Dr. Ramon P. Santos, National Artist for Music and professor emeritus of the University of the Philippines College of Music, was honored in a colloquium May 22, 2026 at the University of the Philippines Mini Hall.
It was the second colloquium in the year-long celebration of his 85th birthday last February 25, aptly billed, Pagdiriwang, sponsored by the UP Center for Ethnomusicology, in partnership with the UP College of Music.
The invitational colloquium had in-depth and scholarly conversations among close colleagues of Dr. Ramon P. Santos. It “honors the countless contributions” of Dr. Santos “through his exemplary works as an artist, scholar, educator, administrator and public servant that have profoundly influenced generations and shaped Philippine music in the country and beyond.”
Dr. Ramon P. Santos stresses a point in the colloquium, with speakers, from left, professors Yraola, Tanco and Lopez. Extreme right is emcee Cadiz.
The colloquium featured three speakers who worked closely with the National Artist. They were Prof. Mary Katherine Tranco, Ph.D, incumbent chair of the UP College of Music’s Composition Department; Prof. Dayang Magdalena Nirvana T. Yraola, Ph.D, Chair of the Theory Department of the UP College of Fine Arts; and Prof. Riya Brigino Lopez of the UP Department of Art Studies and managing director, Strings of Unity International Festival. All three speakers gave a talk. Eva Garcia Cadiz, administrative officer of the UP College of Music, served as the colloquium’s emcee.
All the three speakers referred to Dr. Santos as “Dokkie,” a colloquial term of endearment that captures the high respect for the various hats that Dr. Santos continues to wear. Behind the “frown” (kunot nuo) that has become the trademark feature of Dr. Santos lie the deep layers of genuine, fatherly love, concern, admiration, and respect.
The first speaker, Dr. Tranco, recalled the travels she had with Dr. Santos in Malaysia, Nagano, and Villa Escudero in San Pablo, Laguna, attending conferences or music camps. It was an opportunity for learning and exposure to ideas beyond the classroom. As gesture of fatherly concern, “Dr. Santos took care of us: Hindi kami pinabayaan ni Dr. Santos! He would accompany us to our rooms,” she said emphatically.
Such rapport was maintained even during the pandemic, when she and the genteel Dokkie would carry on conversations to keep in touch, so to speak, and do away with boredom through Zoom.
Above all, it was the honing of her mind as a composer that Dr. Tranco greatly attributes to Dr. Santos. He trusted her to compose some contemporary contest pieces for the rondalla. Such discipleship reached its peak when Dr. Santos invited her to teach as a member of the department that she now heads.
Such discipleship reached its peak when Dr. Santos invited Dr. Tranco to teach as a member of the UP College of Music’s Composition Department, which she now heads
The next speaker, Dr. Dayang Yraola, recalled how her mother, the indefatigable Marialita Tamanio-Yraola, erstwhile assistant to Dr. Jose Maceda, who manned the UP Center for Ethnomusicology, told her curtly, one day in 2007, to “go to her former office.” It was a genteel way of saying, with your expertise, help the center that was then manned by Dr. Santos, Dr. Maceda having gone to the Great Beyond in 2004. In deep obedience, she went to the center, and worked there until 2015.
Prof. Yrsola (R) with her Mom, Marialita
By 2013, the center had its first exhibit, and by 2015, it was fully functional, boasting of fully functional archives, a library, and instrumentation with digital access, said Dr. Yraola. She said she had “strange dynamics,” working with Dokkie. Such strangeness, she said, “turned into a meaningful fruition” when the center held its exhibit in 2013. There she came to fully know how Dr. Santos is held in high esteem by his colleagues, both here and abroad.
On the lighter side, she said that Dr. Santos was “napakasarap ka-tropa (an amiable companion),” as he would first ask about shopping centers and fine restaurants to dine in during their travels.
Above all, what she is now, Dayang owes to the center. It was while listening to the tapes of ethnic chants and instruments that she was introduced to other sounds recorded on the tape, such as babies crying, door slamming, dogs barking, “beyond the planned recording.” Such exposure led her to a curatorial practice and the pioneering research and pedagogy in sound art that she is known for today.
After her talk, a brief interval followed, with baritone Danny Monte singing an earlier composition of Dr. Santos, titled, God’s Grandeur, with Mika Lastrilla as collaborative pianist.
The last speaker, Prof. Lopez, talked of the other hat that Dr. Santos wears—that of a rondalla festival organizer both locally and internationally. Dr. Santos conceptualized the Kuerdas ng Pagkakaisa (Strings for Unity) as a means of providing understanding and unity, both locally and internationally, with plucked strings leading the way.
The rondalla brings about cultural understanding, seeking unity and harmony in the country and among nations, she said. The rondalla festival had an auspicious debut in Naga City in 2004, followed by other festivals in Dumaguete in 2007; Tagum, Davao, in 2011; and at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 2014. Subsequently, it went international in 2015 in Yilan City in Taiwan, and in Silay City in Negros Occidental.
Professor Lopez quotes Doctor Santos: “Engaging in this mission is a sure way to bring about cultural understanding among peoples through a shared musical tradition, and to seek unity and harmony of aspirations and ideals among nations!”
An appreciative audience that includes National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario (in hat)
A big round of applause greeted the speakers at the end of their talk. This was followed by some questions, and photo opportunities with Dr. Santos and the speakers.
Mabuhay!
