Artists speak out on social relevance

"Music is something that speaks of what you feel, of what you think. It speaks of your soul. It speaks of what you are. Yun yung music. You have to connect it with people, that the people will listen to (it) and will be able to learn something from it, will be able to grasp something," folk singer and composer Noel Cabangon said in an interview on Teledyaryo some time ago.

Does an artist have an obligation to tackle relevant social and political issues, or is it enough that he be purely entertaining?

Before print and broadcast media, before the Internet, entertainers filled the essential function of keeping records of current events and informing the populace about them. The performances of traveling bards and storytellers not only provided the people with welcome breaks from everyday life, they also brought news of the bigger world as well as, in some cases, political commentary. When printed media became widely available, however, many entertainers shifted from being sources of information to being mainly sources of entertainment.

Some entertainers, however, chose to use their art to tackle socially relevant issues. American singer Bob Dylan is perhaps the best-known example, dubbed the "voice of his generation" for songs such as "The Times They Are A-Changin'" and "Blowin' In The Wind." In the Philippines, artists such as Asin, Francis Magalona, Buklod, Banyuhay, Freddie Aguilar, Joey Ayala and Gary Granada sought to elevate social and political consciousness through their music.

Catalysts for change

At the Pilipinas 2.0 event at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) last June 25, 2009, the Philippine Online Chronicles asked some of the guest entertainers why they prefer to tackle socially relevant issues in their art.

"As an artist, I feel it's my responsibility," Internet celebrity Mae Paner, better known as Juana Change, asserted. "Lalo na ngayon na malapit na ang eleksyon, so merong oportunidad na magbago ng mga mukha ng pulitika [Especially now that it is nearly election time, and there is an opportunity to change the face of politics]."

"Parang catalysts lang kami. ...kung maka-inspire kami ng tao, yun lang naman ang purpose namin sa mundo. Pampagising ng mga damdaming natutulog [We are just like catalysts... if we can inspire people, then that's our only purpose in life. To awaken feelings that are asleep]," said Papa Dom of the band Tropical Depression. According to him, at the time he started making music, socially relevant songs were popular.

"Nung time na yun tawag ng panahon yun. We were playing punk music nung time na yun. Andun yung galit ng mga kabataan [At that time, the times called for it. We were playing punk music then. It was a time when the youth were angry]," Papa Dom explained. Eventually, he wanted to reach out to a broader audience, so he switched genres to reggae, which he said was more accessible to all ages. "Yun din naman ang purpose mo eh [That is your purpose after all], to get the message across to as many people as possible."

Fallen from grace

"Nakikita ko kasi pag manood ka ng TV ngayon... anong napapanood mo? Mga teleserye... hindi ba? Hindi nadadagdagan ang kaalaman ng mamamayan [It's because I've observed when you watch TV nowadays... what do you see? Soap operas, right? People don't learn anything]," opined Jun Urbano, more popularly known as Mr. Shooli of Mongolian Barbecue. "Alam mo naman dito sa atin, 75 percent ng mga tao natin mahihirap, maraming hindi nakapag-aral, tapos yan pang ipakikita mo, mga pantasya... nabubobo lalo ang mga Filipino [You already know that in our country, 75 percent of our people are poor, many are not educated, and then that's all that you will offer them, fantasies... they make Filipinos dumber]."

"I want to reach out to our countrymen kasi, at my age, I have seen the Philippines and the Filipino people fall from a pedestal," added Urbano, who said he turned 70 this June. "When I was younger, the Philippines was a great place. We were number one in Southeast Asia--- number two to Japan in economy, number one in education, and yet now we are number one in corruption."

"We are exporting Nanay to Hongkong as a domestic... we are exporting Ate to Japan, and Kuya and Tatay to Saudi. Natutuwa tayo na ito eh [We are happy that], it brings 14, 15 billion dollars a year, and yet it is breaking the very fiber of the Filipino family. Nagkakahiwa-hiwalay [It is falling apart]," Urbano said. "Kaya ako, sabi ko, I want to talk... Gusto kong gamitin yung entertainment to inform [So I said I want to talk... I want to use entertainment to inform]."

Taking the initiative

Asked what message they wanted to convey through their art, Mae Paner said that she hoped young people would take the initiative for social change further than just signing online petitions and joining Facebook causes.

"Kung puwedeng magandang umpisa yun pero hindi puwedeng hanggang doon lang [It can be a good start but it cannot just end there]," she stated. "Apart from that kailangan meron ka pa ring gagawin na engaged in the real world... hindi lang nasa cyberworld [Apart from that people still need to do something that is engaged in the real world... not just in cyberworld]."

"Tayo eh magagaling na tao [We are talented people]," Jun Urbano mused. "Tayo eh nanggaling na doon sa itaas, tayo'y bumagsak. Puwede tayong bumalik doon sa itaas [We have been to the top, but we fell. We can still go back to the top]."