Original Pilipino Music (OPM) 
became popular beginning in the late1970s
when Filipino music composers started 
to make pop songs in Pilipino.
The immediate goal then
was to try to compete with Western music -- 
mostly American pop songs --
in the airwaves, particularly in radio broadcasts. 
In the 1980s and 1990s, OPM songs 
developed in the Philippines largely
because of annual amateur and professional
song festivals and competitions, such as the Metropop Music Festival.
It became the main venue for discovering 
the musical  talent and artistry of Filipino 
songwriters, composers, and singers.