Ebe Dancel, Noel Cabangon to perform in WPS concert for peace, solidarity

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OPM singer-songwriters Ebe Dancel and Noel Cabangon are set to perform in the West Philippine Sea concert for peace and solidarity that is currently being held on Monday night.

According to Bam Alegre's report in "24 Oras" Monday, the first-ever sea concert for peace and solidarity in the WPS is being staged on the private training ship MV Kapital Felix Oca near El Nido, Palawan, as part of the Atin Ito coalition's third civil mission.

"There are many ways to assert our ownership but when it comes to music, parang dun lang ako meron contribution," Dancel said.

"Alam naman po natin na ang music, it's an expression, a peaceful expression to convey our message of peace to the rest of the world," Cabangon also shared.

The sea concert is being held tonight near El Nido port. On Wednesday, the MV Kapital Felix Oca will head near Pag-asa Island for another concert with the fisherfolk community.

Other artists expected to perform in the concert also include all-women rock band Rouge, rap collective Morobeats, P-pop group HORI7ON, Japanese artist Fumi, Indonesian and Malaysian musicians Viona and Kai Mata, as well as South Korean K-pop girl group I:Mond.

Various artists and representatives from neighboring countries in Asia also showed solidarity by joining the civil mission.

"Peace exists the moment souls understand each other. Peace can be sustained so long we never stop trying to understand each other," Indonesian artist Kai Mata said.

"We are here, I am here today to send a message to any government that fishermen shouldn't be stopped to fish in their waters," Azril Omar, a Malaysian fisherman from the World Forum for Fisherpeople, also said.

Although a civil mission, the Philippine Coast Guard said that they have to protect the safety of its participants. Thus, it sent two of its largest ships, the BRP Melchora Aquino and BRP Malapascua, to serve as escorts of the Atin Ito coalition.

"I don't think 'yung figure that we have for the presence of the Chinese Coast Guard within the vicinity of Pag-asa will not be that relevant pa. We would like to believe na the moment that the Atin Ito convoy come closer to Pag-asa, that will only be the time na magkaron talaga tayo ng estimation kung how many vessels across different maritime forces ng China Coast Guard will be deployed," said PCG spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela.

This is the Atin Ito Coalition's third mission in the West Philippine Sea. During its first two resupply missions, the group experienced harassment from Chinese vessels, per the report.

Atin Ito convenor and mission commander Rafaela David said that they prepared for the civil mission to ensure the safety of the passengers onboard.

"We invited the different claimant countries dito sa ating mga contested waters dito sa area kasi nga gusto nating ipakita na meron mang contestation doon sa iba't ibang teritoryo at karagatan dito sa area, sa dulo dapat may commitment pa rin tayo sa kapayapaan," she said.

—CDC, GMA Integrated News