26-year-old Crizalina “Zal” Cabanas captivated the crowd during the Sinulog Idol 2025 competition with her dazzling voice that earned her the title of grand champion. | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — In the quaint little town of Santander located south in the province of Cebu, there was once an 8-year-old girl who lingered for hours at the local park with a guitar always strapped to her side.
A little shy but determined, the girl would repeatedly play the only four chords she knew and enthusiastically sing for the crowd until they began anticipating her presence everyday.
The sight of her sitting at different spots in the park each day and singing her heart out for anyone willing to listen was the norm for many of the locals.
And when the clock strikes midnight, she would walk back to her house on her own. By the time she arrives home, her worried mother is ready to scold her for coming home so late.
This was the daily routine of Crizalina “Zal” Cabanas, from her childhood to early teens.
Even before hitting puberty, Cabanas developed a passion for performing and turned it into a hobby she would enjoy until adulthood.
That same little girl never could have imagined that her hobby would result in her becoming the Sinulog Idol 2025 Grand Champion some years in the future.
This edition of CDN Digital’s Faces of Cebu shines the spotlight on a 26-year-old woman whose efforts to pursue her dream helped her provide for her loved ones as a breadwinner and grow as a rising Cebuano artist.
How it all started
Crizalina Cabanas enjoys singing as it allows her to express thoughts that she finds difficult to form into sentences through each lyric. | Contributed photo
Cabanas, at only 8 years old, fell deeply in love with singing.
She grew fascinated with the way she could express her thoughts through songs and gain the attention and praise of others around her. The words she had a hard time speaking in sentences flowed out naturally in every lyric.
While she had the heart for it, however, her young self lacked the confidence to do more to explore her talents. Cabanas admitted that she sang almost everyday without knowing whether she was doing it properly.
“Mauwaw jud ko…Basta kay mokanta jud ko. Bahala na. Wa pa ko kahibaw unsay off ato unsay yabag. Ganahan lang ko nga naay motan-aw nako, modayig,” she stated.
Nevertheless, it did not stop the cheerful girl from sharing her voice with the world anytime she could.
Under the watchful eyes of her parents, Cabanas grew up with eleven siblings in their cozy home by the side of the beach in Santander. The family lived a modest yet content life in the province.
Their joyful times, however, was disrupted by an accident that left her father disabled. He had to quit his work as a seaman and the older siblings began to look for jobs so they could contribute financially.
Cabanas was still an elementary student but she too earned money for her allowance by cleaning houses and working as a tennis ball girl.
It was the most difficult time for their family, she shared. Cabanas recalled how they barely had any food to eat so there were times the siblings collected nails and sold them at a nearby junk shop.
In her second year of high school, a friend’s suggestion to use her talents to earn a living kickstarted Cabanas’ career as a singer.
Eager to earn more money, Cabanas joined a church band in their town and later on participated in various singing competitions with the encouragement of her teachers.
In the year 2022, she took part in the the national singing contest “Tawag ng Tanghalan” with a partner.
While her rendition of the hit song “How am I supposed to love you” did not get the win, the experience taught her various lessons about the industry and the kind of training she needed to improve.
She slipped in back to her normal routine after the contest and Cabanas moved to Lapu-Lapu City to explore more career opportunities as a member of multiple bands performing across the province.
Crizalina Cabanas has joined multiple bands that perform across Cebu province. | Contributed photo
Although she was booked and busy throughout the year, Cabanas still could not avoid negative thoughts from creeping in to her mind and making her question her capabilities.
She admitted that she would sometimes wonder if her talents would continue to only be shown to audiences within the province. She was troubled with the thought of whether her talents was good enough for a bigger stage and audience.
Fate then responded to her worries with an opportunity just in time for the grandest festival celebration in Cebu.
Sinulog Idol 2025
While lying down and scrolling through her phone one day, Cabanas happened to see a social media post about the much-anticipated Sinulog Idol 2025 competition. The contest piqued her interest so she boarded a bus and went to Cebu City for the auditions right away.
Going into the competition itself, Cabanas had no expectations of winning against the other equally talented contestants.
Regardless of her years worth of experience as a singer, she lacked the confidence to believe that her voice could win over hundreds of spectators. Still, Cabanas was not one to back down.
She dedicated her grand finale song to her father who was watching with other relatives back at home. Entitled “Fight Song,” the song was purposefully chosen by Cabanas to express that she has found courage to stand up for what she wants in life.
A meaningful song performed beautifully on stage mesmerized the judges and crowd so much that Cabanas became the final winner.
Hearing her name being called as the grand champion was an unbelievable experience for Cabanas.
Both relief and extreme joy washed over her the moment she realized that all her hard work has paid off. The times she had to endure being sick to attend the workshop and the many doubts she faced on whether she could perform properly were burdens that turned out to be worth it in the end.
She shared that the recognition gave her the self-confidence that she has been lacking all these years. It took a while but she can now acknowledge to herself that she is indeed a singer worth listening to.
From the start of the competition until the end, Crizalina “Zal” Cabanas received overwhelming support from her family and friends in Santander. | Contributed photo
Cabanas is also over the moon over the fact that she has brought pride to her fellow residents of the town of Santander, many of whom were very vocal about their support for her throughout the competition.
Aside from her loving family and friends back home, Cabanas also did not forget to thank the Sto. Niño for the many blessings she received recently by praying at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu.
Cabanas said that her winnings would help immensely with their expenses for her father’s medication and her siblings’ education. As a breadwinner, she is elated that she is able to provide for her loved ones now that her talents are being recognized and appreciated.
Lessons she has learned
As a singer with years of experience, Cabanas shared that she has come to learn that slow growth is not something to be worried about. She herself has grown, after almost 18 years, from a shy little girl at the local park into a woman who’s now bravely conquering stages everywhere.
When asked about what advice she could give to young singers today who are struggling to build their self-esteem, Cabanas said that patience is necessary especially during times of failure and heartbreak.
“Patience lang gyud. Huwata lang gyud ang time nga ihatag ni Lord nimo. Bahalag daghan kag failures sa kinabuhi. Ang importante ang nagdulong nga mas dako diay nga wa ka kahibaw…Saligi imong kaugalingon. Importante na. Ayaw mog paminaw sa mga tawo sa palibot kay mao nay makada sad og down nimo. And then, patience and pray lang jud ni God. Just wait for your time nga moabot,” she said.
Now a local celebrity in Santander, Crizalina Cabanas is looking forward to expanding her singing career in the future. | Contributed photo
For the year 2025, Cabanas has plenty more activities planned ahead in order to expand her singing career both in the local and international scene.
At the moment, however, she returned home to Santander to spend precious time with her family and bask in the glory of being the Sinulog Idol 2025 Grand Champion. /clorenciana
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