Pangasinan composers bewail lack of support

CESAR “Bong” Tongson composes and plays Pangasinan songs at his work station in his house in San Carlos City. GABRIEL CARDINOZA

Musician Cesar “Bong” Tongson used to sell his compositions when he worked abroad, and had almost forgotten some of them until one time when he was shopping at a department store in Taiwan, he heard a Chinese song with a familiar tune playing in piped-in music.

“That’s my song,” Tongson, 64, says.

Legally, he knew it was no longer his property, “They bought the melody and I signed some documents. Then they put Chinese lyrics and it’s not mine anymore,” he said.

Almost two decades after he returned to Pangasinan province in 1996 from working as a musician abroad, Tongson started composing songs in the vernacular. Last year, he wrote 14.

With local singer Analyn Bautista writing the lyrics and singing his compositions, he and Bautista launched the album, “Salamat ed Sika” (Thanks to You), a collection of Pangasinan love songs. It was Tongson’s first and Bautista’s fourth album.

Bautista first produced and recorded an album of Pangasinan folk songs. Then she recorded a second, composed of Christmas songs using lyrics in Pangasinan language.

Her third album was a collection of adaptations of Korean songs and Original Pilipino Music, such as “Pusong Bato” (“Pusom ya Binmato”) and the Pangasinan love song “Malinac lay Labi” (A Peaceful Night).

Despite the new songs, Tongson doubted if these had been heard by many Pangasinenses. The more popular ones that they still sing are the novelty songs recorded by Raul “Insiyong” Tamayo in the 1980s and the classics by Rosie Evangelista and Juvy Resultay in the 1970s.

“Pangasinan songs do not get the support the way the Visayan songs get in their regions,” Tongson said. For instance, Visayan songs are given enough air time in radio stations in their regions so people can hear them.

Except for Bombo Radyo in Dagupan City, which has a one-hour program, “Bombo Harana,” once a week, no other radio station plays their music, he said.

Tongson promotes Pangasinan songs through social media, such as Facebook. “But it’s a lot different when people hear Pangasinan songs over the radio every day,” he said.

The province is rich in talent but people have not come out because they know there’s nothing much for them by composing or singing Pangasinan songs, Tongson said. “Pangasinan song writers and singers do not see any incentive to compose and sing. It will just be for the love of Pangasinan music.”

“Besides, no producer would want to gamble. Who would want to spend money on an unknown singer?” he said.