Bangka Sessions, Part 1- Inday ng Buhay Ko & Lihim na Pagibig (C. Aniel, R. Bergunio and F. Aguilar)

One afternoon in a shack by the beach in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte, Mang Tino and Mang Romy taught me a ton of songs.

Later in the evening, we decided to review some of the songs - mostly for my benefit for they’ve been singing these songs their whole lives. We filmed the sessions sitting on a boat by the beach, thus the Bangka Sessions.

Inday Ng Buhay Ko, written by Ruben Vega, was popularized by Ric Manrique, Jr. and other pop singers in the 60s and 70s such as Victor Wood. I used to call them ‘bakya’, the opposite of hip, but under the hands (or voice) of Mang Tino, and stripped down to its essence, the song is really quite beautiful.

I would categorize this song as ‘kundimanin’ or faux kundiman. A lot of songs were written this way - non-traditional kundiman or harana that don’t adhere to the strictest definition of the form (I will discuss these in detail at a later post). They were radio-friendly pop version of kundiman that reflected the style of the 60s and 70s.

Pay attention to the rhythm. You will hear this in many of the old recordings of ‘kundimanin’ songs. In fact, this rhythm is unique, I’ve never heard it used in any other country. If no one has claimed it, I will call this the ‘kundimanin’ rhythm.

The 2nd song by Mang Romy is titled Lihim na Pagibig. Mang Romy’s songs were often more obscure because they were passed on to him by his father. Some were written by Mang Romy himself. I’ve searched many times for a previous recording of this song but have not been able to find one. It is a lovely song and would make a good alternative to the popular Dahil sa Iyo.

Watch the full HARANA movie streaming here on my YouTube channel:
   • HARANA - Full Feature Documentary  

Produced by Fides Enriquez
Directed by Benito Bautista
Cinematography by Peggy Peralta
Sound Recording by Raffy Magsaysay
Editing by New Art Media Chicken Coop Productions, Napa, CA