SAYAW

SayawThe Antiqueño Wedding Dance

WRITTEN BY FRANCIS MISSION

“The rekindling of Sinulog or Sayaw unveils the radiant jewels of cultural heritage that gleam throughout the course of time. This peculiar wedding ritual bequeaths a perpetual grace from predecessors of Busalian lineage to the children of this generation. The remnants of ancient soil are concealed in the vintage jar of the old folk who inherited a healing prowess. These jars are vital paraphernalia in the execution of the wedding ritual. The moment the antique jar is opened, it symbolizes the acceptance of fortune, guidance, protection, and blessings to the married couple.

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The third wave of the spine-chilling war- dance had finally come. The newly-wed became pale as the two fiery-faced warrior armed with a sharp bolo shouted with a hoard voice. Their quick mincing steps and intense hand movements go harmoniously with the sound of the improvised percussion instrument. The sharp metallic tool produced fire when the ritual-performers strike it in a forceful way. The couple had no choice but to persistently endure the hair-raising situation. It’s almost 10 minutes when the ritual in-charge had thrown a handful of silver and gold colored coins and a “tilad” to the dance warriors. It serves as a priceless payment in order for the married couple to be freed. With that, the debt was already paid off and another descendant was graced.

The same scenario was witnessed by the people after a religious wedding in many places in the province of Antique. In its remote barangays, people are endowed with rich and unique cultural heritage that are still practiced up to this day. Old folks firmly believe that marriage has diverse collection of rituals that made it more enthralling. One of those is a terrifying war-dance that attracts more spectators to witness the unique dance ritual-Sayaw.

According to Lolo Ontoy (not in his real name), a descendant of a busali-an, Sayaw is a post-wedding ritual deep rooted from their ancestor’s way back before the pre-Hispanic era. Despite of the colonization that happened, the customs and traditions like sayaw continue to flourish although Christianity had been introduced. He added that it is not just a mere ritual to be experienced by the married couple but a tradition to be handed generation by generation.

“Ang sayaw naghalin pa sa mga busalian- mga taho nga may mga kinaadman nga lain ti natural kag pareho sa ordinaryo nga taho kag ginagamit nanda para amligan kag protektahan ang anda kaugalingon sa mga ital-ital nga panyempo. Ginagamhan man sanda kadya kang Diyos kag ang mga surundanon nga ginapatihan asta kadya sanda ang ginhalinan. Ang sayaw sangka mayad nga patimaan kang manami nga pagpangabuhi kang darwa ka mag-asawa”

Busali-an is a skilled wizard who possesses magical powers used to defend themselves from all forms of threats and hazards. They worship a Supreme Being in heaven more powerful than them which they believe as their source of life, strength and power. Nowadays, descendants of busalians are ‘manugbulong’ or healers of illnesses cannot be cured by certain medications for they believe it was caused by mythical creatures lurking everywhere. They live by many beliefs and practices manifested in the occasions and events in life they undergone with. They uphold the living traditions they have because they value it like a treasured gift given to them by their ancestors. One of these is the wedding ritual, sayaw, which they upholded for it is a fortune in starting a new union.

Sayaw (sinulog in other localities) is a sacred wardance performed by the dancers whose lineage was deep rooted to busalian. It is exclusively performed after a religious wedding

PHOTO BY PHILIPPINE PERFORMANCE ARCHIVE: CULTURAL PERFORMANCE

for it is a God-given grace bestowed upon the married couple. It is usually done before the reception part which usually comes in three waves that last for 10 minutes. Each wave starts with a shout from both warriors which marks the beginning of the dance. It was followed by the dance proper around the married couple hitting forcefully their sharp bolos that nearly reaches the couple but it never touches them. It occurs in conformity with the striking sounds of the improvised percussion instrument. The third wave happens in the front of the reception in a locale where the descendants reside. When the manugsinulog (dance-warriors) was paid with coins and “tilad”- components of maram-un, the ritual is already finished.

Sayaw can be undertaken and can be experienced only by people who are descendants of busalians. It is a highly respected dance greatly valued by the couple because it is their key determinant on how their way of life would be in the future.

In the case of the manugsayaw, they must come in pair of two male performers who are also ‘maaram or manugbulong’ of illnesses caused by alleged spirits living in any untouched pieces of lands. An ordinary person cannot act as a performer because they will suffer any mental disorder for it is believed that when they perform the sayaw, their minds were replaced by the pysche of the person behind their healing prowess.

“Nangin manugsayaw ako tungod sangka surundanon namon ria kag sara ako sa mga gintawag kang mga mal-am nga dalungdungan para mag obra kang anda ginbilin nga legasiya. Wara man namon ginsekyar kay ginakabig namon ja nga manggad kay lain ti tanan pwede maka eksperyensya kadya”

A manugsayaw claimed that becoming a sayaw-dancer is a tradition they should follow and he is one of them who were called by the spirits that govern their busalian ancestors to perform their legacy. He also regarded sayaw as their wealth because not all people can experience these unique traditions.

Moreover, he added that they never had a proper training in performing the risky and breathtaking steps of sayaw. He was also amazed on how they perform it well without harming the married couple. But for him, one thing is certain, they were under the power of the spirits assuming their minds that leads them while performing.

“Sakto man nga ang sayaw sangka tradisyon kang kasal pero para kanamon pinasahi nga bugna halin sa mahal nga Makaako nga ginpasa-pasa kang amon kamal-aman. Amon gintuman ang dya nga surundanon para mangin mayad ang amon pagpangabuhi hay kon hindi mo dya matuman may mga kalisud nga matabo sa urihing adlaw”

Manang Inday affirmed that sayaw is not just a mere tradition but a unique blessing from God which was handed to them by their ancestors. They believe that adhering to this wedding ritual would make their lives fruitful. She asserted that if they failed to follow it, their life would be in miserable condition in the succeeding days.

People who are still in practice of the wedding ritual believe that if the descendants who never undergone sinulog, would later found their union dwelled in bad luck. Their children would likely become inhabited with diseases cannot be determined by science and cannot be cured by medical specialists. In addition, mental disorders among children might happen if the couple failed to practice the aforementioned wedding ritual.

However, due to the advent of modernization where technology remains to be the utmost priority of everyone, some of these traditions were easily vanished as it sounds archaic. Yet, cultural organizations advocate the preservation of these rituals and traditions because those are the valuable gifts and priceless wealth of our ancestors which they handed successfully generation by generation. The practice of these rituals proved that Antiqueños are truly upholding one of the Filipino core values, Makabayan. These also depict that Antiqueños are rich in culture as it mirrors their way of living.

Sayaw gives color to the lives of many people. Its unique characteristics made our cultural heritage distinct from others. It is a trademark of Antiqueños that sets them apart from others. Therefore, we should uphold the unique cultural heritage that connects our hearts to be one.

IImagine the world being quiet. No melody can heard and no sound of an instrument wakes our resting emotions; only the natural noise of nature, the humming of birds, and murmur of the rivers flare our morning. Are they enough for our ears? Or do we need more? The existence of music in the world has given color to our lives. The melody that comes from our heart conveyed by uttering and humming to express a particular message is like ink on a blank paper. It has a different effect on our lives whether you are the audience or the performer. It has the capacity to attract no matter what style, genre, or language it has. In today’s Kpop dominated music industry, where does local music stand? Is it relevant or is it seen as outdated? The province of Antique is not just a rural province that boasts of its tourist spots, rich culture, and people but also possesses a hidden gem that is ready to appear to the rest of the world, and that is our original music.

In the1950s, Antiqueños have never been so attached to music. There are few English songs and you can rarely even hear Tagalog songs but Kinaray-a? Nothing at all, and if anyone tries, it does not please people’s ears because they perceived it as buki, a local term for something that is outdated. But the emergence of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Bee Gees, and other musical groups have greatly influenced music lovers in the past, particularly in 1960s. As others often listen to their radios, here they were inspired to compose their own song using their own language.

In Antique, OKM is a term which refers to songs composed and performed by an Antiqueño artist in Kinaray-a (language spoken by the people of Antique). “Daw sa Kanami Lang” was the first Kinaray-a song that glommed the elusive musical taste of most of the Antiqueños. The song has a story to tell and an emotion to feel. But have you ever wondered who is the person behind this masterpiece?

THE FATHER OF KINARAY-A MUSIC

Engr. Bernie Lagos Salcedo often called as “Tatay Bern,” is a native

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Antiqueño from Barangay Poblacion, Anini-y. He was the first to introduce the trend in OKM. He’s now a 67-year-old Chemical Engineer by profession and a former barangay captain. He was born on August 24, 1954, as the thoughtful son of Felix Legaspi Salcedo and Leoncia Erispe Lagos who were both from Anini-y. He met the love of his life, Fe Guerra Quanico in San Jose De Buenavista, Antique and are blessed to have eight loving children: seven daughters and a son. He was regarded as “Father of Kinaray-a Music” because of what he started.

He finished his elementary education at Anini-y Central School. During highschool, he was undeniably excellent to where he graduated as class valedictorian. From an early age, he felt that he had a mission to fulfill; he is trained to think that when there is no leader he will take the responsibility. On top of that, he’s also a declaimer and received awards when he graduated from highschool. It was here that he began composing yells for their cheering team which allowed him to discover his hidden musical talent and this led him to compose “Daw sa Kanami Lang” in 1969.

Tatay Bern is man of intellect. He attended college at the University of the Philippines -Visayas (UPV) and took Public Management but due to Martial Law at that time, his father transferred him to the Western Institute of Technology (WIT) also located in Iloilo City and took up Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. They came up with that decision because he liked to attend rallies, which caused his father to worry about what might happen to him.

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THE STORY BEHIND HIS FIRST COMPOSITION

He has no formal music training and also learned to play a guitar by himself. Being left handed added another challenge to him. Guitars are used to be strummed by the right fingers, if you reverse the handling of the guitar the placements of the chords will change too. Tatay Bern could do nothing but to challenge himself. Most lefties have no option but to play it the same way as right handed musicians do but he still strived to play using his left hand and soon after he learned it impeccably. Actually, there are guitars exclusive for lefties but lack of money and the availability of the instrument locally was a worry for him.

Tatay Bern enjoys jamming with his friends. His home is always considered their favorite place to sing or in the plaza with a guitar. They love The Beatles and other musical groups. Whenever they sing English songs, not everyone gets along because they cannot speak English words very well. At first they were mixing it with Tagalog until they finally replaced it with Kinaray-a, and with that version, everyone in the group was in sync. Truly, a simple enjoyment led an inspiration out of Bernie’s passion as it turned one of the reasons he began composing Kinaray-a songs.

“Daw sa Kanami Lang” is a song about friendship. The lyrics convey different experiences of being in a group or what they call ‘barkada’; every stanza has a story to tell. Since they are an all-male group, they wanted to have female members and that’s how the second stanza of the song was formed with the line, ‘Daw sa kanami lang kung ang imo palangga sa tupad mo nagtampad sa gimsumpa (how nice it is when the one you love by your side honors her vow.)”

After that first composition, Tatay Bern also produced a variety of songs dealing with different themes and messages such as social realities, about the province and Antiqueños, life, environment, trilogy, and oppression.

It was followed by “Mamingaw nga Mata” that talks about remembering the past, “Lantawa ang Adlaw” that was composed during martial law and consists of only two paragraphs; he made it a medley to his other compositions that were unfinished.

“OKM had evolved because of my first composition. I taught all of my expertise in music to other artists as well as to the students. Since then they have never been discouraged to speak kinaray-a. I started composing ‘Daw sa Kanami Lang’ then followed by ‘Lantawa ang Adlaw’ because I was searching for Kinaray-a soul,” Tatay Bern said.

Bernie is known for being clever in using powerful and meaningful words in his compositions that’s why it has a different effect on the listener’s emotion; you can get hooked deeply in every line that his song tries to deliver.

He taught “Lantawa Ang Adlaw” and “Katahum Kang Langit” to the students of Antique National School (ANS) and Saint Anthony’s College (SAC) for the provincial songfest adjoined with choreography. They even used it in college as their entry in the Open Pop Song Contest in the University of the Philippines (UP) System. Luckily, they bagged second place as the jury was stunned despite the language barrier. Songs like “Antique Rogya Kami”, “Katapusan Nga Pagpanakayun” and “Panahon” were some of his popular compositons as well.

Tatay Bern’s passion paved the way for the province to have its own sparkle that we are very proud of today. He has made many compositions he could not remember some of them anymore. Some copies have been lost so they are defunct.

FATHER OF ORIGINAL KINARAY-A MUSIC

ENGR. BERNIE LAGOS SALCEDO OR “TATAY BERN” IS AN ANTIQUEÑO WHO INTRODUCED THE TREND IN OKM

PHOTOS BY SAMUEL CEZAR RUBIDO JR. STORY BY MARIANNE PALCAT

LOUIE JOHN SERVANCIA

FATHER OF ORIGINAL KINARAY-A MUSIC

ENGR. BERNIE LAGOS SALCEDO OR “TATAY BERN” IS AN ANTIQUEÑO WHO INTRODUCED THE TREND IN OKM SAMUEL CEZAR RUBIDO JR. MARIANNE PALCAT and LOUIE JOHN SERVANCIA

After graduating from college, he cut his hair bald so he could not go out in order to focus for his six-month review. Fortunately, he passed the exam and became his desired profession. Immediately after the results were released, the former Antique Governor Evelio B. Javier invited him to go to his office. He wondered how Evelio knew him. Supposedly, after the results were out, he will fly straight to America to fulfill his plan of marrying the co-worker of his sister to be anAmerican citizen and live a good life there. So he did ask Evelio why he knew him and why he wanted Bernie to work with him.

“When you were in college, I was watching you because of your good deeds,” Evelio said.

It was Evelio’s intention to ride with what they called “76 kahoy nga bus” even as a governor.

Whenever he was with a student while riding a bus, he always asked about the leader of those Antiqueños who are studying in Iloilo. The responses were the same, and it was Bernie. According to him, many highschool students were neophytes to Iloilo so he created an “Antique Desk” that helps his fellow Antiqueños get enrolled. Having low and failing grades became their problems as well so the young Bernie sought a tutor until he also even taught them freely. Eventually, Evelio was impressed.

Tatay Bern said that one you should not be surprised why his life was tied to Evelio. He even said that if you took that dimension, he was just a normal person. Indeed, their encounter has a purpose to each other’s life. He would have forgetten his fiancée because he’s always with Evelio, he always sang his compositions to wherever they were headed and his recognition began here as the Father of OKM.

While working at the Antique Provincial Capitol, he became a member of the performing arts called “Teatro Obrero kang Antique”, a member of a band as bass guitarist, and a member of Maragtas Cultural Association (MCA). Aklan and Capiz were some of the places they have gone to for concerts. This experience contributed a lot to him as he progressed being a composer. He may not be good at reading notes but by just listening, he could do the key. He is a musician by ears.

Truly blessed in the field of music, arts, and culture, his group wrote skits for plays. It was part of his job to present this form of art in every celebration of Binirayan Festival, the festival of Antique that commemorates the legend of the arrival of the ten Bornean datus in the municipality of Hamtic.

Bernie created the first part of his trilogy called “Maragtas” between 1977-1978, based on the writings of Pedro Alcantara Monteclaro about the arrival of the ten Bornean datus. Its second and third parts were followed in 1982 and the musical was finished between 1984-1998.

As the years went by, some of the songs were revised due to changes in the plot. Soon after, his relationship with the governor became stronger and later he wrote a song dedicated to Evelio entitled “Ang Bata.”

Moreover, he also created a script for a street theater related to the story of Jesus. The theater had seven groups and each group has its own drama. It was reenacted in San Jose De Buenavista and was localized; camel was replaced by the buffalos with sledges. They selected strategic houses for the show to perform a 10-15 minutes tableau. As they walk, they continue singing as if it is like a Flores de Mayo that honors Mary through flowers and songs. Since it was composed of seven groups, it has seven albums as well. The songs were recorded in casette tapes which are already defunct hence, Bernie forgot the other songs but still had some notes left. Presently, they are planning to restore it with their own expenses before they lose memory. They are looking forward to continuing what they have started in 1978.

“Ang music sangka rekado sa kabuhi kang taho (Music is a spice of life). It can make you cry, laugh, hate, love, and it can move mountains. Why? Patas kang EDSA People Power, pagkanta kang mga taho kang Bayan Ko nakita kung paano nag singgit ang tagipusuon nanda kag amo to ang nagpalayas kay Marcos (Like in EDSA People Power, when people started singing Bayan Ko, their hearts’ desire was revealed and it ousted Marcos.)” he emphasized as he describes music.

The rise of Bernie’s music has inspired other people who wished to follow his footsteps and has led to the appearance of other OKM artists like Dante Beriong who is known for his themed songs, Sammy Rubido who is popular in his novelty

DANTE BERIONG IS BEHIND THE PHILIPPINE CENTENIAL SONG “MABUHAY KA, PILIPINO.”

songs, and Noel Alamis who is loved by people for his sensual songs. These three are just a few Antiqueño artists who pursued the path to OKM. Consequently, they are much loved and admired for providing diversity of genres.

Dante Beriong: Panay’s King of Festival Songs

Probably, in just the first beat of the song you would know that it belongs to him. But would you believe that some of his compositions were written while he was driving a motorcycle? How eccentric, right? For some, the noise caused by the vehicles is irksome but it turned a blessing to him for it was able to bestow an idea in spawning a beat. He has this bizarre way of composing but once it was aired, inevitably, it will leave a mark as his passion aspires to plant a seed of hope, inspiration, and joy.

A REAL VIRTUOSO WITH A HEART OF SERVICE

A former Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) Member in the province, Sangguniang Bayan (SB) Member of his town of San Jose de Buenavista , Community Organizer, and an Assistant Chief of Protocol in the Office of the Philippine Senate for seven years, Dante Beriong is now living his life as a freelance songwriter/composer. He is an Economics major at Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU). After he graduated, he worked as an economics instructor at Saint Anthony’s College (SAC) where he met his wife, Felisa Beluso, who happened to be his student.

Aside from being an officer in charge at the Office of the Schools Division Superintendent of Department of Education (DepEd) Antique, his wife once became a disc jockey (DJ) before they were met by fate and now they’re blessed with four children with ears for music as what their parents have.

HOW HE STARTED AS A COMPOSER

Never in his wildest dreams did he think that someday he would be a musician. Ukulele, a small guitar-like instrument with four nylon strings, was the first instrument that his father bought him; he used to play a free reed wind instrument called harmonica as well. At a very young age he was exposed to many musical types: classical, music of The Beatles, country and folk songs.

Unlike other OKM artists, Dante didn’t start composing Kinaray-a songs. At the Ateneo Himigsikan competition in the late 70’s, he joined using his first composition in highschool entitled “For Agnes,” dedicated to a woman who was problematic in life. It followed in 1995 after he tried again his luck but he lost to his classmate, Arnel De Pano, a conductor and a member of Ateneo Glee Club who was the composer of “Lead Me Lord” and “Lipad na Pangarap.”

After losing to Arnel, his composition entitled “How Can I” won in the regional competition. It was his first regional championship songwriting award under the Department of Tourism. This song automatically qualified as a national finalist where he competed against the likes of Lani Misalucha, Dulce and Angelica dela Cruz. From being his competitor, Arnel became the arranger of Dante’s entry in the Search for the Philippine Centennial Independence Theme Song Competition.

The year 1998 marked the 100th anniversary of the Philippine Independence. This year brought opportunities to all aspiring musicians who once dreamed of fulfilling their hopes to have a limelight. Imagine, the first to clinch that once-in-a-lifetime victory is an Antiqueño. His composition “Mabuhay ka, Pilipino!” was chosen for the theme song of Philippine Centennial Celebration. His generosity of his talent brought honor to the province of Antique. Eventually, his name is already written in history and as part of the historical literature in the Philippines.

“The winning glory of my success is the ‘Mabuhay ka, Pilipino!’ Whenever someone asks, who wrote it? It doesn’t matter who, people may not know me but the fact that it was written by an Antiqueño is the most important thing,” he said.

DANTE AS AN OKM ARTIST

After such national recognitions, he asked himself, “I have won the national competition but why couldn’t I make a song for my province?” “Why didn’t I even think of writing a song in my own language?” So many realizations have come to him that it has led to the making of the project called “The Search for the Theme Song of the Province of Antique.” All the possible ways were done by Dante himself, from finding fund sponsors up to making it adopted by the province legally. On the other hand, that excitement turned to sadness because as the project organizer, it disqualified him from joining the search for Antique’s theme song. It never stopped him though. He wrote “Antique, Antiqueño,”which was supposedly his entry had he been allowed to participate.

Romeo ‘Katz’ Amerila is known as the composer of the Provincial Theme Song “Antique, Banwa Nga Hamili.” He wrote the music of the song. But it was Dante Beriong who wrote the lyrics. Likewise, Cesar Bandiola contributed some words in the theme song.

“I did that for the love of the province. I may have bent over the rules a bit as a sidelined participant so we did not declare my role as lyricist. I let time pass by but let me correct history.”

OTHER COMPOSITIONS

There was a night before when the electricity went out when Dante remembered Evelio who was always proud of the Antiqueños who are successful elsewhere yet look back to the province where they came from. So he asked himself what song he would dedicate to Antique. So he composed a homecoming song “Mauli Gid Ako Sa Antique” a song dedicated to all Antiqueños around the world who left the province for the sake of their families, making a living and seeking educational advancement. They are referred to as Layas Antiqueño.

“If our people are outside and are doing well, making good money, they come home, they send help to the province but how do you encourage them to be generous out of their hearts and their resources? Dapat palanggaun gid natun probinsya ta, di bala? (We should love our hometown, right?)” he said.

Indeed, it was made not for competition but because of the passion to move the hearts of Antiqueños to remember where they came from.

Because of his exposure in the music industry, people continued to admire his talent which led him to gain commissioned work and led him to be regarded as “Panay’s King of Festival Songs”. “Go! Western Visayas Go! (2004 West Visayas Regional Athletic Meet Theme Song), Hala Bira! Iloilo! (Dinagyang Festival Theme Song of Iloilo City), Binirayan, Krruuhhaay! (Binirayan Festival Theme Song), Krruuhhaay! Katahum Kang Antique! (Provincial Tourism Program Song), Kadarag-An Kang Pamilya, Kadarag-An Kang Banwa (Reproductive Health Program Theme Song), Hamtic, Matahum Kag Maragtasun Nga Banwa (Municipal Theme Song of Hamtic, Antique), Sebaste, Banwa Nga Palangga Ko (Municipal Theme Song of Sebaste, Antique), O Banwa Ko Nga Laua-an (Municipal Theme Song of Laua-an, Antique), Tibiao, Tibiao (Municipal Theme Song of Tibiao, Antique), Kabuganaan (1997 World Food Day Celebration Theme Song), Estrella Del Norte, Bayan Ng Taytay (Municipal Theme Song of Taytay, Palawan), Banigan (Banigan Festival Theme Song of Libertad, Antique), and Tatusan (Tatusan Festival Song of Caluya, Antique).

“Don’t belittle the song writers by saying kanta lang man ra man-an na kara! There are tangible and intangible things. Life is incredible. It comprises two thing:; the material and the spiritual. Music is spirit. Poetry is spirit. Art is spirit,” he added.

“I hope that when you do things, you do it with the perspective that we can contribute to our progress - personal and family as well as in the community.”

SAMMY RUBIDO: PRINCE OF NOVELTY SONGS

Imagine a world without music, what would it be like? Would it be a world as colorful as it is? I guess not. Life without music, would be chaotic.

That’s how Samuel Cezar Rubido Sr. aka “Sammy Rubido”, a very talented man with a nice personality anticipated life to be without music. Sammy is one of a million people who took courage in voyaging the challenging route in the sea of music industry in Antique, wherein he was tagged as the “Prince of Novelty Songs”.

It is believed that Antique achieved its tagline: “The Rising Star of Western Visayas” because of the richness and abundance of its cultural heritage and tourist spots. Sammy is one of the people who are behind the province’s success. He is currently working at the Provincial Tourism Office assigned in Cultural Tourism. Since then, Sammy was tied with his love for the culture and arts of the province. His meritorious deeds have reached its peak of success when he lived his dream as a singer-songwriter of OKM. If not because of OKM, he possibly remained as a dreamer and didn’t become what he is now.

OKM AS DEEMED BY SAMMY

Music evolves diversely depending on its time. Music before was different to what it is now. What’s good in the existence of OKM is that it served as the identity of Antiquenos. Identity in such a way that when a certain person is out of the province and OKM is heard, they certainly say with pride “taga-Antique ako” and “amo ra kanami ang pangabuhi sa Antique.”

OKM was deemed by him as something that gives color to one’s life, same as how it colored his own.

SAMMY RUBIDO AND HIS BANDMATES

“OKM is comparable to color. If many were wearing red shirts and you decided to wear a white shirt, you become the center of attraction. People will tend to focus on something different, something new. That’s why I’ve decided to compose Kinaray-a music to satisfy people’s zeal for something unique,” he said.

He has been a member of Panublion Antique - Cultural NGO which pushed him to focus on his own language and not the foreign ones. It was quite challenging journey on how his songs flowed with OPM and foreign songs in the music industry. It was in the year of 1990, were he sailed his first boat in the sea of music industry. Together with other OKM artists, Sammy pursued his career in composing OKM until such time that Antiqueños open-heartedly accepted it.

SAMMY AS AN OKM ARTIST

Sammy contributes to society through music are based on real-life situations and culture of Antiqueños. For him, one of the major ingredients in composing songs is inspiration. It was his inspiration that led him to compose several songs that are trendy until now. These songs are now available in Youtube and Spotify, because according to him, his songs should be relevant.

“People ask me how I make music. I tell them it was just like catching a very rare species called umbok, very hard to catch... Same in songwriting, very rare but when you capture something special, may it be a line, a tune or an inspiration, you finally have a treasure in front of you... You better not let it go,” he added.

One day, Sammy witnessed a couple quarrel. The husband hit his wife. That’s what led Sammy in composing his song “Araguy, Inday”. According to him, “ginbaliskad ko ang sitwasyon, para bisan sa kanta man lang makabalos man ang bahi (I switched the circumstance in order that the woman could get even.)”

Believe it or not, but his song Manangguete has its surprising reason behind it. It was his own experience in meeting the love of his life, his wife, Ma. Lerio Namia Rubido whom he had four talented children in the field of arts. It was in such time, that he accompanied his friend, a manangguete in climbing coconut trees. Upon climbing, Sammy was captured by a beautiful maiden washing clothes inside a cubicle made and surrounded by sacks without a cover above head. In his song he even described the woman as if at first sight that woman captured his heart.

Among his popular songs are Pamalaran, Patadyong ni Inday, Bayle and many more. But the very well known song of Sammy that gave him his spotlight is Pangabuhi sa Uma that detailed how struggling yet fulfilling the life of Antiquenos in uma (farm) is.

He also higlighted that the youth should make time in honoring their own. Because if not, time will come that OKM along with our identity will be forgotten.

“Nami kaja ay naghawan dun ang aragyan, kay sa amun panahon tama ka lisod... Sa mga pamatan-on, dapat may mabulos gid kanamon nga magapadayon kang OKM para sa identidad kang mga Antiqueno, dapat natun suportaran ang kultura nga Kinaray-a (It is easier now that the path is clear... the youth should replace us in pursuing OKM as an Antiqueño identity, we should patronize Kinaray-a culture”, he advised.

NOEL ALAMIS: THE CONCERT KING OF ANTIQUE

She’s not been forgotten, his first love The first he liked and looked up like a dove The one, he asked, he begged from above But sadly, it ended as an unrequited love She has been the reason for him to giggle And caused his heart a feeling of tickle But why? Why is their chance of love so little? Heart filled with pain, music he found to win his battle Once a boy, now a man, a lucky one named Noel.

As what is believed by many, love moves in mysterious ways. It is unpredictably chaotic but when felt, it’s still wonderful. Any relationship, may it be a failure or a success, plays a valuable role in one’s life stories. The people we love tend to become teachers that give lessons of life and serve as mirrors that reflects one’s self, inner self. Most people come into one’s life to strengthen them so that they can move forward - many times alone, just like how Noel Alamis, the Concert King of Antique, did after experiencing difficulty in life and unrequited love.

His journey is bittersweet. Who would have ever thought that his unrequited love became the precedent of his success? His song Ang Probinsyana Gwapa is intentionally dedicated for his childhood crush in Lindero, Laua-an.

Noel Alamis is now a Board Member of the North District Province of Antique and is one of the singer-songwriters of OKM whom without hesitation helped in lifting up and flaming the identity of Antiquenos in the music industry.

A DREAMER AND A BELIEVER

Through music, he finally found his way. Once a dreamer, now a successful OKM singer-songwriter. Born to a poor family, he grew up without a proper guidance, care and love from parents. Poverty brought him to deep thinking. Deep thinking such as “what will he become in the future?” and “how will he be able to live tomorrow?” With his forward thinking and God-given talent, he started trekking towards the mountainous road of success. Once a believer, now an achiever. Since then, he believed his talent could save him, and it definitely did. His talent in singing and songwriting made him well known by many and enabled him to enter the world of politics which in turn made him become more aggressive in composing more songs.

Plato once said, “music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” Music was deemed by Noel as something that is liked and loved by everybody. It is something that is easily captured by the heart for it is encrypted with emotions. According to him “Ang music gapanalupsup sa baratyagon kang taho (music seeps through the heart of a person)”. It could even change people’s feeling, mood and perspective.

NOEL AS AN OKM ARTIST

It has been years and Noel had produced many OKMs. Some of them were Diskarte ni Lolo, Balikbayan, Nagakitaay Bukid kag Baybay, Lugar Kang Paghigugma, Lagaw Ta Sa Antique and many more. Above everything else, Noel thanked God for letting his song Ang Probinsyana Gwapa seep throught the heart of Antiqueños. When it comes to OKM, Noel pointed out that it is very important that one composes the song if that song which relates to the life of the people. In composing OKM one should take the challenge. The challenge of making OKM keep its raging fire in the music industry.

“Sa kadyaa amat-amat gatahaw ang OKM (Presently, OKM is losing its edge). It will take time. Hidlaw-hidlaw lang man ra mung. (It depends on longingness). Patas bala ka pag-uli ka bakasyonista nga gayapa-yapa gid ang mga taho dara kang kahidlaw, sa kanta amu man ra (Like people who are stoked to see their loved ones coming home, it is the same for songs) Time will come, it will happen again nga ang mga Antiqueno mayapa-yapa pagid sa OKM (that Antiqueños will be stoked to hear OKM),” he said.

THE KEYS TO NOEL’S SUCCESS

Attitude. Creativity. Persistence.

These are the three keys to success in Noel’s life. The first one to consider is attitude. Talent, intellect and anything else would be nothing if one doesn’t have a good attitude and a nice personality to the people around. Spreading love and positivity is a good thing for it surely comes back in triple folds. The next one is creativity. It is a must in today’s time. There are thousands or even millions who keep on composing songs and if you stick to what is usual and ordinary, success for sure is far beyond what is expected. The third thing is persistence. There will be no success for those who quit. So, Noel advices the young generation to never quit because with persistence, success is not just visible but is also attainable.

“Never stop. Once napungko ikaw, gin-umpisahan mo, tapusa. Hindi run maghulat ka sunod nga adlaw (One you sat down to start something, finish it. Do not wait for tomorrow),” he said.

Dante, Sammy, and Noel were not the only ones who followed Bernie’s footsteps in exploring the challenging world of OKM. Mark Quintella, Noel Tabo-Tabo, Edmund Infante, and Katz Amerila also furnished color and life to OKM which continued to gain diversity.

NOEL ALAMIS IS THE MARTIN NIEVERA OF ANTIQUE BEING THE CONCERT KING OF THE PROVINCE.

They do not compete with their compositions because they have the same purpose; to capture the hearts of the listeners and enrich their own music. We are deeply grateful for their contribution that revolutionized the views of Antiqueños in OKM. The so-called buki music was replaced with praise and acceptance. The shame then was displaced by pride. And what was once avoided is now being supported.

Perhaps many young Antiqueños today want to continue what our OKM artists have started. As time goes by, we will be able to watch our own music continue to evolve, from the composer and to their masterpiece.

OKM will remain as the unique identity of Antiqueños. OKM tells us who we are.