Feel the comfort of home through MAC-I and CFM-I’s CINCO: Tala ng Tahanan

by: Gaby Martinez

On December 18, 2021, Paulinian students, staff, administrators, and outsiders alike have felt closer to home through the Center for Music-Instrumentalists and Music Appreciation Club-Instrumentalists’ annual ‘battle of the bands’ event entitled CINCO: Tala ng Tahanan. Last year’s program was the first-ever online CINCO event to be hosted, with performers and production team members alike collaborating online despite the distance to make the festive yet friendly competition a success for all.

CINCO was composed of a variety of performances from band representatives from each batch of the High School Department, with all bands giving heartwarming performances aligned with the program’s theme of home and comfort. Moreover, audience members were graced by the calm yet emotional intermission performances from guest performers, the alternative-folk band The Ridleys and independent songwriter Martti Franca. With friendly competition amongst batch musicians, everyone came into celebration once Melomanic from the rookies won the people’s choice award and Hermosa from the Freshmen was crowned as the overall champion for CINCO: Tala ng Tahanan. The winners were declared with the help of the perspective and criteria of the appointed judges,notable alumni of SPCP and the MAC-I organization.

For years, the Center for Music-Instrumentalists and Music Appreciation Club-Instrumentalists has built a platform for young bands to discover and express their sounds and sentiments. With this year’s tagline Tala ng Tahanan, Grizz Imbao, CFM-I president and overall production head hopes that Paulinian musicians are still able to find and hone their artistry even at the comfort of their home. Moreover, Gabby Castillo, MAC-I representative and overall production head has stated, “Despite CINCO being a batch battle-of-the-bands, it truly demonstrated the value of camaraderie and willingness to work with others. Although this year’s CINCO was the very first to be held online, we were able to uphold the value of becoming a team player within music while showcasing the musical talents of skilled individuals per batch.”

Let CINCO: Tala ng Tahanan serve as a reminder to all that despite the distance brought about by the pandemic, our talents and identity never stop growing even as we remain at home.