Maki, Tiara Shaye, And More Win Big At The PhilPop Himig Handog Songwriting Festival

The term “OPM” was coined in the ’80s by Danny Javier, the lead vocalist of APO Hiking Society, as an umbrella term meant to capture the all-encompassing growing local sensation that was Philippine pop music. Since then, the term has expanded into a cultural phenomenon in which Filipino musicians are empowered to create art that is truly our own.

On March 22, 2025 at the New Frontier Theater, the PhilPop Himig Handog Songwriting Festival celebrated the 50th anniversary of Philippine pop music since its emergence in the 1970s. In a collaborative effort between PhilPop and Himig Handog, this grand celebration hosted a competition between carefully handpicked songwriters. According to Jonathan Manalo, the creative director of ABS-CBN Music, the final roster of tracks was determined through a rigorous adjudication process. The selection of songs involved direct consultation with the songwriters to determine the creative direction of their respective material and identify collaborators who aligned with their overall vision for the competition.

Since its first iteration in 2000, PhilPop Himig Handog has stood out as a mentorship program, which included workshops and songwriting sessions for emerging Filipino composers nationwide. Prior to this year’s iteration of the festival, the last time this event took place was during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2020.

The selected songs themselves ranged from classic pop-sounding ballads to powerful rock anthems, written by participants from various regions in the Philippines. Taking the stage to perform these tracks were renowned artists who served as interpreters for the night, like Maki, Moira, VXON, and more.

Prior to the show itself, the stage was taken over in a medley of classic Philippine pop performances by Erik Santos, BGYO, Jason Dy, and more. The love for OPM was circulating throughout the air as the crowd sang along to a thrilling mashup of karaoke favorites, like Hajj Alejandro’s Ryan Cayabyab-composed masterpiece, “Kay Ganda Ng Ating Musika,” Rivermaya’s heart-stirring anthem, “Awit Ng Kabataan,” and VST and Company’s 1976 classic, “Awitin Mo At Isasayaw Ko.” As each performer came out donned in their best Filipiñana attire, hearts were filled with patriotism and an appreciation for how far OPM has come.

As a testament to the ever-evolving Philippine music scene, each of the twelve songs were written by composers of different backgrounds with various messaging in mind. Reflecting the regions these artists came from, the tracks were written in their own local dialects, and served as medium to express their stories – examples of this being are “Tulala,” a folk-pop Hiligaynon love song, “Dili Na Lang,” a Cebuano downbeat R&B serenade, and “Kurba,” a song testifying the commitment that goes into long-lasting love.

As the subject of the hour approached, anticipation for the results of the competition continued to build. Echoes of fans’ chanting for VXON and Maki filled the New Frontier Theater, as fans made their way to Cubao to show their support for their favorite artists. Sweeping the fan-voting categories, Alvin Serito and Maki took home the MYX Choice Award for Best Music Video and SMART People’s Choice Award for “Kurba.” For the overall songwriting competition, Rinz Ruiz, along with Johnoy Danao and Moira, scored the Second Runner-Up Award, while “Buhi” written by Keith John Quito and interpreted by Ferdinand Aragon grabbed the First Runner-Up Award.

Lastly, the grand prize-winning song of the night, “Wag Paglaruan,” written and interpreted by Tiara Shaye, along with the additional interpretation of Fana, took home the astounding Php 1,000,000 reward. In her acceptance speech, the singer-songwriter was moved to tears, saying, “Sa lahat ng mga kagaya ko na nag-aaspire maging songwriter, ‘wag kayong titigil. Magsulat lang kayo nang magsulat… Kahit isa lang nakikinig sa inyo, maniwala kayo meron at mayroong tamang panahon na ibibigay sa’yo ni Lord.“

(To all aspiring songwriters like me, don’t stop. Just keep writing and writing… Even if only one person listens to you, believe that the right time will come — God will make sure of it.)

On that heartwarming note, the PhilPop Himig Handog Songwriting Festival came to its conclusion. After many months of hard work and preparation, the evening celebrated some of the best and up-and-coming songwriters that the local soundscape has to offer, as well as highlighting the various regional sounds that make up what we dub today as OPM.