Local campaigns in Albay turn into a battle of the bands

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For years, the public has been going to political rallies not because of their interest in politics, but for the chance to meet and see famous personalities performing up close

LEGAZPI CITY, Albay – The presence of celebrity bands in political rallies has become a common sight for Albayanos. On Saturday, May 3, the pop band Cup of Joe and Jireh Lim performed for the grand campaign rally of Team Arangkada Banwa and Team One Camalig, respectively.

Lhal Baldo, one of the mayoral candidates in Daraga, Albay, announced last April 29 on her Facebook account that her slate, Arangkada Banwa, would have Cup of Joe perform on Saturday at Duterte Highway, Tagas, Daraga. 

The slate is closely tied with the Global Albay team headed by gubernatorial candidate, outgoing Albay 2nd District Representative Joey Salceda, and the Ako Bicol (AKB) Partylist. 

Baldo said in an interview with Rappler that they invited the band to perform to entertain the audience since political rallies tend to be boring.

“Since puro speech ang nangyayari sa rally, nagiging boring siya sa mga tao kung puro ganun lang,” she said. (Since it’s all speeches in rallies, it gets boring for the people if it’s always like that.)

Baldo added that they invited the band to encourage more people to come.

Cup of Joe is a Filipino pop band based in Baguio known for their hit songs “Mananatili,” “Estranghero,” and “Misteryoso.” Just recently, “Multo,” one of their latest songs, went viral on social media.

The band has a huge fan base in Bicol made up of fans from different age groups. Some of their fans even travel from other provinces to support them in their gigs and shows. 

“Kung saan sila may gig, pumupunta talaga kami basta within Bicol,” one of the band’s avid fans from Camarines Sur said.

(We make sure to attend their performances whenever they are held within the Bicol region.)

Most of these fans are not residents of Daraga. They did not attend the grand rally to listen to the discussions and speeches of the politicians, but to support the artists who performed in the event.

On the same day, Jireh Lim, a famous Filipino singer-songwriter, also performed at Team One Camalig’s grand rally at Nuyda Park, Camalig, Albay. He is popular for his viral songs, “Buko” and “Magkabilang Mundo.” Team One Camalig is also with the Global Albay team.

This kind of strategy is not news for Albayanos. In almost every election, famous bands and groups are invited to perform in political rallies in the province.

In the 2022 elections, the Victory Daraga, Viajeng Progreso slate headed by Victor Perete also invited the band Mayonnaise as a guest performer for their grand rally. Perete was a mayoral candidate in Daraga in the last election and is currently running for the same position. 

For years, the public has been going to political rallies not because of their interest in politics, but for the chance to meet and see famous personalities performing up close. 

Instead of a battle of wits and platforms, local campaigns in the province often seem to turn into a battle of the bands. – Rappler.com

Hershey Juan is a third year journalism student from Bicol University. She is currently a public relations staff member of The Bicol Universitarian and an Aries Rufo Fellowship candidate from April-May 2025.