(This article I wrote was also published in The Sunday Punch)

BASISTA, Pangasinan— In this quiet small town, music is its heart and soul. And soon, it will create noise when it stages its “Orchestra Festival”.

Consider this: The town, with only 13 barangays, has about nine orchestras, seven of which are found in just one barangay, providing music and entertainment during barangay and town fiesta celebrations across the province.

In fact, before one enters the town, a marker that reads” Welcome to Basista: Hometown of Famous Orchestras” greets visitors. Also below the greeting are words “Where Fine Music Begins”.

The town with a land area of 1,560 hectares only, which celebrated its 45th foundation anniversary last Sept. 5, actually has only about 26,000 population.

With its popular orchestras being tapped to provide music and entertainment in as far as Metro Manila and in other neighboring provinces of Pangasinan, Mayor Raul de Guzman and the town officials are planning to stage next year the “ Orchestra Festival”. This will pit the nine orchestras against each other in a showdown that will truly delight the townsfolk and their guests.

De Guzman said they have actually planned to hold the said festival last year but lack of time prevented them from pushing the project.

In next year’s town fiesta celebration (held annually every second week of March), de Guzman said they are set to hold the festival that aims to further propel the popularity of the town’s orchestras not only province-wide but nationwide as well.

De Guzman, whose family is also into the orchestra industry with their famous Don Podring de Guzman Orchestra, said in a small barangay of Dumpay alone, seven orchestras are found there.

The mayor said all of them in the family composed of seven siblings are into this business. Some family members are singers, orchestra conductor while others play different musical instruments. They assist altogether during fiestas.

Although the business is seasonal with its peak months from November to May, de Guzman said it is a good source of livelihood to those involved in it, majority are from this town.

De Guzman said getting into the orchestra business has become a “family affair” as he noted that it is a special talent and skill passed on by their forefathers to the next generations. Most of the singers have other family members also involved in the orchestra either singing too or playing other musical instruments.

One orchestra that assists in fiestas has about 40 men involved.

Bayambang Mayor Leocadio de Vera Jr whose town is adjacent to this municipality, said that during the traditional one week town fiesta celebration in every city or municipality in the province, with nightly programs like Sangguniang Kabataan, Professionals, Liga ng mga Barangay, Senior Citizens, Balikbayans, People’s and Coronation, it is a common request that there should be an orchestra assisting.

“”Siyempre, pag masaya ang mga tao, masaya na rin kaming mga mayors kaya hanap naman kami ng mga willing sponsors para talagang lively and colorful ang aming fiesta (Of course, if our townmates are happy, we, the mayors are also happy so we try to find willing sponsors in order to make our fiesta lively and colorful)”, de Vera said.

Villasis Mayor Nonato Abrenica said orchestras are certified crowd drawers during fiestas.

“Iba ang dating. Siyempre live music yan at minsan sa isang taon lang nangyayayari (It’s a different thing. Of course that’s live music and it happens only once a year,” Abrenica said.

He added that although it is quite costly, with price ranging from P60,000 to P80,000 for local orchestras and higher if Manila-based every one night until wee hours performance, local government units still try to find means to have one or two during the main event in town fiesta celebrations because it has become a tradition where people from all walks of life enjoy a different kind of entertainment.

With its music reverberating around the province, this town’s orchestras which started sometime in 1970s, promise to give better entertainment each year, de Guzman said.

And as one exits the town, another marker reads,” Where Fine Music Ends”.