Original Pilipino Music (OPM)

  

            How often do you hear Original Pilipino Music  played in your radio or seen them  shown in television sets? Do you even wonder why playing time is skewed towards standards and selected commercial music genre at the expense of OPM?

 Gone were the days when we were all treated to our heart’s  and soul’s delight repertoire of folk songs of ASIN, Freddie Aguilar, Florante; pop music of Basil Valdes, Anthony Castelo, Nonoy Zuniga, Dulce  and  APO Hiking Society and the rest  whose songs seemingly are now  relegated in dustbin of history and  video singko waiting for any takers to perform. How about everybody’s favorite musical engineer Joey Ayala whose fusion of indigenous instruments and acoustic draw encouraging waves of  reviews and appreciation here and across the world. Or  of the multi-awarded  Gary Granada whose biting lyrics is pleasing to Filipinos’ ear and  psyche. What about the works of Noel Cabangon’s the likes of popular but enlightening Kanlungan striking familiar chords in our hearts na panapanahon lang ang pagkaakataon at sanay maibalik pa ang kahapon or of his Panata that saw all highest officials of the land from the President to Legislative, Executive and Local Executives obliged raising their hands singing  over collective  covenant of renewing  pledge for the nation of  “No to Corruption and paklalakbay  lamang  sa  Tamang landas”

 Add the lists of local artists whose genius of  squeezing their creative juice hardly created ripples right on their own backyard let alone compete with the prohibitive competition in the market as if talents are not  the patrimony of the nation and but under the monopoly only by those  in the mainstream Whatever happens now to PNOY’s pronouncement that at lest we should be hearing four Original Pilipino Music played on the air  every hour. Thanks that as true music lover by heart, PNOY wasted no time returning the compliment making that necessary lift to Filipino artists when he inducted into office the officers of OPM headed by the diminutive but talented Ogie Alcasid.

The declaration was definitely a needed boost up and welcome development to the dying morale of OPM community specially that commercial FM radio stations  all over are all top heavy with standards and air splitting heavy metal music played creating traffic jam sometimes  in the air lanes.  But I doubt if the members of the strong Filipino Society of  Composers and Performers or FILSCAP and local artists, the homegrown ones, product of the University of  the Hardknocks ( patly translated into Eskuwelahan sa mga gahi ug ulo in vernacular because of their primal  belief of their own talent!)  were all praises to PNOY. I do know that as a musician, any thriving artists are also eating rice in this Rice eating Republic.  I think the move was merely a token of support which is lip service and not strong participation in  the crusade of restoring back back the tradition of the  lost glory of OPM. Mas malalim naman ang pinangalingan ng ating musika, cleared by Noel Cabangon to Jessica Soho.

It would definitely be good courtesy acknowledging the contribution of  these talent in that they don’t only have talent as in ABS-CBN’s You’ve Got Talent the management awarded the plum to Jovit Baldivino who having mimicked and copycat Queen’s and Bon Jovi’s songs bestowed on him the present accolades not because he has raw talent but simply because of his vocal range fit and giving justice to  the songs of his choice and  performed.

Piracy, diminishing value of  peso, tentative or conditional support from the general listening public – are all drawbacks of OPM That’s the reality and the saddest state of OPM today, whined further Ogie Alcasid, OPM’s President elect.  Unless rehabilitated would soon be washed away down the drain  from the consciousness of music loving Filipinos. But don’t fret yet,  alternative music through various genre is on the rescue  getting converts to all people.  This is so because both the lyrics and music are popular and that with the use of digital technology today could be further enhanced and customized according to hearers’ taste and appreciation. True that artists do not need that much but the bottom line is still the return of their investment, one that would make them live each day with dignity making both ends meet. The reverse is true. Closed  that desire as mouthpiece of the nation through arts as entertainment  and what you’ll hear would be clipped voices of dissent and upheaval. That would be a tragedy. No more Rolando Mendoza please. It’s just unthinkable that while we invested millions in putting up tableau recognizing the contribution of past artists we are treating our live talents as dead investments not providing them the necessary support and participation

Kag. Ipe Abrogar, himself a certified musician as composer and also owns a music studio in Cagayan de Oro   one time confided to me the importance of organizing of all composers  to lobby in the City Council requiring display of the works of composers in different establishments. Very laudable project only not of good taste in  that we  have yet to kowtow with politicians as if third class undesirable alien to the bad tune of patronage politics just to secure the artists’ hard return of investment of the projects when we are the necessary  connection of the continuing saga of the search nationhood. To think that the artists are napakababaw lang ang kaligayahan that indeed panapanahon lang ang pagkakataon  is no big deal with us. Because whether there is support or not from concerned institution and authorities no way could there be any barrier could stand from that urge to write beautiful songs propelled by those perception filtered through an artists mind.

But otherwise, if it’s the game the artists have to play so be it. Calling then local artists. Bring along your own product for consolidation.. Kindly email this writer (rfmaulion@yahoo.com) for collective effort. As we say it: Artists Unite!  You have nothing to lose but your chains of fear and indifference. Where’s the Commission of Culture, Peace and Arts? Or their equivalent Tourism Industry in local offices. We have relevant materials alright but we need equally creative mind to put them into good use