Harvey Igbuhay's magnetic sound and personality draw a crowd while giving a distinctive native twist to his music.
By JOSH ZIMMER
Published March 29, 2004
KEYSTONE - Harvey Igbuhay is the new sound of PhilFest.
Born in the Philippines, Igbuhay makes his living assembling electronic cables. But his heart is in rap.
Historically, the popular festival has showcased authentic Philippine dance and music. With success. Attendance over the three-day weekend regularly tops 20,000. Ticket sales alone raise upwards of $30,000.
What makes Igbuhay special? His delivery, says Joey Omila, PhilFest 2004's entertainment committee chairman. Igbuhay, 28, sings in Tagalog, on which one of the country's two national languages, Pilipino, is based. He also spices his songs with an immigrant's perspective on life in America, lending his music an impact Omila believes will reach most Filipinos in the crowd.
"Man, the guy can turn the party upside down," Omila said.
PhilFest starts at 4:30 p.m. Friday at 14301 Nine Eagles Drive, off Race Track Road, near the Pinellas-Hillsborough county line.
This is the ninth consecutive event for the Tampa Bay's active Philippine community. Along with exhibits and a strictly Philippine food menu, the festival will offer a typically long list of entertainment. Music and dance groups will be arriving from as far away as south Florida and North Carolina.
Things will shut down 11 p.m. Friday before picking up again Saturday morning. And PhilFest doesn't die easily. People looking for something to do Sunday can still catch music and dance well past 7 p.m.
Entertainment highlights include the high-energy Sinulog Dance Ensemble of Fort Lauderdale. The brightly costumed troupe performs songs and dances heard during Sinulog, the Philippine version of carnival. The annual event coincides with other carnivals around the world - filling streets with the same heightened reverie, he said.
While some groups are more professional than others, Omila stressed that the festival aims for authenticity.
The event generates important funds for the Bayanihan Arts Center, an elegant building constructed by the local Philippine community with the help of state funds. Although Tampa Bay's Philippine community may only be the state's fourth largest, Omila says with confidence that no other Philippine event in the country rivals PhilFest.
The difference is its pure Philippine flare. Other festivals mix commerce and culture, he said.
Other Philippine communities have picked up on the special atmosphere, he said. Organizers field more calls every year from hopeful participants. For example, members of the Filipino-American Performing Artists of North Carolina will drive 12 hours to perform Saturday afternoon.
The festival sets "a good example" for other Philippine communities, artistic director Sonia Mattias-Holland said. "That's why it was an honor for us to perform."
Igbuhay was scheduled to rap last year but had to cancel when his baby was born. This time, he's penciled in for 10 p.m. Friday.
Igbuhay is helping festival organizers reach out to young Filipinos, Omila said. For Igbuhay, a native of Cavite City who arrived here 10 years ago, it should be the aspiring rap star's biggest audience to date.
Dreams die hard in all languages, including Tagalog.
"I'm trying to get up there," he said. "It's a hard thing to do."
