by Keith Bacongco, Manila Bulletin
DAVAO CITY – For almost 20 years, the iconic song “Bahaghari Tayo” composed by local music legend Popong Landero is always associated with the annual Kadayawan Festival every August.
Aside from Davaoeños, this festive song is also familiar among those who are frequent visitors of this city not just during the Kadayawan Festival but also the Araw ng Davao celebration.
The song is usually played in public places during festivities.
But what is really the inspiration behind the making of this festive song?
Unknown to many, Bahaghari Tayo does not simply depict festivity but it is more about the recovery from fear, pain, and suffering from terrorist attacks in this city, Landero admitted to the Manila Bulletin.
“When I heard that a bomb exploded at the airport, I was very worried because my wife was working there. Although she was safe because they were inside,” he recalled, referring to the bomb attack on March 4, 2003 that killed 21 people and injured hundreds here.
The incident, the musician added, reminded him of a grenade blast during college days at the University of Mindanao in the 1980s that injured several people. “The explosion was quite close to the spot where we were playing guitar. We saw some people injured and the debris even hit our heads. We were shocked and a lot of people panicked.”
Based on this experience, Landero added, he tried making a song but it never materialized. “So I just tried to forget that experience.”
And the 2003 twin bombings happened.
Aside from the airport bombing, another bomb went off ear the gate of the Sasa International Seaport on April 2 that killed 16 persons and injured 45 others.
These incidents fueled him once again to write the song, Landero recalled. But he also wanted to the song to be his entry to the Huni sa Dabaw, a songwriting contest, which was a part of the Araw ng Dabaw celebrations in 2004.
Released in 2004, the song is part of a locally-produced album with the same title that contains nine other tracks that talk about love, abundance in harvest, peace, and harmony.
While the song is based on the pain and suffering, Landero further disclosed that he wanted to write the song the opposite way.
“I thought of writing the song that would not touch on fear and loneliness. So that explains the lyrics that talks about recovery from sufferings, sustained development amid the adversities, as well as to urge the Davaoeños tounite for peace,” the seasoned musician explained.
In 2008, Landero added, the city council adopted the song as the official theme song of the Araw ng Dabaw celebrations.
The song’s festive melody has inspired various local artists and school-based drum and bugle corps to play it with their own renditions during their performances in different events.
The entire album is now available on Spotify.
