Cebu being a manufacturer of good quality guitars, it therefore comes as no surprise that it should also produce good, classical guitarists. Cebu is well-known for its guitarists and their romantic harana or serenades.

Even with the influx of rock bands, the classical, acoustic guitar still maintains its presence in the contemporary music scene and Cebu’s society of guitarists vow to support it.

Originally called the Cebu Classical Guitar Society when it began in 1972, it is now called Guitar Foundation of the Philippines and the Cebu Guitar Ensemble. It has continually existed for the past 27 years enhancing the quality of Cebuano guitar music. The Cebu Guitar Ensemble consists of players only while the Guitar Foundation of the Philippines is open to all music lovers, therefore accepting members who are non-players but are guitar enthusiasts nonetheless.

The Guitar Foundation aims to promote awareness and appreciation for the guitar and its music, especially among the youth. Thus, they will expose the guitar and its music and will continually do so. The idea is not to make it a major fad among the youth; their aim is more on the preservation of the guitar and its music.

In line with such aim, the Foundation has sponsored and initiated several activities like campus tours and free concerts and workshops, particularly ones handled by 1998 Cebu Arts Council scholar Julius Mocorro and guitarist Ace Agcaoili.

The most recent concert that they had, which was for the benefit of the Cebu City Medical Indigency Foundation, was held at the Cebu Plaza Hotel last August 14, 1999, in line with the 405th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Cebu. The concert’s repertoire included light classical Filipino music, particularly Cebuano songs like Rosas Pandan and Pobreng Alindahaw.

The group meets every Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Southwestern University Museum.