The Metro Manila Popular Music Festival (also known as Metropop) was launched by the Popular Music Foundation of the Philippines in 1977 and held annually from 1978 to 1985. It was "the country’s pioneering and once foremost songwriting competition," according to The Philippine Star. Its objective was to promote the advancement of Filipino music, and its chief proponents were journalist Teodoro Valencia and Imee Marcos. These festivals launched many the careers of songwriters and singers (who interpreted the songs), and gave original Filipino music more than a few memorable and modern-day song classics. Among them is

Freddie Aguilar Ferdinand Pascual Aguilar (born February 5, 1953), better known as Freddie Aguilar or Ka Freddie Aguilar, is a Filipino folk musician. He is best known for his rendition of " Bayan Ko", which became the anthem of the opposition against the regi ...

. This songwriting competition was originally open to all music composers. From the fourth festival onwards, the competition was divided into professional and amateur divisions, to give new songwriters a level playing field without competing with more well-known composers. After 1985, the festival was discontinued due to a decline in public interest towards the song entries. It was later revived as the Metropop Song Festival which aired on GMA Network from 1996 to 2003.

The original Metropop (1978-1985)

The 1st Metro Manila Popular Music Festival

"Anak" failed to win any of the prizes, but went on to become one of the most popular Philippine pop songs ever and to launch the career of

. This period in time was right at the beginning of the Original Pilipino Music (OPM) boom, and after this first festival, the singing careers of

Hajji Alejandro Angelito Toledo "Hajji" Alejandro (born December 26, 1954) is a Filipino singer and actor Alaminos, Pangasinan, who was a major pop star in the 1970s and 1980s. Just like another OPM legend Basil Valdez, he came from the group Circus Band. He ...

Celeste Legaspi Celeste Kalugdan Legaspi Gallardo (born March 18, 1950) is a Filipina singer, actress, film and theatre producer, and an advocate for artists' rights. Her singles and albums reached gold or platinum status during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Sh ...

, Maricris Bermont, and Anthony Castelo went to full gear.

Ryan Cayabyab Raymundo Cipriano Pujante Cayabyab (born ; May 4, 1954), known professionally as Ryan Cayabyab, is a Filipino musician, composer and conductor. He was the Executive and Artistic Director for several years for the defunct San Miguel Foundatio ...

is now a well-respected composer and musician; so as Joel Navarro. Imelda Papin and

Janet Basco Janet Macabasco is a Filipino singer. She is known for her hits "You Made Me Live Again", "Minsan Pa", and "My Girl, My Woman, My Friend" in a duet with Jose Mari Chan. In the music video version of this song, she is seen sitting on the sofa eatin ...

went on to big careers as well after they had other hit songs.

Heber Bartolome Heber Gonzalez Bartolome (November 4, 1948 – November 15, 2021) was a Filipino folk and rock singer, songwriter, composer, poet, guitarist, bandurria player, bluesman, and painter. His music was influenced by the "stylistic tradition" of Phi ...

's "Tayo'y Mga Pinoy" became a protest anthem, and Ryan Cayabyab's "Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika" became the anthem of sorts of Original Pilipino Music.

Emil Mijares Emil Mijares (March 16, 1935 – October 15, 2007) was a Filipino jazz musician. Mijares was born in 1935, the son of Emilio Montilla Mijares, Sr. and O Belo Mijares, and grew up in Roxas City in the province of Capiz. He emerged in the 1950s ...

was the musical director for this festival. The first grand finals of the festival was held at the

Folk Arts Theater The Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas ( en, Francisco Balagtas Theater), formerly known as the Folk Arts Theater, was a theater located in the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Manila, Philippines. It is a covered proscenium amphitheate ...

, with RPN-9 as the official broadcaster for the first edition of the said competition.

The 2nd Metro Manila Popular Music Festival

This time, Freddie Aguilar's interpretation of Snaffu Rigor's composition won the Grand Prize. However, the biggest pop hit to come out of the 2nd Metropop was that of "Ewan". This song launched the career of Louie Ocampo, now a well-respected composer, and added to the numerous hits of The Apo Hiking Society. The Apo is one of the biggest musical acts ever in the Philippines, and their songs have been covered through the years.

Rico J. Puno Enrico de Jesus Puno (; February 13, 1953 – October 30, 2018), better known as Rico J. Puno (), was a Filipino singer, television host, actor, comedian and politician. He was considered as a music icon in the Philippines. He started the tren ...

, already a big star at this time, interpreted the third place song, which also became a hit song for him. Composer

George Canseco George Masangkay Canseco (April 23, 1934 – November 19, 2004) was a Filipino composer and former politician. He composed numerous popular Filipino songs. Early years Canseco studied and graduated with a Liberal Arts degree at University of ...

failed to win any of the top prizes, but with his songs before and after the competition, he became one of the most prolific and successful composers in the music scene. "Umagang Kay Ganda" also failed to place, but has since become a classic pop hit, and was used as the theme song of

ABS-CBN ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company under ...

's now-defunct weekday morning show of the same title, and most recently, as the campaign song for the presidential bid

Bongbong Marcos Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. ( , , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials PBBM or BBM, is a Filipino politician who is the 17th and current president of the Philippines. He previously served as a sena ...

The 3rd Metro Manila Popular Music Festival

Leah Navarro Leah Lopez Navarro is a Filipino singer. References External linksgmanews.tv/story, Black and White group blasts PET for trashing Loren protest Filipino women pop singers Filipino jazz singers Filipino people of Chinese descent Assumpti ...

and "Isang Mundo Isang Awit" represented the Philippines and won the bronze prize at that year's Seoul Popular Music Festival. "Ikaw, Ako, Tayo (Magkakapatid)" turned out to be the biggest hit from the Third Metropop.

The 4th Metro Manila Popular Music Festival

Established singers like Florante, Eugene Villaluz, Leo Valdez, and Marco Sison interpreted their first Metropop entries. Something Special was an offshoot of The New Minstrels, and Joseph Olfindo also came from the latter singing group. There was no big hit from the festival songs, although "Kahit Konti" and "Magsimula Ka" were relative successes. Emil Sanglay (pioneer of the Neo-Ethnic Rock or the world music of today in the Philippines) and Sonny Nicolas also known as Philippine's "Jose Feliciano" (both singers, composers and guitarists) were the only individuals who interpreted their own songs. The one aside from the women in Something Special (there were male members as well), all the interpreters in this festival were men.

The 5th Metro Manila Popular Music Festival

The 6th Metro Manila Popular Music Festival

The 7th Metro Manila Popular Music Festival

The 8th Metro Manila Popular Music Festival

Metropop Song Festival (1996-2003)

The Metropop Song Festival (also known as Metropop) was an annual

Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

music festival that served as a relaunch of the original competition, which began in 1996 and ran until 2003. The festival was broadcast on GMA Network. It has recognized non-mainstream musicians such as Gary Granada and Angelo Villegas, and boosted the singing careers of Jaya and

Carol Banawa Carol Claire Aguilar Banawa-Crisostomo (born March 4, 1981), better known in the Philippines as Carol Banawa, is a US-based Filipina singer, actress, and nurse. She is a Star Magic Batch 4 alumna. Early life and career Raised in Batangas, she ...

upon participating as interpreters. Another associated event called the Metropop Young Singers (later renamed Metropop Star Search) ran at the same time. Unlike the main festival, this event served as a talent competition for young aspiring singers. The contestants were judged based on their interpretation or

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

of an already released music material. The most notable participant was Melanie Calumpad who came third in 1997 and later returned as an interpreter for the actual song festival in 2003 under her stage name

Kyla Kyla may refer to: * Kyla (given name), including a list of people with the name ** Kyla (Filipino singer) (born 1981), Filipino R&B singer ** Kyla (British singer) (born 1983), British house music singer * KYLA, an FM radio station {{disambig ...

. She went on to have a successful career in music and competed as an interpreter for the winning songs at the

Himig Handog Himig Handog (Eng: A Musical Offering) is a multimedia songwriting and music video competition in the Philippines based in Quezon City. The competition is operated by ABS-CBN Corporation and the media conglomerate's music subsidiary Star Music. Th ...

and

Philippine Popular Music Festival The Philippine Popular Music Festival (also known as Philpop) is an annual songwriting competition organized by the Philpop MusicFest Foundation and was launched in 2012. The creation of the festival was inspired by the defunct Metro Manila Popula ...

song contests.

Metropop Song Festival winners

1996: *''Sometimes You Just Know'', composers:

Danny Tan Daniel Surian Tan (born July 29, 1959), simply known as Danny Tan, is a Filipino musician known for his songwriting and musical directing for the Philippine movie, television, theatre, and recording industries. He is associated with Ryan Cay ...

, and Edith Gallardo, interpreter: Jaya (Grand Prize) *''Shine'', composer:

Trina Belamide Katrina "Trina" Belamide is a Filipino songwriter and record producer. According to the ''Manila Times'' she has written songs for most of the Philippines' top recording artists. Career Belamide began taking piano lessons at age 8 and started ...

, interpreter: Ima Castro (recording only) (Second Prize) *''Aawitin Ko, Ang Awit Mo'', composer: Greg Caro, interpreter: Rannie Raymundo (Third Prize) 1997: *''Para Sa Inyo, 'Tong Kanta Kong 'To'', composer and interpreter: Gideon "Jungee" Marcelo (Grand Prize) *''If I Could'', composer: Dodjie Simon, interpreter:

Lloyd Umali Lloyd, Lloyd's, or Lloyds may refer to: People * Lloyd (name), a variation of the Welsh word ' or ', which means "grey" or "brown" ** List of people with given name Lloyd ** List of people with surname Lloyd * Lloyd (singer) (born 1986), Americ ...

(Second Prize) *''Delikado, Delikadesa'', composer: Soc Villanueva, interpreter: Judith Banal (Third Prize) 1998: *''Mabuti Pa Sila'', composer and interpreter:

Gary Granada Gary Gamutan Granada (born April 4, 1960 in Maco, Davao de Oro) is a well-known Filipino musician, composer, poet, and singer-songwriter known for writing songs which have strong political themes. He is also a tutor at the University of the Ph ...

(Grand Prize) *''Bring Back The Times'', composer: Eunice Saldaña, interpreter:

Dessa Margret Wander (born May 23, 1981), better known by her stage name Dessa, is an American rapper, singer, writer, and former record executive. She is a member of the indie hip hop collective Doomtree. Early life Dessa was born to Robert Wander ...

(Second Prize) *''You Make Me Smile'', composer: Rica Arambulo, interpreter:

(Third Prize) 1999: *''Can't Stop Loving You'', composer: Dodjie Simon, interpreter: Lani Misalucha and The Noisy Neighbors (Grand Prize) *''Tayo Pa Rin'', composer: Soc Villanueva, interpreter: Zebedee Zuniga (Second Prize) *''Clara's Eyes'', composer: Joey Benin, interpreter: Side A (Third Prize) 2000: *''Forever And A Day'', composer: Angelo Villegas, interpreter:

Rachel Alejandro Rachel Jingco Alejandro (born February 18, 1974) is a Filipino singer and actress. Biography Early life Alejandro's mother and father separated when she was four. Her mother then remarried and moved to the United States. Together with her fat ...

(Grand Prize) *''Paano Na?'', composer: Arnold Reyes, interpreter:

Bituin Escalante Bituin Escalante (born April 23, 1977) is a Filipina singer and actress. She is considered the Philippines' best female vocalists having been active since 2000, and notably due to the success of her Himig Handog Himig Handog (Eng: A Musical O ...

(Second Prize) *''Ganyan Ako'', composer:

Vehnee Saturno Venancio Saturno (born April 1, 1954), better known as Vehnee Saturno, is a Filipino composer, songwriter and record producer. He found success in 1982 by winning at the Metro Manila Popular Music Festival first place for the song "Isang Dakot". ...

, interpreter: Jeremiah (Third Prize) 2001 *''Pag-Uwi'' - composers- Louie Ocampo and Joey Ayala, interpreter- Martin Nievera (Grand Prize) *''Kawikaan'' - composers- Laverne Ducut and Catherine Carlos, interpreter- Cynthia Alexander (Second Prize) *''Heaven Sent ''- composer- Dennis Garcia, interpreter- Ella Mae Saison with The Saisons and Friends, musi arranger - Emil Mayor (Third Prize) 2003: *''Malayo Man, Malapit Din ''- composer and interpreter-

Bayang Barrios Bayang Barrios (born on June 12, 1968 to parents of Lumad origin) is a Filipina musician and singer who hails from Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, and is known for her use of indigenous instruments and styles. In 2005, Barrios' song "Isipin Mo Na La ...

(Grand Prize) *''Pretend That I Don't Love You'' - composer- Mike Villegas, interpreter- Cookie Chua (Second Prize) *''Buti Na Lang'' - composer- Jonathan Manalo, interpreter-

(Third Prize)

Metropop Star Search winners

1997: * Jonard Yanzon- "I Believe I Can Fly" (Champion) * Carmela Cuneta- "Di Ko Na Kaya" (Second Place) * Melanie Calumpad- "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (Third Place) 1998: *Champagne Morales- "Journey to the Past" (Champion) *

Roxanne Barcelo Anne Roxanne Barcelo (born January 20, 1985), also known as Roxee B, is a Filipino-American actress, model and singer. In 2006, she became one of the 14 housemates of ABS-CBN's '' Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition''. Before entering the Big ...

- "Part of Your World" (Second Place) *Xaxa Manalo- "Bakit Pa?" (Third Place) 1999: *Miles Poblete - "Anak ng Pasig" (Champion) *Idelle Martinez- "Baby, One More Time" (Second Place) *Jericson Matias- "Stay the Same" (Third Place) 2000: *Anna Katrina Lara- "On the Wings of Love" (Champion) *Camile Velasco - "How Could An Angel Break My Heart?" (Second Place) *Jacky Garcia- "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" (Third Place)

References

{{Music of the Philippines Music festivals established in 1977 Recurring events disestablished in 1985 Music festivals established in 1996 Recurring events disestablished in 2003 1977 establishments in the Philippines 1985 disestablishments in the Philippines 1996 establishments in the Philippines 2003 disestablishments in the Philippines GMA Network original programming Pop music festivals Song contests Music festivals in the Philippines Festivals in Metro Manila Philippine music awards