Folk singers raise hopes,

COVID front liners' funds

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, April 3 (PIA)—Amidst the strictly implemented “Stay at Home,” orders in time for the expanded community quarantine in Bohol, a local group of folk singers belt out their contribution of music and hope, offering comfort to Boholanos 'detained' in their homes or battling the disease in the frontlines in times of fear of the coronavirus disease (COVID).

Bohol’s requested folk and country singers Jun M Pusta (FB Jun M Pusta) Noel Uy (FB Noel Tita Uy) and Cris Tongco (FB Criss M. Tongco) of Cris and Noel Acoustic Duo and Josue Hinay (FB Windshadow Rider) posted a series of facebook live watch parties from their homes April 1, as they sing songs of hope and comfort, also to raise funds for the front liners who dedicate their lives to the task at hand.

In times when authorities are having their hands full implementing the curfew policies and making sure people stay inside their homes, these artists have found a rather unique way of getting to their followers through the facility of facebook live and motivating people to just sit from their homes and jam.

"We wish to also enthuse the volunteers or anybody working against COVID, in their break times when they have nothing to do, we offer them music, to make them forget the day's ordeal and strengthen them for another day of struggle against the disease," Cris Tongco and Josue Hinay said.

First coming out on FB live watch party in the early evening of Wednesday with Jun Pusta on a 30 minutes jam, the video watch party broadcast from three locations feature acoustic sessions with Jun Pusta broadcasting from Dao District, Noel Uy, half an hour later from his home in Ubujan and Cris and Josue who are neighbors, when Uy took a bow, from the Tongco residence in Cortes way past 8.

The four, often requested to sing for formal folk and country lovers’ personal celebrations in duo, trio or quadro format, also sing solo.

Putting up this was an idea hatched by Pusta, who thought of ways how we can keep on the faith and hope going, Uy, in a message, said.

The idea was to post an FB live party of folksongs and old folk and country favorites, one after another as we put up the wed jam, Hinay added.

Put up by a group with perfect complementary voice ranges which tackle a whole wide range of covers from Kenny Rankin, Kenny Loggins to Kenny Rogers: that is from folk ballads to country, to good old country songs of John Denver, Rex Smith, America, Cosby Stills and Nash, Simon and Garfunkel, Beatles and the respected Filipino folk singers Gary Granada and the likes of Joey Ayala, the group, who regularly performs in gigs around Tagbilaran City and Panglao own up a repertoire vast enough to last them a day of jamming session.

Still battling with the technicalities of home broadcasting with minimum use of audio amplifiers and microphones, the group came in apologetic, but as soon as the session deepens, the technicalities simply vanished or were simply disregarded by viewers who put up encouragements on the comment section of the live post.

The session, all too lazily flowed into a “come sing with me session,” as both Cris and Josue, the last of the three live broadcasts took to the web each taking turns or performing duos in a living room set typical of the inuman sessions.

From another location, after a cover of Annie Song by John Denver, Uy, in his home broadcast with his mom and daughter nearby providing the applause said, “Kining among gihimo nga FB live Music, amo ning gihimo to call our friends here in Tagbilaran to donate, to our City Government para sa atong frontliners. (We are doing this FB Live Music to call our friends in Tagbilaran city to donate to our city government for our frontliners)

Saddled with problems, Covid-19 front liners have aired lack of proper protection, including the absence of personal protective equipment, the singers told donors to coordinate with the City First lady Maam Jane Yap “para makatabang ta sa atong frontliners.” (...so we can help our front liners)

“We are thankful to God that Bohol has still zero COVID-19 case,” Uy shares in between strums, another reason for the trio to offer their songs.

The sessions, also called people to keep inside their houses, to implement exactly that order.

“And Stay at Home,” Uy's daughter calls out from the background, in one of the singer's spiels.

"Yeah, stay at home," Uy who also had his work at a local university disrupted by the quarantine, echoed, as he segued into a version of the Muppets Rainbow Connection.

Asked when the next broadcast would happen, Pusta timidly said, "It's really up to Noel, himself humbly citing his health reasons to cope with the rigors of a solo performance on a typical home setting.

In his version of Gary Granada’s Mabuti pa sila, Uy capped their session’s theme by improvising, Di tulad ko, lagi na lang kwarantina. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)

FOLKSONGS FOR COVID FRONTLINERS. A Boholano group of folk singers have decided to offer an online jamming session to entertain those detained at home during the quarantine and to raise funds for the frontliners in Bohol's struggle versus COVID. FB Jun M Pusta FB Criss M. Tongco M Tongco, Josue Josue Tabigue Hinay (FB Windshadow Rider) and FB Noel Tita Uy are streaming FB live jamming acoustic folk sessions to also sing hope and inspiration. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol file photos)

STRUMMING THE PEOPLE'S PAIN. Acoustic folk trio Cris, Josue and Noel broadcasted from FB Live jamming sessions beamed from two locations April 1, to offer a wide range of folk songs to comfort and offer hope to Boholanos in the frontline and detained in their homes for the quarantine, cowed in fear. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)