Thursday, November 27, 2025

"Balay" by Salidummay: The Story Behind the Song

You know it's a song by Salidummay just by listening to the first strums or picks on the guitar. This guitarist along with the Dap-ayan ti Kultura iti Kordilyera (DKK) group performed the Salidummay song 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 at the protest program yesterday in Malcolm Square (November 26). 

According to the DKK:

""Balay," composed by Ani Bongaoen and collagues from the Organisasyon Dagiti Nakurapay iti Syudad (ORNUS), tells the dire situation of the Baguio urban poor. It is a result of a Salidummay song-making workshop after a demolition of homes in Irisan, and was recorded by Salidummay's 2000 album "Diway"."

The Salidummay band is the group behind timeless Cordilleran songs like 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘮, 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘭𝘢, 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘖 𝘋𝘦𝘮 𝘋𝘦𝘮, 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘴𝘰𝘥 𝘯𝘪 𝘈𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, and more.