ILOILO – A former Ilonggo seaman has successfully shifted careers to pursue his passion for music and film.
Aleck Calata, a native of Población Ilawod, Passi City, initially built a promising career in the maritime industry. He graduated with honors from John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University – Arevalo, earning a degree in Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation.
In an interview with Bombo Radyo, Calata shared that before entering the music industry, he worked as a seafarer, traveling to various parts of the world. However, despite his success in maritime, his love for the arts and music never faded.
Now, Calata is making a name for himself as a recording artist with two songs, Ganito Ba Dapat? and Right Love.
Beyond singing, he is also active in film music production as a music supervisor for Cineastas A Vela, a filmmaking team recognized not only in the Philippines but also internationally. His compositions, Dalagan and Singkal, won Best Music and Best Original Score at Cinekasimanwa 6 and 7.
As an actor, he portrayed Humadapnon in the film Sa Paglupad Ka Banog, which won the Golden Kinabalu Award for Best Indigenous Language Film at the 13th Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival in Malaysia in 2022 and Best Short Film at the Gawad Urian 2023.
Because of his exceptional talent, Calata has been recognized as a Philippine Young Achievers Awardee for 2024 and 2025.
