Home › State of Affairs › Power

Noel Cabangon, HORI7ON, and More Hold Concert Aboard a Ship for West Philippine Sea

Despite previous run-ins with the China Coast Guard, Atin Ito Coalition isn’t backing down from another mission to the West Philippine Sea — and this time, they’re bringing music

By Pie Gonzaga May 26, 2025

atin ito coalition volunteers concert at sea for peace — Volunteers arrive in El Nido, Palawan ahead of the send-off concert featuring a diverse lineup of Filipino and Asian artists, May 26. Photo from Atin Ito/Facebook

Volunteers of the civilian-led initiative Atin Ito have arrived in El Nido, Palawan aboard the training ship M/V Kapitan Felix Oca, ahead of their departure for Pagasa Island in the West Philippine Sea for a mission on Tuesday, May 27. They will be sent off on Monday, May 26, with the first-ever Concert at Sea for Peace.

Among the musicians slated to appear are singers Ebe Dencel and Noel Cabangon, rockRockA guitar-driven genre that grew from rhythm and blues in the 1950s and splintered into countless styles, from punk and metal to alternative. With a long history of rebellion andGo to Rock Glossary band Rouge, boom-bap collective Morobeats, and South Korea-based Filipino boy group HORI7ON. K-Pop girl group I:MOND, Japanese artist FuMi, Malaysian singer Viona, and Indonesian singer Kai Mata will also perform at the concert.

The concert is part of Atin Ito’s third resupply mission for Filipino troops stationed in the Spratly Islands. It will be livestreamed on their website. Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said on Thursday, May 22, that the government will also send vessels to join the convoy and ensure the safety of the volunteers.

The coalition’s two previous missions were in December 2023 and May 2024. On their first mission, only a small vessel carrying supplies made it to Lawak or Nanshan Island after four Chinese vessels reportedly tailed the larger M/V Kapitan Felix Oca, which aborted its mission. On the second mission, two China Coast Guard vessels blocked Atin Ito’s five-vessel convoy on the way to Scarborough Shoal.

mv kapitan felix oca training vessel west philippine sea resupply mission — The M/V Kapitan Felix Oca. Photo from Atin Ito/Facebook

“The Concert at Sea for Peace will serve as a platform for artists, musicians, and fisherfolk from various claimant countries to come together and promote peace, cultural exchange, and regional solidarity through music and the arts,” Atin Ito said on Facebook.

Atin Ito was launched in October 2023 and includes members of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM), Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Samahan sa Kanayunan (PKSK), Center for Agrarian Reform for Empowerment and Transformation (CARET), Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka (Pakisama), and the Akbayan party.

Pie Gonzaga

Culture Writer

Pie Gonzaga is the Culture Writer of Rolling Stone Philippines, primarily covering film, TV, food, and internet culture.

Gonzaga has worked on a range of stories for print and digital formats, from an interview with Cardinal Ambo David to features on queer party organizers such as CHURCH and Club Euphoria. Her work as the magazine’s former State of Affairs Writer includes news updates on pressing issues like the flood control scandal and the missing sabungeros, and covering rallies. Under Culture, she’s written episode recaps for hit shows, film reviews, and features on restaurants and the people who run them.

Before working with Rolling Stone Philippines, she contributed lifestyle and entertainment stories for a digital news platform.

See more stories by Pie Gonzaga