For Filipinos, this is known as kundiman, a form of traditional love songs; with soulful verses and gentle melodies, its folk sound remains timeless, allowing it to continue thriving even in our modern cultural landscape. Kundiman belongs to the traditional Filipino music genre that began in colonial Philippines under Spanish rule. The melancholic melodies and intimate undertones that distinguish kundiman songs are in due part to these songs’ origins: kumintang. However, modern kundiman songs such as Maalaala Mo Kaya?—the theme song of a local TV drama anthology of the same title, which literally translates to Will You Still Remember? Mallari expounds on kundiman’s mixed influence, saying that kundiman resulted from “the merging of Western music and Philippine folk music.”