DUBAI: Philippine poetry or “tula” perked with the Filipinos’ innate musicality permeated on Friday night when 12 amateur songwriters and their interpreters vied for top prizes at a landmark event in Dubai.
Meanwhile, from the first-ever songwriting contest dubbed “Dubai Dubai Musikahan 2016,” famous Filipino composer-singer Rannie Raymundo, the chairman of the board of judges, rendered for the first time his composition “Dubai” in the Filipino language, reported Gulf Today.
The composition speaks of the city, its landmarks and the home away from home of his over 400,000 kababayans (countrymen), the report said.
The competition, with the theme “Pag-aambag ng Pinoy tungo sa Pambansang Pagbabago” (“The Filipinos’ Contributions to Nation-Building”) ,was in celebration of the Philippines’ “Buwan ng Wika” (National Language Month).
Held right on the 135th birth anniversary (Aug. 19) of Philippine Commonwealth (1935-1946) President Manuel L. Quezon, the “Father of the Filipino Language,” it brought pride, honor and patriotism to a country and a people that was colonized by Spain for 300 years. The country was also a US territory for 48 years and was occupied by Japan during World War II, said the news portal.
Adjudged the three crème de la crème among the Top 12 finalists from 39 entries were mother-and-daughter team Joy and Eyzell Salinel (84.67 percent, “Inang Ibon” or “Mother Bird”); Rowena Sevilleno-Marbella and Narry Vega (79 percent, “Panahon ng Pagbabago” or “Time for Change”) and Bernardo Granado (77.33 percent, “Tayo na sa Pagbabago or “All for Change”).
Joy Salinel, a teacher from Sharjah, reportedly said “Inang Ibon” is “simply about the struggles and joys of an overseas Filipino worker, specifically of a mom like her.” It was Eyzell who encouraged her to write a song regarding their tribulations for the competition.
Sevilleno-Marbella, a civil engineer or senior estimator from Dubai, was quoted as saying that “Panahon ng Pagbabago” is a result of the recent Philippine national elections and which entices every Filipino, regardless of their choices for their chief executive, to unite and stand by the elected leadership.
Granado, a senior structural designer from Dubai, reportedly said, “Tayo na sa Pagbabago” is the renewed hope for the new Philippines with a new leadership and pegged on the country’s pledge of allegiance called “Panatang Makabayan.”
The winners, along with the other top nine finalists, namely; Florante di Fuertes, Marcelino and Juvy Gay Saladino, Socorro Soriano, Ma. Fatima Mariano, Jessie Paderes, Mark del Monte Regenio, Jan Michael Tolentino, and Sola Fide Santos, were all for the continuous promotion of Philippine culture and heritage, reported Gulf Today.
