MANILA, Philippines — All-hits FM radio station, Wish 107.5 on Sunday (December 20) took “wishers’” and fans all over the world to a journey into its inception and success while being serenaded by some of the top Filipino artists in a virtual concert entitled “Behind the Wishper.”

OPM A-listers such as KZ Tandingan, Yeng Constantino, Morisette Amon, Bugoy Drilon, balladeer Marco Sison, the Wishfuls , The Juans among other special guests performed during the special digital concert streamed live on Wish 107.5’s YouTube channel.

The artists paid homage to Kuya Daniel Razon, the station’s innovator — and the voice behind the station’s “voiceprint”— for conceptualizing a unique platform for singers and composers of Original Pilipino Music (OPM), to showcase their talent not only in the Philippines but in the international music scene.

“It feels good na mayroong [Wish 107.5] na sobra ang support sa OPM. Hindi lang sa malalaking singers. Talagang open ang pinto ninyo for the new breeds to show their music,” said snger-composer Yeng Constantino.

Singer Bugoy Drilon echoed the same sentiment: “Sobrang malaki ang naitulong ng (Wish 107.5) kasi nagbigay sila ng avenue sa Filipino talents around the world.”

“Not only mainstream but even underground, they all deserve na marinig ang talent nila at music nila and (Wish 107.5) gave it to them, to us,” he added. Bugoy celebrated his 10th year anniversary in the industry with a first solo concert organized by Wish 107.5 in 2018.

Part of last night’s concert was a look back at the station’s charitable endeavors among which is the Wish Music Awards where winning artists are given the chance to help their chosen charities.

“The reason why Wish 107.5 is getting bigger and bigger kumbaga mas marami pang blessings na natatanggap ang Wish 107.5 is because they never forget to give back and to pay it forward,” noted Asia’s soul supreme, KZ Tandingan.

KZ was the first Filipino artist to perform at the Dubai World Trade Center which was made possible through Wish 107.5. She was proud to note how her Wishclusive videos helped her land a spot in a singing competition in China. The experience was an important milestone in the artist’s career.

During the concert, the station distributed 107 tablets to student beneficiaries for their online classes.

“Sabi ko nga mas blessed iyong feeling na nakaka-bless din tayo ng ibang tao kasi the fact na mayroon tayong abilidad at may pagkakataon tayong makatulong. Sobrang thankful ako na ginagawa ng Wish iyon kasi nagkakaroon kami ng venue para makatulong din sa iba,” said singer Daryl Ong who was hailed Wish Male Artist of the Year in 2016.

Like most wishers, the artists expressed their gratitude to Kuya Daniel for breathing new life into Filipino music through digital media and paving the way for OPM into the global airwaves.

“I think that’s the reason why a lot of artists love to always come back to Wish 107.5 kasi kay Kuya Daniel pa lang ang sarap na palagi ng trato. He respects you as an artist and as an individual,” noted KZ

“Thank you again for all your efforts, for your vision of Filipino music, for putting Filipino musicians and artists sa harapan ng publiko para makita nila kung gaano kaganda ang ating sariling musika,” said national artist for music, Ryan Cayabyab who wished Kuya Daniel more wisdom and more innovations ahead for OPM.

After the special concert, Wish 107.5 announced the next big project happening on January 15, 2021 — the 6th Wish Music Awards. Nominations for favorite artists officially opened on November 9, 2020.

As an added milestone, “Behind the Wishper” concert trended at number one spot with the hashtag #BehindTheWISHper on Philippine trends logging 14,400 tweets on Twitter.

To continue the spirit of charity, Wish 107.5 celebrated its 6th anniversary by giving away over 100 tablets to students.

The Wish 107.5 digital benefit concert ‘Notes of Hope’ featured performances of several OPM powerhouse artists including Moira Dela Torre, Jason Marvin, Darren Espanto, The Juans, Bugoy Drilon, SB19 and BMPI’s own Wishfuls.

Desiree Castro, one of the beneficiaries, is grateful for the tablet especially after her parents lost their jobs.

“Marami pong hirap ngayong pandemya pero malaking pagkakataon po ito para sa aming mga estudyante itong tablet na ito para magamit po namin sa pagaaral (This pandemic has been a great challenge but this tablet is a good opportunity for us to use in our studies),“ she said.

Another beneficiary, Manuelito Carretero, had to make ends meet by being an on-call driver. He has long been worrying for the school needs of his children

“Malaking bagay po sa kanila kasi wala po kaming kakayahan makabili ng ganoong gadgets lalo po sa panahon ngayon (This is a huge deal for them because we have no means to buy these kinds of gadgets especially during these times),” he said.

The radio station’s benefit concert also gave hope to Erika Mae De Vera who was close to stop pursuing her studies. She said her father already told her not to enroll since they would not have any means to buy the gadget for online learning.

“Makakaasa po kayong pagbubutihan ko po ang aking pagaaral (Rest assured that I will do good in my studies),“ she said.

BMPI CEO and President Daniel Razon expressed his gratitude for the support of Wishers and vows to continue providing a platform for artists.

“Our friends from the live events industry are some of those who have been heavily hit, which is one of the reasons we strive to remain to be a platform where artists can continue to share their music and impart messages of positivity amid these difficult times,” he said. -AAC (with reports from Mirasol Abogadil)

With only a point advantage, the Celebrity team secured a win against the PBA Legends in the first Wish Olympics at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday (February 23).

It rained three-point shots, courtesy of Axel Torres, during the last quarter which led the Celebrity team in a double-digit advantage.

The PBA Legends hustled to catch up until Cris Calaguio secured a three-point shot with only 8.5 seconds remaining, tallying the score to 102-101. However, the team fell short and the Celebrity team took the win.

Celebrity team’s Rayver Cruz scored 23 points while Axel Torres and Young JV both scored 17 points.

Allan Caidic led the PBA Legends team with 25 points. Julius Casaysayan and Chris Calaguio secured 12 points. Jayjay Helterbrand, meanwhile, scored 11 points.

All players from both teams were grateful to be part of the first Wish Olympics.

“Nakakatuwa lang kasi different kind of way naman para makatulong. Mage-enjoy lahat ng tao, lahat ng manonood at the same time makakatulong pa ang galing (It is really fun because this is a different way to help. Everyone, all the viewers will enjoy and at the same time, there is charity. It is nice).”—Rayver Cruz

“So, for us sa mga players, mga athletes, mga actors we’re so blessed na nabigyan kami ulit ng opportunity na makatulong (we were given the opportunity to help).”—Johnny ‘The Flying A’ Abarrientos

“I just wanna give shout out to Wish Olympics and UNTV for organizing such a great cause. Alam naman natin na ang nangyari sa Taal (We know what happened in Taal) is very serious and to do something like this to benefit the people affected is such a great cause.”—Jayjay Helterbrand

The Wish Olympics was organized by Wish 107.5, to raise funds for affected families of the Taal Volcano eruption.

It featured volleyball and basketball exhibition games participated by OPM acts, local celebrities, and sports figures including notable PBA legends and UNTV Cup players. —AAC (with reports from Bernard Dadis)