Costanilla: Cebuano tunes

LAUDABLE. My very good friend Mafe Castillo, who used to host a weekly television entertainment show, happily told me that she has a very nice project designed to give our homegrown artists a chance to showcase their talent. I asked her about the ultimate intention of this undertaking.

She replied that she intends to produce an album of purely Cebuano tunes so that when tourists come to Cebu, they not only enjoy our lovely sights but would also enjoy local music. To me this is indeed a very laudable move and should be pursued as soon as possible.

Revivals. Mafe added that the project intends to gather a wide selection of local songs that people always love to hear and sing along with. “I want to put emphasis on revivals—the songs that we should revive because they remind us of our memorable past,” she pointed out. I fully agree with Mafe. There is really a need to revive those old, beautiful Cebuano compositions that truly reflect the sentiment of Cebuano music as an art and industry.

Artists. Actually, Mafe is collaborating with some individuals as producers of this project, but she would not name them as of this writing. However, she suggested some people that her team intends to approach to help render some pieces for the planned album, like Ricky Pineda, Eva Santos, Adlib, Cattski Espina as well as new talents who are willing to submit their own versions of any music genre.

Support. Anyway, those that are willing to support this laudable project are encouraged to get in touch with me or Mafe. Her e-mail address
ismafe.serenity@gmail.com.

Oslob. A trip to the southern municipality of Oslob last week gave this writer a chance to know more about its number one tourist attraction, the whale sharks locally known as butanding, which, as we all know, is the world’s largest fish. Mayor Ronald Guaren says because of the whale sharks, Oslob continues to enjoy a large volume of tourist arrivals almost on a daily basis. “Because of the whale shark watching, our town is now a certified tourism hub in this part of Cebu and we thank Gov. Gwen Garcia and her father Rep. Pablo Garcia for supporting our efforts in making Oslob everybody’s favorite tourist destination,” the mayor stressed.

(samcost@yahoo.com/0905-354-0000)