If you were looking for  MEBUYAN, the band, and  child of Mebuyan Peace  Project, you're on the right  page.

 If you were looking for the
 all-women dance, music,
 theater, and storytelling
 group MEBUYAN PEACE
 PROJECT, click here.

Current major gigs: May 22, 2009 9:00 pm First Davao Living Arts Festival "Save Tamugan River" Concert, back to back with Joey Ayala. June 26, 2009 7:30 pm, CitiHardware Anniversary, Davao City July 18, 2009 3:30 pm / 7:30 pm Rodelsa Hall, Cagayan de Oro City Currently writing and arranging the music for "Madonna Brava," an adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's "Mother Courage" by Don Pagusara; a production of the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Tanghalang Pilipino; directed by Nestor Horfilla.

click to read "Mebuyan Peace Project: from Mindanao to the World, first printed on M Magazine, Volume I, Issue No. 3"

Mebuyan joins Chicago Arts Calling Festival. Click to read press release.

click to read "Mag-Iban Kita" first printed on Mindanao Times, August 25, 2009

Mebuyan, a women-led music group based in Davao City, Philippines, is composed of Geejay Arriola (artistic director, percussionist), Gauss Obenza (music director, guitarist), Maree Contai (percussionist), Maan Chua (guitarist), Paolo Sisi (bassist), Chico Zambrano (drummer, percussionist), and Lolong Gonzaga (keyboardist).

The group has released its first album entitled "Mga Kuwentong Bata."

The album features compositions by Geejay Arriola, Bayang Barrios, Gauss Obenza, Maree Contaoi, Maan Chua, Maia Tampoy, and Sheila Labos.

Four of Mebuyan's members (Contaoi, Obenza, Chua, Tampoy) made it to the finals of Global Cooling: the first Mothers for Peace singout and songwriting competition in December 2007. Obenza and Chua took home the plum with “Dahon, Puno, Ugat, Lupa” and Obenza won second prize with “Celebrate, Glorify, Spread the Peace.”

In August 2008, Arriola, Contaoi, Obenza, Chua and Sisi joined the finals of "Tunog Mindanaw" (Mindanao Sound) during the Kadayawan Festival 2008 in Davao City. Sisi won the Grand Prize for "Mag-iban Kita" and Arriola won second prize with "Hohoy!"

Mebuyan is set to release its second album entitled "Mga Kuwentong Mindanaw" (Mindanao Stories) in collaboration with various music artists in Davao. The album will feature the winning entries to the Tunog Mindanaw and Global Cooling competitions.

As members of Mebuyan Peace Project, the all-women performance group, the musicians of Mebuyan wrote and arranged the music of "Panaw," which featured Bayang Barrios in the lead role. Written by Arriola and writer Malou Tiangco, “Panaw” was performed at the Asian Women's Theatre Festival in India and at the Asia-Pacific Conference for Women in the Arts Festival in Manila.

Arriola also wrote the music for Steven Patrick Fernandez's “Uwahig,” a dance theater production that was Mindulani's ( Mindanao theater network) entry to the International Theater Congress in Manila held July 2006; three of the pieces were arranged and performed by Mebuyan.

The group was also one of the prime movers of Davao-based EarthMusic Foundation's long-running concert-theatre musicale entitled "Salima," conceived and directed by Geejay Arriola and written by Palanca awardee Arnel Mardoquio. The musicale brought together music artists from various musical persuasions, including Eric Gancio, Popong Landero and Gary Granada, who collaborated in the music writing.

The group plays occasional gigs at Taboan, Matina Town Square, in Davao City, Philippines, and is often invited to perform for conferences and other big events in Davao City.

click to read "Mebuyan Peace Project: from Mindanao to the World, first printed on M Magazine, Volume I, Issue No. 3"

click to read "Mag-Iban Kita" first printed on Mindanao Times, August 25, 2009