Himig Handog Pinoy Pop (P-POP) Love Songs 2014 grand prize goes to Edwin Marollano.

Romantic ballad of the 44-year-old music composer and songwriter Edwin Marollano dominates other 6,000 entries during the finals night of the country’s biggest multimedia songwriting competition last September 28, 2014 held at the Araneta Coliseum and take home the grand prize worth 1-million pesos from ABS-CBN’s Himig Handog Pinoy Pop (P-Pop) Love Songs 2014.

Marollano’s original composition “Mahal Ko o Mahal Ako” interpreted by X-Factor Philippines champion KZ Tandingan was the first-ever entry of Marollano bagged the grand prize after 31 years in music industry joining the songwriting competition.

The Himig Handog Pinoy Pop (P-Pop) Love Songs 2014 competition is considered the biggest multimedia songwriting competition that bested with over 6,000 song entries coming from individual songwriters in different countries that include USA, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Dubai and Saudi Arabia.

According to grand winner of this years’ competition, Edwin Marollano, he said that the song was made up through the inspiration in the life of his friend who was in a certain situation of choosing between two men at the same time by which one is the man she loves and the other loves her, or best expressed in the song as ““Mahal Ko o Mahal Ako.”

“I was there when my friend who was so confused as to whom should she chooses… the one she loves or the one who loves her,” Marollano said.

He also added by saying, “I’m not a quitter. I went on, kept writing and shared my music. And the ‘musical ride’ towards my first win is worth it,” he explained.

Before the declaration of the grand winner Marollano did not ever expect of his entry to win knowing first that there are other entries who are more popular contenders during the competition.

“There were a lot of great songs this year. I was already telling myself that if I didn’t make it, I’d just join again next year. That’s why the feeling was indescribable when Mahal Ko o Mahal Ako was called by Ms. Charo Santos-Concio as the grand prize winner. I was not able to react until KZ started shouting,” he said.

Like any other aspiring composer, Marollano has tried for several times his luck of joining the songwriting competition that came his way big or small, but only some of his entries named as finalists, until he finally won the Himig Handog major prize this year.

Aside from winning the major prize of 1-million pesos, he also received a trophy designed by renowned brass sculptor Michael Cacnio and honored as ‘Favorite Interpreter Award’ by the ABS-CBN.com.