THE Atin Ito Coalition will hold a sunset musical event in Palawan and in the vicinity of Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in a bid to promote peace, unity, and solidarity in the contested waters.
The concert, which will be participated by artists from Malaysia, Japan and the Philippines, including Ebe Dancel, Noel Cabangon, the all-women rock band Rouge, and the rap collective Morobeats, is part of the coalition’s third civilian mission in the WPS from May 26 to 30.
Participants are now in El Nido, Palawan where the first musical event will take place aboard M/V Kapitan Felix Oca.
It will then run its course around the vicinity of Pag-Asa Island on May 27 for the conduct of Concert at Sea For Peace.
“It will serve as a floating platform for diplomacy, solidarity, and people-to-people cooperation in one of the world’s most contested maritime regions,” Atin Ito convenor and president of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) Ed dela Torre said.
Rafaela David, Atin Ito convenor, said the mission seeks to cultivate peace through the universal language of music and the transformative power of artistic expression.
“We aim to uplift coastal communities by amplifying the lived experiences and aspirations of our fisherfolk, and to foster regional harmony through shared cultural and maritime narratives. We will sail not with warships, but with songs; not with hostility, but with harmony and solidarity,” she said.
In a press conference, Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela said they have deployed two vessels, BRP Melchora Aquino and BRP Malapascua, to escort the civilian-led mission.
On May 22, a Chinese Coast Guard vessel used a water cannon to drive away two Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ships, which were on a routine mission in Pag-asa Cay 2 (Sandy Cay) in WPS. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)