The Office of the Civil Service Commission on Region 1 announced today that the entry of the Municipality of Aringay “Alay sa Bayan” in the National Songwriting Contest has been named the Best Song. It represented Region 1 and was one of the national finalists. The Songwriting contest is in celebration of the 121st Anniversary of the Philippine Civil Service Commission and it was participated by musical artists in the different regions in the country.
The song entries were “𝘼𝙡𝙖𝙮 𝙨𝙖 𝘽𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙣” composed by Mark Greg D. Nisperos and written by Dr. Rolando Q. Mallari, both from the Local Government Unit of Aringay, La Union; “𝙄𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝘽𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙞 (𝘼 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙤)” by Nedel Nixxie Lorraine C. Libunao of the Department of Education – Aringay, National High School, Aringay, La Union; and “𝙃𝙪𝙬𝙖𝙜 𝙠𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙪𝙠𝙤” by Adiel A. Jasmin of the Bureau of Fire Protection, Dasol, Pangasinan.
The entries were screened based on creativity (40%), melody (30%), lyrics (20%), and overall likeability (10%). The songs, all in Filipino, were required to adhere to the theme of the 121st PCSA, “Transforming Public Service in the Next Decade: Honing Agile and Future-Ready Servant Heroes”. The entries were all original composition, with all rights, including copyright, owned by the contestants.
The regional winning entry “Alay sa Bayan” was later submitted to CSC Regional Office IV for national deliberation, which was also held in August 2021. Of the seventeen (17) regional entries, the regional piece fought a good fight for its heart rending lyrics and music. The song was interpreted by Miss Simonette N. Cartas also from Aringay. The Regional Screening Committee was chaired by CSC RO I Director IV Hedy Jose B. Lardizabal, with Dr. Clarence B. Panem and Prof. Manuel N. Engaño, Jr. both of the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University – Mid La Union Campus, as members. Serving as Secretariat were Rainier G. Repollo and Dexter B. Pascua also of CSC RO I.
The awarding was done virtually as the song was hailed as the region’s first placer. It was presented in a program to honor the workers in public service. “Alay sa Bayan” is a combination of youth and experience. Mark Greg Nisperos is a budding composer and teamed up with the innovation and creativity of Dr. Rolando Q. Mallari, a lyricist and writer in his own right. With their combined skills, ingenuity, and vision, the composition is both inspirational, heart rending and provokes a pathos of unequalled and unconditional service.