03.15.2007
ROCK ED: CHANGING SOCIETY, ONE GIG AT A TIME
NO MORE EXCUSES, PHILIPPINES: GANG BADOY AND HER GANG ARE HERE TO LEAD THE WAY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE, AND THEY'RE DOING IT BY ROCKING OUT
They came to Manaoag not as pilgrims but as missionaries, spreading quite a different message through the common language of the youth, i.e. rock n’ roll. Rock Ed is perhaps the biggest and most significant gathering of young Filipino artists, at present, pushing for change through alternative education and rock culture. Far from just rebellion, ‘rock culture’ signifies to them the spirit of being creative, uncompromising and progressive.
I recently caught up with the group in the Pangasinan municipality, where they organized a free concert celebrating its Youth Fest and the establishment of youth ‘volunteerism’ in the area. Gang Badoy, Rock Ed’s president and founder, gratefully acknowledged that the four bands playing that night—Kala, Chillitees, Paramita, and Radioactive Sago Project—are actually the most active bands so far volunteering their time and talents for the cause.
“Pwede naman silang magpabayad ng malaki, dahil sobrang talented sila, pero tumutugtog sila para sa Rock Ed nang libre para mahiyakat ang mas maraming kabataan na mag-volunteer,” Gang shared with an audience of about two thousand at the Manaoag town plaza.
And to encourage even the simplest forms of involvement, the organizers also took the opportunity to ask the audience to donate their used textbooks for the benefit of the more inconveniently-located and underprivileged public schools in other areas.
Highlights of the show, aside from the sets by the four bands mentioned, included performances by local talents, some street-dancing by the vice-mayor (he is a young and agile government official), and an impromptu contest put on by the Chillitees: they gave away free Extra Rice CDs to the first five audience members who went up onstage to recite the Rock Ed slogan—‘No More Excuses, Philippines’—with passion. Also worth mentioning were the Blazing Bulalakaws, the opening band, whose last song was cut by a power outage, but who nonetheless continued where they left off and finished the song when the power came back minutes later. Tado, of ‘Strange Brew’ fame, co-hosted the event.
Gang told me that for provincial concerts, they generally prefer to take along bands that are not yet as commercially popular as others (‘non-billboard bands,’ as she put it), to try to expand the taste of kids in the provinces, and to present them with more options in music than they would usually get from pop stations and major TV networks. Whether it’s with a distinctive, new kind of sound, or sophisticated R&B with all-Tagalog lyrics, or a singing female drummer, or biting social satire accompanied by slamming funky jazz—the idea of Rock Ed is to challenge and inspire the audiences; never mind if shock is almost always the first reaction that they get.
The Manaoag gig proved to be successful in getting Rock Ed new volunteers, though, and the group plans to go back there soon to orient these new recruits.
It was a more intimate gig the following night in Baguio, at a fourth-floor bar along Session Road called VOCAS (Victor Oteyza Community Art Space). Basically the same lineup performed with the exception of Kala, and a band based in UPLB called Pogi Reggae and the Cutie Pie Ska Adventure opened for them. The bar, owned by Mr. Eric de Guia (a.k.a. Kidlat Tahimik, the renowned filmmaker) and his family, looked like a very elaborate tree-house filled with artifacts and pieces of art from corner to corner, and is apparently the haven of young Baguio artists.
Rock Ed, to put it in as short an explanation as possible, is basically an anti-poverty alternative education campaign targeting mainly the youth, and is part of the global fight against poverty, as defined by the United Nations’ Millennium Campaign. This world-wide campaign is geared towards eight development goals: that is—food, education, gender equality, child mortality, maternal health, AIDS combat, environment, and globalization. You may be familiar with its First World counterparts—namely, the ‘ONE’ campaign in the US and ‘Make Poverty History’ in the UK. In our country, Rock Ed’s campaign is called ‘No More Excuses, Philippines.’
"Mahilig kasi magpalusot ang Pilipino," Gang explains, half-jokingly. Which is very sad but very true. Luckily, the volunteers of Rock Ed have gone beyond most of these excuses and are instead keeping a very busy schedule of at least 3 activities a week, including the upcoming Deaf Ed event for the hearing-impaired. Each gig serves as a small but definite step towards the big difference that these guys are trying to make.
Photographs by Dan Gil and Andy Aguirre.
To learn more, volunteer or invite Rock Ed to your school or hometown: visit their website here.
POST A COMMENT:
You must be logged-in to post a comment.
- 2010
- 2009
- 2008
- 2007
- 2006
| Artist | Song Title | Type | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radioactive Sago Project | ASTRO | Caller Ringtunes |
|
|
| Radioactive Sago Project | HUWAG KANG MAINGAY MAY NAGLALABA | Caller Ringtunes |
|
|
| Radioactive Sago Project | MR.POGI IN SPACE | Caller Ringtunes |
|
|
| Radioactive Sago Project | ALCOHOL | Caller Ringtunes |
|
|
&nbps;
What's the best Nine Inch Nails single?
