By Kate Giordan Flores
The Center for Tropical Conservation Studies (CENTROP) faced “significantly loud sounds and lights” for a second time during Sillimusika 2026 last Aug. 30, despite renewed efforts to contain the noise.
The concert-for-a-cause occupied the Filomeno Cimafranca Ballfield, which directly fronts CENTROP, causing nearby animals to “panic, run around, and hide in their enclosures” since last year.
CENTROP Coordinator Asst. Prof. Leandro Cabrera said that while no animal fatalities have been recorded from the event in the past, it is “a compromise as the animals’ natural habitat is the forest.”
“I don’t think there’s any other choice where to put the [Sillimusika] stage. In CENTROP, our location in the heart of the city, it’s something that we should be able to compromise,” he said.
The CENTROP coordinator also said they no longer raised the same concern from last year since there are “limited options in the University” with the ongoing Founders Day celebration.
Meanwhile, Sillimusika 2026 Committee Chairperson Adrian Estolloso said they kept measures from last year to limit sound levels and adjusted the stage setup to face away from CENTROP.
“We wanted to cater to CENTROP’s and Biology office’s concerns, and other pertinent offices. We’re also working hand-in-hand with our stage provider this year, to level our audios and sounds,” he said.
The Sillimusika 2026 Committee also coordinated with the Facilities Management and Administrative Services, Campus Security and Safety Office, and barangay captain of nearby homes for the concert.
Cabrera, however, said the stage’s new location is only a minimal change because the concert is still located near CENTROP.
“We appreciate it that the stage changed, because the speakers didn’t face the animals. But whether we can say that it affected the animals or not, we cannot say,” he said.
Estolloso also said that scheduling conflicts and venue capacity prevented the committee from returning the venue to the SU Gymnasium.
“We decided to continue to Cimafranca because it’s also convenient for our working committee, there’s more space for our artists, concessionaires, and audiences as well,” he said.
Sillimusika 2026 was headlined by OPM band December Avenue with performances from local artists Soluna, Dandbroom, Hiraya, and Aya Lubon with Corps D’ Elite, The Lifestyle, and BBBs.
