a 46 artist collaborative theme song
by DAKILA / Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism
composed by Noel Cabangon
Vocals:
Kat Agarrado (Sinosikat?) . Kalila Aguilos . Gabby Alipe (Urbandub) . Bing Austria (Juan Pablo Dream) .
Joey Ayala . Bayang Barrios . Lougee Basabas (Mojofly) . Norman Bernardo (Jeepney Joyride) . Jimmy Bondoc . Lou Bonevie. Gabriel Cabangon . Noel Cabangon . Eric Cabrera (Datu's Tribe) . Bimbo Cerrudo . Cooky Chua (Color it Red) . Ermie Concepcion . Isko Cordero (FMD) . Jorel Corpus (Kjwan) . Ebe Dancel (Sugarfree) . Vin Dancel (Peryodiko) . Lourd de Veyra (Radioactive Sago Project) . Bituin Escalante . Jaime Fabregas . Susan Fernandez . Jeazell Grutas (Zelle) . Eric Illanga . Tado Jimenez (Live Tilapia) . Leidulataja Jimenez . Julianne . Pochoy Labog (Dictalicense) . Ronnie Lazaro . Buhawi Meneses (Parokya ni Edgar) . Gabe Mercado . Papadom . Gillette Sandico . Skarlet . Noel Trinidad . Tuesday Vargas (Top Junk)
Guitars: Edwin Vergara
Bass Guitar: Simon Tan
Drums: Rey Vinoya
Keyboards: Nikko Rivera
Percussions: Budeths Casinto
Guitars & Mandolin: Kakoi Legaspi
Horns: Wowie Anzano and Pards Tupas of Radioactive Sago Project
Sound Engineers: Robbie Grande and Joanne Jett Galindo
Music Video Production Team: Dareen and Dencio Baylon, Tado and Lei Jimenez, Vanessa Valencia
Photographers: Krist Menina, Catherine Cerillo
CD Design: Krist Menina
Produced by: Noel Cabangon & DAKILA -- Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism
Maraming Salamat / Special Thanks:
Jesuit Communications Foundation (JESCOM), Fr. Aristotle Dy (Director, Jescom), Jesuit Music Ministry, Rocked Philippines, Gang Badoy, Sulong CARHRIHL, Vanessa Liwanag, Mich Rama, Karla Vizcarra, Bijo Robis, Stephanie Tan, Sunshine Pagulayan, Darlene Ramos, Bon Labora, Ryan Roan, Brewrats, Ramon Bautista, Angel Rivero, RA Rivera, Rocked Radio, Sunshine Productions, Joel Torre, Siat Family, Melvin of Jeepney Joyride, Ryan and Swannie Lim, Francis de Veyra, Lea de Guzman, Marj Lachica, Radioactive Sago Project, MCA Music, Conspiracy, Sinosikat?, Peryodiko, FMD, Jeepney Joyride, Zelle, Carol Bello, Aia de Leon, Mark Escueta, Bobby Balingit, sa lahat ng members at volunteers ng DAKILA at sa lahat ng alagad ng sining na naging bahagi ng musikang ito.
About Dakila
DAKILA (nobility) - Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism is a group of artists and individuals committed to advocating social consciousness formation among both their industry peers and their immediate audiences. DAKILA recognizes that Philippine society is in the midst of a significant upheaval and that, as disciples of the creative act, the artists are not exempted from the responsibility of helping contribute to positive change.
DAKILA envisions a nation of heroes. Its mission is to build a movement that inspires heroism and nobility of thought and action to effect social transformation by collectively providing creative avenues to awaken the individual, dismantle apathy and unleash their inner hero.
The three goals of DAKILA are awareness, education, and involvement - to make the public aware of crucial concerns affecting society, to educate both the audience and, more importantly, themselves about pressing social concerns, which should effectively inform the methods of creative expression and to be consistently and dynamically involved in activities geared toward achieving the common good.
DAKILA is composed of multi-awarded poet-essayist and front man of the spoken word-jazz-rock band Radioactive Sago Project, LOURD ERNEST DE VEYRA; Parokya ni Edgar bassist and cancer awareness advocate, BUHAWI “BUWI” MENESES; comedian, indie film actor, Live Tilapia vocalist, limiTADO owner and Brewrats deejay, ARVIN “TADO” JIMENEZ; UP student leader and aerobatic flight student STEPHANIE MARIE TAN; children’s rights advocate LENI VELASCO; accomplished singer, songwriter, musical director, and theatre actor, NOEL CABANGON; versatile Bacolod-born film and theatre actor, RONIE LAZARO; contemporary dancer, theatre actress and jewelry designer, VANNI LIWANAG; graphic designer and UP College of Fine Arts graduate, MICH RAMA; spoken word artist, music producer and Nityalila bassist, MIKO PEPITO AGUILAR; entrepreneur and UP Diliman Philosophy graduate, DANTE LAGMAN; high school teacher, event host and lifestyle writer, KARLA VIZCARRA; church worker and labor welfare advocate, RYAN CARLO ROAN; seasoned photographer and director, TOOTOOTS LEYESA; and FMD vocalist and songwriter, ISKO CORDERO.
The membership of DAKILA is comprised of artists, students and young professionals. Some of its members include musicians such as Bayang Barrios, Cooky Chua, Joey Ayala, Bobby Balingit of The Wuds, Vin Dancel of Peryodiko, Kat Agarrado of Sinosikat?; veteran theatre actors such as Archi Adamos, Gilleth Sandico, Kalila Aguilos; film makers such as Jim Libiran and Miguel Pancho; multi-awarded visual artists Poklong Anading, Eghai Roxas and Louie Cordero; MTV icon Ramon Bautista and NU 107 and the Peep Show host Dylan.
Kaya Mong Maging DAKILA!
Posted: 25 February 2008
The idea of heroism sounds a little daft in a culture of game shows and celebrity video-phone scandals. Irony has become such an accidental virtue that it has swung back to hit us in the head. Calling someone a “hero” is to invite sarcasm and self-righteousness. So here we are now, living in a time tragically bereft of them.
Heroes are products of circumstance. There are those who have become so through sheer will, but there are people who become heroes after being pushed to a dead end.
A wise man once said our past shapes our response to the present. This nation was formed on the sacrifices made by martyrs both immortalized and anonymous. A country need not be a colony of a foreign power— it can also be the fiefdom of its own leaders. We are a heroic people, but we can also be shackled by our own pessimism and apathy.
A hero resides in every one of us. It begins in the mind, with one thought that says it can be done. To do all things with pride and dignity, to learn from the lessons of history, to realize that the deeds of our heroes are not hackneyed fables but real, breathing examples of how to live our lives.
We, DAKILA – Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism, an organization of artists from various fields of arts - music, theatre, film, TV, visual arts, creative writing – believe in the potential of every Filipino to be a hero. We advocate a new brand of heroism that could be instilled through awareness, education and involvement. We believe that by doing even the smallest things that would contribute to the greater good, we could all be heroes.
As personalities in our own field of arts, we implore our “powers” to influence the public to make a stand and get involve. In this context, DAKILA has conceptualized the “Out of the Box Experience”. Out of the Box is a campaign towards awareness, education and involvement. It provides venues for the today’s generation to come out of the confines of their everyday mundane existence into an extra- ordinary challenge of discovering their own path to nobility and greatness.
As our opening salvo, we have partnered with the SULONG CARHRIHL Youth Network, an NGO working for the campaign on peace and human rights, to bring you “Out of the Box: Peacetahan sa Penguin – Galing at Sining Para sa Karapatan at Kalinaw”. The activity is an education and music session aimed to educate the audience on the importance of achieving peace and the respect for human rights. Secondly, the event will also serve as the launching of SULONG CARHRIHL Youth Network’s Peacetahan 2008 – A Song and Music Video Contest, Infomercial Contest, and Poster Making Contest - which aims to raise awareness on peace, human rights issues and international humanitarian issues among the youth.
The event will be held on October 26, Friday at around 7:00 p.m. at the Penguin Bar in Malate, Manila . It will feature performances from musicians like DRIP, Session Road and Top Junk. The film compilation “RIGHTS” will also be shown.
In this light, we would like to invite you to be part of the project. We would appreciate it if you could come to the launch at Penguin on October 26 and encourage your friends to submit their entries for the competition on the making of music video, infomercials and posters. Deadline for the competition will be on January 2008.
Your most favorable response will truly contribute in the success of this endeavor. Please feel free to communicate with us at 09228144626 for more details.
We are looking forward to being with you as we explore the world out of our own boxes. Thank you.
VISION-MISSION-GOALS
DAKILA envisions a nation of heroes. Its mission is to build the movement for heroism and nobility of thought and in action to effect social transformation.
The three goals of DAKILA are awareness, education, and involvement - to make the public aware of crucial concerns affecting society, to educate both the audience and, more importantly, themselves about pressing social concerns, which should effectively inform the methods of creative expression and to be consistently and dynamically involved in activities geared toward achieving the common good.
DAKILA aims to inspire the public especially the youth, to be heroes in their own way— big or small, to utilize the superhero mythology to capture young audiences’ imagination, and in the end, to encourage nobility of thought and action without losing sense of humor.
What is DAKILA?
DAKILA (nobility) - Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism is a group of artists and individuals committed to advocating social consciousness formation and involvement among both their industry peers and their immediate public.
Dakila recognizes that Philippine society is in the midst of a significant upheaval and that, as disciples of the creative act and as citizens of this nation, we are not exempted from the responsibility of helping contribute to positive change.
DAKILA believes that the every one can no longer afford to remain apathetic. DAKILA are not messiahs who can change society in an instant nor do they make claims to possess tremendous influence. But DAKILA believes that every individual has the power to convey an urgent message, that everyone has the capacity to educate.
Despite appearances and public perceptions, the name aspires to nobility— the potential to evoke what is truly great and heroic in each and every citizen. The term ‘Modern Heroism’ might be construed as outlandish and ambitious, yes, but it is during these trying times that the country needs acts of courage and selflessness in whatever form, big or small, like on the performing stage, making audiences aware of certain pressing issues at the very least, enlightened and entertained.
Or in one’s own neighborhood or backyard. The simplest act of extending courtesy to one’s elders, picking up a piece of garbage and throwing it in the right place, or planting a seedling, or questioning unjust laws like the EVAT. Anyone can be dakila.
DAKILA believes that the Philippine society is facing a multitude of challenges that every little act of selflessness counts.
Manifesto of Unity
We the members of DAKILA – Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism recognize that Philippine society is in desperate need of change.
We recognize that the nation is engulfed in evil, which is any force that hinders the people from development and progress.
We acknowledge that evil may take many forms – be it unjust government laws and policies, and treacherous political leaders absorbed only in their own selfish interests.
We understand that the greatest enemy of the Filipino people is apathy, and that evil prospers where good men do nothing.
We are fully aware that true reform begins in the consciousness of the individual.
We know that no song, no poem, no painting, no novel, no film has ever stopped a tank, prevented a bullet, or overthrown a corrupt government. But as disciples of the creative act, we value the virtue of every art form in enriching the spirit of the Filipino citizen, that the concern for the general social good can begin within a sensitivity opened up by enduring expressions of the human condition.
We recognize the potential of popular entertainment and mass media in helping shaping critical thought, instead of its prevalent state of intellectual and spiritual vacuity.
We recognize the power of education, which comes in various forms, and how this can be achieved through modern modes of expression and technologies.
We understand the effects popular mythology on the imagination of the youth, and how the worship of heroes — real or imagined— can be utilized to establish effective communication.
Lastly, we extol the virtues of joy and humor, that genuine social concern need not be solemn and grave, that, in the end, it remains a true celebration of life.
How was DAKILA formed?
DAKILA was born out of the need to address the need to confront the evil of apathy engulfing the nation and to inspire the Filipino people to get involve through awareness and education. This group of artists and individuals bonded to utilize their “powers” to influence the public through their craft in order to work for the common good. Using the superhero mythology as a way to capture the interests of the masses, DAKILA extols the virtue of joy and humor to uplift the nation’s spirit and at the same time encourage the people to believe in their own potentials and strength to find hope in these trying times.
As its first project, DAKILA launched a campaign dubbed as “Linisin ang Pilipinas!” (Clean up the Philippines), a symbolical and literal cleaning of the Philippine Relief Map in Luneta Park in Manila. The three day clean up and repainting of the Philippine Relief Map was a fitting opening salvo for DAKILA since it was able to creatively express its call for modern heroism by encouraging the public to get involve through simple acts such as the literal scrubbing of dirt from the relief map. In partnership with Rocked Philippines, Clean up the World, the Australian Embassy, and the National Parks and Development Committee, DAKILA was able to tap on the general public’s spirit of volunteerism as more than 800 people from all walks of life – students, cab drivers, seamen, artists, professionals, children and families – troop to Luneta Park to do their share in the cleaning. Most volunteers brought their own cleaning materials, paint brushes and paints. Musicians volunteered their talent for free by performing during the clean up. Celebrities and ordinary pinoys worked hand in hand in sweeping off dust and silt. Visual artists donated their artworks through the Benefit Art Exhibit held at Penguin, Malate and at the Kafe Carrabana in Quezon City to raise funds for additional paints to finish the relief map. All in all, the success of Linisin ang Pilipinas project paved way to the involvement of artists in various advocacies, the increased awareness of the public on the strength of volunteerism and a drastic expansion of membership of DAKILA from a measly group of artists to an organization with a 400 strong membership of artists, youth and professionals nationwide.
It has tied up with the Ecology Center of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) for the first ever Subic Earth Day Festival. It has partnered with ROCKED Philippines (Rocking Society through Education) on various events such as Rock the Riles – an annual event simultaneously held at the 8 MRT stations to promote the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
It has spearheaded various education sessions cum music performances to promote its advocacies in bars and public venues that targets the youth. It held an art talk on the evolution of Pinoy Rock in Philippine Society dubbed as “Himigsikan ng Rock and Roll sa Lipunan” which brought together key musicians from different generations. It has recently partnered with SULONG CARHRIHL, a non-government organization committed to promoting peace and human rights for the Peacetahan 2008, a competition for poster design, song, music video and infomercial making on peace and human rights. The Peacetahan launches were held at the Outpost in Cebu, Penguin in Manila and Magnet in Quezon City.
Last February, DAKILA launched a 46 artist collaborative anthem entitled “Kaya Mong Maging DAKILA” composed by Noel Cabangon. The song and music video was participated by various artists such as Joey Ayala, Cooky Chua, Bituin Escalante, Gabby Alipe of Urbandub, Ebe Dancel of Sugarfree, Jimmy Bondoc and a lot more.
Artists’ Credo
We, in DAKILA, believe that . . .
Nobility begins in the mind and ends in action.
Nobility knows no social and economic status— all human beings possess an innate sense of honor and dignity.
True nobility is not defined by pedigree or wealth but by one’s actions.
Art is one of the noblest human endeavors— the only way of expressing the inexpressible.
Art does not exist in a vacuum. After his own self, the artist has a responsibility towards the reality that surrounds him.
Art may not change the world, but it can change the way we view the world. For true revolution begins in the imagination.
We recognize all those who have sacrificed their lives in the past so that our freedom and the nobility of the race may live on— we recognize our heroes, our martyrs, the disciples of the arts who have dedicated themselves to the truest, noblest cause. We honor them by treading the same path.
The Philippine society is in the midst of a significant upheaval and that as disciples of the creative act, we are not exempted from the responsibility of helping contribute to positive change. Now, more than ever, is the time to be DAKILA.
How can you be part of DAKILA?
Anyone can be DAKILA. The membership of DAKILA ranges from artists belonging from various field of arts – music, film, visual, literary, theatre to students and young professionals.
Although, DAKILA started out as an artist collective, membership is not exclusive to artists. DAKILA believes that every individual has the potential to be dakila. The membership of DAKILA has been steadily growing among the ranks of students, community-based young people and professionals. The membership of DAKILA represents a diversity of individuals from all walks of life that bonded together for a common cause.
To be a member of DAKILA, one must signify his or her intent to join the organization. An orientation is set to discuss the principles, vision, mission, goals and programs of the organization. It’s easy to be a member of DAKILA. One has just to agree to the basic orientation of the organization. The challenge of being DAKILA lies in living up to its ideals in your everyday life.
After the orientation, a member is asked to choose among the programs of DAKILA where he/she thinks he/she can contribute more or if a member has any projects or advocacies in mind that he/she can initiate or work on as a member.
To seal the membership, applicants should fill out a membership profile and pay a one time membership fee of P100. The P100 membership fee will pay for the cost of a laminated ID and help fund some DAKILA projects.
DAKILA members are expected to contribute in whatever way they can to the goals, programs and projects of the organization through their time, talents, skills, ideas or resources. DAKILA encourages its members to initiate their own projects – big or small - which can contribute to the goals of DAKILA.
More importantly, being DAKILA does not end in one’s participation in the organization but is in fact a way of life.
The idea of heroism sounds a little daft in a culture of game shows and celebrity video-phone scandals. Irony has become such an accidental virtue that it has swung back to hit us in the head. Calling someone a “hero” is to invite sarcasm and self-righteousness. So here we are now, living in a time tragically bereft of them. 
