Eight MRT stations, 80 bands, one epic Sunday. Rock Ed Philippines brings back ‘Rock the Riles’ on Dec. 7.
MANILA, Philippines - Rock Ed Philippines hasn’t had a break since July 1, 2005, when they first formally convened, according to its founder Gang Badoy. It’s been close to 10 years since Rock Ed’s formation, yet this volunteer group is showing no signs of slowing in its fight for alternative education, social justice, and rock ‘n’ roll. “I think the young Filipino artists (meaning musicians, filmmakers, writers, photographers, etc) are the ones who are innovative and they keep the scene alive—so technically Rock Ed’s fervor is alive because of them,” Gang says.
And Rock Ed has accomplished a great deal with its fervor, fueled by the buzz and energy of the local scene, from providing relief to those displaced by natural disasters, to providing education for criminals in maximum security prisons (the latter being a project especially close to Gang’s heart). One particular event, however, stands out, by virtue of its scale, its ambition, and—as Gang explains with the simile of geography—its poetic charge.
Eight gigs, happening simultaneously at eight MRT different stations, with about 80 bands set to play, all armed to rock each passing train off its rails. “Rock the Riles” is one hell of a trip, a gig arranged for both the wayward passerby and the committed local music fan, traditionally scheduled to take place on the Sunday closest to International Human Rights Day. A celebration of human rights, Gang describes the concept behind RTR as “a concept everyone agrees on, no one argues against Human Rights. So it’s a rare day where somehow most of us are on the same page.”
Of course, proposing something as big as RTR was not met unchallenged. “The most difficult year was the first year—because I still had to introduce the concept of the eight simultaneous gigs in eight train stations,” says Gang. “And seriously—tougher events have been organized—so the biggest challenge was the reasonable person saying, ‘Is it possible?’” Rock Ed had to carry out some hardcore organizational work, securing official permits from the government, all the while coordinating with bands and technical crews and employees of the Metro Rail Transit. Not your average logistical rodeo.
But the first RTR did manage to gain attention and a following, with students finding out about the event through email, and accounts like Friendster and Multiply, which is difficult to imagine now, with today’s students being privileged with Facebook and Twitter and near instantaneous updates of whatever’s happening around the metro. But word of RTR kept spreading over the years, and RTR kept generating buzz, kept getting bands year after year, and is now set to happen again this coming Sunday, Dec. 7, roughly nine years after its conception. This year’s RTR features some of today’s most prominent local musical acts, from Ourselves to Elves, to the Cheats, to Flying Ipis. This year’s RTR is even reuniting local rap rock demigods Dicta License for a set at Shaw.
For Gang, an RTR gig’s awesomeness isn’t solely defined by how great its lineup is, nor merely because it takes place close to International Human Rights Day. The way the gig is arranged, the way it appropriates and reconfigures the transitory space of a train station, is somewhat symbolic of what this country can do to progress and develop. “Rock the Riles is analogous to ‘doing your work where you are’—pick a station, rock there. Do your work there. Know that there are other people in other stations doing the same thing. It’s symbolic of our islands, too. The Philippines is an archipelago, so the stations are the islands. Stay in one place, visit two. But no need to spread out too thinly—nor is there a need to bunch up in just one station. Get it?”
She continues, “I mean—our predominantly Christian nation has an unnecessary emphasis on ‘let’s unite in order to progress’—but Rock the Riles says, ‘No, work where you are, stay where you are, man your station and we’ll do the same thing at the same time, then that could spell progress.’ Unity is the goal—not the premise for action.”
This year, Rock Ed Philippines has been focusing on the issue of education, having announced that it will be giving 10 awards to former Out-of-School-Youths, as a celebration of the possibility that Filipinos can find success and livelihood even without access to formal education. The X.OSY award, according to Gang in a formal announcement, “is an award whose time has come. To recognize those who defy the resignation that usually comes with their dismal circumstances. They come out with their spirits solid.”
And as for the future? Rock Ed’s influence will just keep on spreading and, no doubt, will keep doing more and more good. “Actively Rock Ed is in NCR, Cebu, Baguio, Dumaguete, Butuan, Iligan, Naga, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Iloilo, La Union, Pampanga, Angono, Singapore, Hong Kong, Norway, California, etc etc. Social scientists will refer to it as networks—I prefer the word ‘nation.’ One Rock Ed Nation.” And this Sunday, while it won’t be the whole nation conferring in several stations for a Rock the Riles experience, it’ll still be great masses of people, each of them with their own stories, all coming and going and staying, and rocking out, fueling the legacy of one of Rock Ed Philippines’ greatest triumphs. Art by maine MANALANSAN