“We have zero guitar sales since February [2023] started,” Jayme Igot Gala, salesman and part-owner of Marilyn Guitar in Barangay Pajac, Lapu-Lapu City, said in Cebuano. “No one’s buying our guitar like before.”
Marilyn Guitar, a well-known guitar store in the barangay, is one of many wood-instrument shops in the famed “Guitar Country” Pajac-Maribago strip in the city that still suffers from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cebu is famed for the quality of its musical instruments, especially guitars, which is a legacy of craftmanship passed down from generations of skilled artisans and luthiers.
The guitar industry in Lapu-Lapu City, specifically, has not only contributed to its economy but also to its culture and identity.
“The [guitar] sales here in Lapu-Lapu really come from tourists. Before the pandemic, the streets are filled with tourists who pass by after they visit resorts. Lahi na gyud karon (it is really different now),” Gala said.
Noel Igot, a salesman at CD Guitar in Barangay Pajac, could not help but compare how different sales are before and after the pandemic struck.
“Before, we could sell around 10 to 15 guitars a day. Now, we are contented if we can sell at least one or two guitars,” Igot said in Cebuano.
Ferangeli Guitar Handcrafter, which is one of Cebu’s oldest and most renowned guitar stores of locally made guitars, also lived the effects of the pandemic heavily impacted their sales.
“Niarang-arang siya this year pero dili gihapon mi makaingon nga pareho the time sa pre-pandemic. Wa pa gihapo’y turista, naa man, pero dili pareho sauna nga halos everyday naa’y mosulod,” Steve Dagoc, marketing officer of Ferangeli Guitar Handcrafter, said.
(Sales improved slightly this year, but it is not comparable to pre-pandemic times. There are no tourists, if there are, it’s not like before when almost every day someone enters our store.)
These are just some lamentable tales of a steadily declining industry waiting to be resurrected.
‘ODETTE’ SINGS A DIFFERENT TUNE
As if the pandemic was not enough, Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai) wreaked havoc in the Visayas and Mindanao on December 16, 2021. It killed 410 people and left more than P66 billion worth of damage.
Several guitar stores in the Pajac-Maribago strip were not spared by the tragic event, destroying hundreds of pesos worth of wood instruments and properties.
The horrors of the typhoon could still be seen if one visits Angel’s Guitar, one of the oldest guitar makers in Cebu located in Barangay Maribago, as its workshop barely holds on to any stable material that could protect it from rain. Broken guitars are stacked on top of one another, not one of them salvageable.
“Ang among mga atop nangaungkab (the storm took our roof),” Cecilia Pangatungan, owner of Angel’s Guitar, said.
Pangatungan recalled how her family ate what’s left of the stock of the little sari-sari store she owns, as her guitars made no profit in over three months after Odette.
This was on top of the declining sales she already faced because of the pandemic.
“Sa tulo ka semana, maayo na lang naay usa mopalit (in a period of three weeks, it joys us when someone would buy one guitar),” she said.
Pangatungan said that although the local government gave them financial assistance to cover the cost of some of the damage to her house, it was not enough to fully renovate her workshop.
“Slowly but surely, we are trying our best to rebuild,” she said in Cebuano.
The New Susing’s Guitar in Barangay Pajac, also one of the oldest guitar makers in Cebu, in an earlier interview with SunStar Cebu in 2022, said its factory and some guitars were also badly destroyed by Odette, affecting the livelihood of some of its artisans and luthiers.
‘YOUNGER GENERATION NOT FOLLOWING AGING MASTERS’
Pangatungan said one of the challenges that their industry in Lapu-Lapu is currently facing is how to preserve the art of guitar-making.
The 64-year-old is a master at varnishing guitars, a separate art form from constructing the instrument, which she learned from her father when she was still 13 years old.
“No one is following our footsteps. Like in my family, no one varnishes guitars anymore. I know people who still know the art of varnishing, but their age is already over 60… they are all senior citizens,” she said in Cebuano.
Although she wants to keep the art alive, Panatungan said she only varnishes the guitars she is selling as she no longer has the energy to do outside work.
Guitar makers also lamented the rise of guitars that are made in China being imported into the city as it competes with those that are locally produced. Because of their competitive prices, they said that some Lapu-Lapu guitar stores are forced to lower their price tags.
The decline of full-time luthiers and artisans is also a challenge for the industry, as some of the skilled craftsmen find jobs elsewhere that pay them higher and are more stable.
SHIFT TO ONLINE AND THE RISE OF GCASH
Despite all the challenges faced by guitar makers and sellers during the lockdowns, the Cebuanos’ love for music never died.
Mary Ann Valiente, owner of Jerry’s Guitar, recalled how some residents in Pajac knock on their store and ask to be let in just so they could browse and buy a guitar.
“During the lockdowns, some people are really eager to buy a guitar and knock on our store since we are one of only a few stores around the area that actually owns a lot. Others were forced to close down because they could no longer pay rent for their store. People are really searching for a guitar at that time to pass the time inside their homes,” Valiente said in Cebuano.
Despite lower sales, interest in the instrument still remains high among Filipinos.
With the rise of online marketplaces and e-commerce platforms, it has become easier for people to purchase guitars without leaving their homes.
Many of these guitar manufacturers and retailers have adapted to the changing times by offering their products on social media like Facebook and Instagram, and sites like Lazada and Shopee, allowing customers to browse and purchase guitars from the safety of their own homes.
This has led to an increase in demand for entry-level and beginner guitars. As a result, many guitar shops have adapted to this trend by offering more affordable and accessible options to cater to this growing market.
“Dakong tabang ang technology. Adto man mi mokuha og income sa Facebook… among i-post didto. Makakita pud ang among mga buyer nga taga lagyo, so makapalit gyud sila. Maka-explain mi tarong nga mao pud among gitara, hand-made, lig-on,” Igot said.
(Technology is really a big help for us. We get most of our income through Facebook, we post our products on our page. Enthusiasts from far away places could easily buy from us. We can also communicate to them that our products are all hand-made and durable.)
The most common payment method used by buyers is through GCash, the leading mobile wallet in the Philippines.
With the rise of e-commerce platforms, GCash has made the process more convenient by allowing customers to pay for their purchases with just a few clicks on their mobile phones.
Especially during a time of lockdowns when people are trying to avoid crowded places and are practicing social distancing, it helped minimize consumers’ fears of the virus. Quick response (QR) codes by merchants also helped allay fears of physical contact.
“GCash lang gyud mi sa among payment. Mao ang madali-dali gud (We only accept GCash for online payments. It’s the easiest method),” Igot said.
Although it already had an online store even before the pandemic, Jerry’s Guitar said it has strengthened its presence in the online space at the height of the lockdown and has seen a significant increase in sales.
“Nakatabang siya kay ang gusto mopalit online na man lang. Sauna, arion gyud nila. Gamit gyud kaayo ang among page katong nag-pandemic na. Daghan na kaayo mo-message namo nga mopalit sila namo,” Valiente said.
(It really helped us because those who want to buy guitars could transact with us online. Before, they really had to come to us to see our products. It really helped us, especially during the pandemic. More and more people message us of their interest in buying one of our guitars.)
The owner said the e-wallet is the preferred method of buyers.
“Nakatabang gyud siya (online) especially lain-lain ang payment platforms, daghan shopping platforms… most sa among sales ‘ron online. Ang among market mahulog nga dili local lang, naa sad mi international market,” the marketing officer of Ferangeli said, adding that they also strengthened their online presence during the pandemic.
Despite having only a few who manage their online ventures, they are trying their best to attend to every query that comes their way.
With the rapidly increasing usage of online platforms for selling, Angel’s Guitar also does not want to get left behind.
Despite her inexperience with the use of technology because of her age, Pangatungan wants to learn how to use these platforms to make selling easier for her.
“Nindot man online, mas maayo. [Ang problema] di ko kamao. Maayo unta makamao kay maayo ko mokuan sa customer kay mao baya ni akong panginabuhi,” she said.
(Online platforms are really great. The problem is, I don’t know how to use them. I hope I can learn to use them so I could communicate with my customers because this is my livelihood.)
She is hopeful that the government or organizations will host educational programs for micro, small, medium enterprise owners to teach them how to use such platforms.
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
The barangay captains of Pajac and Maribago embrace with open arms these online platforms as they could help boost their constituent’s livelihood and promote their products to the world.
“There’s no other choice but to adapt. Mo-adapt gyud ta kon asa mokagat nga market. (We will adapt where the market is strong),” Barangay Pajac Captain Johanna Capangpangan said.
“Nakatabang gyud na siya sa industriya karon, ilabi na kon ibutang [sa mga gitara] handcrafted from Barangay Maribago or Lapu-Lapu… I fully support this. This is proven [effective],” Maribago Barangay Chairman Rosalino Abing said.
Capangpangan said her office has livelihood programs to support her constituents in uplifting the skills they want to hone, like guitar-making.
She also highlighted that her barangay holds the annual Sinulog sa Parokya every January to help showcase the history of locally made guitars.
For Abing, guitar makers in his village shaped the identity of Cebu, which is why he sees it important to preserve this dying art.
“Most of the young people of Maribago have shifted their interest to the tourism industry. That is also the reason why the guitar industry declined. It is easier for them to generate income by attending to foreign tourists compared to when selling guitars,” Abing said in Cebuano.
“Kato na lang mga karaan nga trabahante ang nabilin kay kasagaran nila wala na gyud sila sa gitara kay naa man sila’y dakong kita,” he said.
(Only old workers are left because some of the guitar makers find other jobs because the pay is higher.)
To combat this, Abing said his office helps fund and secure spots for store owners at malls, fairs and conventions so that they could help promote their guitars to bigger markets.
He also establish the barangay’s annual Guitar Festival, which is held every second Sunday of September, to encourage the youth to continue the legacy of guitar-making and to spark more interest in locally made guitars.
Abing also plans to create an area in Maribago that will showcase these guitars and teach people how they are made.
“Mao gyud akong plano… buhion gyud ang gitara (my plan really is to revive our guitar industry),” he said.
To help safeguard this culture of craftmanship in his barangay, he is set to reintroduce guitar-making in the village’s public school, just like how it was taught to them growing up.
Both barangay captains also plan to revitalize the rondalla groups of schools to encourage the youth to pick up an instrument and be music-literate.
In terms of protecting guitar makers from cybercrimes in e-commerce, both village executives said that their offices are open to help address their concerns.
‘STRONGER’
The guitar makers and sellers are hopeful that once the pandemic will finally come to an end, more and more people will visit and continue to support Cebu-made hand-crafted guitars.
They also hope that programs be put in place to protect their industry, especially during times of disaster.
With the restrictions finally loosened, they are hoping that the tourism industry will once again flourish and that visitors will flock to their area and take home a piece of Lapu-Lapu with them.
With Lapu-Lapu City now labeled as a “historic resort city,” these guitar makers and sellers only aspire that they will not be erased from the map and be included in the city’s tourism marketing.
“Lapu-Lapu should not be known only for its resorts but its history in craftsmanship, like guitars-making, carving, weaving and furniture. These skilled workers are underappreciated. We are more than just a resort city.”
