The origin story
It started as one fight song — and it hasn't stopped growing since.
The LABAN Project is a Filipino-led fan wave fueling #EalaMania — spotlighting Filipino singers, supporting Filipino designers, and rallying community energy around Alex Eala's tennis journey. It started as one fight song, written by Gary Manalus, about watching Alex fight her way onto the world stage. It became something bigger than the song or the person who wrote it — and it's just getting started.
The song came from a hospital room. Gary spent a week at the bedside of a close family member going through a serious health scare, watching Alex fight her way through match after match on TV. It gave the family something to hold onto, and gave Gary a reason to write again after years away from songwriting. His family member has since been released from the hospital and is on the road to recovery.
"Laban" means fight. It's a word with weight in Filipino history, and Eala herself has said, again and again, that what she's building belongs to the community that's cheering her on. This song is one small way of saying it back to her — and to everyone who's ever needed a reason to keep going.
It's not an official anthem. It's not affiliated with Alex Eala, her team, or the WTA. It's a fan tribute — written, sung, and shared by people who felt something and wanted to put it into words.
Combined views across LABAN's music and content, and it's still climbing.
Filipino Americans are one of the largest Asian American communities in the U.S. — and one of the least visible in the moments that get celebrated. This is one of those moments.
Eala has repeatedly credited her wins to the community behind her — this song takes her at her word.
"Laban" carries the memory of 1986 — of a country that fought, together, for something better.
