By Rey Anthony Chiu, PIA-Bohol | 06:46 PM April 03, 2020
Amidst the strictly implemented “Stay at Home,” orders in time for the expanded community quarantine in Bohol, a small local trio of folk singers belt out their contribution of music and hope, offering comfort in times of fear of the coronavirus disease (COVID).
Bohol’s requested folk and country singers Noel Uy (FB Noel Tita Uy) and Cris Tongco (FB Criss M. Tongco), 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 to raise funds for the front liners who dedicate their lives on 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.
“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 and Josue said.
First coming out on FB live watch party in the early evening of Wednesday, the video watch party broadcast from two locations feature acoustic sessions with Noel Uy from his home in Ubujan and Cris and Josue who are neighbors, from the Tongco residence in Cortes.
The trio, often requested to sing for formal folk and country lovers’ personal celebrations, put up 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.
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.
The session, all too lazily flowed into a “come sing with me session,” as both Cris and Josue took turns or performed duos in a living room set typical of the inuman sessions.
Form 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.
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)
