Carmen native hailed Bisaya Icon champ

CEBU, Philippines — Raffy Buenconsejo was battling fever, a sore throat, and colds two weeks before the Bisaya Icon Season 1 grand finals – but these apparently did not impede him from emerging as grand champion of the singing tilt organized by Bisaya Flix.

The native of Carmen, Cebu has participated in various singing contests, consistently placing third or fourth, but never clinching the main prize. This win was unexpected for him, leaving him unexpectedly overwhelmed. He said he always hung on to the belief that “no matter what happens on stage, you might forget the lyrics or not reach the right notes, but if you do your best, what’s destined for you will happen.”

With his last rehearsals happening three days before the June 22 finals held at the SM City Cebu Cinema, Buenconsejo said he was advised by Elcid Camacho of Bisaya Flix to aim for the P100,000 cash prize. “So I put it in my mind that my performance should be worth a P100,000,” he said.

Buenconsejo, a 25-year-old graduate of Hospital Management, was third runner-up in Sinulog Idol Season 14, where his dreams of participating in larger competitions began. After his Bisaya Icon win, he feels more eager to showcase his talent not only in Cebu, but throughout the Philippines, and even worldwide.

After months of daily, weekly, and monthly rounds, the top six finalists of Bisaya Icon Season finally clashed in a grand showdown. Aside from Buenconsejo, they were Gelli Cenabre Limpag from Carmen, Cebu; Kathleen Lirazan from Alcantara; Jovie Loon from Pinamungajan; Marijoy Gabutin Batatas from Bonbon, Cebu City; and Alden from Minglanilla.

The Grand Showdown consisted of four segments: the production round, individual performances of English songs, a battle round with Tagalog songs, and a final round featuring individual Visayan songs.

In the Top 3 round, Buenconsejo performed “Hagawhaw” by Ralph Mallapre from the 34th Cebu Popular Music Festival. Lirazan delivered a powerful rendition of “Nganu Kaha” by Mariel Minglanilla, while Loon sang his original song “Asa Ko Nagkulang.”

Judges Scarlette Rosal, Shenen Macniel, Julianne Mae Feliciano-Vera Cruz (Mrs. Cebu 2008 Grand Winner and founder of Queen Mother of Cebu Organization), and Elcid Camacho (Mr. Universe 2022 and CEO of Bisaya Flix) expressed their difficulty in selecting a winner, praising all contestants as “amazing” singers.

Camacho, emotional over the success of Bisaya Icon Season 1, emphasized the importance of such avenues to showcase talent in Cebu which is why he created Bisaya Flix. He also reaffirmed his vision to promote Bisaya artists globally despite the challenges.

Bisaya Flix announced the renewal of Bisaya Icon for Season 2, with auditions to be held every second Saturday of the month at SM City Cebu. The platform aims to discover and nurture local talent, offering opportunities for artists to shine and achieve their dreams.

Bisaya Flix has also been conducting acting workshos and creating films. Their upcoming film “ASET,” written and directed by Camacho, will premiere this July 25 at SM Seaside City. They are also launching the Bisaya streaming app BisayaFlix, where Bisaya movies and episodes will be available for streaming. – Neicol Elirey Rosel