| Siakol | |
| Years Active: | 1994–present |
| Origin: | Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines |
| Current Members: | Warren Antig Aurin Wowie Flores Marquel Martin Melvin Camato Peter Paul Plazon |
| Past Members: | Noel Palomo Miniong Cervantes Oyie Bunao (deceased) Wally Gaspar James "Blauff" Rodriguez |
Siakol is a Filipino rock band formed in 1994 in Paranaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
The band is one of the several groups who spearheaded the 90's Philippine alternative rock explosion and known for their hit songs "Lakas Tama", "Peksman", "Kanto", "Biyaheng Impyerno" and "Bakit Ba". Founded by Noel Palomo, Wowie Flores, Oyie Bunao, Miniong Cervantes, and Wally Gaspar in 1994, the band was a prominent fixture of the Tunog Kalye era and very popular to college and high school students in the Philippines during the 90's.
Since 2020, two factions from the original lineup has been in an ongoing conflict with the ownership of the name "Siakol". Both Noel Palomo and Miniong Cervantes announced their departure from the group leaving behind Wowie Flores as the remaining sole original member. Palomo subsequently formed a band of his own which he initially called "Repakol", yet later it has also been alternatively called as Siakol, causing further tension with Flores. Palomo was later joined by Cervantes. The case of the name ownership dispute is currently under review at the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.
As per the band members, Siakol is a term they coin which pertains to a "free, happy and sometimes naughty state of mind". It is also alluded to be a word play of jakol, Filipino slang for masturbation. Furthermore, according to former frontman Noel Palomo in another interview, "Siakol" was already a popular term coined by the bystanders at their area in their hometown of Parañaque before the band was formed and later suggested the name to their band's management during their early days. The management initially tried to change the spelling of the name to "Shock Call" before it was reverted to Siakol.
Formed in 1994 by former best friends Manuel "Noel" Palomo, Chris Laurence "Wowie" Flores, and Rolando "Oyie" Bunao, their appearance as a guest in a “Battle of the Bands” competition together as a quintet with recruited acquaintances Anthony "Miniong" Cervantes and Reynaldo "Wally" Gaspar in their hometown of Parañaque was their first exposure. The band started writing original compositions (mostly written by Palomo and arranged by the whole band) and their songs were well received by the public. They were then managed by Jason Gerodias. Gaspar left the band after the release of their first album. Founding drummer Oyie Bunao left the band in 2003 after a reported personal conflict with Palomo and was replaced by James "Blauff" Rodriguez. Peter Paul Plazon of another 90's Pinoy rock band Grin Department has been their longest serving drummer since he joined in 2012.
The band's songs from their 1996 album until present still receive massive radio airplay and guestings in several fiestas around the Philippines. Known for their all-Tagalog songs, the band is branded by many as "the face of the Tunog Kalye era" (colloquial term of the Philippines' brand of OPM alternative rock which is popular among the masses in the 1990s, literally translated to "street sound" in English).
The band's brand of lyrics are primarily based on Filipino pop culture, typical commoner Filipino love life and observational humor. They are considered to be one of the most successful OPM bands of all time. Their songs have been one of the most frequently sang in Philippine videokes up to the present.
Their band's history was featured on GMA Network's Magpakailanman, a drama anthology series, starring Epy Quizon, Vandolph Quizon, and Boy 2 Quizon, who portrayed Palomo, Cervantes, and Flores, respectively, in 2004.
In March 2019, a Facebook user shared a video footage of Siakol during a gig at Davao City wherein it can be seen that vocalist Noel Palomo verbally berated bassist Wowie Flores in the middle of the stage due to undisclosed reasons. A crew member mediated between the two, but when Palomo continuousy provoked Flores verbally, Flores lunged the first strike at Palomo and a brief scuffle ensued. Security and crew broke up the fight and although they continued playing after the scuffle, the duration of the entire gig was prematurely cut short due to the incident.[1] [2]
Palomo later released a video and addressed the issue in jest by saying that they were just "joking around" and that "the fistfight was part of the show". He also added that he and Flores had settled their differences.
Notable founding members Noel Palomo and Miniong Cervantes, who both had been in the group since its inception, left the band around late 2019 to early 2020 due to an apparent internal rift with other members, citing Palomo's silent intention on going solo, alleged lack of professionalism, and his diminishing vocal abilities allegedly as the primary reason. Bassist Wowie Flores further alleged that Palomo was also agitated when the latter "sensed that someone from the group wanted to take over the lead vocal duties away from him" allegedly pointing out that Cervantes initially wanted to kick Palomo out from the group and replace him.
With Palomo leaving in 2019 to pursue a solo career, the band decided to forge on with Cervantes taking over the lead vocal duties, however in late December 2019, Cervantes also announced his exit citing the "toxic" personal conflict between Palomo and Flores as his primary reason. During their time with the group when the major internal conflict happened, Cervantes reportedly sided with Flores at first but eventually decided to leave the group as well.
After a brief stint as a solo musician, Palomo has now been performing under the group "Noel Palomo & The Repakol" while Cervantes plays sessions and collaborates with other artists, which later includes Palomo's Repakol. Their positions in Siakol were later filled in by new members. New frontman Warren Antig Aurin was a finalist of GMA-7's Pinoy Idol in 2008 and also a member of the band Roots of Nature who was the Philippines' representative at the Global Battle of the Bands. Antig Aurin is notable as a fraternity brother of Flores in Alpha Kappa Rho. Marquel Martin on the other hand is also a member of another 90s Pinoy rock band The Youth, making the band a quintet once again after the arrival of guitarist Melvin Camato.
Since 2020, Palomo, and later with Cervantes, who are now both members of Repakol, have been alternatively using the name "Siakol" again aside from the name "Repakol", despite their previous statements that they were no longer part of the band since early 2020.[3] [4] On his defense, Palomo claimed that it was he who suggested the name "Siakol" in the first place, thus he has the right to use the name elsewhere. Sole remaining original member Wowie Flores has issued a statement that the band will be seeking legal advice regarding the matter. On the other hand, Miniong Cervantes stated in a Facebook comment that the case of the name ownership dispute has already been escalated at the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines pending decision.[5]
| Year | Title | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Tayo Na Sa Paraiso | PARI 4× Platinum[6] | |
| 1998 | Rekta | PARI 2× Platinum | |
| 1999 | Pantasya | PARI Platinum[7] | |
| 2000 | Sa Pag-Ikot Ng Mundo | PARI Gold[8] | |
| 2001 | Karoling | PARI Gold | |
| 2003 | Hiwaga | PARI Gold | |
| 2005 | Kabilang Mundo[9] | PARI | |
| 2005 | The Best of Siakol, Vol. 1 | PARI | |
| 2010 | Tropa | PARI | |
| 2014 | The Best of Siakol, Vol. 2 | PARI | |
| 2015 | Haymabu | PARI | |
| 2021 | Ang Bagong Yugto | PARI |