In Memoriam: Oscar Ora

In Memoriam: Oscar Ora

In the world of Pangasinan provincial and regional media and culture and arts circles, he has been known as a veteran radio dramatist, scriptwriter, stage drama producer, musician, and jingle maker in the Pangasinan language.

In his hometown of Bayambang, however, he has been a most familiar face, particularly to churchgoers, because he was an active choir member at the local parish church, and in fact headed its Music Ministry. He was also a Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus.

In his barangay of Telbang, he has been known as a council member or Barangay Kagawad.

Not a lot of people know, but he was also an army reservist or peacekeeing force multiplier of some sort, being a member of a group called Provecom.

Of course, to his blood relations, he was a loving father, son, uncle, cousin, etc.

Oscar Ora was obviously a complex, multi-faceted man. And yet, being of humble character, one wouldn't know such range of roles he assumed and accomplishments he attained from the way he comported himself.

A graduate of St. Vincent Catholic School (batch 1980), he finished an Auto Diesel Mechanic course in 1981 at the Bayambang Technical School. (Much later, I'd discover that he was a classmate of my older cousin Celia in high school.)

As a cultural worker, musician, composer, and community arts advocate, he has been associated with several heritage, music, and cultural initiatives in the municipality. Though only limited biographical information is publicly available, local government archives and cultural records show that he has played an active role in preserving and promoting Pangasinan culture through music and community events.

Ora became known locally for composing Pangasinan songs that celebrate Bayambang’s identity and heritage. One of his known compositions is “Pinablin Bayambang” (“Beloved Bayambang”), a hometown hymn written in Pangasinan that reflected local pride and cultural identity. Although another municipal hymn was later officially adopted for the first time by the local government in 2017, his composition remains recognized among local cultural circles as possibly the first attempt to compose a municipal hymn.

It was at this point that I personally met Ora for the first time, when he approached me at my office to give me an mp3 file of his original song. I liked what I heard: a relaxing and most fitting town anthem.

He has also contributed to municipal cultural programs organized by the local government and the Bayambang Municipal Council for Culture and the Arts (BMCCA). During the town's quadricentennial celebrations in 1994, he composed Bayambang 400th year jingle, "Maria Victoria" (daughter of Emilio Aguinaldo), and "Pamatanir nen Miong."

In community celebrations and public events, Ora frequently appeared as a music arranger, composer, performer, and judge. During the 2017 Bb. Bayambang pageant, he helped compose the customized jingle for the event together with fellow Bayambang musicians. Apart from "Pinablin Bayambang" and the Binibining Bayambang jingle, among Ora's compositions are Sibuyas Festival jingle, Kalutan ed Dalan jingle, "Say Dasal – Sanengseng," "Asin na Kabaleyan," "Manisia Ak ed Diyos, "Hakbang sa Pangarap," Bayambang Tourism jingle, Saint Vincent Ferrer theme song, and Matalunggaring Awards jingle.

He also served as one of the judges in local music and cultural competitions, including municipal nutrition-jingle contests and LGU cultural activities.

Ora likewise took part in heritage-centered programs that revived traditional Pangasinan customs. In a 2016 revival of the old “Taotaoag” tradition in Bayambang, he participated as guitarist during the community’s house-to-house cultural performance.

Beyond music, Oscar Ora also appeared as an actor in independent Filipino cinema. He portrayed a character in "Dapol tan Payawar na Tayug 1931" in 2017 and as a spiritual healer character in the short film "Mina's Family History" in 2021, internationally and locally acclaimed films directed by kabaleyan Christopher Gozum.

In 2019, Ora was among those accorded the prestigious “Matalunggaring Award,” Bayambang local government’s highest accolade. His body of work reflects a devoted effort to preserve and promote Pangasinan language, music, and community traditions through grassroots cultural involvement.

As a local politician, Ora also attempted to run for a higher position as municipal councilor, but lost.

As a Facebook friend and member of the Bayambang Culture Mapping Project Facebook page, he has contributed a significant amount of valuable historical and linguistic knowledge, among which is that "bayambang" is an old indigenous word that means "madanom ya pasen o lugar" (a waterlogged area), among other meanings.

Again, on a personal note, I remember Ora as someone who would generously lend his home-based recording studio when our department needed it badly for a formal municipal event.

It is sad to lose a good and talented man like him with such suddenness and still in his prime. May God welcome his humble servant in his eternal home.