2013 Musikahan sa Tagum Experience

As what our eye bags would tell, it was truly a hell of a week. But make no mistake: Though it was physically and mentally demanding, the 12th Musikahan sa Tagum Festival is one that is worth cherishing for a lifetime. This is my second Musikahan with the City Information Office (the other one was when I was a volunteer, editing a daily gazette for the 3rd International Rondalla Festival) and the feeling of having a front-row seat to document a festival, with all its grandeur and spectacle, is but an enriching experience.

For five days, Tagum City transformed into a grand stage for music with its finest music festival that kicked off Mindanao's cultural calendar. Now on its 12th year, the Musikahan sa Tagum Festival is a bold testament  to Tagum City's moniker as the "Music City of the South." And why not? Throughout the celebration, Tagumeños and people from other places in Davao Region were charmed by the magic of music in all genres, making Musikahan an all-inclusive and longest-running Music Festival in the Philippines. 

The New City Hall of Tagum serves as a good backdrop during the Avenida Musika National Marching Brass Band Competition. 
Photo by Louie Lapat

Alma L. Uy, chairperson of the City of Tagum Tourism Council, said in her speech that Musikahan has branded itself as "a festival that connects people." True enough, especially this year when Musikahan elevated its mettle in music by utilizing it as a powerful tool to reach out and help. This year's Musikahan introduced its Cultural Action Project that is anchored on extending long-term assistance to the victims of Typhoon Pablo in Compostela Valley. After that fateful day on December 4, 2012, organizers scrapped their laid-out plans to make way for programs pursued in the context of staging a creative and meaningful ways to help, thereby changing the landscape of this year's music revelries.