Fresh sounds, new faces and other highlights at the 28th Cebu Pop Music Festival

First-timers, regulars and past winners make up the roster of finalists to this year’s Cebu Pop Music Festival, the 28th edition of the long-running Visayan songwriting contest, which is one of the major highlights of the annual Sinulog Festival.

Some of the 12 composers were presented by organizers in a presscon last week, including Niño James Banares, a teacher who placed third at the recently-concluded 2nd Huniño liturgical songwriting contest held at the Basilica del Sto. Niño. Banares, who is one of the contest’s four new composers, said that after five years of taking a crack at it, he is delighted to have finally made it to the shortlist with a song that calls for unity—an entry he feels that’s relevant with the times.

Engr. Bernard Gocela, who first took part in Cebu Pop during its 11th edition and has since reaped awards several times including for one composition interpreted by Sheryn Regis, has last submitted an entry more than five years ago. He excitedly returns this year with a love song, a conscious effort on his part to break off from the seeming pattern of entries tackling moral issues.

Joining since 2004, Jun Cabillar, last year’s Texter’s Choice Winner, boasts of two entries in the final line-up.

Incidentally, organizers announced that they did away with the Texter’s Choice this year after they ran out of time of producing the album of the final entries for airing on radio. It was also felt as unnecessary since the award, as in the past, did not figure in the final judging.   

Nevertheless, project director Philogene Florita said that spectators can look forward to the performance of the University of the Visayas Chorale, which will also be given tribute following its big win at the Busan International Choral Festival last year. Some showbiz personalities have also signified their interest to attend.

Although they had previously announced in radio promotions that the Bisrock artists who were part of an album produced by the Church-based movement Dilaab last year, will appear as guests in this year’s Cebu Pop, Florita said that the rockers have begged off due to some technical requirements. However, they intend to be part of Cebu Pop next year. Although there have been no Bisrock entries yet in the history of Cebu Pop, Florita said that the festival is opening its doors to Bisrock music, acknowledging its huge and growing following in the local scene, as long as these are compositions that are “legitimately wholesome” as far as lyrics are concerned.

Gloria Villarojo of Soundtraxx, the recording company responsible for Cebu Pop’s CD albums, said that organizers are taking steps in erasing whatever misconceptions about the festival that they only appeal to the oldies and not to the young. She said that if only more people will listen to the songs that have come out of Cebu Pop Festivals in recent years, they will be surprised at the fresh sounds it has been churning out. “We have always encourage those who like to submit entries to experiment,” she said.

Musical director Gani Villarojo, on the other hand, said that this year’s entries are a mixture of pop-ballads, disco, RnB and reggae, making Cebu Pop more interesting to watch. 

The outgoing president of the Kapisanan ng mga Broadcasters sa Pilipinas (Cebu Chapter) also expressed in behalf of the KBP its intention to help promote further Cebu Pop music by pushing for more of its songs to be aired on local FM stations.  

Also noteworthy among the developments to this year’s Cebu Pop is a grant worth P211,000 from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. The festival’s song presentation and awarding will unfold this January 18 (Friday) at the New Cebu Coliseum. (NMT)