The West Philippine Sea (WPS) will set the stage for peace and solidarity as the Atin Ito (This is Ours) Coalition embarks on its third civilian mission in May, using music to amplify the call for sovereignty. 

As part of this mission, the group will host a “Peace and Solidarity Sea Concert” in the Kalayaan Island Group, Palawan, bringing together fisherfolk, artists, and advocates in a united stand for territorial integrity and regional cooperation amid escalating tensions between Manila and Beijing.

Concert for peace and unity

Akbayan Partylist President and Atin Ito co-convenor Rafaela David said the concert will serve as both a symbolic and cultural assertion of the country’s maritime rights.

“Through the power of art and collective action, we will fight for what is rightfully ours — not with weapons of war, but with the unyielding force of music and solidarity,” David said during a press conference announcing the mission on March 17. 

Filipino artists Noel Cabangon and the all-women rock band Rouge, along with Japanese artist Fumiya Sankai (known as “Fumi”), have pledged their support for the event.

Cabangon emphasized the role of music in resistance. “Music has always been a form of resistance. Through our songs, we will stand with our fisherfolk and frontliners and remind the world that the WPS is ours,” he said.

Sankai, in a video statement, also expressed his solidarity: “I am an artist from Japan, and I will join the peace concert on May 25 to show my solidarity with all the claimants of the West Philippine Sea. I am for respecting each other’s sovereignty. So, let’s jump and sing our hearts out and ride the waves of music. Go Atin Ito!”

David reaffirmed the coalition’s mission, saying: “We are setting sail with a message of peace and solidarity through music.”

The concert will bring together fisherfolk, artists, and civil society groups from ASEAN nations, promoting regional cooperation while opposing foreign aggression in the disputed waters.

“We will restore peace, solidarity, and cooperation in the region — values that have long bound our nations together, especially among our fisherfolk. China callously undermined these values when it unilaterally imposed its baseless claims, resorting to aggression and violence to illegally assert control over waters,” David added.

A civilian mission for sovereignty

This marks Atin Ito’s third voyage, following two previous expeditions in 2023 and 2024 that provided aid to Filipino fisherfolk while reaffirming the country’s territorial rights.

In May last year, Atin Ito mobilized 200 volunteers and 100 fishing boats from Zambales to Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, where they installed buoys to assert the Philippines’ sovereign rights over the sandbank.

Despite being shadowed by a Chinese Navy ship, the team successfully delivered essential provisions, including 1,000 liters of diesel and 200 food packs, to 144 Filipino fishers aboard six mother boats and 36 small fishing vessels.

The coalition’s efforts began in December 2023, when its first civilian-led mission evaded Chinese vessels to reach Lawak Island. There, they provided much-needed supplies to military personnel stationed at BRP Sierra Madre and other Philippine-held features in the West Philippine Sea.

This year’s mission aims to build on those successes, with music amplifying the call for sovereignty and peace.

Music concert in the West Philippine Sea.

AFP willing to escort  

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is ready to assist civilian missions in the WPS when necessary, Philippine Navy’s spokesperson for WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said.

“The Philippine Navy and the Armed Forces are always ready to support them and to provide assistance if and when necessary,” Trinidad said on March 18, during a regular press briefing.

He added that coordinated civilian efforts are welcome. “Actions like this — a group sail and the third organized by that particular group — are very much welcome, provided that they secure the right coordination with the appropriate government agency.”

When asked about potential tensions in the disputed waters, Trinidad, referring to China, said: “Tensions… are not the result of the actions of the Armed Forces. This is the result of a foreign player who would like to control not only the West Philippine Sea but also the South China Sea.

Expanding marine research in WPS

As Atin Ito prepares its return to the West Philippine Sea, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is launching an integrated research initiative in April, focusing on biodiversity conservation at Recto Bank and Rizal Reef.

DENR Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga made the announcement during the first all-women maritime security forum organized by the Stratbase Institute in partnership with the Australian Embassy in the Philippines.

The department initiated this effort following its Biodiversity Conservation and Carbon Sequestration Project on Pag-asa Island last February.

DENR scientists, in collaboration with the Marine Environment and Resources Foundation, aim to assess the rich marine biodiversity of the West Philippine Sea, which contributes approximately 27 percent of the country’s commercial fisheries production and supports 30 percent of its coral reefs.

However, China’s aggressive actions in the region threaten these vital marine ecosystems.

“We expect to discover more and measure the Philippine treasures in the ecosystems of the West Philippine Sea, a big part of our natural capital for the present and the future,” Loyzaga said.

The DENR also plans to establish a marine scientific research station on Pag-asa Island, as part of a broader initiative to create eight research stations across the country’s biogeographic regions.

Other stations include the Tubbataha Reef Ranger Station and Snake Island Station in Palawan, as well as the Verde Island Passage Station, which the department is developing in partnership with the private sector and academic institutions.

According to the DENR these stations will serve as hubs for scientific collaboration with Philippine and international researchers who respect the rules-based international order.

Loyzaga underscored the growing strategic collaboration between the Philippines and Australia in maritime security and ocean science, citing its importance in safeguarding the nation’s marine wealth and sovereignty.

As Atin Ito sets sail with music as its weapon and the DENR deepens scientific research, the Philippines continues to assert its rightful place in the West Philippine Sea on all fronts.

All photos credit: Akbayan Partylist

Top photo: The Atin Ito civilian mission during a press conference on March 17, announcing its return to the West Philippine Sea in May, featuring a peace and solidarity sea concert in the Kalayaan Island Group, Palawan.