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Filipino activists to hold ‘peace concert’ in the South China Sea

The Atin Ito coalition said they would sail into the disputed waterway in May with musicians to deliver supplies and a message of solidarity

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Aten Ito co-convenor and Akbayan party-list president Rafaela David (centre) speaking at a press briefing on the peace concert operation on Monday. Photo: Facebook / Aten Ito
Jeoffrey Maitem
A group of Filipino activists has announced plans to sail into the South China Sea for a “peace and solidarity” concert, using music instead of military might to challenge Beijing’s territorial claims and assert Philippine sovereignty in the disputed waterway.

The Atin Ito (“This Is Ours”) coalition, a network of Filipino nationalists and civic groups, announced on Monday that it was sending a civilian convoy of about 100 volunteers into the West Philippine Sea (WPS) – Manila’s term for the waters of the South China Sea within the country’s exclusive economic zone – on May 25.

The group has already conducted two high-profile operations to supply Filipino troops and fishermen. According to co-convenor and Akbayan party-list president Rafaela David, this third operation will deliver goods to support Filipino fishermen in the disputed waterway while also using musical performances as a creative way to assert Philippine sovereignty.

“We are setting sail with a message of peace and solidarity through music. Through the power of art and collective action, we will fight for what is rightfully ours – not with weapons of war, but with the unyielding force of music and solidarity,” David told reporters during Monday’s news briefing.

Filipino volunteers from the civilian-led relief mission ‘Atin Ito!’ coalition distribute relief goods to fishermen aboard a motorized wooden boat on the waters of the disputed South China Sea, on May 16, 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE
Filipino volunteers from the civilian-led relief mission ‘Atin Ito!’ coalition distribute relief goods to fishermen aboard a motorized wooden boat on the waters of the disputed South China Sea, on May 16, 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE

“We will restore peace, solidarity, and cooperation in the region – values that have long bound our nations together, especially among our fisherfolk. These were callously undermined when China unilaterally imposed its baseless claims, resorting to aggression and violence to illegally assert control over waters,” she added.

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