My passion for music started when I was in Grade 3 — I was 9 years old then. A campaign was held at our school asking those who were interested to join the school rondalla (a group of musicians playing instruments that have strings, i.e. banduria, octavina, laud, guitar, etc.), and I did volunteered without having any knowledge nor background in music.
Our school’s rondalla, then, was composed purely of banduria players. The banduria traces its roots from Spain, brought here in the Philippines by the conquerors somes 400 years ago. It’s like a small guitar (ukulele) but instead of having just six (06) strings, the banduria has 14 strings — whichgives it utterly distinctive and unique sound.
I fell in love with playing the banduria — not to mention that I was the only male in the entire rondalla group — that I had begged my parents to buy me my own banduria. A school quarter after I learned how to play the banduria, my dad and I went to a Lumanog branch in Pasay City (it was at Holiday Plaza then) and got myself a brand new banduria (we got the high end, glossy finish one made from maple wood at PHP600 –that was around 1989).
A year after, my classmate & rondalla buddy Ellaida invited me to be part of the parish rondalla … and the rest was history.