Songwriters find music hero in Maynilad

Pangilinan says his group will continue to support Filipino music artistry

The sound of running water is music to the ears, but West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. is playing another tune.

Staying true to its tagline “higit sa tubig ang aming serbisyo (our service goes beyond providing water),” the Metro Pacific Investments Corp. member-firm said it was throwing its support behind the PhilPop Songwriting Boot Camp this year.

“Honestly, we don’t look at it as sponsorship. We really look at it as help, as a corporate social responsibility,” Maynilad senior vice president Patrick Gregorio told the Inquirer on the sidelines of the launch of the songwriting boot camp at the Society Lounge in Makati City last month.

Gregorio, who is also PhilPop’s vice chair, said that the company’s support for the country’s music industry goes beyond mere finance.

“What’s important is we are exciting the composers, the singers, the Filipino music industry,” he said.

Advocacy

“We’ve been here for six years, so that means we’re really serious in this feel-good advocacy,” Gregorio added.

MPIC chair Manuel V. Pangilinan, who was also at the launch, echoed Gregorio’s sentiments.

“We want to generate more and better Filipino songs. Because great songs are written by composers, it starts with them,” said Pangilinan, who is also the chair of PhilPop, in an interview with the Inquirer.

He stressed the need to develop and encourage more Filipino composers because “we already have great Filipino singers who can interpret songs very well, whether [original Filipino music] or Western. So let’s start with the root of Filipino music, which is composition.”

Gregorio added: “We’re excited because it’s a good story to tell. Our tagline is ‘higit sa tubig and aming serbisyo.’ So this isn’t only for those who are thirsty, this isn’t only to wipe the tears of the Filipinos, this is to make Filipinos proud, to make them happy, to inspire the Filipinos.”

He said Maynilad’s support for PhilPop would show that it was “one big company that is not just here to make money, but to make people excited.”

“This is a different kind of advocacy, because the approach is very positive. As you can see, we get a lot of support from the people who want to make it happen,” he added.

Aside from financial support, Gregorio said Maynilad also allocates “executive time” to the competition.

“The office of PhilPop is in Maynilad. Administratively, we provide the management support, not only Maynilad but spearheaded by [Pangilinan] and Maynilad president [Ramoncito] Fernandez,” he added.

Nonetheless, Gregorio said he was optimistic that Maynilad’s support for the country’s music industry would result in “better appreciation, acceptance and recall” for the company.

Pangilinan, meanwhile, said the contest would generate content for his media ventures.

“You can push its audio content, and videos would be produced out of the winners of PhilPop. We can push it through our various platforms, on multiscreen basis,” he explained.

Coaching sessions

MediaQuest, owned by the beneficial trust fund of the Pangilinan-led PLDT, has a controlling stake in TV5.

The broadcasting firm has been airing PhilPop’s final competition night ceremonies for the past years.

For this boot camp, PhilPop will roll out a series of coaching sessions around the country to attract budding composers and encourage them to submit entries and expand the contest’s reach.

Filipino music industry pillars Ryan Caybyab and Noel Cabangon will serve as boot camp masters, with PhilPop alumni as coaches.

Three-day sessions will be held in the cities of Antipolo (May 11 to 14), Baguio (July 13 to 16), Cebu (Sept. 14 to 17), and Davao (Nov. 23-26).

“This boot camp will be more intensive in terms of individual coaching,” Cayabyab said.

He also hoped the program would help budding composers give the contest a shot.

Sponsored boot camp “fellows” will be automatically listed in the 2018 contest’s top 300.

Applicants must be at least 16 years old to join, and must be a resident of an area covered by the boot camp location.

Those living in Northern Luzon will be accepted in the Baguio camp, while those residing in Southern Luzon will be assigned to the Antipolo Camp.

Residents of Central Luzon and Metro Manila may choose to join any of the two.

The Cebu camp will host applicants from the Visayas while those from Mindanao will be in the Davao camp.

Application process

Interested songwriters may apply online through the foundation’s website, philpop.com.ph, until March 31.

Twenty successful applicants per camp will enjoy the three-day sessions, all expenses paid.

A limited number of slots, meanwhile, will be available to those who are willing to pay the P15,000 training fee, which also covers food, accommodation, and training kit.

The PhilPop Songwriting Boot Camp is organized by The Pinnacle and co-presented by Maynilad, with Bughaw Digital as digital partner, Sindikato Productions as video partner, and Uber as official land transportation partner.

It is also supported by the office of Vice President Leni Robredo and the National Youth Commission.