Reggae-pop entry wins at 1st Original Bisaya Music songwriting tilt

CEBU, Philippines —  Ruel Ceriño from the Municipality of Cordova bested four other songwriters at the first ever Original Bisaya Music songwriting competition during the finals night held Nov. 24 at SM City Cebu Cinema 1.

His entry, titled “Forever Na Ni,” won him P20,000, promotion from the Original Bisaya Music organization, a music video worth P20,000 and 50 percent of music sales.

“Malipayon kaayo ko. Nagpasalamat kaayo ko sa nag-organize ani. Daghan na kaayo siyag kanta nga nahimo pero gitagaan mi niyang uban composer og chance para mapagawas among mga kanta ug madunggan sa ubang tao. Dako kaayo akong pasalamat,” Ceriño said.

His third time to join a songwriting tilt, the 31-year-old began penning music in 2007 and later on put up a band. For “Forever Na Ni,” which renders a lively pop vibe, Ceriño took the risk of trying out a new genre.

“Akoa kasagaran, na impluwensyahan ko sa emo. Karon, sa OBM, nag usab ko ug genre. Gusto ko nga mudako, mu-broad akong kaalam. Dili lang ko sa emo-rock naka-focus. So akong gisudlan ang reggae-pop pareha ani,” he said.

Ceriño handpicked 20-year-old Gerlyn Abaño as interpreter, who in turn feels “thankful and blessed” for the opportunity

To fellow songwriters and budding artists, Ceriño – often inspired by the things and stories he sees in media – tells others to pursue their passions just as he did.

“Passion gyud ni nako. Pangandoy ra gyud nako nga akong composition madungog sa ubang tao. Sa katong ganahan musuwat, ayaw mo og give up. Tumana ang inyong mga passion.”

Following Ceriño’s “Forever Na Ni” at second place is “It’s Love,” a folk English track written and performed by Francis Benedict Batac of Mandaue City. He received P10,000, music video worth P20,000 and half of the music sales.

At third place was the ballad piece “Kahibaw Kong Kahibaw Ka,” performed by Philipp Mancol, and composed by Neil Salarda and J-Peterson Villarin from Cebu City and Naga City, respectively. They brought home P5,000 cash, music video worth P20,000 and half of the music sales.

Winning consolation prizes worth P3,000 and 50 percent of music sales were the songs at the last two spots. Rock song “Tahan” written by Bukidnon’s Dempsy Betache and Rolly Jay Aba, performed by the band Alter Ego, was at fourth place. “Nais Ko,” interpreted by Aljon Balbido and composed by Franklin Serino of Bohol was at fifth place.

The songs – judged by Rommel Tuico of Stagecrew, Eping Amores of The Ambassadors, Jun Jun Caro of BTU and Edgar Butalid of Auction Band – were scored based on creativity, lyrics, coherence, commercial appeal and overall quality. The other half of the points came from the most-viewed videos for each song which were posted on YouTube.

OBM founder Bryan Arias Balucan said that he formed the campaign to raise the quality of Bisaya music through original compositions. Supporting and promoting Bisaya artistry, the contest recognizes music of any language or dialect so long as it is composed by a Bisaya. The organization also aims to teach and guide aspiring songwriters and artists and support their content.

“We want to inspire artists. The more songwriters there are, the more original music and songs are available for our singers,” explains Balucan of why the competition welcomed songs despite being not written in Bisaya.

Over a hundred entries were submitted for the first edition of OBM, with hopefuls from Negros, Bohol, Iligan, Cagayan, Bukidnon and even New Zealand and Australia sending in songs. For two weeks, the OBM panel listened to the entries in full and came up with the top five finalists.

The finals night witnessed a celebration of Bisaya talent with performances by “The Clash” grand champion Golden Cañedo and “Pinoy Dream Academy” first runner-up Jay-R Siaboc. Apart from live performances by the finalists, Bisaya bets in singing competitions by major TV stations and BisRock personalities also performed.

Balucan, who finished a degree in electrical and communication engineering at the University of San Jose Recoletos, revealed that he gave up his work and residency in Singapore for OBM. The former assistant stage director at the Universal Studios Singapore came home in Cebu August this year. The Minglanilla native taught dance and worked for 18 years in Singapore and three years in Taiwan.

A former engineer, Balucan began writing songs at 41 years old. He encourages budding artists to try and practice their craft.

“Believe in yourself. Always pray. Nakahimo ko ana nga tiguwang na ko nag-start. I’m sure naa pay songwriters na mas maayo pa. Bilib lang sa kaugalingon. Aim high and always pray na i-guide ka ni Lord.”