A recent online chat with Dan Borjal, a high school classmate, led him to show me a video about his group that advocates the defense of migrants’ rights in the Netherlands where he lives. It featured images of his group members in action, as a song about overseas Filipino workers, “Saan dako man ng mundo, may migranteng Pilipino,” was playing in the background. The music credits at the end showed a familiar name as composer, Karl Ramirez. Interestingly, Dan’s and Karl’s fathers were close friends.

Earlier, the author was looking for recommendations from writers about Bikol heroes to be featured in our Dateline Ibalon August edition (the month commemorating national heroes).  Karl’s name came up, thanks to Doods M. Santos. As a trustee of Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation, he would be most qualified to write about the topic of heroes. The author, however, was drawn more to Karl’s significant involvement in socially relevant Filipino music. For this month of August, we feature his music – and his songs about the struggles and heroism of ordinary Filipino people.

Karl Ramirez is a multi-awarded Bicolano activist singer, song writer, music arranger and producer, and frontman of the alternative pop-rock band Pordalab. A versatile musician, he writes and produces music in a wide spectrum of styles and usage – advocacy, radio, film, theater, and commercial music. He has been a music producer since 2002 and got involved in the production of full songs and arrangements since 2009. He has helped musicians, institutions, and advocacy groups produce songs and music albums and devoted his time sharing his skills through workshops on songwriting and song production.

The Ramirez family roots are in Ligao, Albay. While Karl’s elementary and high school years were in Legazpi City, he spent most of his young adult years in Quezon City. His songwriting talent was recognized at an early age. In 2010, he won the grand prize in Net-25’s songwriting competition for his song “Convergence.” In the same year, he was selected as one of the 60 participants in the first ever Elements National Songwriting Camp by Ryan Cayabyab’s 7101 Music Nation. His song “Kalahati ng Mundo” was an official soundtrack of 2015 Gawad Urian awardee for Best Documentary “Walang Rape sa Bontok.” The 2020 version of the song with his band Pordalab is part of Oxfam Pilipinas’ campaign on women #WeMakeHerStory. Two other songs were also part of GMA News TV’s award-winning documentary series Reel Time.

His song “Himig ay Pakinggan” was the official theme of high-rated ANC eco-travel show “Rubi on a Roadtrip.” He wrote “Tuklasin ang Bago sa Mundo,” theme of Tuklas Innovation Labs and “Baybayin Buhayin,” the theme of the nationwide organization advocating the ancient Filipino script Baybayin. He produced all this with his band Pordalab. Many of his music videos feature the lyrics in Baybayin script. He produced and performed the theme for two radio programs in the Bicol Region – Abogado Juan and Pamana ng Lahi.

In 2021, Karl’s production team received a nomination in the 36th PMPC (Philippine Movie Press Club) Star Awards 2021 for “Walang Katulad,” the theme song of the movie “Immaculada, Pag-Ibig ng Isang Ina” by journalist and filmmaker Arlyn Dela Cruz, which was also the opening film at the 2019 Singkuwento International Film Festival in Manila.

In 2017, he received two nominations in the 33rd PMPC Star Awards as Indie Best Musical Scorer for his work in Arlyn Dela Cruz’s film “Tibak,” a biopic of exiled Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Ma. Sison, and Indie Best Original Song for “Panata” (written by Ali Ariesgado, arranged, and popularized by his band Pordalab). That year, he also won Best Musical Score in the 65th FAMAS for his work in another Arlyn Dela Cruz film titled “Bubog,” a film about the war on drugs, which featured his composition “Wag Mong Isipin.”

Karl’s creative film music credits include “Paghilom,” the official soundtrack of the film ECQ Diary directed by Arlyn Dela Cruz in 2020, featuring Elizabeth Oropesa and Daria Ramirez. He also collaborated with veteran journalist turned film maker Arlyn Dela Cruz from 2016 to 2020 in the musical scores for her full-length films “Tibak,” “Pusit,” “Bubog,” “Immaculada,” and ECQ Diary. Part of the repertoire are his original songs “Kung Ako Ay Iibig,” a rendition of “Panata,” “Wag Magsawang Magmahal,” and “Wag Mong Isipin.”

Social relevance and community outreach mark Karl’s music productions, such as: “Pamana ng Lahi,” a theme for a Bicol community radio program (2020); “Magtanong, Mag-usisa,” and the theme for Radyo Inquirer and co-written with Arlyn Dela Cruz (2018).

From 2009 to 2017, Karl’s other credits in musical scores and themes include the following: work rendered for Gawad Bayani ng Kalikasan;  the tourism campaign theme of the Tinambac LGU;  ANC eco-travel show “Rubi on a Roadtrip”;  the song in the album Bonifacio @150 in celebration of the 150th birthday of Supremo Andres Bonifacio;  a radio jingle adopted as theme of Makabayan and Teddy Casino’s senatorial run;  the theme of the 2012 anti-tuberculosis campaign of the Department of Health; the theme for Software Freedom Day 2011; the song commissioned by the Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education Research for the Church People and Workers Solidarity conference in Cebu City; and the original soundtrack of Center for Environmental Concerns’ “Higante’t Tutubi,” an animated short film about the environment.  He was also the writer, arranger and performer of “Alagaan ang Kalikasan,” a song commissioned by the Citizens’ Disaster Response Center in Radyo Veritas.

Karl’s works include music for theater and the performing arts, where he was the music arranger and producer of “Atang,” theme of Pista Nin Teatrong Bikolnon (2020); musical pieces in “Munting Sinag,” a play by Sangre De Naga (2020), and the musical Sining Banwa’s “Oktubre,” (2018). He was sound engineer for “Mabini” and “Maypag-asa,” a musical by Letran Calamba’s Culture and Arts Division (2013, 2015); musical director and arranger, UP Repertory’s The 2013 Lean Musical based on the 1997 Lean: A Filipino Musical by Gary Granada, September (2013); sound engineer for “Regalo,” a Filipino Christmas album by Children’s Literature, Arts and Performances (CLAP) and Kalantog (2012); music arranger for eight song segments in the musical “Makata’y Mandrigima, Mandirigma’y Makata,” a Filpino musical staged in UP Diliman Theater, written by National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera and Palanca awardee Edward Perez, directed by Rommel Linatoc and music direction by Rica Palis (2009).

Karl is a founding member of Musika Publiko (established in 2017) and currently serves as one of its coordinators. Musika Publiko is a network of musicians, composers, music producers, live event producers, and enthusiasts, which includes Bicol Pop on Facebook as its initiative. He is also the Creative Director of CStudio, a multi-experience recording studio and events place and the weekly radio show Tanog Lokal Suporta Lokal in Bossing FM 104.7 Naga City. He creates music for the wonderful productions of Dominus Digital Connect. He was Executive Director of the League of Authors of Public Interest Songs (LAPIS) from 2015 to 2017. He also is a member of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) and the Filipino Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (FILSCAP).

Aside from his solo acts, Karl’s current work in music revolves around his band Pordalab – an alternative pop-rock band that performs songs of love and nation. The repertoire is mostly originals written by him and currently available at different platforms. Pordalab’s Puso at Bayan album, Sa Pagtahak EP, and latest lockdown songs Paghilom, Bangon Pilipino, and Magkaugnay Nating Buhay are all available commercially at Spotify and iTunes.

Explore the music of Karl Ramirez and Pordalab:

Reported by Jojo De Jesus for Dateline Ibalon based on these references: Karl Ramirez’s TatayK on WordPress and Facebook page, Burabod Original Bikol Music, Sound Click and Fandom. Images from the artist’s Facebook page. The featured image of the artist includes the lyrics of his song “Makibaka” written in Baybayin script.