It’s also a song that was translated into Tagalog as “Kahit Na.” This is another song that will sound familiar to almost anyone who has lived in the Visayas and Mindanao area. Here, WetSlipperz rocks out to a song about the suffering that comes with a lost love. It’s the perfect song to belt out to at a karaoke as you think about the one that got away. It made me realize just how this kind of music can connect Bisaya people even in Manila. When I watched Patay Na Si Hesus last year and this song played in one of the scenes, the entire cinema slowly began to sing along. We all dedicated this song to our one true loves.Ī 90s classic Visayan rock song by one of the pillars of the Bisrock community, “Inday” is a song from Missing Filemon’s debut album – arguably the very first Bisrock album – released in 2003. “Ī slow and memorable tune straight out of the Visayan song vault, it is as easy to remember as it is to fall in love with.

This song brings back awkward but happy sepia-toned memories of high school students giggling in school halls while defiantly singing the titular curse word: “ giatay (damned). “Gugumang Giatay” is what many in my generation consider our entry song into the Bisrock genre.

Here are 10 songs that are guaranteed to get you into the Vispop genre: Over the years, and through all my cravings for home, I’ve gathered a small collection of favorites from Visayan artists. Thus began my love affair with Visayan music, locally known as Vispop (Visayan pop music) and Bisrock (Bisaya rock music). I would later learn that this type of tongue-in-cheek humor is what epitomizes modern Visayan songs. One day, I clicked on a YouTube link, and it led me to the funniest hugot song I have ever heard. It wasn’t until I moved to Manila and began missing the sounds of home that I learned about an entire genre of music based on my native dialect. Visayan songs were filed away as “lola music” due to the likes of “Usahay” and other classic songs of a bygone era. The few OPM songs that were on my radar back then were from singers like Nina and King. My young ears only listened to the music of the Backstreet Boys, Shania Twain, and the Meteor Garden soundtrack. (Aclao left Missing Filemon and reunited with his old band The Ire.MANILA, Philippines – Growing up in Cebu, I never paid much attention to Visayan songs. They returned in early 2005 and took in Cocoy Hermoso of Beverage for guitars and Ron Capio of Curious Blossoms for bass. Budoy Marabiles and Sandy Chiongbian appear in the album.Īfter the release of their first album, they disappeared from the Cebuano music scene (although there was no official statement that they have disbanded). It was released under the Cebuano outfit Independent Culture Records and was produced by Ian Zafra of Shiela and the Insects.

Their first CD album which was self-titled was released in November 2002. Gumer Entero of Happy Days and Ritz Ariba of Frank sits in for the band in some sessions.

Missing Filemon was formed in 2002 with Jeb Dorothy Estel on guitars and vocals, Arni Aclao (of The Ire) on bass, and Eimer Tabasa on drums. They have the distinction of being the first Cebuano band to ever produce an album consisting entirely of rock songs in Cebuano.

Missing filemon album