B-Pop: The A Cappella Challenge finals on Aug. 11

CEBU, Philippines —  It’s no secret that Cebuanos love music. Filipinos in general have music everywhere. It doesn’t matter if it’s for a birthday or a competition. Sometimes, we don’t even need a reason.

 The Primary Group of Builders highlights that love of music with a twist as they introduce the B-Pop A cappella Challenge.

 Because of B-Pop (Bisaya-Pop), local groups singing in a cappella (without music) is no longer the stuff of movies for Cebuanos. What some of us only used to enjoy by watching videos online of groups singing a cappella covers of our favorite songs, is now something we get to witness in the flesh.

 Definitely, it takes a lot of skill, practice, teamwork, and even genius to produce music on our own without the use of instruments. Replicating beats and rhythms, and the sounds of musical instruments solely from our voices and bodies is no easy feat. And for a competition of that nature to take place in Cebu says a lot about the pool of talent we have around here.

 Five finalists made it past the auditions and will be battling it out on stage at the B-Pop: The Acapella Challenge Grand Finale on Saturday, August 11 at the J Center Mall.

 Coming from different backgrounds, the finalists are made up of professional and non-professional a capella and singing groups: from church choirs, corporate organizations, barkadas, and even universities.

 Singing one obligatory Bisaya song and one song of their choice, the groups competing for the grand prize are Primiero, The Sync Singers, Vox-Anima Cebu, The Technica Department and the UP Serenata.

 Up for grabs are P50, 000 and the opportunity to record a Christmas album. The Primary Group of Builders will also provide gigs and shows for the grand prize winner, tapping them for performances at Maayo Hotel and other corporate events.

 “You might wonder, why an a cappella contest?” marketing manager Michelle Cutang says in a press conference at the 2Quad building within Cebu Business Park. “The Primary group of companies believes in synergy and innovation. We feel that an a cappella competition is the picture of synergy. You need to be in sync with your voices, you need harmony and team work. That espouses all the companies under the Primary Group of Builders brand.”

 Cutang adds that they opted for the Binisaya theme in honor of Cebu.

 “We’re local. We’re very Cebuano. That’s why apart from the contest, we also have guests for the concert. This is not only a celebration of synergy and innovation but also of Cebuano talents.”

 She also presses that apart from celebrating Bisaya music and introducing a cappella singing, the B-Pop Acapella Challenge also doubles as a mini-concert featuring performances by locals and locals-at-heart like Jacky Chang, Mandaue Nights, Maka Girls and Caloy Juapo.

 More importantly, the proceeds from the competition will go to 50 to 200 scholars of the School of Knowledge, Industrial Labor, Leadership and Services (SKILLS) of the Primary Structured Educational Foundation, Inc—the Primary Group of Builders non-stock, non-profit corporate foundation.

 Starting their senior high program three years ago, PSEFI is accredited by the DSWD, DepEd, TESDA, PCNC and CWB with the goal of providing free skills training, competency assessment and employment. SKILLS is also a way of creating a meaningful recruitment process, as well as alleviating the skills gap between those seeking work and the requirements demanded by the industry.

 “There is a skills gap and a talent shortage. There are so much opportunities but also so many without work. We wanted to match the number of unemployed people with the opportunities at hand,” PSEFI SKILLS chief operating officer Paulette D. Liu says of the birth of SKILLS.

 The program provides education and opportunities for marginalized out-of-school youth and adults, abused and battered women, unemployed and displaced workers, as well as for persons with disabilities—all the while bundling up their skills through their technical vocational programs.

 The program has also trained women to thrive in the male-dominated building and construction industry. The project also aims to raise the morale of construction workers by reinventing their job in what they now call as builder assistant.

 “People think that their job is dirty, difficult, and dangerous. We want to change that perception. We are producing multi-skilled talents [through SKILLS]. You are not just a carpenter – you are a carpenter, a mason, a tile-setter, and a plumber. You have four skills, you become more valuable, you are paid higher. You are not just a carpenter, you are a builder assistant. It brings dignity and more value to what the employee possesses,” Liu says.

 Swede cover artist Caloy Juapo also graced the press conference, saying that he is happy and honored to be part of a project that not only highlights what he loves, which is Cebuano music, but also helps the current situation of the Filipino workforce which is why joining the event as guest performer was an instant yes.

 “I’ve been here in Cebu, duha ka tuig. Just after a few weeks, I realized that Cebuano music is so good. There are so many good songs, so many good singers. And it feels like an untouched gem. Something that I want to explore more. I learned Bisaya by singing Bisaya songs,” the internet sensation says.

 “I am a system engineer and the global workforce, we’re missing a lot of skilled people. In Sweden, we’re missing 30,000 developers. And Sweden, it’s a very gamay country, it’s walay tao. I’m really happy that this event will support 200 students for free education,” Juapo says.