Images of resistance coupled with nationalistic lyrics have caught the audience’s attention. People slowly forget that they are in a bar, with others they barely know. Their gaze is fixed on the bright screen, and all they hear is the powerful music that envelops them – the cacophony of a society’s dire conditions, unfolding before them. 

School of Progg
Launched last November 23 at the mag:net Cafe in Katipunan, “Alay sa Bayan” is record label Arkipelago Productions’ first DVD release. It includes 10 songs from progressive musicians like Joey Ayala, Patatag and Agaw Agimat. In the DVD are videos of protest actions, shots of impoverished families, and clips that range from stock footage of Philippine government officials to interviews with President George W. Bush and other US officials. 

The DVD consists of what the makers call “progressive music,” which, in this case, takes on a whole new meaning. Originally, “progressive music” referred to an attempt to break free from traditional technical aspects of music, such as lyrical arrangements and song structures. In modern times, however, “progressive music” has become almost synonymous with progg. Progg was an anti-commercial musical movement in Sweden which began in the late 1960s that took a clear stance against capitalism and expressed critical political opinions about various issues. 

The DVD, which was freely distributed, likewise takes an anti-commercial, anti-capitalist stance as seen in its production to the contents of the songs as well as in the distribution. The socio-political commentaries in the videos show the shared characteristics between the DVD’s progressive songs and progg.  

Tuning Fork
Malu Maniquiz, a documentary filmmaker affiliated with Arkipelago Productions, was the driving force behind “Alay sa Bayan.” She conceptualized the music videos to showcase songs that promote social and political awareness.  

The project traces its roots to a demonstration held behind Vinzons Hall, which assailed Bush’s first state visit in the Philippines. The organizers, led by the militant organization Anak Pawis, asked Malu to provide video support for the artists who were scheduled to perform on that day. After the event, she realized the promises of creating a DVD that featured protest songs in music videos. She then started working on the project, taking videos wherever she went.  

The songs in the DVD are diverse yet cohesive. Some are meant to serve as a wake-up call, like Joey Ayala’s Puno sa Gubat, which sends a pro-environment message. Agaw Agimat’s “Gyera!”, meanwhile, is a criticism against the US’ war on terror. Others, like Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up”, Tambisan sa Sining’s “Dakilang Pakikibaka,” and Patatag’s “Sumulong ka, Bayan!” are a call to action. 

The video clips, while crude and disjointed at certain points, serve as adequate and effective supplements to the songs. Chikoy Pura’s “The Storm,” for instance, features a static broadsheet layout with headlines about the Human Security Act and extrajudicial killings, with the video itself occupying the space for a photograph. The music video indicated that while the news headlines about outright suppression remain static, suppression itself takes on different forms.   

Artists included in the DVD were informed of the project beforehand. Often, it was them who picked the clips for their songs. For others, such as Salidummay’s “Kultura Ti Wayawaya” (“Culture of Freedom”), Malu handpicked the supplementary video clips. In the said song, Filipino culture was showcased as a resistant culture through clips showing demonstrations against US soldiers in the Philippines who have trampled on the livelihood of various ethnic groups around the country. Accompanying the lines “Kultura a nabaknang, kultura a lumablaban” (“A rich culture, a fighting culture”) are clips of a tribal dance that served as a form of protest against US presence in the country.  

Malu attributes the subversive potential of the medium to the Filipinos’ natural affinity for singing. As a documentary filmmaker, she is enamored with the format since it allows her to include so many visuals within such a limited time frame in each song. The music video format thus serves as a powerful medium for capturing people’s attention as well as for drawing attention to social issues ranging from chronic poverty to the aggressions perpetrated by the US’ war on terror.  

Sound Check
The songs in the DVD explore themes such as corruption and oppression which are prevalent in Filipino society, reflected through lyrics like those in The Jerk’s Rage (“Children begging on the streets at night...Welcome to the dark ages, the era of lies”). Such purpose is what other bands fail to represent, as they tend to cater solely to the themes that have proven to be commercial successes. Their creative process thus becomes profit-driven, restraining themselves and their music within the limits of a self-serving agenda.  

While Malu does not condemn today’s artists, she wishes that they would “dedicate even just 20% of the songs they write towards serving a purpose,” regardless of profit or popularity. The DVD’s true purpose, she declares, is to “energize the mass movement” against the machinations of the current Philippine and US administrations: extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, suppression of press freedom, even the war on terror. Her experiences have convinced her that the current situation necessitates an active stance - the message she wants to communicate through her choice of “progressive” songs and clips. 

The boundaries concerning appropriate videos for the songs, the need for clips to jive with the songs, and even the songs’ limited time frames become limitations in the music video format. However, the DVD gets the message across successfully, through the selection of songs with messages pronounced through bold lyrics and by making them more powerful through visuals. 

After the video screening, Malu ends the event with a request: “Don’t be afraid to show this.” The Jerks’ vocalist can almost be heard screaming: “Go not gently, and rage with me.”   

Reference:
“Progg”. Retrieved 23 November 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progg> 

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# Philippine Collegian