge of the conceptualization and execution, and as one of the lecturers/coaches—I didn’t even think twice. I gladly took the challenge,” he said. “I love the spirit of excellence and camaraderie. We are one big family: everyone gets to help, everyone gets to benefit—like what Proverbs 27:17 says: iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
Belamide related that she saw herself in these young, aspiring songwriters, “so I want to see them succeed and be as happy as I am in our field. I genuinely want to see talented songwriters rewarded and compensated for what they do. I’ve had my share of frustrations, and I hope that by doing what I do, I can spare them pain. I love what I do, I enjoy it, and I hope others can feel the same joy, so I share as much of my knowledge as possible with them.”
Into the future
As with most other programs and campaigns, PhilPop has also moved to the virtual space. Last year marked the first time that the PhilPop Finals Night was held online. This year, even as the pandemic continues to rage, PhilPop will still mount its boot camps, but in the digital realm.
According to Remolacio, PhilPop will soon be launching DigiCamp: an online learning platform and interactive songwriting tool for budding songwriters. Like the onsite boot camps, participants will be able to join lectures and workshops, but in the safety of their homes. This set-up, while without the physical interactions that past boot camps offered, would provide opportunities for PhilPop to tap international institutions and personalities to serve as resource persons for the classes. Application for the program starts next month, and classes are slated to begin in July.
Given the power that music holds, no pandemic should stop an advocacy like PhilPop from pushing forward with achieving its mission of “music breaking borders.” As Marcelo very aptly said: “Every aspect of life is directly or indirectly affected by music, and PhilPop makes sure that something is done to promote the good kind.”
Happy World Water Day!
Today we’re celebrating World Water Day, an annual United Nations observance that highlights the importance of water. Here in the Philippines, water industry players from both the private and public sectors mount various activities for the entire month of March as part of the global commemoration.
For the culminating event, Maynilad and the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) have teamed up to stage the annual World Water Day Awards, which seeks to recognize groups and individuals who have contributed to various water-related causes all over the country. Today we’re honoring 19 groups and individuals who were handpicked by the 11 organizations and agencies participating in the local World Water Day campaign. This year’s winners are:
- DENR-River Basin Control Of—Cagayan River Basin Management Council
- Aboitiz Infra Capital’s Apo Agua Kavontog do’t Aweg award—Davao City Water District’s Adopt-a-Site Watershed Rehabilitation Program
- Aboitiz Infra Capital’s Lima Water Agos ng Pag-asa award—NextCities Project: Water-Energy-Nutrient Nexus in the Cities of the Future
- National Irrigation Administration’s (NIA) Most Outstanding National Irrigation System Irrigators Association—Laposa Irrigators Association
- NIA’s Most Outstanding Communal Irrigation System Irrigators Association—Padada Irrigators Association
- NIA’s Most Outstanding Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program-Irrigation Component Irrigators Association – Anopog Paglaum Irrigators Association
- Society for the Conservation of Philippine Wetlands’ Bayani ng Katubigan award—Macatagal Irrigators Association
- NWRB’s Water Wise awards—Villages Water Supply System’s Tubig Load Program; BP Waterworks’ Walk the Line Project
- Philippine Water Partnership’s Youth Partner for Watershed Protection and Development award—Masungi Georeserve Foundation
- Laguna Lake Development Authority’s Kampeon ng Lawa awards —Kalayaan, Laguna’s Solid Waste Management Board; San Pedro City Sub-Water Quality Management Area; Hinulugang Taktak Protected Landscape
- DENR-NCR’s Kampeon ng Katubigan award—Bureau of Jail Management and Penology Quezon City Female Dormitory
- Local Water Utilities Administration’s Huwarang Lingkod Tubig awards – Metro Naga Water District (Luzon); Silay City Water District (Visayas); Davao City Water District (Mindanao)
- Maynilad Water Academy’s Water Warrior Award for Water Education—National Historical Commission of the Philippines’ Museo El Deposito
- Maynilad’s Water Warrior Award for Advocacy Leadership—Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte
Congratulations to all the winners!
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier organization for PR professionals around the world. Abigail L. Ho-Torres is AVP and Head of Advocacy and Marketing of Maynilad Water Services Inc. She spent more than a decade as a business journalist before making the leap to the corporate world.
We are devoting a special column each month to answer our readers’ questions about public relations. Please send your questions or comments to askipraphil@gmail.com.