Nievera's 'Lupang Hinirang' - another exaggerated issue, proof of Pinoy shallowness

Conrado De Quiros wrote pretty well about the Martin Nievera issue. The brouhaha about the so-called "desecration" of the national anthem by proud nationalists is proof how insecure Filipinos are regarding their patriotism. They are superficial.

Theres The Rub
Footnote to a false note

By Conrado de Quiros
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:22:00 05/11/2009

I beg to disagree with some friends on this. “This” is the way Martin Nievera sang “Lupang Hinirang” in the Pacquiao-Hatton fight, which has brought him into a brawl with preservers of Filipino tradition.

The fight has so far been lopsided, with many authority figures, from congressmen to historians, knocking him down with a chorus of irate voices.

I myself have no problems with it. In fact I have a couple of reasons for liking it.

The first has to do with the barb that Nievera went the route of show biz by aping the American singers (mostly black) who make the “Star-Spangled Banner” sound like Motown each time an American boxer takes to the ring. Which, as the nastier remarks go, is probably because Nievera is an American at heart and on paper. I leave others to argue where Nievera’s loyalties lie, though given all the open and closet “statehooders” here—Filipinos who long for the country to become a state of the United States—not least among the congressmen, I wouldn’t advise pressing this point too loudly.

But even if Nievera went show biz, what of it? Boxing is pretty much show biz, of the loud and glittery type. And though Nievera did not sing “Lupang Hinirang” traditionally, he did not disrespect it either, to use a word much favored by African-Americans.

The reason Americans do not mind their National Anthem sung like gospel (or its modern reincarnations; I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes hip-hop one day) is that they are secure in their patriotism. They are secure in their sense of country. They are secure in their loyalty to flag and country. Enough to withstand Jimi Hendrix’s “sacrilegious” interpretation of the “Star-Spangled Banner,” which he did in Woodstock, his awesome guitar blaring out the din of discord in protest against the Vietnam War. That version has since been elevated to iconic status by baby boomers.

Our prissiness with orthodoxy is in fact a symptom of an affliction as worrisome as swine flu. We like revering tradition because we prefer form over content, because we like showing our love of country in ritual rather than in practice. We like to build busts and monuments to the heroes without liking to follow their ideals and actions, which is really the best tribute to them. The religious equivalent of this is that we like to hear Mass and receive the sacraments without liking to live lives that are not given to lying, cheating, stealing and murdering.

It’s like that line in “Lupang Hinirang:” “Ang mamatay nang dahil say iyo” (“to die for you”). I’ve always said that was a perfect, if ironic, commentary on us. We’ve never had problems dying for country, we’ve always had problems living for it. I’ve always suggested—utter sacrilege!—changing it to, “Ang mabuhay ng dahil sa iyo” (“to live for you”).

My second point is: Why on earth should we regard tradition as intractable or unchangeable?

Even the Rock, or the Church, changes. I still remember the time when the Mass, which used to unfold with Latin incantations, gave way to idiomatic English. Or indeed, horror of horrors, when the Gregorian chant gave way to the “Guitar Mass.” Once things that threatened to make the faithful faithless, plain language and (middle-of-the- road) pop (if not rock) are rock-solid orthodoxy in Masses now.

In the case of historical tradition, I should think changes should not just be acceptable to us, they should be welcome to us. I say this because our lack of sense of history—truly notorious in that we can’t even remember the recent past—owes in great part to our tendency to embalm history. To treat it as something dead and gone and remembered only on the historical equivalents of All Saints’ Day. One natural consequence of this is to turn history into sacred text and the heroes into untouchable objects of worship.

I still remember how we used to look at Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Apolinario Mabini and the other heroes that way, courtesy of high school and college. Something the new wave of historians led by Renato Constantino corrected, turning them into ordinary folk who did extraordinary things in their time and place. No less, or more, than the activists did in their time and place. The process of demystification, or “humanization,” would culminate in historians like Ambeth Ocampo who would make Rizal et al. as contemporary as, well, Nievera’s rendition of the National Anthem.

Which makes me wonder why Ambeth in particular should disapprove of that rendition. I recall that when he was pilloried by purists for “watering down” history with his “pop” version of it, I wrote a column saying that far from detracting from the worth of history, he added to it. Specifically by making the past present, by making the dead living, by making history not history in the idiomatic sense of “we’re outta here” but history in the sense of current events. The power of history lies precisely in its being living history, or a “continuing past,” as Constantino put it. One would imagine that a continuing past uses the idioms or idiosyncrasies of the flowing present. That’s what makes the past worth remembering. That’s what makes the past worth living.

It’s not just that I don’t think Nievera has done any harm by his version, it is that I think he has done much good with it. Anything that hooks the youth in particular of this amnesiac country to their past, even if it feels like a right hook to those who take that past reverentially, is fine by me. History has been known to rock, history has been known to roll. Sometimes, history has even been known to OPM.

In any case, I have a lot of friends who’ve always thought the National Anthem wasn’t “Lupang Hinirang” but Juan de la Cruz’s “Ang Himig Natin.”

Another Kapampangan music video, comin' up!

It's just January but we in Kalalangan Kamaru are already craving to produce lots and lots of Kapampangan films! May they be short films, music videos, PSAs, documentaries, or what have you.

After the completion of Balangingi, the thing to watch out for is a music video of one of the songs in the RocKapampangan album: Kaplas by Nora Aunor Fans' Club (a band from Guagua). The song was actually used in the Cannes-participating film by Brillante Mendoza, Serbis.

It's going to be a hilarious music video which will involve various vices, dirty dancing, and other comic insanities! Check out these behind-the-scenes photos:

Something to learn from the Koreans

It was in fourth year high school that Koreans began making its appearance in my consciousness. Today, I’m a fan of the Korean people and I dream of the day when the Philippines can mimic the framework of South Korea in its path toward global progress.

After the successful Taiwanese TV drama ‘Meteor Garden’ of ABS-CBN and the not-so-successful ‘My MVP Valentine’ of GMA-7, the latter network put the first Koreanovela (how Korean TV dramas are called in the Philippines) on primetime: ‘Lavender.’ From then on, Koreanovelas have penetrated Pinoy culture well—from ‘Jewel in the Palace’ to ‘Lovers in Paris,’ ‘from ‘Winter Sonata’ to ‘My Name is Kim Sam Soon.’

I was able to try Korean food when we went to the US in Summer 2005. We went there through Asiana Airlines, the stewardess of which served either Korean food or Western food for their meals. My mother and big brother would choose “itang balu da na,” while I, the hard-headed and adventurous Laxamana boy, insisted on trying what Koreans had to offer when it comes to dining. After all, it’s not everyday that you get to try Korean food. If it tastes awful, then charge it to experience. But fortunately, I loved it! Kimchi didn’t taste good at first but I have learned to love it, in spite of my mother wanting to puke at the smell of it.

Our stopover was in Incheon, South Korea, and we were to stay there for 10 hours. I liked the place. It was cold. It was clean. I couldn’t get over the idea that South Korea used to be poorer than the Philippines. It was hard conversing using English with the natives working at the airport, but they were friendly enough.

The airline company offered two choices for us to spend our 10 hours: take a short Korean tour, or take a rest at a Korean hotel. I wanted a tour, but my company wanted to rest. What a waste of opportunity! It’s not everyday that we get to stay for 10 hours in South Korea.

In college, I was introduced to Korean films in my Film 100 class, where the professor recounted how the film industry of South Korea developed, to the point of making a global wave in a decade’s span. I then grabbed hold of Korean war films like ‘Taegukci’ and romance films like ‘Il Mare,’ and I must say kudos. The unpretentious support of the government contributed highly to the development of Korean entertainment, so said my professor.

In one of my Broadcast Communication class, Music in Media, we had one Korean classmate. I already forgot his name, but I still remember our encounters with him. He was always bringing with him an electronic Korean-English dictionary which he would consult often when he couldn’t remember the appropriate English words to express his remarks. It was amusing, really. I had the chance to have him as a group mate, and his linguistic and cultural struggles didn’t make him less participative. He was indispensable in class. In fact, when deciding for the photo theme of our CD project inlay, he came up with this very artistic idea of fusing classical music flavor with stinking toilets, which to me was very fresh, but to my conservative professor was, well, stinking.

In my college life, more and more students were trying to enlist in Korean language subjects, learning how to write Hanggul and learning basic Korean sentences, phrases, and expressions. Angeles City nowadays also celebrate Choo-Seok festival for the people in that Korean avenue called Friendship, the Korean signboards of which, I think, outnumber the Kapampangan signboards present in the city. In Cebu, they have this Cebuanovela titled ‘Saranghe’ (‘Kaluguran Da Ka’ in Korean), which features a love triangle—two boys and a girl. One of the boys is Korean.

Evidently, Koreans, as well as other Asians, own this decade, and the future is teeming with grander Asian possibilities. I just wonder when the Philippines and other Austronesians will take part.

Korean Singers in the US

Three big Korean entertainers are attempting to conquer US after conquering much of Asia. They are none other than Rain, famous in the Philippines for the Koreanovela ‘Full House’ and that shampoo commercial with a popular line ‘My name is Rain’; Se7en, another Justin Timberlake-like South Korean RnB crooner who is not yet known in the Philippines but is celebrated throughout Asia; and BoA, a multitalented girl who can sing, dance, sing in many languages, and who has a beautiful face and body to flaunt.


BoA has already debuted in the US, but I haven’t heard whether she’s successful. Her debut US debut music video looked like the typical Britney Spears or Beyonce music videos, only with the English lyrics being sung with Asian accent.


Rain’s debut and a lot of concerts have been postponed due to trademark conflicts, while Se7en’s debut is, in my opinion, the most watched out for, as the production team of his US debut album consists of big people who contributed to the success of big US names like Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas, Madonna, Fergie, etc. His first single would be ‘Girls’ featuring Lil’ Kim. The song was produced by Darkchild.


In a newspaper article, Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas opined that he sees no reason as to why Korean entertainers couldn’t make it big in the US. If American singers can make it big in other places, why not the other way around?

ASLAG Kapampangan 2008

The day right after the first of November, Artists Supporting Local Artists Guild or ASLAG Kapampangan held the Grand Finals of their second Kapampangan Pop Music Festival at Robinson’s San Fernando. This year, in contribution to environmental awareness campaigns, the theme was Indung Labuad a Santungan, Pakamalan Ya’t Lingapan (Value and Take Care of Mother Earth Sanctuary).

Songwriting Styles

The song, intentionally or not, aimed to produce Kapampangan songs that can stand as counterparts to popular Tagalog environmental songs such as Geneva Cruz’ “Anak Ng Pasig” and Asin’s “Masdan Mo Ang Kapaligiran.”

While songs don’t directly inspire people to act, especially if it’s about conservation of Mother Nature, they serve a function similar to that of national anthems, of wedding theme songs, of praise songs, of Alma Mater songs, of graduation songs, and of campaign jingles. What that function is, I can’t exactly pinpoint.

To make a song that can to some degree cause people to go out there and do environmental work is quite challenging and a test of a songwriter’s artistry. Of course, the music also aids greatly in the fulfillment of the goal.

A popular approach is playing the logic game where the songwriter assumes people to be for self-preservation. By establishing the connection between environment and the self and how one affects the other, the lyrics attempts to infiltrate the mind of the listeners by whispering: “If we do this or if we don’t stop doing that, this is what will happen, and it’s going to be really bad. You don’t want that.” This is the approach of the famous environmental song by Asin, as can be seen in the following sample lyrics:

Ang mga batang ngayon lang isinilang
May hangin pa kayang matitikman?
May mga puno pa kaya silang aakyatin
May mga ilog pa kayang lalanguyan?

Another approach is something close to ad misericordia, which even though categorized in communication books as a logical fallacy, works most of the time to a country that has bottomless affection toward everything melodramatic. The lyrics shouts: “Because of what you’re doing, this is what’s happening to me [or them]; have mercy on me/us/them!” This is exhibited well in “Anak Ng Pasig.”

Anak nang Pasig naman kayo
tapon doon, tapon dito
Di niyo alam ang tinatapon niyo
Ay bukas ko at ng buong mundo

Subject Picking

A first-time songwriter will usually write a song spontaneously—not necessarily a bad a bad thing—with no central, specific subject but the theme itself. If he is asked to write a song about the youth, he’ll write everything he can think of about the youth, not minding the organization of thoughts in his work.

One technique in choosing a subject is to pick an everyday experience which the masses can generally relate with, and upon listening to the song, they would to themselves say something like “Wa pin, ne!” This is the technique employed by young singer-songwriter Mark Jedh Yutuc, the winner of the recently concluded Kapampangan Pop Music Festival, with his entry “Balat Kendi.”

The message of “Balat Kendi,” performed by the songwriter himself together with K4ad member Jomar Dela Pena, is perfect for the busy people of Pampanga who have no interest or time to get involved in tree-planting activities and big waste management projects. The songs proposes that each average person can help in environmental concerns if altogether they cease throwing off candy wrappers anywhere they please.

Of course, waste management is more than that. But actually, if we did that, it would be nice. But let’s not limit ourselves to candy wrappers. I have seen a woman, who seems to be educated, who threw an empty tetrapack juice container while riding a jeepney in front of her child. Clearly a bad example. Last month, I scolded a friend who wanted to throw a plastic of garbage out of the van’s window while we were cruising down McArthur Hiway.

Why do Filipinos treat their surroundings a big trash can? We often talk about cultural preservation. If you ask me, this is certainly one aspect of Pinoy and Pampango culture which never in my wildest ambitions will I participate in conserving.

Congratulations


I’d like to applaud the other finalists of the tilt. “Uling Keka” (words by Nerian Miranda and Kenneth Macapugay, interpreted by Kate Ibanez), “Kanta Ning Indung Labuad” (words by Wilfredo Cunanan, interpreted by Anne Valerie Vital), “Berding Yatu” (words by Jun Gatbonton, interpreted by Lemuel Paras), “’Me Ko Keni, Tara Na” (words by Benny Guinto, interpreted by Bea Austria), “Misasanmetung” (words by Arnie Zablan, interpreted by Bin Bondoc), and “Pakamalan Ta Ya” (words by Ver Orquia, interpreted by Ana Nicolette Kho).

Except for “Uling Keka,” all songs were arranged by Aslag’s very own “Big Ben,” Mr. Ben Escasa. Fr. Ronnie Cao and Ms. Deng Escasa served as Kapampangan vocal dubbing supervisors.

K4ad is currently K3ad

A noticeable thing in the event is the K4ad’s temporary reduction to K3ad, as one of their members, Mark Jedh Yutuc, who happens to be the winner of the contest, can no longer participate due to, according to him, his busy schedule with other matters. Fr. Ronnie Cao told me they are currently in search for a replacement to Yutuc.

Archipelago Music Blog Project

Wikipedia provides us a pretty fair definition of what OPM is. “Original Pilipino Music, now more commonly termed Original Pinoy Music or Original Philippine Music, (frequently abbreviated to OPM) originally referred only to Filipino pop songs, especially those in the ballad form, such as songs popularized in the 1970s through the mid-1990s by major commercial Filipino pop artists like Ryan Cayabyab, Kuh Ledesma, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Martin Nievera, Basil Valdez, Rey Valera, Regine Velasquez, Ogie Alcasid, Lani Misalucha, Lea Salonga, and APO Hiking Society.

In the passage of time as well as the development of many diverse and alternative musical styles in the Philippines, however, the term OPM now refers to any type of Original Philippine Music created in the Philippines or composed by individuals of Philippine extraction, regardless of location at the time when composed. The lyrics, in fact, may be in any language or dialect.

Although most of it are written either in Filipino/Tagalog, English or Taglish, OPMs written in foreign languages (eg. in Japanese), though handful, do exist.”

Monstrosity of Radio

I once asked a senior DJ from a renowned and Golden Dove Award-winning FM radio station in Manila if they are open to playing OPM (Original Pilipino Music) sung in neither Tagalog nor English. With cold honesty, he told me a two-letter but painful word: NO.

“Even if they’re really good?” I asked.

“Uh-huh,” he replied.

Trying to prick his conscience, I questioned, “Isn’t that a form of racial discrimination? Aren’t songs sung in other languages like Kapampangan, Waray-Waray, and Bisaya also Filipino, and thus, should be welcomed in your Original PILIPINO Music segments?”

“Sorry, dude, but that’s just how the business is,” he answered with finality. “It’s nothing personal.”

MTV Pilipinas

MTV Pilipinas is more mature and racially sensitive. Proud of our work on the music video of “Oras” by Mernuts and “Alang Anggang Sugat” by 5 Against The Wall, we contacted MTV Pilipinas and asked them if they are willing to incorporate in their OPM playlists our Kapampangan music videos, “since we’re Pilipino din naman.”

Surprisingly, they said yes and claimed that they are supportive of OPM regardless of the language being used. They even said they’re happy that movements to develop OPM in regional languages are occurring, citing the Visayan music scene, led by Bisrock or Bisaya Rock, as a good example.

The catch, however—which to me is just fair—is that the music videos should be at par with other music videos we see on TV. We had no problems with that, as we made sure that our music videos were in one way or another worth the attention.

And, thus, the first Kapampangan music video to air on MTV Pilipinas (in its OPM show called “Tong Hits”), “Oras” by Mernuts.

MYX on the other hand is an unfinished story, and we are still working on it.

Music of the Archipelago

Although there are some groups like MTV Pilipinas that support OPM from the regions, majority of the mass media still marginalize non-Tagalog and non-English OPM. It is for this reason that our group decided to attempt to make a change by creating our newest blog project: Archipelago Music: Philippine Music Without Borders.


Launched recently, it is a blog that will serve to promote new Philippine music (OPM) from the regions. It attempts to empower regional music, especially those sung in the various regional languages of the archipelago like Ilokano, Bikol, Kapampangan, Waray-Waray, Meranaw, etc., amidst the dominance of Tagalog and Pinoy English songs and music videos in the world of OPM.

This is one of the advocacy projects of Kalalangan Kamaru, a multidisciplinary team of Kapampangan youth seeking to develop and propagate Kapampangan pride, culture, and language to the Kapampangan youth. This time, it extends its ideologies to the other ethnolinguistic groups to empower the regions more and make the Philippines a truly multicultural yet unified nation, submitting proof to the infamous query: How can you love others [regions] if you don’t first love yourself [Kapampangan]?

The issue of a Tagalog- and English-centric OPM was first raised in GMA-7's “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” in their segment “Promdi Rock.” It was Kalalangan Kamaru actually who fed them the idea of making a feature on that topic, including another segment that featured TV dramas from the regions.

We believe that if regions unite, Manila the capital will open its doors to regional OPM and thus, elevating regional OPM into national status, and thereby inspiring some sense of healthy competitiveness among the OPM artists from the regions, instead of aspiring for nothing beyond “Puwede na.”

Sample Artists

The blog in its November launching has already featured three artists. First is Bronze P, the son of Ilonggo undergroup hiphop. Bronze P of La Paz, Iloilo City is an independent Ilonggo artist under his own production label, Bronze Beats, who makes urban beats and tunes in the Hiligaynon language.

Next is a Bisaya duo that has already received a national award, albeit in the regional category—the 2006 Awit Awards Best Regional Recording. As their homepage says, “Out of everyday-life ghettos and the ever changing urbanity, from what Dabawenyos call home hails a tandem that will conquer your senses and ravish you to your seats. Brandishing their acts to the hip hop and RnB groove, they're breaking into your audio waves to bring you their message that rightfully speaks of their collective name: Thavawenyoz.”

Also featured is the first Cuyonon band to make rock songs in the Cuyonon language, Bulyaw Mariguen. Hailing from the little island of Cuyo, Palawan, Bulyaw Mariguen are planning to launch an independent Cuyonon album this December.

More OPM artists, songs, and music videos from the regions will be featured in the future! A diverse music playlist of songs from different Philippine languages is also available in the blog. Archipelago Music will also post some essays and industry assessments that will certainly aid regional artists in their quest for empowerment.

In the words of an Ilokano blogger, “Adtoy pay ti maysa nga barbaro a website a natakuatak. Ti Archipelago Music ket mangipakpakita ken mangipadpadengngeg kadagiti kankanta nga naggapu kadagiti rehiyones ti Pilipinas. Adda man nangngegko idiay nga rap version ti Manang Biday! Mayat met! Agtultuloy koma dagiti kastoy a proyekto. Nagbayagen a Tagalog ti kankanayon a mangmangngeg kadagiti FM stations iti pagiliantayo. Rumbeng met ita nga selebrarantayo ti nadumaduma a kultura ti Filipino!”

Come and visit http://archipelago-music.blogspot.com

How Music Videos Can Help Kapampangan Recording Artists

An Overview of the Kapampangan Music Scene (Part 2)
By Jason Paul Laxamana
Urban Kamaru
Central Luzon Daily

Budding Kapampangan musicians these days are more fortunate compared to the dreamy-eyed elders, who didn't enjoy the presence of local mass media that could increase their popularity. As I have been telling a chum, pursuing a music career these days doesn't require one to perform everytime (although that would certainly help). A musician, if busy in other matters, can sit pretty; his recorded songs, as long as they're melodically infectious, can spread like virus to the masses.

With the rise of local (local, as in Pampanga- or Central Luzon-based) television and cable stations, musicians, in partnership with filmmakers, have now a new means of propagating their works: through music videos.

For the record, music videos are what Filipinos passionately call MTVs. But MTV, which stands for Music Television, is a company name. To say “Inalben ke itang MTV nang Michael Jackson king MYX” is nothing different from saying “Sinali kung Colgate, itang Close Up,” or “Menalbe yang Popeye, itang Dragon Ball.”

Dagdag Exposure

In a phone interview, I asked Ara Muna (singer of 'O Jo, Kaluguran Da Ka') regarding the importance of music videos because I heard he has plans of rendering a music video for his Tagalog-Kapampangan hit.

“Nung kabud ka mu kasi king radyu, mapalyaring aburi de ing kanta mu, oneng bala mu 50% ya mu; e da ka balu itsura,” the comedienne claimed. “Potang atin kang music video, ababalu da nung ninu ika; kayi potang kabit de ing lupa mu karing tarpaulin o nanu, tambing dang balu ring taung ika ita. Dagdag yang exposure para karing artist.”

But music videos, while highlighting the musical artists, have more functions. Being a filmmaker myself, I believe music video making is another avenue for budding filmmakers, along with other people involved in the production of a film or video like editors, actors, and cinematographers, to practice their craft. When a music video wins an award, for example, in the annual MTV VMAs (Video Music Awards), it's not the just the victory of the artist; it's also the victory of the music video director.

The Upaya of Images

Music videos vary according to style, depending on the director or whoever is in charge with the concept. Some videos austerely show beauty shots of the singer/band in a certain location while some include a narrative in the video.

Music videos are actually like TV commercials—a fact which a lot of music video directors tend to neglect.

“I know some beautiful songs destroyed by their badly done music videos,” says Sigfreid Barros-Sanchez, a Quezon City-based music video and indie film director whose directorial works include the music video/s of Parokya Ni Edgar ('Gitara'), Hale ('Tollgate,' 'The Day You Said Goodnight'), Kyla ('Til They Take My Heart Away'), Sugarfree ('Hari Ng Sablay,' co-directed with another music video director, Topel Lee) and Shamrock ('Okey Lang'). “And I know some good music videos which were destroyed by crappy songs,” he continues.

The power of music videos can even transcend linguistic barriers. In radio, when one hears a song in an unfamiliar language, he is most likely to reject it, simply because he cannot understand it (except if the listener knows how to enjoy music in spite of the language). Music videos on the other hand can make a viewer tune in and watch the video while listening to the song. Even if the song is in an unknown language, the combination of the images, the narrative, and the emotional impact of the music can act as a universal language.

Barros-Sanchez tells his experience: “There's one music video I watched ['Because I'm A Girl' by Kiss] the lyrics of which I don't even understand because it's in Korean. Pero sobrang lakas ng tama sa akin at tuwing napapanood ko, may mga panahong iniiyakan ko pa rin.”

The music video of 'Because I'm A Girl' is about a girl accidentally blinded with chemicals in the dark room of a certain photographer guy. Fortunately, someone donated eyes to her, but when she got her vision back, the photographer can no longer be found, only to find out a few years later in a park that it's the photograper who donated his eyes to her.




“Very sad,” Barros-Sanchez remarks. “I love that in videos. Yung may kurot. Yung may puso.”

Problems in Pinoy Music Videos

“Makikita mo naman sa video pa lang kung pinagkaperahan ng director,” Barros-Sanchez laments. “First of all, the camera used is bad. Second, the location is ugly; ni walang art or architectural thing na magpapabuhay man lang ng interes mo. Third, no effort was allotted to the production design and cinematography. Hindi kinarir kahit maliit ang budget. Kurtina at halaman (madalas palmera plants) at throw pillows at bed sheets lang, tapos na... Alam mong dalawang oras lang, tapos na ang shooting.”

If one will watch his favorite music channel, he will find a vast number of badly done local music videos, the reasons for which vary. There includes the lack of artistic vision of the director, lack of originality of the concept maker, and the pretentious personality of some music video directors, especially aggressive, budding ones.

Barros-Sanchez expounds, “There's always a new guy around who is willing to do his first music video kahit mag-abono siya para lamang sa demo reel niya at konting pampayabang sa pamilya at barkada.”

“Ngayon, baratan na talaga sa budget. Lokohan na, kaya mapapansin rin lately na the videos are suffering. Medyo pangit na ang kalidad at dahil doon nag-dwindle na rin interes ng mga tao na panoorin sila. Naumay na. Wala na kasi ng bagong ipinapakita.”

“Masyado nang naging sikat ang music videos lalo na sa dekadang ito,” the director comments. “Everyone wants a share of the pie, even just the crumbs that fall on the floor. Nawawala na tuloy yung art. Too many cooks spoiling what was once a special brew.”

The Infant Pool of K-Music Videos

Yes, there are Kapampangan music videos already, the number of which could either mean that Kapampangan music video making is emerging, or that Kapampangan music video making is bound to not flourish. Mekikuan, ada pen.

There are two non-commercial, non-live Kapampangan music videos. One is the Pampanga Tourism video with song by ArtiSta. Rita and Mon David ('Malaus Ka Pampanga') and the other is the San Fernando 'Kaluguran Da Ka' music video. My concern though would be more on Kapampangan commercial, non-live music videos by Kapampangan artists, the total number of which would be three. Yes, three. Atlu.

The first music video I have seen (through YouTube) would have to be Harvey Quiwa's 'Ika Mu Ing Tune Para Kaku,' the second placer in the first ever Kapampangan songwriting and pop music contest by ASLAG Kapampangan last 2007. Directed by Emil De Jesus and conceptualized by the singer himself, the video is a simple showcase of the artist singing the love song in a green and grassy field with the indigo silhouette of Bunduk Arayat in the background. Intercut with a mini-plot involving a romantic couple (where Quiwa is the leading man) in a subdivision, the video is currently garnering around 15,000 views in YouTube, mostly from Kapampangans.

The second and third music videos would be those of the opening and closing theme songs of Kalam, the upcoming Kapampangan telenovela of Infomax. 8 and Kalalangan Kamaru.

Four members of 2007 Angeles City San Miguel Beer Battle of the Bands champion 5 Against The Wall (Jon Tanganco, bass; Jaynard Bengco, drums; Nhoel Austria, guitar; Arnold Espino, vocals), the vocalist of Guagua-based Red Horse Muziklaban finalist rock band Nora Aunor Fans' Club (Ramcos Nulud), and a Mabalacat-residing teenage violinist John Canlas collaborate to create the opening theme song of Kalam. 5 Against The Wall and Nora Aunor Fans' Club were both participating bands in Kalalangan Kamaru's and Holy Angel University Center for Kapampangan Studies' RocKapampangan project, with the former doing a reggae version of 'Sibul Na Ning Arayat' and the latter composing a blues version of a hilarious Kapampangan children's song they titled 'Kaplas.'

Tarlac City-based Kapampangan band Mernuts—popular through YouTube for rendering Kapampangan translations of songs such as Rihanna's 'Umbrella' and Beyonce's 'Irreplaceable'—made their original composition 'Oras' to serve as the closing song of Kalam.

The Kapampangan youth, who have been part of the so-called MTV generation, have not been disappointed upon seeing the music videos created for the theme songs, which are regularly aired on the Infomax channel. They may also be viewed by checking out the YouTube account of 'sisigman,' where they are gradually garnering lots of views from Kapampangans and non-Kapampangans alike. “Agyu na pala ning Kapampangan ing gawan anti karen,” said one of the students who saw the music videos in Kalam's Pampanga Campus Tour.

In spite of the pop culture theme of the music videos, Kapampangan culture enthusiasts will not be disappointed as well, as the creative team made it a point to fuse pop culture and local culture.

Shot in the City of San Fernando, the music video of 'Oras' features not only a number of the main cast of 'Kalam,' but also Roland Quiambao, Pampanga's contemporary giant lantern master, and some of his beautiful works.

Shot in the Henson-Hizon heritage mansion care of Corito Panlilio-Lim, the music video of 'Alang Anggang Sugat' could serve as an independent short film, as it boldly shows the experience of a girl raped by her trusted male friends and how the loss of her virginity caused social stigma, until she decided to end her torment by committing suicide. The non-conservative treatment of the video has caused some to brand it "too dark and gory," while some reacted in awe and called it a "piece of art" and "at par with international music videos." Maleldo (Holy Week) icons were used as well to poetically show emotions of regret and suffering.

Filmmakers and Musicians

Kapampangan musicians and Kapampangan filmmakers can grow hand in hand by supporting one another, a phenomenon which I have witnessed as a student in the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication—indie bands and indie film directors working and celebrating their art together.

I call on Kapampangan Masscomm students to be observant of the music videos they see on TV and to take advantage of the Internet when it comes to studying. While observation can help you get familiarized with the popular standards and styles of music video direction and conceptualization, remember that you should not be content with copying or perfecting the style of another. As a Kapampangan, you are obliged to bring pride to your race—by coming up with an original style in the creation of music videos which other peoples can look up to someday.

Let's not forget that as Kapampangans, we should live up to the tradition of excellence which we love to take pride in. Let's keep striving for more groundbreaking Kapampangan music, partnered with breath-taking and non-mediocre Kapampangan music videos, as every music video we make is an “advertisement” of the Kapampangan people. To spawn a mediocre music video is either a learning stage for the budding filmmaker, or simply a form of neglect to the subconscious consequences an ugly piece can have to the Kapampangan image.

May Kapampangan music and music videos bloom in the future. Young Kapampangan filmmaking enthusiasts are invited to get acquainted with the writer by texting 09186992459. Kalalangan Kamaru has plans of developing young Kapampangan directors.

Email reactions to sisig_man@yahoo.com.ph

An Overview of the Kapampangan Music Scene (Part 1)

Nanu nang atin, Nanu pa ing kailangan
An Overview of the Kapampangan Music Scene (Part 1)
By Jason Paul Laxamana
Urban Kamaru
Central Luzon Daily

The Kapampangans, it can be said, are still in the stage of exploring and learning the industry of music, and its technicalities. As Project Director of Kalalangan Kamaru's and Holy Angel University Center for Kapampangan Studies' RocKapampangan, the first ever Kapampangan rock album, I have witnessed first hand that we already have everything that is required to build and sustain a Kapampangan music industry. Well, almost everything.

Thank Apung Ginu for these

Talent. We have a pool of talented but innocent musicians, albeit poor in confidence and aggressiveness, as they generally believe that a successful music career can solely be achieved by being discovered and being handled by the hands of Manila-based record producers. They are often fanatics of national musicians, but little do they know that they can be Bamboos or Sarah Geronimos in their homeland, if they just believe more in themselves and acquire a sense of competition with Tagalog and even foreign musicians.

Equipment. We have competent recording studios, three of which would be Kikoman's Recording Studios, Aldrene Tuazon's Kid's Place Recording Studio—both in Angeles City—and James Dizon's D'Zone Digital Recording Studio, located in the City of San Fernando. They're not as high-tech as those of Manila-based studios, but their quality, subject to the level of skill of the recording engineer and/or mixer, are ready for radio airplay and even out-of-the-province release.

Visionaries. We have record producers who can supervise the production of Kapampangan songs and albums, scout for potential talents, and even manage them. These producers, however, are quite independent—struggling, if you wish to call them—as they don't have corporate giants like Universal Records, EMI, BMG, or Star Records to backup their endeavors, simply because, on a Manila perspective, to venture into Kapampangan music is not very commercially viable compared to venturing into English and Tagalog music.

Financing. We have foundations, cultural groups, and wealthy individuals who see the benefits of having a strong music industry. These people have been willing to morally and financially support the production of Kapampangan albums or tracks for the sake of the Kapampangan people.

Media. We have enough local mass media firms to promote Kapampangan music—television stations, cable channels, radio stations, and even the Internet. Apart from these, we have ordinances and resolutions supporting the propagation of Kapampangan music through mass media.

Other skills. We have enough skilled people to support Kapampangan recorded music productions in terms of publicity, such as photographers, inlay and CD designers, music video directors and technical team, printing presses, concert and event organizers, and journalists.

Ask Apung Ginu for these

Capitalists. Either Kapampangans build their own big record labels, or convince Manila-based music corporations to establish a regional branch in Central Luzon. But how to convince? Not merely by words certainly. We need to show the big people of Manila that Kapampangan music is not only competent, but thriving, and is worth the investment. It's just something like tourism, or attracting foreign investors to erect firms in Clark.

Distributors. Based on experience, we don't have CD replication presses in Central Luzon still. When Kamaru and HAU produced RocKapampangan, we had to bring the master copy to Manila for quality CD reproduction. All we have right now in the region is CD burning.

An alternative to independent CD replication is getting a distribution deal. But are there big time distributors here? None, which results in a very interesting case of music piracy. An illegal act, piracy has served a latent function in the promotion of Kapampangan music. I personally heard Ara Muna's O Jo, Kaluguran Da Ka first on the lines of bangketas along Miranda St. in Angeles City. Two weeks after the launching of RocKapampangan, pirated copies began to swarm Apu. Other people have informed me afterwards that San Fernando pirates have begun selling pirated CDs. Then Tarlac. Then, even Quiapo. Would you believe, even in New Jersey?

It's difficult to find original Kapampangan CDs in record stores, but bangketas, they have them all—from the polosadors to ArtiSta. Rita, from Aslag Kapampangan to funny remixes. Thus, I pose this question: is piracy of Kapampangan music all that bad, when it is piracy that serves—temporarily I hope—as the distributors of struggling Kapampangan musical artists?

The bad side of this is pangalugi of course. Pirates live off the work of enthusiastic producers and musicians. If producers and musicians don't earn back what they have spent, how will they continue making more and much better Kapampangan music in the future? This is something the local government should look into.

Strong market. In relation to piracy, Kapampangan music has a growing following. But does 'following' equate with 'market'? To a certain degree, yes, but 'market' here is discombobulating, as there is no transaction involved. People don't buy the music; they ask for it to be given away for free, or for a cheap price (thus, resorting to pirated copies). Will Kapampangans ever be ready to purchase and support Kapampangan music, to the extent of getting the original copy instead of the piratical? Do they have enough purchasing power to avail original copies of the latest Mon David or K4ad album?

World view. Another thing the Kapampangan music scene needs to embrace is the sense of a global village, which implies that every piece of music we churn out should be a potential player in not only the national but global cultural industry. This means that the quality of the song should be observed. Quality may be subjective, yes, but using our own standard of quality, we should strive for it nevertheless whenever making music.

But the musical quality of the song is limited to the world of half-notes, sopranos, baritones, and G-clefs, which the real world is absolutely not. Musical quality does not ensure a hit or a historical mark. We should also look into what I love to call the “social quality” of every track. Your song may be beautifully sung or wisely mixed and engineered, but is it anything new to the world of music? If I place it in a shelf with all other songs in the world, would it potentially grab my attention?

Wanted: Investors

Having said all these, I call out to the wealthy people of the Kapampangan region who see not only monetary but cultural potential in the growing Kapampangan music industry: please stand up! Grab the idea while it is new. Conquer the field while there is no king yet.

Please email reactions to sisig_man@yahoo.com.ph

Official Kalam MTVs now out!

The music videos for the opening and closing theme songs of Kalam are finished! They were screened at the Francis De Javier Theater of Holy Angel University yesterday before the technical preview of the Cinemalaya 2008 Best Picture, Jay (Francis Pasion), but are aired regularly at Infomax-8.

You may also view them in YouTube:

Official music video of ALANG ANGGANG SUGAT by 5 Against the Wall featuring Ramcos Nulud (vocalist of Nora Aunor Fans' Club band) and violinist John Canlas of Mabalacat. Song written by Jason Paul Laxamana, with excerpts from poems of Jose Gallardo (Malikwatas, Biye Alang Bakas) and Mariano Sigua (Aduang Curan). DIRECTOR: Jason Laxamana, ASST. DIRECTOR: Diego Dobles, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Joven Mallari, EDITOR: Jason Laxamana, Diego Dobles, PRODUCTION DESIGNERS: Jon Tanganco, Nhoel Austria



Official music video of Mernuts' original Kapampangan composition, Oras. Used as closing theme song. DIRECTOR: Jason Laxamana, ASST. DIRECTOR: Diego Dobles, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Joven Mallari, EDITOR: Jason Laxamana, PRODUCTION DESIGN: Roland Quiambao, SET MAN: Jon Tanganco

RocKapampangan music videos coming up!

Music videos of songs from the RocKapampangan album? Not really. But new original Kapampangan songs of two of the bands included in the RocKapampangan project, yes.

Last Thursday and Saturday, Kalalangan Kamaru and Infomax shot the music videos of the opening and closing theme songs of Kalam, which are Alang Anggang Sugat (5 Against the Wall, Ramcos Nulud, John Canlas) and Oras (Mernuts) respectively.

Alang Anggang Sugat was shot at the Henson-Hizon heritage house in the City of San Fernando. The video reveals a subplot in Kalam, where a rape victim (played by Kalam auditions semifinalist Frency Rodriquez) resorts to witchcraft to take revenge on the two boys who took away her virginity by force, which she considers to be an eternal slash in her soul. A special cameo appearance of Aries Yap as Yubs, his character in Kalam, is something to look forward to. The character of Kool is also present in the video, albeit played by Diego Dobles, Kalam Asst. Director.


Oras, on the other hand, was shot at the lantern workshop of parol master Roland Quiambao in the same city. While the characters in the story are in no way related to Kalam, they feature five of the main cast, namely Nicolette Henson, Raco Del Rosario, Peter Danganan, Reachel Mucho, and Aries Yap. Jhaye Arzaga and Chao Chua of the Mernuts band also take part in the acting part.



Wait for their airing at Infomax-8! We will also be posting the videos on YouTube. Keep visiting this blog for updates. If you haven't heard the opening and closing theme songs of Kalam, play them below.





Don't forget to attend the Grand Premiere of Kalam at SM City Pampanga on the 27th of August. It's totally libri.

Kamaru on Infomax' Personalan talk show

The following series of videos is one full episode of Infomax' talk show Personalan which is shown weekly in Pampanga via Infomax-8 and ABSCBN Pampanga Channel 46.

In this episode, the creative production group Kalalangan Kamaru (creative producer of Kalam) was guested to send the message to fellow Kapampangan youth that denial of ethnicity, especially through rejection or concealment of mother language, is the most uncool thing in this period.

If you don't speak Kapampangan, you'll find that the videos have no subtitles but you may still want to watch to take a partial look at how Kapampangan mass media is progressing.











At the end of the show, Kalam became the topic of conversation. See the set of audition VTRs in the fifth video.

Watch Jessica Soho episode on 'Kalam'

A few weeks ago, Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho featured the mass media, particularly broadcast, industry of the Philippine provinces which employ the use of the local language. Because we our doing the first ever Kapampangan TV drama, they decided to feature us to represent the Kapampangans.



This is the second time a Kamaru project has attracted national television. If you can still remember, RocKapampangan was also featured months ago when they did a segment on Promdi Rock.



What's negative about Jessica Soho is that she doesn't see the distinction between a language and a dialect. She would call the Kapampangan language a dayalekto (dialect), sometimes, wika (language). Researchers should advise her on the difference of the two, and that non-Tagalog Philippine languages are, well, languages, not dialects.


Second is the constant labeling of provincial products as Promdi products. Promdi rock, promdi telenovelas, etc. It implies a centralized view of the Philippines -- Manila is Philippines, and if you come from the province, there's a special label for you.



If you failed to watch the 'Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho' featuring Kalam, it's now on YouTube:

Guagua lad in Pinoy Idol

I was informed that one of the male candidates (and considered by many as the best vocalist among the men) in GMA-7's Pinoy Idol is a Kapampangan from Guagua.

He's none other than Elizalde Camaya, or as his screen name goes, Kid Camaya!

Watch him use his suave RnB voice in this video:



To vote for Kid Camaya:

Text IDOL KID and send to the following numbers:

367- smart and talk and text
2344- globe/touch mobile/suncellular

cost is PHP2.50 per vote.

Frequency K: Kool Maging Kapampangan!

We used to only have Arnel Panganiban's Kapampangan Ku, Pagmaragul Ku on GVAM 792 as the sole radio program based in Pampanga that features Kapampangan songs, mostly pulosas and basultos. When it comes to FM radio, Kapampangan is nowhere to be found. All we hear are English and Tagalog songs, making the Kapampangan youth more and more absorbed to these languages (hey, the songs are hip and cool; it makes the language of their lyrics cool as well then), away from their mother tongue, Kapampangan.

Well, not anymore.


I am also now DJ Jason Paul of the GVFM 99.1 Kapampangan weekly show, Frequency K (the letter K stands for, as you might have guessed, Kapampangan), along with DJ Diegs (Diego Dobles of Asthma band). In this show, we host in Kapampangan, play modern Kapampangan songs, admit Kapampangan greetings, and tell Kapampangan trivia!

Apart from that, we also guest live bands with Kapampangan remakes/compositions every episode. For our pilot airing, we guested Guagua-based band Pedro's Playground. They performed an original composition titled Dayang Kapampangan (Kapampangan Blood). The lyrics below.

We also have this segment called Lakwatseru, where we go to various schools and universities to record Kapampangan greetings and messages from random students and personalities we encounter.

Frequency K may be heard on GVFM 99.1 every Saturday, 7 PM. If you're in a band or you know a Kapampangan band interested to play live (acoustic setup only; song must be in Kapampangan) in our show, have them contact me @ 09186992459.

The objective of the show is to have the Kapampangan language penetrate the pop culture industry, in hopes of returning or increasing the ethnic pride of the culturally confused Kapampangan youth. We also want to propagate the idea to budding Kapampangan musicians that using our Amanung Sisuan in modern music is not grotesque. It's in fact hip!

As our tagline goes, uling king Frequency K, kool maging Kapampangan! (For in Frequency K, it's cool to be Kapampangan!)

Dayang Kapampangan
By Pedro'’s Playground

Atin kesabyan kekatamung Kapampangan
King pamagmalan atna katamung pangaselan
King pamaglutu, dadayuan da katamu deng tau
Sisig, tidtad, palabuk, deng pagmayabang tamu

(Things they say about us, Kapampangans
We're choosy when it comes to dressing up
We're renowned by people for our culinary skills
We take pride in sisig, tidtad, palabuk)

Aliwa tamung Kapampangan
Masyas tamu tetagan
Andyang nanung kasakitan
Misasanmetung tamu ngan

(We, Kapampangans, are distinct
We have a strong lineage
Whatever challenge we face
We're always united)

Andyang nanung problema, laging mipapanantabe
Uling king pamakiabe, balu ta' ing makatibe
Bansag da kekatamu, deng taung dayang asu
Ing e da mu balu, relihiyosu ta'ng tutu

(In every crisis, we look after one another
Because altogether we strive to be better
They brand us "with canine blood"
Little do they know, we're also spiritual)

Aliwa tamung Kapampangan
Masyas tamu tetagan
Andyang nanung kasakitan
Misasanmetung tamu ngan

(We, Kapampangans, are distinct
We have a sturdy lineage
Whatever challenge we face
We're always united)

DJ Diegs

DJ Jason Paul

RocKapampangan launching on Pep TV

The launching concert of the RocKapampangan album is being aired on Pep TV (for ACCTN subscribers only) on the following dates, every ka-9 ning bengi.

April 13 (Sun)
April 15 (Tue)
April 17 (Thu)
April 20 (Sun)

Performances by: Mental Floss, Tibuan, Asthma, 5 Against The Wall, Mernuts, Dialogo, Chilimansi, Nora Aunor Fans' Club, and Silence.

Kapampangan Band makes parody of Voltes V theme song

The Nora Aunor Fans' Club band from Guagua does this parody of the ending song of 'Voltes V' in one of their inuman sessions. Song is called Aku 'Ni. Funny.

RocKapampangan on ABS-CBN Pampanga

ABS-CBN Pampanga's magazine show featuring the activities in Pampanga (called Pampanga) makes a special feature on RocKapampangan. Watch it!

Pampanga airs on ABS-CBN Pampanga every Sunday, 9:30 am.

'Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho' features RocKapampangan

Were you able to catch today's episode of Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho on GMA-7? In today's episode, they had a story on what they tagged as "Promdi Rock" and other non-Tagalog recorded music.

Davao band 1017's Charing was also featured, along with the renowned Bisrock (Bisaya Rock) band Phylum and T'boli indigenous musicians.


Representing non-Tagalog Luzon are none other than the Kapampangans for their newly released RocKapampangan album. According to an interview made by their researchers with a certain expert on music, such movements are manifestations of wanting to oppose identity crisis. Gradually, young minds are beginning to think, amidst the proliferation of Tagalog and English records, why can't I sing in my mother language?



Sir Joel Mallari of Holy Angel University was also featured, saying that the RocKapampangan album inspired his balid (non-proficient in Kapampangan) son to perfect his native tongue gradually.

Here are some more screen captures of their feature on RocKapampangan.










If you haven't grabbed your album yet, rugo, nanu'ng panenayan mu?