NAGA CITY---Congressman Luis Robredo Villafuerte, Camarines Sur Second District second-term representative and the longest governor who served the province for 15 years, has reinvented himself in a three-hour musical show that he hosted and produced at the four-star 700-seat Avenue Square Convention Plaza Saturday night.

         Packed by a full-capacity crowd in formal attire and by invitation, the oldest and the most dominant political personality in Camarines Sur blended his passion in music with local composer named Ferdinand Dimadura to produce an album that advocates the use of Bikol language in popular songs which he said would preserve the native tongue from the onslaught of multimedia.

         As the main host of the show, Villafuerte, the feisty congressman, who single-handedly parried attacks against GMA in the marathon all nightlong impeachment debate in Congress in 2006, shed off his political personality to talk about love and music and inadvertently revealed his personal side as his female co-host asked him subjects that touched on his past “loves”.

         The musical show, that carried the album title “Love Songs Bikolnon (Timeless Music Immortal Lyrics)”, from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm with a 15-minute snack break, launched the double compact disc album sold at P300 each; provided the backdrop and context of the propagation of Bicol lyrics through interpretative dances, vocal renditions and sing-along participation.

         Participated in by Teatro Dignos of the Ateneo de Naga University, Universidad de Sta. Isabel Chorale, the Naga College CAC Dancers and local dance group Power Movers with lead performers Dimadura, who composes songs for Lani Misalucha, Martin Nievera, Society of Seven and Jasmine Trias through his contract with Rosy Cheeks in Las Vegas, Nevada, and local female belter Grace Ballore, the three-hour show was totally an opposite of most gatherings Villafuerte presided over where his political presence weighs around.

         The first time Villafuerte forayed into the musical scene here was in 1982 when he conceived and organized the “First Bicol Music Festival”, the first music competition of original Bicol compositions and popular songs with Bicol lyrics. Years hence, during his 15-year stint as governor he organized a music competition “Dalan sa Kalangitan”, financed and organized choral groups and then recorded an album that transformed Bicol folk songs into ballroom music that gained popularity in barrio fiestas here. He also built, during his gubernatorial term, a professional recording studio inside the 114-hectare provincial capitol complex in Pili, Camarines Sur.

         Villafuerte said the album which took them more than two years to complete was based on his conviction that Bicol is a classic language that existed long before the Spaniards came as evidenced by the first epic written in the Philippines---the Bicolano epic Handiong.

         He asserted that people with an epic of their own manifested advance civilization like the Indian people’s Mahabharata, the Greek’s Iliad and the Beowulf of the people of England.

         “Bicol is the language of a wise and advance civilization; a language of nobility. Therefore, it can produce lyrics of grandeur and immense beauty. The beauty of the Bicol lyrics is best exemplified if used with English songs for international appreciation,” he said.

        The 23-track album that carries lyrics that blends Bicol, Tagalog and English in a piece of popular song included “May panahon para sato (A time for us), “Duman (Somewhere)”, “Suudma (Yesterday)”, “Pirmi ka sa isipan (You are always on my mind)”, Muot ako saimo (I honestly love you)”, “Gusto kataid ka (I wanna wake up with you)”, “Dai liwat mamomoot (Never fall in love again)”, “Nanghuraw na’ng uran (A certain sadness)” and many more.

        Drawing inspiration from the Welsh, the native inhabitants of Wales, a country ruled by English monarchy for centuries, Villafuerte said that the unique language of these people which came from Celts had been preserved under duress of English language imposition through their love to sing.

         “In their songs, the Welsh were able to preserve their language. The songs they sing speak of its beauty…preserved and made immortal in their lyrics. That’s why, Wales has always been known as ‘the country of songs’. Similarly Bicol language is under threat,” he said.

         “In Ragay, Tagalog is already the main language. In Sipocot and Libmanan, more and more Bicolanos are adapting Tagalog as their everyday language, while in Masbate, most Bicolanos speak Visayas. In Manila and abroad, many Bicolanos seldom speak Bicol even to their fellow Bicolanos,” Villafuerte observed, referring to places in Bicol and situations of Bicolanos wherein Bicol language is losing its usage.

         He added: “Love songs Bikolnon therefore is a step not just to preserve our Bicol language but to make the Bicolanos aware of its beauty and nobility. For like the Welsh, the Bicolanos love to sing. Through the love songs that they will sing---the beauty of the language will be revealed. And once we’re made aware of its beauty---we shall speak the language forever.”

         Villafuerte said that through the onslaught of multimedia and IT gadgets, the traditions of love are changing fast though its meaning remains the same as well as the messages and emotions it brings evoke happiness, blissfulness, sadness and loneliness.

         When his female co-host probed him on the love subject by asking him if he has already experienced a situation wherein a woman was doggedly in love with him but he was unaware of it, the congressman meekly protested it was not on the script even as he gladly revealed he had one during his high school days in Ateneo de Naga.

         “A girl from Colegio de Sta. Isabel always greeted and talked to me each time we see each other which for me was so casual. Then she sent me a letter in a small piece of paper that said: “Louie, how are you? May God loves you and so I do,” Villafuerte narrated as the crowd burst into laughter.

         He told the crowd that in the present days the IT gadgets have already made love traditions different which he said most often shortcuts of ways of expressing emotions are preferred like the preference of young ones now of sending love notes through text messages.

         “A guy send ‘luv u’ a.m. and the girl text back ‘luv u 2’ p.m. These are the things now”, he said that made the crowd exploded again into laughter.

         Villafuerte told the INQUIRER after the show that he would embark next time on

        a similar project that translates Bicol compositions into English lyrics if only to introduce them in the international market and music scene. Photos By Andy Geñorga


Suzete Ubalde, co-host, and Congressman Luis R. Villafuerte, main host of the musical show.