‘Cebu Pop’ fest entry: "Call Center Agent"

[psyrille_alphatrix]

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source: Nalzaro: ?Cebu Pop? fest entry | Sun.Star Network Online

I've encountered this article when I was browsing... if you were the person who have read the lyrics would you share the same opinion?

‘Cebu Pop’ fest entry
By Bobby Nalzaro

THE Cebu Pop Music Festival is one of the highlights of the Sinulog festivities. Conceptualized by the Gullas family and implemented by them for the past 31 years, Cebu Pop has produced quality Cebuano songs, some of them becoming popular and best sellers in the recording industry.

Recently, I received an email from a certain Jake Flordelis criticizing the lyrics of one of the entries of the recently concluded Cebu Pop. Here’s his letter:


“Bob, my concern is about the entry titled 'Call Center Agents' composed by Eugene Tan, who claimed to be a former call center agent himself as announced by the program host, Sam Costanilla.

“One line in the song says that call center agents ‘laway ray puhonan, walay kaligo tungod sa pagdali-dali.' The line is very degrading to call center agents who sweat it out to pass modular trainings and exams before they become regular employees of well-established business process outsourcing (BPO) firms. I cannot totally blame the composer for this, but the composition should have been reviewed thoroughly by the organizers before it was officially accepted.

“Big call centers like Convergys and JP Morgan Chase require rigid trainings on developing skill, wit, aptitude, diction, etc. of applicants. I hope that the composer does not have an ax to grind against call center agents (did he fail in the entrance exams or could not withstand the rigid training?) and thus ventilated his frustrations by composing the song. BPOs or call centers create jobs and revenues in our country. Cebu even takes pride as a world-ranked BPOs hub.

“I hope you can help me crystallize this issue so festival organizers will thoroughly screen their entries in the future.”

Mr. Flordelis has a valid observation. I am not a composer (though I can sing) but I understand that the lyrics of a song should not offend a particular sector, race or religion. “Laway ray puhonan” (using only saliva as capital) is an insult to those who are in the industry.

People in call centers are well-trained. They are not only using saliva but attend to clients by relying on their communication skills, talents and guts.

I might also be offended if they describe radio and television broadcasters as “laway ray puhonan kay sige lang og yawyaw sa microphone.”

Aw, kanang “walay kaligo kay nagdali-dali,” depende ra na sa tawo. Basta di lang siya manimaho.


Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on January 19, 2011.

[psyrille_alphatrix]

Mao diay ni Lyrics:

"Call Center Agent"

Call Center Agent
by Eugene Tan


Sayo sa kabuntagon, mobangon na intawon, trabaho paingon
Tubig bugnaw kaayo, di na lang maligo, sagol singot ang baho
Mag atang og sakyanan pagka delikado
Kay mingaw pa kaayo ang mga kadalanan


Laway ray puhonan bisag dili ambungan, tingog ray basehan
Bisan og lalaki nga tingog daw babaye dili igsapayan
Tambok kag maniwang, morena o mestisa
Basta kon mag istorya kana gyung Ingles paka


Koro
Call center agent ako,
Kanunyang moingon og, "hello! how may I help you?"
Basta sa telepono tingog panindoton ko
Call center agent ako,
Mag iningles murag Amerkano
Apan kon ang dila mag sapid Bisaya gyud kaayo


Kon ako gisapot di magpaapekto ang tingog sa telepono
Kanunayng malipayon ang tingog ko sapnayon bisan pag kasyagiton
Maayong pamatasan kanunay kong timan-an
Aron di ko pulihan sa akong gi lingkoran
(balik sa koro)

Tulay
Bisan dako kag sweldo kon daghan ka og bisyo
Kini dili paigo nimo...
(balik sa koro 2x)

Koda
Bisaya ko nga gwapo…
Call center agent ako!

[speechless_03]

For my opinion..

Subjective man gud kung gi-unsa nimu pagdawat ang mensahe sa kanta.. For me , it's ok..

Laway puhunan coz in reality, char ra daugun, delivery sa imung spiel..
Naay kolcenter way ligo kay gikan inom, they drink becoz they can't sleep or hard to sleep during daytime..

In the end, ang composer maoy nay full responsibility sa iyang song..
Naa bitaw mga novelty song nga bastos ang meaning.. wa man lagi
gi-scrutinize for example si lito camo..

Depende ra siguro na sis..

More power to call center agents.. working hard..
More power to us..

[Morcego]

tinuod mn sad intawn na naa sa lyrics oi..

[zapantalambda]

yea. i believe it is subjective. it depends on how a person absorbs the meaning of the song.

[cool_guy]

ok ra man jud ang lyrics, alangan man sad ug idescribe jud tnan sa composer ang kinabuhi sa call center agent, small part lang of being a call center agent ang iya gibasehan. para nko ok ra ang lyrics jud.

[psyrille_alphatrix]

i think ang person nga nicomplain about the lyrics misunderstood the context of the song...

kung muingon ba laway ray puhonan, is that negative?

[bowee]

kay tinuod bitaw laway ray puhonan.. if gpagaw ka.. im sure d ka maka klaro ug sturya sa imong callers...


tulon laway panagsa para maka diretso diretso kag storya sa KANO...

[lana21]

okay raman oi...i mean small thing ra kau padak on...way jud koy negative nakit an..well i myselfs been working as call girl for almost 5 yrs....

[yonnis1980]

lyrics is the same as poem ra man oi. anybody can react. i do not understand why people get itchy about lyrics.. its the artist's creation.