On its second year, Komposo Festival: Sambuwa sa Pagsulat kag Pagkanta sang Komposo aims to revive, promote, and revitalize the komposo.

The komposo is a narrative song, a Hiligaynon ballad that is unique to Western Visayas. It has a particular form that identifies it as a komposo. It usually recounts historical events, significant happenings in a locality, and human-interest stories. It can be in the form of commentary on prevailing issues or events, as political or ideological propaganda, and as a catalog based on geography, taxonomy, and human preoccupations. It is traditionally accompanied by a guitar, but for the competition, innovations on the melody, arrangement, and accompaniment are welcome. The competition aims to encourage the manugkomposo to sustain the tradition and for young people to appreciate and learn the art of composing and performing a komposo.

Led by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), in collaboration with the Hubon Manunulat, Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF), National Book Development Board (NBDB), and Keamanan Inc., participants are invited to explore the theme of “Ang Panulatan kag Paghidaet” (“Ang Panitikan at Kapayapaan”).

Entries should be written in Hiligaynon, with a length of 8 to 16 stanzas, following the traditional conventions of the komposo while allowing for innovation in melody, arrangement, and accompaniment.

Watch the live performance contest on June 8, 2024, at SM City Iloilo. The complete guidelines are available at: http://surl.li/trjky.

For further inquiries, participants can contact hubonmanunulat@gmail.com or message the Hubon Manunulat Facebook page.

For details on this press release, contact Mr. Rene S. Napeñas, Head, Public Affairs and Information Office, through pais@ncca.gov.ph or 0945 788 5698. Visit www.ncca.gov.ph and the Facebook page @NCCAOfficial.