By Kean Andrei Bagaipo
Song compositions on themes of “sincere love and faith” are set to take stage at this year’s Valentine Songwriting Competition (VSC) at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium on Feb. 14.
Among a pool of over 20 applicants, ten entries were selected during the screening period last December 2024 to advance to the final round of the competition.
In its Facebook post, VSC announced the names of the students competing this year which include Philip Neri, Kiana Faith Pacaña, and Eazel Sevilleno from the College of Performing and Visual Arts, Isabel Iris Garsuta and Helery Narciso from the Medical School, and NJ Ermina from the Institute of Rehabilitative Sciences.
Other finalists are Psalmer Sedillo and Al Xander Lloid Suminguit from the College of Arts and Sciences, and Bea Bethany Borromeo and John Imre Lasmarias from the College of Engineering and Design. Suminguit and Lasmarias also joined the competition last year.
According to VSC Chairperson Elizabeth Veronica Cabahug, the finalists were determined based on a set of criteria such as literary forms of the lyrics, melodic and harmonic structure, style or genre of music, and the theme of their song.
“The screening judges or the panelists [made] an arrangement or a conference to determine entries that are unique and extraordinary,” she said.
VSC ‘25 theme
This year’s VSC highlights the integration of Christian-centered values in the song compositions.
“For historical information, the then School of Music always served their music to churches and was God-centered even till now that the school evolved to [College of Performing and Visual Arts],” Cabahug shared.
She added that this practice “reminds Sillimanians that there is faith” in the university’s core values.
With the theme “Matinud-anon, Gugma” (Sincerely, Love), Cabahug emphasized that the writing of the songs are “like ending a letter to be sent to.”
“Personally, songwriting is like a letter. There are varieties of writing a letter and it’s more about the words, and then comes after with music, but some will come up with music then the words,” she said.
This year’s finalists will perform their respective songs: “Bihag” (Borromeo), “Sumisid” (Ermina), “Fight or Flight” (Garsura), “Wet Jeans and Foggy Glasses” (Lasmarias), “Panata” (Narciso), “Sili” (Neri), “First Times” (Pacaña), “Town Next City” (Sedillo), “Like A Cold” (Sevillino), and “So Long As You Exist” (Suminguit).
Last 2024, second-year physical therapy student Aya Mikhaela Lyn Lubon won with her song “Confrontation” and also bagged the Best Interpreter award.
Guidelines revisions
In its latest guidelines, this year’s competition encourages solo, duet, and group interpretations, with a maximum of two entries per composer.
Cabahug noted that she was tasked to revise the guidelines which were not updated in the previous years to make it “more comprehensible for the songwriters and applicants.”
“One of the changes is the limitation of [group] interpreters. We decided to exceed it to six interpreters because there are a lot of Sillimanian students who are into bands,” she said.
However, Cabahug added that there were no group entries submitted since the guidelines “were [only] up to date last October 2024.”
With regards to the contract, she explained that composers can “finally own 50-percent” of the VSC arrangement version of their compositions.
Ahead of the live finals night, Cabahug said that they are also eyeing a “well-organized event” and “fair and honest program” on the day of the competition.
The event is in partnership with the Silliman University Student Government, SU Composition Guild, SU Band, SU Performing and Visual Arts Association, Fine Arts and Design Students Organization, and Artista Sillimaniana.
The VSC is the longest-running campus-based songwriting competition in Asia.
