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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
 Posted - 07/31/2010 : 03:36:20
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Sunset after the rain on my street.
Country Western music is very popular in Baguio, especially among (but not confined to) the many Igorots here. Every time I hear Country music playing in a taxi, which is usually, I ask the driver if he's an Igorot. So far, every one of the cabbies has confirmed that he is.
They often sing Country Western style in indigenous mountain dialects (and they do it very well). They proudly call this "Igorot Country." (Yes, that term does have subtle political implications. Regional autonomy within the Philippine nation is a goal of many in Luzon's Central Cordilleras.)
In the lowlands, especially in the huge urban sprawl of Metro Manila, pop and hip-hop are the most popular musical forms. Here, Country Western is like a local badge of pride, distinguishing the inhabitants from the lowland inhabitants (who tend to think of themselves as the only true Filipinos). But even among the flatlanders there are those who like themselves some Country. You haven't heard nothing until you've heard Hank Williams' "Jambalaya" ("On the Bayou") sung in Tagalog.
Right now, "Remember When," sung by Alan Jackson is the top hit in Baguio. I'm glad I like Country, because this song is played everywhere. It's a beautiful ballad, performed by a fine tenor.
Baguio itself has much to remember. Twenty years ago it was hit by the devastating Luzon Earthquake of 1990. Baguio was damn near destroyed by that quake. Huge hotels and massive office buildings crashed to the ground. The main road was blocked by massive landslides. Throughout much of Luzon, 1,621 people were killed in the quake, most of them in Baguio. The enormous mass of the concrete buildings proved their downfall, as each story fell upon the one below, creating scenes resembling toppled pancake stacks.
In the future, I hope the people of Baguio will have better times to remember.
[Edit: Replaced dead link for "Remember When.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
Edited by - HalfMooner on 08/28/2010 06:06:55
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Baguio can "Remember When"
