PHILPOP Top 14 Finalists Announced

By Rey Belen on May 31, 2012

After months of search, the Philippine Pop Music Festival 2012 recently announced the top 14 finalists who will vie for the coveted crown and one million pesos grand prize.

With about 3,000 entries from Filipino composers from different parts of the country, and the world, like United Kingdom, France, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, PhilPOP executive director Ryan Cayabyab expressed his enthusiasm and stated that the “Philippine music industry is very much alive.”

PhilPOP is composed of respected local artists and prominent personalities from various industries brought together by a common cause to spark renewed pride and enthusiasm in OPM and bring about another golden age in the Philippine music.

Ryan Cayabyab, together with host Patricia Hizon, introduced to the media the final 14 who will compete in a finals’ night at the Plenary Hall of the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on July 14.

TOP 14 FINALISTS:

SONG TITLE	MUSIC	LYRICS
Himig ng Panahon	Timothy Anjello Alfaro	Timothy Anjello Alfaro
Bigtime	Trina Belamide	Trina Belamide
Dulo ng Dila	Noah Zuniga Cabalquinto	Noah Zuniga Cabalquinto
Slowdancing	John Kennard Eleazar Faraon	John Kennard Eleazar Faraon
Minsay’ Isang Bansa	Gary Granada	Gary Granada
Brown	James B. Leyte andJezreel S. De Oca	James B. Leyte
Kesa	Edwin B. Marollano	Edwin B. Marollano
Piso	Kristofferson B. Melecio	Kristofferson B. Melecio
3:00 am	Keiko Necesario	Keiko Necesario
Takusa	Byron Ricamara	Byron Ricamara
Tayo Tayo Lang	Ronaldo M. Sorioso	Ronaldo M. Sorioso
Kontrabida	Soc Villanueva	Soc Villanueva
Negastar	Michael Angelo Santos Villegas	Michael Angelo Santos Villegas
Bawat Hakbang	Karl Vincent H. Villuga	Karl Vincent H. Villuga

“We want to thank all our kababayans who shared their composition with us. The mere fact that we received this overwhelming response for the very first Philippine Popular Music Festival is a victory not only for OPM (Original Pinoy Music) but more so, for the Filipino people.” said Ryan Cayabyab.

Ryan Cayabyab, who is a known songwriter and trainor, started his career from writing competitions during his younger years. “This is an exciting time for the local industry. With PhilPOP, we are helping shape the future landscape of OPM. The talent and the potential of the Filipino songwriters have always been there.” Cayabyab added.

PhilPOP aims to discover new breed of talents in the local music industry by encouraging Filipino composers to bring out into the open their compositions. This is an avenue for them to showcase their talents.

The grand prize winner for the first PhilPOP Music Festival will take home P 1,000,000 while the two runners-up will get P 500,000 and P 250,000 respectively. A “People’s Choice” award will be given to the song that will generate most number of votes via text and can win P 200,000.

The Philippine Popular Music Festival is jointly presented by Maynilad, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), and Smart Communication. Major sponsors are Meralco, Resorts World and TV 5. Other sponsors are Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), Sun Cellular, First Pacific Leadership Academy (FPLA), Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), and Philex Mining Corporation. Media Partners are KBP, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star and Radio High.

For updates on results, visit, www.PhilPOP.com.ph

About Rey Belen

Rey Belen is the editor of LifestyleBucket. He covers and edits stories for LifestyleBucket ranging from lifestyle, fashion, technology, health and more. He is also a social media consultant and tertiary communication educator. He used to write and produce for a top TV station in the Philippines before shifting to social media consultancy. Currently, he manages different blog sites and gives advices to clients regarding social media. You can get in touch with him at Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus.