Successful Cebu Pop Music

SUCCESSFUL. This year’s Cebu Popular Music Festival, staged the other Friday, was a huge success. Fr. Lyndon Ruiz’s composition “Gubot Pa Sa Lukot” won the grand prize in the “Huni sa Kasingkasing” category. Jun Villarta, its singer, bagged the best interpreter award. I learned from Fr. Ruiz that he heard and saw Villarta sing in a Christmas party and convinced him to interpret his entry. “It only took Jun a week to rehearse my novelty composition,” the priest told me.

CHOICE. To me, Villarta was the right choice for “Gubot Pa Sa Lukot.” Fr. Ruiz could not have found any other singer for this particular entry. On stage, he gave justice to the novelty piece and the discriminating members of the audience concurred with the judges’ verdict in favor of the song and the way Villarta performed it.

HONOREES. To me, it was also very appropriate that the Cebu Arts Foundation Inc. honored veteran entertainers Julian “Teban” Daan and Alan “Golyat” Nacorda, his sidekick, for their great contribution to the Cebuano music industry.

WINNER. Arnold Badana of Inayawan richly deserved being chosen as grand winner in this year’s Sinulog Idol singing competition. That was a tough test of his skill as singer and entertainer, considering that the weeklong contest involved different genres on a nightly basis. On the finals night, Badana sang his second and last piece “The Search Is Over” with much feeling.

TEAM. Both competitions were, as in previous years, finely and excellently managed by Soundtraxx Production Studio. Kudos to sir Gani and ma’am Gloria Villarojo and their energetic staff for another splendid job.