By Kate Giordan Flores
Performances cut due to schedule issues
Sillimusika 2025 headliners OPM bands Oh! Caraga and Orange & Lemons, along with other local bands, electrified the Hibalag crowd as they performed their hits and song covers at the Filomeno Cimafranca Ballfield last Aug. 28.
Oh! Caraga, known for their Visayan country-pop sounds, performed their original songs such as “Kiliran,” “Ayaw Nag Hilak,” “Wa Gyuy Nagdahom,” and “Way Sukod.”
The Cimafranca crowd also jammed to their hit “Ipanumpa Ko” as their ending song during their one-hour appearance.
Filipino pop rock band Orange & Lemons also brought OPM nostalgia as they serenaded the audience with “Abot Kamay,” “Heaven Knows – This Angel Has Flown,” “Yakap Sa Dilim,” and “Hanggang Kailan – Umuwi Ka Na Baby.”
This year’s front act BoyLosers opened the concert with their original song “My First Kiss (And Probably Your Last),” while student-led band Hiraya also reappeared in the annual concert with covers of “Akin Ka Na Lang” by The Itchyworms, “Closer” by The Chainsmokers, and “Dancing Queen” by ABBA.
However, supposed headliner Hali Yushawu and local acts Aya Lubon with dance group Corps D’ Elite backed out from performing after the adjustments in the concert schedule which started past 7 p.m.
Changes of schedule
Lubon and Hali were originally scheduled to perform before the two headline acts, according to the Silliman University Student Government (SUSG) program flow of the concert.
Following their withdrawal, Lubon wrote in a Facebook post last Aug. 29, explaining that she and her team “walked out” after experiencing “unfair treatment backstage” regarding changes in their supposed schedule.
“From being scheduled to perform third at around 7:50 PM, we were eventually pushed back to the very last slot at around 12 AM,” she stated. “Unfortunately, I was moved to the very end of the lineup. Told, not asked.”
On the other hand, Corps D’ Elite, who were also set to perform with Hali, similarly expressed their disappointment at the changes of the event.
“We didn’t get cancelled, it’s just that we were asked to move from the early set down to being the main act,” a group member clarified, noting that the organizers asked them thrice to perform at a later time.
The member stated that the organizer’s request to move their performance after Orange and Lemons was “unacceptable.”
“They do have full control since it’s their event, the fact [that] you have a time frame to follow that means if you go over it, you have the power to stop any performance,” their statement furthered.
Lubon and the group also explained on their respective posts that they have commitments and work to attend the following day resulting in their withdrawal.
SUSG responds amid issue
In response to the issue, the SUSG released a statement of apology on Aug. 29, two days after the concert, clarifying that the withdrawal of artists was due to “uncontrollable changes in the schedule of performances.”
“In order to adapt to weather conditions, technical circumstances, and emotional distresses that set back the flow of the program,” the SUSG wrote.
They stated that they acknowledge the grievances expressed by the performers, noting that the “changes were unfair” on their part.
“While we do not intend to invalidate their sentiments, we would like to remain firm on the fact that the entire Sillimusika team were prompted to prioritize the welfare of the performers all throughout the event,” they wrote, responding to the alleged unfair treatment among the performers.
Moreover, the SUSG detailed the contract with Oh! Caraga indicated their set duration of one hour, however, a shorter time was reflected in the program flow due to “miscommunication with the artists.”
Springzeal Daniel, CEO of Hali’s record label Springzeal Records, disclosed that the Sillimusika 2025 organizers faced the two artists and communicated about the incident.
“They did inform us as to what [was] happening. They did communicate it quite clearly. But yes, there were a lot of things that could have been improved on. One would have been starting on time,” she said.
Following the issue, the SUSG confirmed that the organizing committee have compensated the performers with “additional perks and benefits.”
