All a good but forgotten songwriter needs is some airtime.

I'm not a fan of Pilipinas Win na Win.

There are some parts that I'd rather do away with or improve. But I'm not one of the primary target markets of the show, so my opinion matters less. Over all it has been well received and now in it's first month, the show could actually live to see 2011.

When I was a kid, we had a multiplex album, it's has four cassette tapes of OPM songs, much of which are either sung or written by Rey Valera. I used to sing along to the minus one.

Not having watched Pilipinas Win na Win in it's entirety, I thought it felt and sounded like a Tawag ng Tanghalan kind of show. Has-been oldies hurt more to watch than young wannabes.

So today, with no pressing deadline to battle with, and with the TV turned on indefinitely, and me lying on the bed half-asleep, Pilipinas Win na Win was uninterruptedly enjoying airtime in my living room.

They were celebrating their 1st month, and for hosts that have to sign contracts on a weekly-basis (is this real Pokwang?), that indeed is a big sign. The Hitmakers started out very awkwardly. They have almost zero hosting skills. The other three were too courteous and couldn't crack a joke without a bottle of beer in hand, and Rico J falls into his beer house hosting skills too soon he actually gets cut off by a commercial in the middle of his banter with the obviously distressed Pokwang.

Well, today, all four of them have evolved to good hosts. The three have lost their shyness and Rico J have exfoliated a layer of extra thick and dark skin. But they had another surprise, Rey Valera wrote a song to thank the viewers who kept the ratings up and kept them signing the weekly contracts.

In my bed, I had to wake up and just simply stare at them singing. Because the song was so sincere and their singing was so giving and not self-absorbed, I was moved to tears. The song hinted on them being what they really were before Pilipinas Win na Win got them onboard: Rey, Rico, Nonoy and Marco were forgotten and shelved, or sent to other countries to serenade aging OFWs and immigrants. The song also hinted that well, they well already tired and ready to give up when finally someone decided, maybe by asking a magic8 ball, that they should host a noontime show. But most of all, the song was a thanksgiving, the song was an honest to goodness "thank you" to the people who cared enough to clap, who lent an ear to listen, and who wanted more of them that they had top spread the word. The Hitmakers: Rico, Rey, Nonoy and Marco were back and they ROCK, baby.

Forget the gimiks, forget the catchy made-up phrases, forget the dance moves, forget the novelty. Forget the lip-syncing host that sang cutesie songs and reeked of self-pride. Forget him and remember Rey Valera's words and the Hitmakers heart-felt, unselfish singing.

Good writers get better with age. Now I finally believe that being 25 and not having published anything is not my 2012. And now, I also believe that a how that's supposed to be as campy and cheesy as possible can be utterly classy and classic provided you choose the right hosts. A good songwriter never loses stories to tell, never loses talent, we just lose faith in him.

OPM is back. Rey Valera is back. Real music and meaning is back. Thank you Rey Valera. Thank you to the magic8 ball that the TV executive asked on whether he should get The Hitmakers to host Pilipinas Win na Win or not.

It does good to the heart when you have nothing bad to say. Real talent is not bound by youth. Pepe Smith and Rey Valera are the old but revitalized gods of Pinoy Music.