Asia Band (1979 to 1981)

Levy Abad, Singer Songwriter

Evangeline "Baby" Igonia Asia's Singer

At about the same time when the original Jade band of 1978 was making waves in the city, there was another band known as the Asia band, comprising mostly of the same members of the Jade band.  The members of the Asia band were the following:  Robin Morrier on drums and band leader, Tony Igonia  on bass guitar, Evangeline ”Baby” Igonia on vocals, Conrado Cordoviz on lead guitar, Oscar Lopez on guitar ( according to Tony Igonia ), Gerry Atwell on keyboards.  One will notice that some of the members of Asia were also members of Jade band like Conrad, Robin,Oscar and Gerry Atwell. “Baby” Igonia recalls that before she went solo with Art Rivera, a pianist, she went to Hawaii to visit her mom who was ill for a month and so Gigi Zapata shortly became the band's singer .

I asked Tony Igonia where Asia band was formed and he said that it was at the house of Robin Morrier where it all started.  Robin is a Singaporean married to a Filipina nurse. According to Tony , Robin was working as a  jail guard at that time and had a spacious house. It was at the basement of this house where they practiced. Tony commented that Robin has a complete set of instruments that they used. Tony remembers that even Cobra and  Jade band used to practice at the basement of Robin Morrier.

Jade band  gigs as Asia Band too  in 1979-80

According to Tony Igonia  in the 70, he went to Vietnam to play with a band and that was where he met “Baby” Javier.  Baby was a known soloist in the Philippines. She sang in a famous noon time show of ABS CBN, known   then as DZAQ-TV. She used to host one of the events of  Stop, Look and Listen,  a Philippine variety show from 1968 to 1972.  Tony Igonia added that Baby performed at a top supper club in front of the US Embassy. She was an accomplished singer and friends with the composer of the songs of Imelda Papin. If she never went abroad back in '71 and '72, she could have ended up singing some the songs of Imelda Papin.

Baby, better known in the Philippines as Dulce Romualdez, sent  me a detailed  description of her singing  history where she said, and I quote, “Philippine Photography was the one that gave me the name Dulce after they sponsored me to be a one of the contestants for Miss Philippines. I used to be a singer and a model for Volks Vagen, together with Maggie De la Riva. I modeled for La Germania and Westinghouse, etc. I sang at all the night clubs along the Dewey Blvd.  Benny Villapando  Orchestra was the one who arranged the pieces that I sang. I did not sing with a band at Dewey, it was all Orchestra, except for the one at the Flame. Just like all the singers during that time, I was discovered at Luisa and Sons. I was in the limelight of my career when I left with Tony for Canada in 1974”(Facebook message September 18,2016).

In a another Facebook message, Baby Igonia said, "We were happy back then, we played in tough areas and I felt safe. My bandmates where protective” (Sep 18,2016). When I relayed this idea of tough gigs, Gerry Atwell  added, "we did Savoy Hotel on Higgins and Main which gave us regular work  and even did a New Years Eve gig at this  venue. Main street had a tough reputation but we loved playing there and loved the staff and the patrons, many of whom were indigenous folks."

Gerry clearly recalls an incident in one of their gigs. "We played at the Moncalm Hotel in Pembina and one night, a huge fight broke out between  a small group of Filipino young men who’d come to see us and the predominantly mainstream patrons of the bar. One of the Filipino men pulled out a serpentine dagger and used it to back off the mob that had circled him and his friends. They backed out of the bar, but in the parking lot, one Montcalm patron was struck in the head with a hammer and another was stabbed causing him to lose his spleen. We still had to play there the following night." Gerry continued,“We also played the Dakota Hangar 22 near the airport, the Balmoral, the bar at Marion and Archibald, the Chalet” (Gerry Atwell, Sept 20, 2016 FB message). Thanks a lot Gerry for helping out with some of the songs, places and events that you shared that shaped the memories of both members of your band and those who enjoyed your music.

Evangeline “Baby" Igonia also remembers  that  Gerry Atwell was a great singer of soul music. Baby used to be the back up of Gerry whenever the latter sings. I called Tony and asked about the repertoire of Asia and here is what he told me. They played Sting, Queen's “Another One Bites The Dust,” which was released in 1980. A lot of Pat Benatar (Hit Me With Your Best Shot, September 1980) and Blondie, Eric Clapton's song Coccaine (released 1976) and Bruce Springsteen.  I told Tony Igonia that the songs of the Queen are tenor songs  and he shared that it was Conrado Cordoviz and Baby who sang some of the songs. Gerry Atwell, in a Facebook message relayed that they used to cover the songs of John Lennon’s last  album, Double Fantasy, with hit songs like,"Just Like Starting Over,” “Woman” and “Watching The Wheels” that was released in 1980.

Tony Igonia Asia's bass guitarist

Tony Igonia stayed with the Asia Band only for a short time as he had a full time job and he cannot play for a whole week, unlike the rest of the band who were full time musicians during that time. Eventually, Tony and  Baby left the group.  In the case of Baby, she went solo, performing, for instance, at the Polo Park Inn, singing mostly standard songs and ballads with a back up pianist Art Rivera. Tony, on the pother hand, went low profile and played with the Carribean community every Saturday and Sunday, learning bass with  Reggae music for Caribbean parties. He also played western music with mainstream Canadian group and even polka with a Polish band that performs at Legions community centres.

Presently, the members of Asia band are based in other provinces, but most of them are still performing. Gerry Atwell still performs regularly. Oscar Lopez, the famous Chilean guitarist who is known Canada-wide, is now residing in Calgary. He still performs professionally. Conrado Cordoviz is still performing with the praise band of St. Edwards Church for 16 years now. According to a Facebook friend, Robin Morrier, from time to time, still plays the drums. Robin now resides in BC, just like Baby and Tony Igonia who still plays music occasionally. With all the stories shared by these music legends,  I guess the message they want to impart is “Keep on Rocking!”

Jade band ,Moosomin Saskatchewan

Jade Band 1978 to 1981
Levy Abad, September 2016

Researching on the Live band scene of Winnipegs Filipino community led me to Mario Tuazon who provided me the details of Jade Band which was formed in 1978 and lasted up to 1981. The members of the band were Conrado Cordoviz (second lead guitar), Mario Tuazon (bass guitar), Oscar Lopez, the awesome Chilean guitar man who plays 1st lead and Gerry Atwell who plays the keyboard.  Mario described Oscar, over the phone, as really talented, but stayed only with the band for a short time. Other members included Gigi Zapata, one of the singers of the band and who was a professional singer in Japan before coming to Winnipeg; Danny Zapata (brother of Gigi) played the keyboard too. The drummer of the band, according to Conrado “Conrad “ Cordoviz, was Robin Morrier who was the former drummer of Cobra Band . The band performed in different hotels in Winnipeg and also outside the city like Saskatoon. “We were a travelling band. During this time Levy, there were still no disc jockeys and karaoke was non- existent.  Live band was really big back in the days,” Mario Tuazon explained over the phone.

Curious about the songs that they performed  from 78 to 80's , I gave Conrad Cordoviz a call to ask for a short list and he said that as far as he can recall they played Rock and Roll songs  from Eric Clapton's cover of Cocaine by J.J Cale, which was released in 1976. Gigi Zapata sung Pat Benatar's ,"Hit me with your best shot", "My Funny Valentine" and  hard rock " Hell is for Children" of the album "Crimes of Passion" back in the 80s. Gerry Atwell also shared that Oscar Lopez also sings Spanish songs. They also covered some John Lennon songs in the album "Double Fantasy" which was released in the 1980's too. Well. usually a band , just to remain competitive has to cover the popular songs of the time. I remember when I was still singing at bars as a folk singer in the early 90s in the Philippines , you have to sing what the people want to remain in business.

During our September 10, 2016 conversation, Mario mentioned some events that transpired during that time. He explained to me that in the 70 s and early 80s, the music scene was really tough as there were a lot of great bands in the city doing it professionally.  He explained that bands that play in hotels were really good because they have to undergo auditions.

Conrad Cordoviz and Mario Tuazon

Conrado Cordoviz ,Jade Band 1978 

Most of the information shared by Mario Tuazon was confirmed by Conrad Cordovis when I finally met him at the wake of Henry Catoliko (Clarinet player for St. Edwards Praise Band), September 15, 2016  at Glen Eden where I found most of the senior musicians of the 70s. Conrad Cordovis said that he was also a member of Cobra band just like Robin Morrier who now resides in British Columbia. He also confirmed all the bands members and places where they  gigged, as relayed by Butch Jularbal and Mario Tuazon. After my interview with Conrad, I texted Butch Jularbal the new information and he replied that, indeed, Conrad and him go way back when they were both in Baguio City, not only as fellow musicians, but also as friends.  Anyway, Conrad Cordoviz was also a member of the St. Edwards Praise Band for almost 17 years now. He shared that when he left Rockestra / Offshore Express, he started devoting his time with the Church.

Searching Facebook and checking out with some friends in the Chilean community by posting an old picture given to me by Conrad Cordovis of him and a certain Oscar the Chilean guitar player, I got a response that the guy was Oscar Lopez who is now considered a Latino guitar legend here in Canada. Immediately, I browsed the Facebook account of Oscar and saw a photo posted with Gerry Atwell's caption of a later version of the Jade band with Gigi Zapata, Frank "Bambi" Holder, Oscar Lopez, Robin Morrier and Gerry Atwell sometime in the summer of 1980 and in Gerry's caption it also says, "This is how I earned my tuition for the next term at U of M."

Excitedly, I sent a message to Gerry Atwell about the Jade band and right away, Gerry added me as a friend. Gerry told me that he was 20 to 21 years old during the time. I asked him what can he say about his Filipino rock and roll buddies and he replied,"Those were great times with beautiful people." Gerry texted me that he was not only with Jade, but also with Asia band and Offshore Express. These bands were mostly comprised of Filipino members and  Gerry was at home with them. Out of appreciation for his help with naming members in the old pictures, I searched online for something to described  Gerry Atwell and here is what I found: "Gerry Atwell has performed on keyboards and vocals in some of Winnipeg's favourite bands including Ministers of Cool, Rockalypso and Eagle and Hawk with whom he won a Juno award. Gerry studied Theatre with University of Manitoba's  Black Hole Company and has written and produced stage plays, films and radio drama. Ring of Fire is Gerry's first appearance at Rainbow Stage as a performer" (www.rainbowstage.ca).

Front Gigi, Conrad, Robin,Mario,Gerry,Danny and  Oscar 80s

I got some messages from musicians who met some of the old guards of the Filipino rock and roll scene and they shared that Jade was organized sometime in 1983-84, but according to Mario Tuazon, Jade started in 1978 and lasted until Rockestra emerged in 1982. I strongly believed that the name of the band was revived later. I was hoping to get more information. Unfortunately, there are no documents or even pictures to confirm this. I have to rely on oral narratives. This is not surprising, because during this time, no one really bothers about community bands that perform at hotels and bars. This is the reason why bands and the events where they played remain only in the minds of artists and the audience who witnessed their performances.

The Roots: Filipino Rockers and Musicians of Winnipeg  (1974-1982)

Levy Abad , Singer-Songwriter -September, 2016
Published on  September 18,2016  , http://www.philippinecanadiannews.com/ Sept 18,2016

Introduction

Jade Band 80s

Cobra band 1970s

There are a lot of musicians in Winnipeg and their presence goes back to the time the first wave of Filipinos arrived in the early 60s. Filipinos love music and along with this is the desire to learn instruments like the piano or guitar. This thing made me wonder if there is a book about the history of Winnipeg’s Rock and Roll scene. I did some research and found none. There are books written about the Filipino community’s presence like the one written by Gemma Dalayoan, Leah Enverga-Magsino and Leonnie Castillo Bailon (The First Filipino Immigrants in Manitoba, 1959-1975, but none focusing on musicians. In writing this article, I am just attempting to put the oral narrative online and on print hoping to trigger curiosity, conversation or create tiny ripples that may affect and effect the future of Filipino community’s music scene. So friends, here is my tiny contribution and hoping you will enjoy the narrative. 

Songwriter's curiosity

Alex Oyas , folk and country singer

With a songwriter’s curiosity, I phoned Manong (Elder) Alex Oyas of BIBAk on September 2 to ask him about the history of bands in Winnipeg. I told Manong Alex that a friend referred him to me as one of those who were active in the music scene in the Filipino Community in the 70s. Manong Alex Oyas is also a musician. I have heard him sing and he is good. He played the piano and guitar at BIBAK’s events. He relayed to me that he used to be invited by the aboriginal community called the Western Hour program of Channel 11- CTV back in 1975 and 1976 to sing some songs. He was known as the Winnipeg Filipino Cowboy or the Benguet Cowboy.  Manong Alex listed some songs that he played on television during that time, songs like Boggie Blues, Pitong Gatang, Devil Woman, Chime Bells and a song called Tatlong Baraha (Three Cards).  This station was somewhere in Logan and Salter, where the old Aboriginal Friendship Centre building was located.  In pursuing the issue of the first bands in Winnipeg’s Filipino community,  Manong Alex suggested that I should contact Manong Mario Tuazon, who is presently working with UMAC .  I was able to get hold of Manong Mario Tuazon.

Sta. Cruz Band

Celso Bueno

Before I proceed with the account given to me by Manong Mario Tuazon about the Cobra band, I
would like to mention that the earliest band formed was the Sta. Cruz band.  This information was given to me by Manong Butch Jularbal in a phone conversation (September 12, 2016, 10:58 a.m.), with whom I had a nice chat about his music days in the Peg. He mentioned that he actually played with a three piece band, together with Calso Bueno who plays bass  and Ricky Hibi on drums.. Sta. Cruz band was an experimental band that was formed in  early 1974.  The band Mikrobyo, would come later that year with new members like  Tony Igonia, Eric Lucas , Reno Clement,Teo Mance and Jessie Opina.  Later on, Butch Jularbal became a regular member of Cobra band in 1975-76 and so Sta Cruz band faded from the scene.

Butch of Sta Cruz Band early 1974

In my conversation with Tony Igonia, he explained to me carefully that Sta Cruz band was the first band in the Filipino community of Winnipeg and is really famous during that time.He said these three guys , Butch Jularbal, Celso Bueno and Ricky Hibi were regularly performing in different venues. Tony admiringly stressed that Butch Jularbal, during that time, was the best guitar player in the Filipino community . He remembers that whenever there is an event and the Sta Cruz band is performing they would selflessly call on the members of Mikrobyo band who were just beginning  to come up and jam  .This is probably why  there was confusion as to membership of Celso and Butch.  

Celso Bueno with friends

Reflecting on these accounts makes me feel a bit disappointed for(source: Ardie Sarao). These accounts about Celso were confirmed by by his younger brother Jerry Bueno who also sent me pictures for this tribute article.
not having met the late Celso Bueno who is from Nagcarlan, Laguna, same province where I came from. But as a consolation, I am glad to know that he was one of the pioneers in the Winnipeg Filipino music scene. It is interesting to note that Celso Bueno also lent his establishment for the bands to hang out and also employed them as musicians for years until he passed away. 

Mikrobyo Band (1974)

Tony Igonia Bassist of  Mikrobyo

Mikrobyo band was formed sometime in 1974. The band was composed of Tony Igonia ,rhythm guitar, Eric Lucas on bass, Reno Clement ( Filipino ) on drums , Teo Mance - on guitar and Jessie Opina who joined the band briefly.  I got the membership of Mikrobyo from Tony Igonia .( September 18,2016 ) Tony said  over the phone that the asset of Mikrobyo was the presence of Teo "Phil" Mance who was really loved by the community because of his cool and warm tenor voice, especially when he sings "Feelings,"   the hit song of Morris Albert . Another asset of the group was Eric Lucas who was great with the bass guitar. Tony also added that they covered songs of Doors , Nights in White Satin by the Moody Blues, Juan Dela Cruz songs and many more.

An article by Leigh Ann Sommers that appeared on Filipino Journal in the late 80s , reaffirms that in 1974, Teo Mance, the famous folk singer in the Winnipeg Filipino community, was a member of Mikrobyo band until he left to go solo and eventually moved to BC. This story was also repeated by Mar Tuazon of  Jade band (1978 ) in a phone conversation.  Mikrobyo band played at different lounges and hotel bars.  Jojo Yso  of Traffikk Jamm (2016 ) told me that they were legends in the community back in the mid 70s up to the late 80s. I asked Butch Jularbal as to why a lot of his friends thought that he was a member of Mikrobyo ? He explained that during the time, he went around playing with different groups to find the best one.

My interview with Tony Igonia gave me an insight of Mikrobyo band.  I ask him about Celso Bueno and he said that Celso never became a member of Mikrobyo. Celso was a member of the first band in Winnipeg . The reason people got confused  was because the group of Celso during that time, would always call on Mikrobyo members to perform with them at wedding socials etc.

 Tony Igonia  vividly remembers how they came up with the name Mikrobyo. With gusto , he told me that he, together with  Erik Lucas and Reno Clement watched a movie titled Andromeda Strain and the conversation afterwards was to use the title of the movie as their band name. Somebody said it was too long or folks wouldn't get it. Eventually, someone suggested "Mikrobyo" instead,  everybody agreed and so it came to be the bands name..

 My interview with Ardie Sarao on September 3, 2016, he said that he met the members of Mikrobyo band and learned to play the guitar with their guidance. Ardie added that he became a“saling pusa” (hang out) of Mikrobyo sometime in  the early 80s with Tony Igonia and the rest of the band.

Cobra Band 1975-76: Playing during the Disco Era

Robin Morrier, Conrad Cordoviz, Butch Jularbal and Brian Paul

Butch Jularbal  of  Cobra band  1975

Cobra Band (1975-early 80s) Manong (elder) Mario Tuazon told me that the famous band back in the 70s, between 1975 to early 80s,  was the Cobra Band .The  leader of this band was Butch Jularbal, who arrived in Winnipeg in 1972 . Butch himself was famous in Baguio with DZWT of St. Louise and a member of the band Vagabonds (September 12 conversation with Butch Jularbal).  Vagabonds played in places like Camp Wallace in San Fernando La Union, Cresta Ola Beach Resort in Bauang, La Union (late 60s) and also abroad in Vietnam.

Butch Jularbal was the lead guitarist of Cobra.  Mario Tuazon (the best man at Butch Jularbal’s wedding) also shared that Cobra played at the Grant Motor Hotel, Canadian Motor Hotel, Hanger 22 Hotel and Paddle Wheel. In a text message of  Butch (September 12, 3:42 p.m.), he wrote,“Cobra band was the first band to play at Pubs Montcalm near University of Manitoba back in the late 70s.....We have agents who  booked us in different parts of Manitoba.” These places were again mentioned by  Butch Jularbal in his other text message (Sept. 12, 2016,10:41 a.m.).

Cobra Band  mid 70s

                                

Other members of the band were Eric Lucas (bass guitar), Danny Zapata (organ), Brian Paul (Keyboards) and Robin Morrier (drums) and Conrado “Conrad” Cordoviz who plays lead and bass from time to time. Conrad Cordovis said that he joined the band by mid-1977. The band’s repertoire includes Rock and Roll, Blues, Top 40, Bee Gees and Disco (text message of Butch Jularbal, Sept 12, 2016,10:44 a.m.). According to Butch Jularbal, the band Cobra disbanded sometime in the early part of 1979. By 1980 and 81, Butch  left for Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta with Cliff Ho whose band South East movement had just disbanded. They performed in the best venues in Alberta like the Banff Hotel for example. Cliff, by the way, was the original bass player of Juan De la Cruz and was also the keyboard player of the South East Movement Band.  In the seventies, some bands that performed in Winnipeg were from Calgary.

Butch Jularbal on right 

Butch Jularbal explained to me that playing music was fun but it was tough too.  He said, “I could tell you many trials and tribulation being a musician in the Peg. It’s hard but we managed.” He continued, “Yeah with great difficulties and politics, we managed with the 3 Ps: Patience, Persistence and Perseverance.”

The musical influences that they brought with them from the Philippines were different from the Rock n Roll of Winnipeg, which, during that time, was Rolling Stones and ZZ Top an American rock band that formed in 1969 in Houston Texas performing Blues rock, Boogie rock and Hard rock. He remembers Cobra playing Bee Gees and Earth Wind and Fire songs, which were kind of unacceptable during that time.  He shared that one time they performed in one border town called St. Piere where there was a mix group of people who were really happy with Disco music. Back in the 70s and 80s, Butch added that Winnipeg was not into Disco.

My research on Butch Jularbal on Facebook led me to a posting by Willie Posadas (July 27, 2010) where it says that he recently viewed the DVD movie (2009) “Driven to Kill” of Steven Segal. Butch Jularbal played the music “Butch Blues” in this movie, and also has other music credits/soundtrack in two other movies, “The Silencer” and “For a Few Lousy Dollars.”  Butch is indeed a very talented musician and former “Vagabond” from Bagiuo. He now lives in Vancouver. Wow, seeing this post on Facebook just proves the stories that I heard from Mar Tuazon and other old time musicians in the Peg that Butch Jularbal is really good in his craft.

When I contacted Jose “Jun“ Pacifico, I asked him about what he can remember about the group Cobra and he told me that he was able to listen to them and session with them once. He recalls Cobra band covering the songs of STYX like Babe.  Jun noted that Cobra also covered Top 40s and danceable songs. “The band has to cover popular songs to survive the music scene or the management hires another that can satisfy the likes of the clientele,” Jun explained.

I am grateful and I really appreciate Butch Jularbal’s willingness to share some information and the musical atmosphere of the time.  Even with the stature he has reached,  Butch is so humble and devoid of primadonna attitude, which just confirms what Kuya (Elder) Mar Javier told me that the Jularbals are good folks and humble.  Mario Javier is one of the seniors who became the President of Health Sciences Union and had known the parents of Butch Jularbal. 

Butch has been in BC for several years now and he is still playing with a band. My FB friend, Leo Orpilla Cunanan, told me that he performed with Manong Butch with a band named “Butch and the Sundance Kids” from 1984 to 1992. Butch Jularbal is also the band leader of another band called "Catch 22" and performs at a place called Stefanos in BC. He is also writing his journey as a musician and I am just happy to cover a bit of his artist’s narrative back in the 70s up to the time that he left for British Columbia.

Jojo Yso, Rocking Winnipeg  Part 2

Levy Abad

Traffikk Jamm

On December 2013, the band, Traffikk Jamm, was born. Traffikk Jamm is one of the high impact rock bands of the Filipino community.  The members of the band are JojoYso (guitar and vocals), Erwin San Juan (lead guitar/vocals), AC Garcia (lead vocals), Willy Liwanag (bass /vocals) and last but not the least, Noel Marana (drums/vocals) (Traffikk Jamm’s FB page). Their music incorporates elements of classic rock and top 40s music. This year, Traffikk Jamm performed at the recently concluded Food-O-Rama at PCCM and at the 2016 Manitoba Filipino Street Festival held at Downtown Winnipeg where about 15,000 attended. They also held a fundraising concert at 49 Euclid Avenue for the Filipino Seniors Group. On October 1 and 2, they are one of the featured performers at the Octoberfest organized by the Winnipeg Filipino Beer Festival. (Traffikk Jamm Band:  Winnipeg`s Pride, Levy Abad, Articles and Poems).

Faithful to his Folk roots

Wow, what a rock and roll ride for Jojo Yso who told me that he has always been faithful to his folk roots. It just so happened that back in the olden days, everybody in Visayas (group of Islands in the Philippines) wanted to go to Japan to become members of a band and earn a decent living. It was a necessity to adapt to new approach to music. This was during the time of the Marcos dictatorship when the labour export policy was implemented that led to the mental and talent drain of the 70s and 80s.  Jojo shared his folksinging years back in high school and told me that they had a trio with two older musicians who hailed from Mindanao. They sang songs of Simon and Garfunkel, Crosby Stills Nash and Young or CSNY, Asin (Salt of the earth), Neil Young, America, James Taylor, John Denver and Don McLean.  He added that in this trio, two played the guitars and one played the base.  Jojo also had a group in high school performing Asin and Simon and Garfunkel songs in school functions.

Playing Ukelele at the age of 6

Jojo was born in 1967, my contemporary. We share the same music, sang the same songs and had the experience of performing in high school events. The difference is Jojo started playing the guitar (ukulele) earlier than me at a young age of 6 years. He explained that when he was in 1^st year high school, he joined a guitar playing competition and won first prize against his senior year opponents.

He reminisced that the piece that he played  when he was in first year was  the instrumental  “Forbidden Games “ , which was the favourite of his dad.  He said that even up to now, when he remembers his dad, he plays this song that takes him back in time.

Time spent on playing the guitar

Reflecting on the experience of Jojo, I can imagine the time that he spent on playing the guitar and honing his skill. Back in high school, we used to boast of the caloused fingertips due to hours spent playing the guitar. I neglected my studies just to learn After the Gold Rush of Neil Young, I Need You of America and Is it okay If I call you mine by Paul McCrane.  I can just imagine how many hours were spent on this through the years excluding the time spent on memorizing songs even the cassette cartridges spent, the cassette player messed up by the forwards and the rewinds just to capture the style of James Taylor, Don McLean, among others. For those who never went through this kind of experience, everything seems easy and perhaps would think that singing a song is a cheap trick.  Mind you, Jojo reads notes and knows how to arrange, which for a folksinger like me who only learned to play guitar on the streets, is another level still.

Band leadership is humbling

Watching Jojo Yso perform with his present band, Traffikk Jamm, and listening to their impressive performances make one concludes that as a group and as a member/ band leader, Jojo is just reaping the fruits of the time he spent playing the frets of the guitar or whatever instrument he plays.  Jojo’s role as a band leader is not an easy job. I remember seeing him carrying all the amps and other performance stuff to set up and after the gigs, he is one of the last persons to stay to clean-up and lift stuff. What a sacrifice to make people happy and momentarily free them from the depressive effects of diaspora.   The regular band practice, the individual research on the pieces of music to be played and the arranging of songs for the band, my, oh my, I haven’t done any bit of this. The only thing that I did as a performer was bring my guitar, plugged it to an amp then sing about revolution. All this task of a band leader reminds me of some lines in Neil Young’s “Comes a time:” we were right, we were giving, that’s how we kept what we gave away. Well, Bai (Bro) Jojo, from 1972 when you learned to play the ukelele and all these years, I know and you know deep in your heart that we made people happy, reminisce, fall in love and out of love, but the power of music in us, as shaped by our folk roots, withstands the vicissitudes of time. So Bai, “Keep on rockin’ Winnipeg!”

Jojo Yso; Rockin’ Winnipeg

Levy Abad, September 6, 2016
http://www.philippinecanadiannews.com/canada/winnipegs-home-grown-musicians/
Published September 9,2016

Courtesy of  Traffikk Jamm Fb page

Jojo Yso arrived in Winnipeg in 1987 and right away he looked for a band to join, the name of which he cannot recall anymore. In the following year, he joined the Off Limits Band. The year that Jojo left the Philippines, the country was full of hope. The dictatorship was just ousted, but in the midst of this change, the music scene was shifting too. The curse of the karaoke was slowly creeping and killing the livelihood of folk singers and rock bands. The peasants were massacred at the bridge leading to Malacañang (President’s Palace) for singing the song “Dapat Bawiin” (Retake the Land). It was during this time when I was beginning to delve into peoples’ art and studying the songs of activist songwriters including Gary Granada’s Bahay, Joey Ayala’s Santa Filomena while halfway across the world, Jojo, whom I will meet later in 2010, was singing to ease the pain of our people in the diaspora. This is the context and the time of Jojo’s journey as a musician. Jojo is fortunate to have crossed over to a country that is still insulated from the wave of change in the music industries ever changing terrain.. 

Off Limits

As a newly arrived migrant and artist endowed with a restless soul, Jojo cannot wait to join a band and take on the stage to satisfy his thirst for music while earning something on the side or to hit Nashville or Hollywood by storm. Thus the Off Limits Band was formed with Jojo as guitar player/vocalist, Ardie Sarao (a guitar legend in the Filipino community), Willy Liwanag who plays the bass guitar and Lito Balmes.

They performed Pinoy Rock songs and also Glam Rock. Glam Rock is like the music of Poison, Motley Crue, The Cult, Def Leppard and Cinderella. Glam Rock is short for Glamorous Rock because of the way the bands dressed-up. According to Jojo, the Off Limits Band was around for two to three years. He added that after some time, Ardie Sarao left the group, went solo and ventured into the mainstream community. (Text messages of Jojo Yso- September 2, 2016). With Ardie bidding adieu to the group to go solo and other pressures affecting the lives of the rest of the band members, they decided to part ways for a time and regroup with new artists to form a group known as One Band.

ONE band (1989-90)

Jojo Yso , Traffikk Jamm FB Page

Sometime in 1989, Jojo joined another group called the One Band. The crew of this band were Jojo Yso (Lead Guitar/ Vocals), Willy Liwanag (Bass), Noel Marana (Drummer) and Bernard Mercado (Lead Guitar). Jojo told me that they used to perform Hard Rock songs or music.  They used to cover Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Bad Company, Pink Floyd (Text messages of Jojo Yso, September 2, 2016). From the Glam Rock genre, Jojo, together with his bandmates, transitioned to another style.  This shift in style and musical pieces entailed changes in influences. The moment a guitar player studies musical pieces of new musicians, he is changed too and has to absorb and really master the new arrangement. This is tough for band leaders because they have to lead in terms of arrangement, aside from being the admin of the band.  After a couple of years and economic pressures, some members of the band left the group to find greener pastures  and those who decided to stay on licked the pain of losing buddies, raised the banner of rock and roll and go on with the march to guitartopia with a new group called Exodus.

Exodus

Between 1991 and 1993, while the world was still fresh from the fall of the Berlin Wall, another local transformation occurred with the founding of a group called Exodus. Exodus was comprised of Jojo Yso (rhythm guitar), Ricky Natoc (drums), Willy Liwanag (bassist), Janjan Natoc (keyboard) and Jun Magnaye (lead vocals/guitar/second keyboard). Jojo shared that Exodus was more geared toward 80s and 90s song and classic rock, the likes of ToTo, Europe, Duran Duran, Santana, REO Speed Wagon, Journey and Eagles(Jojo Yso’s text message, September 6,2016).  This group was kind of transitional since by 1993, it metamorphosed into After Touch due to pressures of migration. One of its members had to look for better opportunity somewhere. Qualitatively, there will be a shift in approach as most of the eventual members of After Touch are musicians who read notes like Frank Urbano.

After Touch

Came 1993, the group, After Touch, was born. After Touch was known as the community’s sessionistas and was also a show band. The members of this group were Joso Yso (acoustic and lead guitars), Frank Urbano (bass player/band leader/arranger), Jun Urbano (2nd keys), Jonjon Natoc (1^st keys), Darius Dandan (saxophone), Maui Zamora (percussionist). Most of the performances of After Touch were with bands that visited from the Philippines.  Known as a band that reads notes, they can right away gel with fellow musicians from the old country.  I had the chance to listen to the album of After Touch, which, by the way, was mixed by Paul Morrow, and it sounded awesome. Unfortunately, their album was not released. I am still hoping that this album will be launched one day as it is a part of the Filipino community’s spirit of the 1990s.

Jojo Yso recalled the places where After Touch performed. The band gigged twice at the Concert Hall, four times at the Pantages, five or more at the Burton Cummings Theatre.  They also played as sessionists for Rachel Alejandro, Ogie Alcasid, Raymong Lauchenco, Ariel Rivera, Rey Valera, Erick Santos and Allan K. as well as the opening act for Basil Valdez, Jaya and Sarah Geronimo.  They also did back-up for Maan Dionisio of Miss Saigon, a major PCCM event held at the Concert Hall. With all these achievements, I think After Touch was Winnipeg’s premiere band of the 90s and early 2000s.However, in 2011, the band parted ways. The good news is members of the After Touch is comtemplating playing again as a group  this year.  (Jojo Yso’s text message, September 2, 2016).

Jojo Yso, Rockin’ Winnipeg Part 2

Levy Abad

Traffikk Jamm

On December 2013, the band, Traffikk Jamm, was born. Traffikk Jamm is one of the high impact rock bands of the Filipino community.  The members of the band are JojoYso (guitar and vocals), Erwin San Juan (lead guitar/vocals), AC Garcia (lead vocals), Willy Liwanag (bass /vocals) and last but not the least, Noel Marana (drums/vocals) (Traffikk Jamm’s FB page). Their music incorporates elements of classic rock and top 40s music. This year, Traffikk Jamm performed at the recently concluded Food-O-Rama at PCCM and at the 2016 Manitoba Filipino Street Festival held at Downtown Winnipeg where about 15,000 attended. They also held a fundraising concert at 49 Euclid Avenue for the Filipino Seniors Group. On October 1 and 2, they are one of the featured performers at the Octoberfest organized by the Winnipeg Filipino Beer Festival. (Traffikk Jamm Band:  Winnipeg`s Pride, Levy Abad, Articles and Poems).

Faithful to his Folk roots

Wow, what a rock and roll ride for Jojo Yso who told me that he has always been faithful to his folk roots. It just so happened that back in the olden days, everybody in Visayas (group of Islands in the Philippines) wanted to go to Japan to become members of a band and earn a decent living. It was a necessity to adapt to new approach to music. This was during the time of the Marcos dictatorship when the labour export policy was implemented that led to the mental and talent drain of the 70s and 80s.  Jojo shared his folksinging years back in high school and told me that they had a trio with two older musicians who hailed from Mindanao. They sang songs of Simon and Garfunkel, Crosby Stills Nash and Young or CSNY, Asin (Salt of the earth), Neil Young, America, James Taylor, John Denver and Don McLean.  He added that in this trio, two played the guitars and one played the base.  Jojo also had a group in high school performing Asin and Simon and Garfunkel songs in school functions.

Playing Ukelele at the age of 6

Jojo was born in 1967, my contemporary. We share the same music, sang the same songs and had the experience of performing in high school events. The difference is Jojo started playing the guitar (ukulele) earlier than me at a young age of 6 years. He explained that when he was in 1^st year high school, he joined a guitar playing competition and won first prize against his senior year opponents.

He reminisced that the piece that he played  when he was in first year was  the instrumental  “Forbidden Games “ or Fur Elise, which was the favourite of his dad.  He said that even up to now, when he remembers his dad, he plays this song that takes him back in time.

Time spent on playing the guitar

Reflecting on the experience of Jojo, I can imagine the time that he spent on playing the guitar and honing his skill. Back in high school, we used to boast of the caloused fingertips due to hours spent playing the guitar. I neglected my studies just to learn After the Gold Rush of Neil Young, I Need You of America and Is it okay If I call you mine by Paul McCrane.  I can just imagine how many hours were spent on this through the years excluding the time spent on memorizing songs even the cassette cartridges spent, the cassette player messed up by the forwards and the rewinds just to capture the style of James Taylor, Don McLean, among others. For those who never went through this kind of experience, everything seems easy and perhaps would think that singing a song is a cheap trick.  Mind you, Jojo reads notes and knows how to arrange, which for a folksinger like me who only learned to play guitar on the streets, is another level still.

Band leadership is humbling

Watching Jojo Yso perform with his present band, Traffikk Jamm, and listening to their impressive performances make one concludes that as a group and as a member/ band leader, Jojo is just reaping the fruits of the time he spent playing the frets of the guitar or whatever instrument he plays.  Jojo’s role as a band leader is not an easy job. I remember seeing him carrying all the amps and other performance stuff to set up and after the gigs, he is one of the last persons to stay to clean-up and lift stuff. What a sacrifice to make people happy and momentarily free them from the depressive effects of diaspora.   The regular band practice, the individual research on the pieces of music to be played and the arranging of songs for the band, my, oh my, I haven’t done any bit of this. The only thing that I did as a performer was bring my guitar, plugged it to an amp then sing about revolution. All this task of a band leader reminds me of some lines in Neil Young’s “Comes a time:” we were right, we were giving, that’s how we kept what we gave away. Well, Bai (Bro) Jojo, from 1972 when you learned to play the ukelele and all these years, I know and you know deep in your heart that we made people happy, reminisce, fall in love and out of love, but the power of music in us, as shaped by our folk roots, withstands the vicissitudes of time. So Bai, “Keep on rockin’ Winnipeg!”

Ardie Sarao’s Guitar, Scarred but not broken

 Levy Abad -Aug 4, 2016 (4:30pm to 10:00)

Courtesy of Ardie's FB page

I really want to write about the history of Pinoy music in Winnipeg from 1974 to 2016. I thought that the best way to do this is to interview Ardie Sarao who was gracious enough to give me an overview. When I went to his place, I met another musician named Ed Esteban, whom I met at Portage Place playing the piano. Unfortunately, after Ed played Elton John’s Skyline Pigeon and Ardie singing with his husky tenor, he has to leave with his church buddy Kenneth Ferguson to play for a 6 p.m. Sunday service.

Ardie shared that as far as he can remember, he used to hang out with Mikrobyo Band in the early 80s. Mikrobyo band was composed of the following: Butch Miraflor who plays awesome lead guitar, Teofilo “Teo” Mance- acoustic (briefly then went solo), Tony Igonia – Bass and Celso Bueno –Vocals. Sometime in 1977, he became a member of Friends Folk Duo that later on became Sarao Brothers Folk Duo.  In 1981 to 1983, Ardie became a member of the Juan Tamad Band. From 1984 to 1986, he was part of the Laguna Sunrise Band and then in 1987, Off Limits Band. Ardie decided to go solo afterwards and ventured outside the Filipino community.

Friends Folk Duo, 1977-78 The members of this duo were Francisco “Boy” Sarao and Arman Reyes. Eventually this group will evolve and will become the Sarao Brothers Folk Duo of Boy Sarao and Ardie Sarao.  Ardie  said that the repertoire of the Friends Folk Duo includes CSNY, Travelling Wilburys,  James Taylor,  Rolling Stones, Beatles and any Folk Rock of the 60s and the 70s era. The Friends Folk Duo performed at barbecue parties, small gatherings and socials.  Back in the days, the population of Filipinos in Winnipeg was just around 35 thousand.

JUAN TAMAD Band (1981-83) This period saw the transition from folk and country to a new genre of music and the new role that Ardie assumed as a lead guitarist. The members of the Juan Tamad Band, according to him, were the following:  Francisco “Boy” Sarao, Napoleon Medina (vocals), Tony Igonia (bass and band leader), Ardie Sarao (lead guitar and vocals).  Juan Tamad Band covered progressive metal songs of the Rush, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Quite Riot.  When asked where they performed, Ardie said it was at the Balmoral Hotel, weddings and socials and Bueno`s Lounge, a place owned by Celso Bueno.

LAGUNA SUNRISE (1984- 86) 1984 marked another change in style from progressive metal song to pop rock ,latin and  jazzy types .The members of this new group were:  Celso Bueno (vocals) , Tony Igonia (bass), and  Francisco “Boy” Sarao (lead vocals) and Ardie Sarao (lead guitar).  Laguna Sunrise covered songs by In Excess, Los Lobos, Billy Idol, 70s classic ballad and some Earth Wind and Fire songs.  The band also played at the Bueno’s Lounge and at the basement called Maharlika Hall. Ardie added that basically Laguna Sunrise is the evolution of Mikrobyo (Interview with Ardie Sarao- September 3, 2016).

OFF LIMITS Band (1987) The following were the members of Off Limits Band, which was formed in 1987:  Jojo Yso, Ardie Sarao, Willy Liwanag and Lito Balmes.  Ardie Sarao would leave the group later on. Off Limits played at the Casa Bueno Lounge (now known as Pampanga Restaurant), every Friday and Saturday.  They covered PInoy Rock songs.  Joso Yso remembers when they were still a four-piece band, they took on Glam Rock. Glam Rock is like the music of POISON, Motley Crue, The Cult, Def Leppard and Cinderella.  Jojo explained that Glam Rock is a short term for Glamorous Rock because of the way the pioneers of these bands dressed up (Source: text messages of Jo Yso -September 2, 2016).

Briefly in 2006, Ardie Sarao performed at a Valentine Party at Pampanga Restaurant with a new group called FRIENDS (without Boy Sarao).  He played with Mike Lazatin, who was 2003 ABS-CBN’s Star of a Million semi- finalist, doing vocals, Darius Dandan on saxophone, James de Nieva (percussion) (September 5, 2016 interview).

From the experiences that Ardie Sarao went through, starting from his classical training then folk  and country in the early years and later moving on to different schools of rock as a singer and guitarist, one will not wonder anymore why he managed to do all the guitar performances that he posted on Youtube. If the persona of Ardie Sarao intrigues you, I suggest that you view him on YouTube channel @ 
www.youtube.com/ardiesarao https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnsq14ldp7NrsNSvlx2tfWg  and listen to his covers and own compositions.

Ardie Sarao’s Guitar, Scarred but not broken (part 2)

Levy Abad

Courtesy of Ardie's FB page

 Aside from Ardie Sarao, I would also like to write about Neil Bondoc. When I mentioned the name of Neil, Ardie became excited and told me that he had a lot of encounters with Neil as the latter is a senior musician friend in the community. He shared that Neil Bondoc started out in the city with the folk and country tradition, but eventually evolved into Rock and Roll etc. He said that he was also inspired by Neil’s great talent in singing and playing the guitar.  He recalls hanging out at the Sherbrook and Sargent apartment of Neil Bondoc in the past. Neil, Ardie added, is a master of Eddie Peregrina and Boy Mondragon’s songs to the delight of the Filipino community.

Ardie became a bit emotional when he shared that he was not able to attend the last birthday of Neil Bondoc before the latter passed away. He called Neil instead and they had a nice two-hour talk about life, music etc., the kind that created ripples in his life .This was months before Neil passed away. Ardie shared an eerie story that he was playing at Concorde Hotel and just finished his gig and was already fixing his stuff when he saw Neil Bondoc enter the bar. He was excited to see his friend. It was then that Jojo Yso, another musician friend, came up to him and told him about the sad news of Neil’s death. The news came as a shock to Ardie because he just saw Neil minutes ago in the bar. Kind of a believe it or not thing. Ardie said that another musician that was close to Neil is Arman Reyes, who also was deeply shaken by Neil’s leaving for rock and roll heaven.

We took a break from the sharing of memories and I sang some of my original compositions such as Heading to Manitoba, Dito sa Winnipeg and Souls Taken Away (a tribute to residential school victims). For his part, Ardie did some back-up guitars a la Maury Muehleisen, the buddy of Jim Croce (a folk singer legend who wrote “Time in A Bottle” and who perished in a plane crash in 1976). We chatted about a possible project like recording a song together at his basement, doing some gigs for fun and posting it on YouTube.

I asked Ardie about his influences and he gave me a handful. He mentioned Paco de Lucia, the King of Flamenco, Joe Santana, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Richie Blackmore of Deep Purple, Jimi Hedrix, Al Di Meola, Steve Vai,  Van Halen , Yngwie Mamstein and  Mike Hanopol of  Juan De la Cruz Band (September  5,2016 interview). He said that, nowadays, he kind of systhesized all these influences in the way he does with his music.  He showed me some of his postings on Youtube and I could somehow discern his development and the time that he devoted in mastering his craft.

Our discussion moved to the topic of guitar. According to Ardie, guitar for him is like a woman and he even told me that he misses his old Ovation guitar with its great sound and curvy shape. He laughed out loud while saying this. “You have to love your guitar and should always be with it holding it close and always making music with it to be able to produce great music and memories,” Ardie said. Furthermore, Ardie revealed that he got the analogy from his basic classical guitar teacher in the Philippines named Jojie Samaniego who is a contemporary of Lester Demetillo. I told Ardie that as far as I’m concerned, guitar is an instrument of peace. It is like a weapon for organizing and rousing and raising consciousness of folks for social change, explaining that the dominant culture nowadays promote systemic cooptation and inertia. I told him that my favorites are Jim Croce, Bob Dylan, W. Guthrie, Jackson Browne, Gary Granada and Heber Bartolome.

We then talked about musicians who visited Winnipeg, and to my surprise, he shared his music days with Mike Hanopol of the famous Juan Dela Cruz Band when Mike had a concert here back in 1997.  Ardie said he used to drive for Mike Hanopol in the city and also session with the Legend.  On the other hand, I shared that when Mike visited Toronto, I met him there and Mike even stayed at my house in Mississauga. Mike and I talked for long hours about religion and philosophy.

When asked how long he’s been here in the city, Ardie replied that he arrived here in 1979 and followed the musicians of the day like the members of the Mikrobyo, Teo Mance, Celso Bueno , his brother Boy Sarao and  Arman Reyes of Friends Folk Duo (which became Sarao Btothers later), a certain Vladi (a talented folksinger  back between ‘81 to ‘83, who covers Don Mclean, James Taylor, Jim Croce and countless greats).  He clarified that his older brother, Boy Sarao, was the one who started him out in singing and performing when he was a kid.  He reminisced his Vancouver days where he did some gigs and busking and where he met a band called Twin Lovers Guitar Duo, Choy Vergara and Buddy. Ardie noted that Choy Vergara also stayed here in the Peg and performed in a lot of places in the 80s. Back in the days, Ardie used to busk even here in the Winnipeg.  Aside from him and his brother Boy, Ardie has a sister, Luz Sarao –September, who played at Lounges here in Winnipeg in the mid -80s. He added that she is known in the folk circuit in Manila as Luchi Sarao.

Ardie said that he has been in the music scene playing with bands when he eventually decided to play solo. He witnessed artists being ripped-off like being issued bouncing cheque after a great night of performance. He became serious at this point and said, “I experienced the hagupit (pain) of a musician’s life. Times when I don’t earn enough for food, not even money to buy a good set of strings.”  As early as ‘81 or ’82, he said that he already played in public places like in the old Portage Place where most of the musicians do basking during that time. He continued, “I experienced performing for a burger and fries, do some pass the hat for some loose change. Oh boy, those were the days, bro” (September 5, 2016 interview).

These experiences, according to Ardie taught him to be realistic, not set high expectations and just express his passion of playing music.  He asked me what’s the difference between a busker who played great music and a damn famous musician who plays a four-chord song with non-sense lyrics in front of a wild crowd?  Where is the sense in it? He regretted the instrumentalist treatment of musicians in the community without considering the time or life expended in honing the craft.  Ardie was kind of blunt in his honesty that if you are a typical Pinoy, you may be offended and might not come back for another chat or jam. If you are intrigued by the persona of Ardie, I would suggest that you visit his postings on You Tube, just type Ardie Sarao and you will find his heart and soul.  After talking with Ardie, I can say that Ardie is like an old guitar scarred and bruised but still sounds great like my 50-year old Morris w40.

BIBAK :  Resilience and Resistance 
Published in Diversity Times
p. 8 Oct 2016. Vol.5 No. 10

Levy Abad (August 30, 2016)

I saw Manong (Elder) John Gano yesterday at the La Merage restaurant while Neri Dimacali and I were having a chat about how to organize consciousness raising events in the community. John Gano was one of the pioneers of the Filipino community. He was here in Winnipeg since 1967 and was one of the leading founders of Pilipino Association of Manitoba or PAM (1971). I asked Manong John Gano about BIBAK’s beginnings in Winnipeg. Manong John shared that BIBAK (Benguet, Ifugao, Bontoc, Apayao, Kalinga) was founded in April 1994 by him (Manong John Gano as Chair and Manong Conrado “Popoy” Gomez as Vice- Chair.  He explained that back in the 50s,  some students of the different tribes  in the five colleges in Baguio came together to form BIBAK as a mechanism for building unity amongst the different tribes, thus beginning the process of  bringing about Bodong (peace pact ) among warring tribes in the Cordillera. Today, according to Manong Enrico Ancheta and Evita Lammawin, there are more or less 300 BIBAK families in Manitoba.

with Manong John Gano

Members of BIBAK are descendants of the mountain people (Igorots) of Central Luzon who moved to the mountains to evade the Spanish colonialism (BIBAK MB website).  The Igorots are noted for resisting colonialism .  The tribes of the Cordillera are fierce and independent. They never tolerate encroachment into their ancestral lands. I remember back in the 80’s, I read and studied the life of Kalinga Chief Macli-ing Dulag, one of the heroes of the Cordilleras who defended their land. His famous quote, “How can you own that which outlives you?”

At the August 20, 2016 Manitoba Filipino Street Festival, the float of BIBAK won first prize in the float competition. BIBAK was also a participant of the First Manitoba Filipino Street Festival from the beginning.  I was reminded of the Kanyaw (a feast that lasts for a day, characterized by having the Pinikpikan,  a free flow of Spirits or Tapey and Igorot dancing to the sound of gongs- Source: BIBAKNET).  Manong John told me that the first performance of the Cordillerans here in Winnipeg happened in 1968. The event happened at the Dakota Motor Hotel during the New Year’s Ball and it was sponsored by the Filipino Canadian Association of Manitoba, the first Filipino group in Winnipeg, under the chairmanship of Dr. Guzman that time.

Enrico Ancheta BIBAK Chair 2004-2005

I want to know more about the leadership of the BIBAK through the years so I inquired from Manong John Gano (1994-2005) who succeeded him as head of BIBAK. According to Manong John, it was Enrico Ancheta (2004-2005), followed by Conrado “Popoy” Gomez (2006-2009), Alex Oyas (2010- 2011) and Evita Lammawin (2012-2013). Darwin Rufino (2014-2015) and BIBAK’s current Chair is Virginia Gayot who  assumed the leadership in 2016 up to the present (Source of years: Evita Lammawin).

Conrado Gomez Bibak chair 2006-2009

Listening to Manong John talk about the history of BIBAK made me reflect on the achievements of their community here in the city. I expressed to Manong John that BIBAK contributes a lot to the cultural exchange that is happening in the province by showcasing their indigenous culture like the Kanyaw.  It is worthy to note that in the 70’s, Manong Popoy Gomez, who became the third chair of BiBAK, was also decisive in the anti-dictatorship campaigns in the city. He was one of the founders of Philippine Support Group -PSG (1983) and later on was part of the struggle against racism in 1993 when a Filipino was wrongly accused of stealing something at the McPhillips Superstore. This resulted to a barricade of 1500 people in front of said Superstore.  Danny Gomez, a brother of Manong Popoy, was also part of PSG and the struggle against racism in the city. This only shows that even before BIBAK was formed, the community involvement already existed essentially in the character of its people.

In the area of provincial politics, according to Manong John, BIBAK was also instrumental in the nomination and election of Dr. Conrad Santos, who became the first elected Filipino in the Manitoba Provincial Legislature.  Manong John recalls that they really campaigned hard for Conrad Santos to win.

Evita Lammawin ,Chair 2012-2013

Another area where BIBAK’s contribution can be seen is in solidarity with the indigenous community of Manitoba. I personally witnessed the joint performance between the First Nations community of Winnipeg and BIBAK at PCCM (2014). Manong John Gano also informed me that there is an ongoing conversation between BIBAK and Chief Jim Bear of the Broken Head Ojibway Nation about sisterhood. An important program of BIBAK from its pre-1994 formation and up to now is the effort that they exert in helping out with the settlement of newly-arrived members of the community. Personally, what makes BIBAK special and unique is its love for folk and country songs and making sure that these are integrated in its
culture.

 Back in the 90s, I had the opportunity of going to Mankayan, Benguet to attend the Cordillera Festival. I also had the chance of staying in Trinidad where I performed a couple of Garth Brooks and Kenny Rogers’ songs in one of the small gatherings to the appreciation of the crowd. Here in the Winnipeg, I met and became friends with Daniel Tabo-oy, Art Abad and Darwin Rufino, members of the Gangsa Rhythm Band and founders of Cordillera Darters Association of Manitoba (CDAM), who love singing folk and country songs.  They have invited me to perform in at least three of their events:  February 2015 - BIBAK community organized the SAF44 tribute to the Mamasapano fallen soldiers were a number of the casualties were from the Cordillera; ADIVAY event in 2015 and the Valentines Fundraising Dinner Concert at the Canton Buffet on February 27, 2016.  Daniel and Darwin were among the performers when we organized the First Filipino Folk Music Festival at PCCM (2014 ) and in my “Dito sa Winnipeg” Concert fundraiser on June 19, 2015 at PCCM, when I ran for Winnipeg North.

Daniel Tabo-oy and  Darwin Rufino ,Chair 2014-2015

When I arrived in Winnipeg with my guitar, among the thoughts that ran through my mind was how to connect with the community. Meeting up with different folks led me to Manong John Gano.  Manong John arrived in Winnipeg in 1967 and was one of the pioneers of the community not tarnished with scandal.  He is known as a humble person not given to boasting. He has the capacity to listen and absorb what one is saying then able to pose some relevant questions about how to help with community issues. Manong John was a witness when the first Filipino organization, Fil-Canadian Association, was formed (1967 ). When Kayumanggi (1968) was organized and later on when the Philippine Association of Manitoba (1971 ) was born, Manong John was already there to support the community. Through the years Manong John is a humble servant of BIBAK and the Winnipeg Filipino community and his example is infectious. His influence pervades BIBAK and you can sense this humility in most of its leadership .  During the 2016 Manitoba Filipino Street Festival, one will notice Manong John leading the Kanyaw dance of the BIBAK community downtown. For somebody who loves folk and country music like me, I hold Manong John and the Bibak community dear just like a favourite song.  Agbiag Ti Cordillera ,Manong! Agbiag Ti Bibak!