If you love the classics “Bahay Kubo” and “Da Coconut Nut,” then you are likely to enjoy a new song that has been recently creating buzz, called “Prutas Pilipinas.”
Music by National Artist Ryan Cayabyab, lyrics by Noel Ferrer and performed by The Company, the song was created in collaboration with local juice brand, Locally, and aims to educate and celebrate one of the best things we as Filipinos can be proud of – our fruits.
In line with Locally’s mission of honoring our Filipino farmers and their crops, this collaboration with top Filipino music artists entitled “Prutas Pilipinas” is a contemporary Filipino folk song featuring rhymes and riddles about homegrown fruits, both known and unknown.
“We are extremely proud of this unique collaboration, and Maribel Garcia is a passionate advocate of the arts being the head of BGC’s art program as well as Mind Museum. Filipinos are of course known to love music, so we wanted to reach out to them through this medium,” says Gretchen King, Locally Category Manager.
“Nature, music, and science come together in our song ‘Prutas Pilipinas.’ What better way to celebrate life than to sing a song about our fruits that give us life,” adds Ryan Cayabyab.
A way to spread more knowledge about something we all eat every day, “Prutas Pilipinas” not only names popular fruits, like mangoes, melons, and grapes but also more unique ones like chico, mangosteen, and dragonfruit. The song also mentions how nutritious and good these local fruits are, Locally’s way of championing what is proudly our own.
“I thought that it would be a good opportunity to start from basic fruits and expand it to a collective push for a healthy nation – para sa masigla, magaling at masayang Pilipinas. The genius of our National Artist Mr. Cayabyab, as shown in the excellent music, and the exceptional vocal quality and harmony of The Company made the song truly fun, dynamic, and meaningful,” shares Noel Ferrer.
“Prutas Pilipinas” has three versions – the first is the main song that has already been released and is quickly growing in popularity on Spotify. Set to be released soon, the second version integrates a little bit of “bugtungan” at the song’s beginning, while the third version is short and easy to memorize, made to be shared in schools nationwide through DepEd.
“This song is just the beginning. We have exciting plans in collaboration with DepEd to integrate learning about Filipino fruits in the curriculum. We strongly believe that loving local and supporting our own is a culture that can be taught and encouraged at a young age. Our country produces some of the best and most amazing fruits in the world, and it’s time for all of us to know about and be proud of them,” concludes King.