Cebu students find healing in musicโฆ all the way to Ilocos Norte
By the time the Cebu Normal University (CNU) Rondalla stepped onto the stage at Parnuay: The 3rd Creativity in Philippine Higher Education Summit, their presence carried more than polished melodies and disciplined harmonies. It carried survival, healing, and hope.
On the evening of September 30, 2025, at exactly 9:59 PM, a powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the coast of Bogo City in northern Cebu. One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded in the region, it left collapsed buildings, damaged roads, and widespread power outages. Neighboring towns, including Daanbantayan, Medellin, and San Remigio, as well as parts of Cebu City, felt its force. Roughly a month later, typhoon Tino hit the Visayas region, further compounding the already fragile conditions of affected communities.
Classes shifted to online mode, prioritizing safety and recovery for students and their families. Among the institutions forced to adapt was Cebu Normal University. ๐ ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ข๐ฎ๐ช๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ณ๐ต๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐บ, ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ด๐ช๐ค ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ง๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ช๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ฅ.
๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐บ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ
When Dr. Naila Beltran, CNU Rondalla adviser, sent a message announcing the upcoming event, the response was immediate. Just two weeks before the event, the students reported to her without hesitation, carrying with them their instruments, their courage, and their longing to play again. Yet, the reality of homes damaged, families displaced, and finances that stretched thin, loomed heavily.
โFinancial constraints weighed heavily on our minds. Since many of our houses were damaged, basic needs had to come first. After the earthquake, our apartments in Cebu were no longer livable, and we were expected to stay in the city for almost three weeks for rehearsals and preparations. I asked myself, โWhere would we live?โ Othello, one of the CNU Rondalla members, said.
As a savior that she is, Dr. Beltran offered Othello and Vincent, another rondalla member from Bantayan Island, a place to stay, as neither of them had a place to go.
โMaโam Naila jokingly called her place a humble dorm, but to us, it felt like home. It had everything we needed, and it gave us comfort during a very uncertain time. For three weeks, we stayed there while the others, who had the means, rented their own apartments,โ he shared.
Dr. Beltran stepped forward, not only as an administrator, but as a protector and a mother. She sought the full support of the university administration, reached out to potential sponsors, and worked tirelessly to ensure that the studentsโ journey would not be cut short. During rehearsals, she even opened her own home, offering it as shelter while the students were away from their parents.
โTheir parents initially said no,โ she recalled. โTheir main concern was security, and of course finances, since the competition would be held here in Ilocos Norte.โ
But trust had already been built. In her many years at CNU, Dr. Beltran had earned a reputation rooted in integrity and care. When parents learned their children would be under her guidance, hesitation turned into confidence. Permission was granted.
With limited time to prepare, rehearsals became more than technical run-throughs. They became spaces for recovery. Music served as therapy, companionship as comfort, and Dr. Beltranโs presence as quiet reassurance.
While still recovering from what happened in Cebu, the CNU Rondalla chose to answer the call of music to reclaim what the disasters had tried to take from them. They came back. Music called them back.
โ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐโ
Apart from Othello and Vincent, the other members of the CNU Rondalla also bravely carried on through those uncertain times. These included Lea Fe Gungob, Ayessa Tagalog, Sophia Cayabyab, Abegail Tubos, Jannine Sadili, Lucille Atillo, Annmarrie Abao, Randelle Garcia, Rich Nicole Gencono, Antonette Jaรฑala, John Vincent Paires, Peter Ephraim Dy, Justine Rosaroso, John Daniel Tamayo, and Yie Joven Vale.
Their group was diverse. Most of the senior members lived in areas less affected by the disaster. Many of them from Bogo were first-year students, while most of the group members consisted of third- and fourth-year college students.
โThere is a noticeable gap in age and experience. In fact, when we first formed the rondalla group, we were not close at all. We had our own inner circles, our own comfort zones, but what brought us together was music,โ he said.
Music helped them cope by playing notes and expressing emotions they could not put into words. They built a bond none of them expected.
โAs first-year students, we learned so much from our seniors about music, life, discipline, and perspective. This group became something we knew we would miss deeply once it ended,โ he added.
๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐
At the core of Dr. Beltranโs craft is a deep belief in identity.
โNapakahalaga na sinasabi ko sa mga bata na dapat kaya nilang kantahin ang sarili nilang kanta bago nila matutunan ang iba,โ she emphasized, inculcating them that understanding oneโs own voice and culture must come before mastering others.
โShare whatever you have. Do not hesitate to give time to others to have a taste of your talent.โ
For Dr. Beltran, discipline is born from challenge.
โEmbrace your challenges as ways to teach you discipline. Discipline will help you advance your craft, your music, and your art.โ
Even under pressure, Dr. Beltran ensured her students spent weekends with their families. The competition, she believed, should draw them closer to home, not farther away.
In her soft voice, she admitted, โRondalla is fading, yet our efforts are part of reviving it.โ
๐๐น๐น ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ ๐ฎโ๐ฎ๐บ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป
As the CNU Rondalla played at Parnuay, each plucked string echoed with stories of loss and strength. Their music did not erase the earthquakes or storms, but it gave a sound of hope and recovery.
This journey holds deeper meaning as Dr. Beltran prepares to retire at the end of the month, concluding 35 years of government service. From music teacher to artistic director, and later Director for External Affairs and International Linkages of Cebu Normal University, her legacy is etched more on the lives transformed through her art, not only in programs and titles.
For her students, joining Parnuay meant more than just a competition. With their pouring love for Maโam Beltran, they did it for her as their heartfelt gift to give back a fraction of the care she had shown them.
โThis would be Maโam Nailaโs last competition before she retires from Cebu Normal University. This is our gift for her, and a meaningful memory for all of us. We wish for a clean performance and, by Godโs grace, a victory that will honor not just our hard work, but also her years of dedication.โ
Away from home, the CNU Rondalla brings the message of faith and optimism. They stand as proof that even when the ground shakes and storms rage, music can steady the soul. Healing found its rhythm back through the gentle guidance of a woman who believed deeply in her students.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐
Carrying the powerful rhythm of their story and the melodious love they have for Dr. Beltran, CNU Rondalla won the Rondalla competition at Parnuay. With their win now sealed in their hearts and in the strings of the rondalla they all love to play, they will carry something greater with them: the certainty that no matter how dark the silence becomes, they now know how to make it sing.
Dec, 19, 2025 09:23:am
Written By:
STRATCOM
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