Tapsilog, Halo-halo and noche buena, among the things overseas Pinoys miss
Google Philippines, together with 5 well known bands and musicians, released the “Miss Ko Na” song featuring crowdsourced lyrics from Filipinos here and abroad. Sponge Cola, ItchyWorms and Kjwan, along with vocalist Ebe Dancel, and YouTube star Mikey Bustos worked together to put melody and structure to the answers to Google’s question “Anong namimiss mo sa Pilipinas?” (“What do you miss most in the Philippines?”) Google asked for submissions from OFWs using Google Forms and on their social media accounts using the hashtag #GoogleMissKoNa, which were then used as lyrics to the song.
The “Miss Ko Na” music video is also the first 360-degree YouTube video in the Philippines, which viewers on Chrome browser can tap on and drag to see different perspectives of the video. Viewers on Android phones using the YouTube App can simply move their phones to watch the video from different angles. The video found on https://youtu.be/gD8RPX3NoQs can also be saved on the YouTube Offline playlist for viewing within 48-hours without an internet connection.
“The submissions of our kababayans were very inspiring and made it easy for us to come up with a song that speaks of their longing for home. “Miss Ko Na” is not only about the story of OFWs; it is also a story about sacrifice and selfless love that Filipinos are known for,” shares Kelley Mangahas of Kjwan.
The song captures famous Filipino traditions such as celebrating noche buena with family, going to fiestas with friends, playing basketball with relatives, and eating with bare hands, among others. It also showcased Filipino food that OFWs crave for such as halo-halo and tapsilog.
“It’s a simple catchy song that captures the Filipino spirit. It reflects how we celebrate the good and we pummel through the bad with a smile and a positive outlook,” adds Yael Yuzon of Sponge Cola.
“We are very thankful for the participation of our kababayans in this initiative. To show our gratitude, Google and the collaborators donated a peso for every submission we got, and the overwhelming replies from Pinoys allowed us to donate Php 1 million to the Blas Ople Policy Center & Training Institute. This will be used to build halfway houses for overseas Filipinos in need,” says Ryan Morales Google Philippines country marketing manager.
Filipinos can sing-along using the YouTube Karaoke version.
The song is exclusively available on YouTube.
About Google
Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google’s targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com.
About YouTube
Founded in February 2005, YouTube allows billions of people to discover, watch and share originally-created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform, and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small.
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