Rondalla: The Serenade of the Belisongnons

A Brief History of Kabugwason Rondalla Ensembles

The Special Program in the Arts (SPA) of Belison National School

was established in the year 2008 offering specialization classes: music,
dance, visual arts, media arts, theatre arts and creative writing.
Believing that music nourishes our spirit in many ways and to equipped
students with skills in musical instruments, Mr. Noel A. Polaron, the
principal of the school, find resources to purchase the ensemble of
stringed instruments. It is then Hon. Christopher H. Piccio initiated the
project before the end of his term in the year 2009 through the Special
Education Fund (SEF). Mrs. Vivien Omanio, the Music Specialist, was
designated to spearhead and conduct the ensembles. To further enrich
their skills in playing the stringed instrument, the school invited
Maestro Jigger Anjao of Doña Montseratt Lopez Memorial High School
in Silay City, Negros Occidental, as a visiting artist. He extend help in
enhancing the skills in playing banduria and taught some musical
pieces.
To assist secondary schools implementing the Special Program in
the Arts in the effective delivery of service to talented students, the
Department of Education through the Bureau of Secondary Education
(BSE), provided the school Five Hundred Thousand Pesos
(PH500,000.000) as subsidy for two (2) years. One of the allocations is
the procurement of additional musical instruments of the school and it
was realized in the year 2010 and 2011. With sufficient number of
instruments, it cater a big group of students who specializes in music.
Kabugwason Rondalla Ensembles of Belison National School was
the one and only ensembles playing stringed instruments in the
Province of Antique. They are invited in socio-cultural events in the
province and even play during regional activities that was held in the
school. They play Filipino folk songs and Antique Original Kinaray-a
Music to promote the rich culture and heritage of the province.
The establishment of this ensembles is a declaration of young
Filipino’s talent for Philippine music literature, where the audience had
a better opportunity to appreciate and fall in love with it. Every
performance was soothing to the ears, delivering the message of
preserving and developing Philippine traditions through the thrum of
every instrument. Music has always united us. Every string played was
a tug at our heartstrings.