FOR A lot of Filipinos these days, traditional folk music is a thing of the past. It’s an absolute rarity for people, especially the younger generations, to be listening to this genre due to the emergence of contemporary and fast paced tunes worldwide.

However, Mabuhay Singers Raye Lucero, Cely Bautista, Peping de Leon, Eddie Suarez, Carmen Camacho, and Jimmy Salonga, were ready to disprove this disposition.

Organized by a group of Loyola Schools Graduate Students, the Mabuhay Singers starred in a mini-concert held at the Social Sciences (SS) Conference Rooms on May 20. The event aimed at creating a greater awareness for the Filipino folk music genre

“We want to remind the Filipino people that this genre is still very much alive,” said event co-organizer James Arco.

Fellow organizer Nico Angelo Rabang agreed and said, “We wanted people to have a feel for the music that started the whole [Original Pilipino Music genre]. It’s a going back to the roots sort of thing.”

Established in 1958, the Mabuhay Singers have been active advocates promoting the Kundiman and traditional Filipino music and culture.

Ambassadors of nationalism

While only a few Filipino musical groups nowadays accommodate a sense of nationalism in their music, for the Mabuhay Singers, separating music and love for the country is hard to imagine.

“Of course, our passion to sing is there. It is our bread and butter but [having] a strong sense of culture makes a difference,” said Lucero.

In fact, in every performance of the group, the ladies wear “Sayas” while the men have “Barongs” as their outfit. As for the lyrics of their songs, the different parts of the Philippines are usually featured with love as the binding element – although they sing one or two foreign songs for variety.

Their reputation as ambassadors of a strong nationalistic sense has even earned them a nomination to sing the national anthem in the Pacquiao-Clottey fight.

Venue not an issue

The SS Conference Rooms is not an ideal venue for a musical performance due to its size but this was of no issue to the organizers. According to them, advocating Filipino folk music was the primary objective, with Ateneans as the immediate demographic.

“Considering we had no help in funding, we wanted as little cost as possible, and so we chose the [SS Conference Rooms] as the venue. We just want to share this kind of music to the Ateneo community,” said Rabang

“The [Mabuhay Singers] enjoyed performing as they always do. Whether [the performance] be in front of a big crowd or in an intimate setting, they always give their utmost best and have fun while they’re at it,” added Promotions Manager Xeres Guia.

52 years and going

For a singing group to keep its musical bond alive, gigs and album releases are necessary. To date, the Mabuhay Singers have recorded more than 200 albums. Currently, the group has an album out in the market titled Mabuhay Singers: Patuloy sa Pag-Awit, which contains Kundiman versions of contemporary Filipino songs.

The Mabuhay Singers currently also have three understudies as future members of the group. “Hopefully, the younger singers will have the same passion and love for music in their hearts like [the Mabuhay Singers] do,” said Lucero.

According to junior Mark Timothy Go, though their music was greatly unlike contemporary Filipino music, the Mabuhay Singers’ performance was excellent.

“Dapat i-promote pa sila kasi sayang naman kung mawawala. Kumbaga, tradisyon natin yung musika nila eh (They should be promoted further because it would be a shame to lose [a group like the Mabuhay Singers]. Their music is our tradition),” he said.

Junior Paolo Gabriel Gregorio meanwhile said that initially, he did not know who the Mabuhay Singers were. “Surprisingly, they’re good…I’ll definitely be on the lookout [for their music] from now on.”

For the Mabuhay Singers, music is their life. They may not have been chosen to sing for the Pacquiao-Clottey fight but they are as invaluable to the nationalistic spirit as the pound for pound king of boxing.

The Filipino folk music genre is still alive. The Mabuhay Singers are still singing. Hopefully, Filipinos are listening.