FILSCAP’s Inaugural Asia Songwriting Master Camp Celebrates International Music Collaboration

Since its inception, the Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (FILSCAP) has stood as one of the country’s foremost promoters and advocates for local musicians, lyricists, and music publishers.

Besides protecting the rights and royaltiesRoyaltiesPayments made to songwriters, performers, and rights holders when their music is sold, streamed, broadcast, or performed publicly. Royalties are the economic foundation of a music career, and understanding howGo to Royalties Glossary of music creators, the association has also involved itself in nurturing future generations of Filipino musicians through such projects as its Songwriters’ Night Select, which recently held its seventh edition last July.

This October, the association expanded its scope internationally with the inauguration of its Asia Songwriting Master Camp, inviting accomplished Filipino musicians like Sponge Cola‘s Yael Yuzon, dwta, and more, to work with seasoned songwriters from India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam over the course of the four-day program.

Here is the full list of participating songwriters:

• Daiyan Trisha — Malaysia
• Yuka Niiyama — Japan
• Sudkhate Jungcharoen (Aek) — Thailand
• Bae Lin — Taiwan
• Hoai An — Vietnam
• Lokesh Madan — India
• Pleng-ek Pan-iem — Thailand
• Abyan Zaki — Indonesia
• Charlie Lim — Singapore
• Jeong Wook Park — South Korea
• Phil Seung Chung — South Korea
• Nica Del Rosario — Philippines
• Leanne Mamonong — Philippines
• Yael Yuzon — Philippines
• Jason Marvin — Philippines
• Jhasmine Villanueva (dwta) — Philippines
• Marlon Barnuevo — Philippines
• Thyro Alfaro — Philippines
• Paulo Zarate — Philippines
• Kiko Salazar — Philippines

Taking place at the Kamana Sanctuary Spa Resort in Subic Bay, Zambales, from October 4 to 7, the camp cultivated a space for musical exchange amid diversity, fostering a community of musicians working in different groupings to produce eight songs.

All this culminated in one Showcase Night, held at Seda Manila Bay’s Sampaguita Ballroom on October 7. More than a display of talent, effort, and collaboration, the evening demonstrated what could ensue when musicians of different countries, cultures, languages, and musical backgrounds work together.

But before the evening erupted into song, FILSCAP Chairman of the Board of Trustees Ramon Chuaying stepped onto the stage to give his welcoming remarks to the audience, before the President of the Board of Trustees, Nonoy Tan, followed to discuss the significance of the project, as well as his aspirations for future editions of the Master Camp.

Entering the ceremony proper, songs like “Restart” (Aek, Bae, Charlie, Kiko, Leanne) highlighted the program’s multiculturalism, being performed twice – once in English and once in its multilingual version. The other seven songs played that night were “What If?” (Phil, Hoai An, Lokesh, dwta, Paulo), “Dear, Bro!” (Pleng-ek, Daiyan, Abyan, Yael, Marlon), “Mr. Peter Pan” (Jay, Yuka, Nica, Jason, Thyro), “Will You?” (Pleng-ek, Jay, Lokesh, Kiko), “F Word” (Aek, Leanne, Abyan, Nica, Paulo), “This Is How You Take Care of Her” (Phil, Bae, Jason, Yuka, Marlon), and “Runnin’” (Thyro, Charlie, dwta, Daiyan, Hoai-A).

Preceding every performance was an introduction by each group, who shared the creative and collaborative process that went into composing the music. These preludes painted a picture not only of how their artistry worked, but also of how different people from diverse backgrounds could work together amid cultural and linguistic boundaries.

Not stopping at giving these compositions and their songwriters a stage, the Showcase Night also invited record labels to express interest in producing the songs, opening the possibility of giving these eight compositions a new life beyond the program.

With an impressive array of music performed that evening, Asia Songwriting Master Camp 2026 properly served as an effective display of cross-cultural music exchange. With the success of the program, FILSCAP seeks to inspire similar initiatives that further encourage international music collaboration, as was shown at the Showcase Night.