Musicians join forces for Coke Studio benefit concert for Marawi
Coca-Cola Philippines brought thousands of young people together to help rebuild Marawi through a benefit concert that celebrated the Filipinos’ love for music and at the same time empowered the youth to move as one creative force for a worthy cause.
At the Coke Studio Live: Bringing Music Back to Marawi held on Dec. 9 at the SM Mall of Asia concert grounds, many of the concertgoers showed support by bringing empty Coca-Cola PET bottles for a recycling drive that would contribute in the construction of a Little Red Schoolhouse for Marawi kids. Coca-Cola Philippines has committed to build a Little Red Schoolhouse as part of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation’s (PDRF) United4Marawi campaign.
“This is our way of showing support and solidarity with the Filipino people — to be able to contribute in the rebuilding process. Music is one of the things that threads through every person, regardless of age, religion, culture and socio-economic bracket,” said Stephan Czypionka, marketing director of Coca-Cola Philippines. “We are committed to help the communities that we serve, especially in times like these that we have to come together to rebuild not just the physical structures, but most importantly, the lives of the people.”
“We are committed in helping rebuild Marawi and the communities impacted by this conflict. In partnership with relevant government agencies, we in the private sector will be bringing our sustainability initiatives to the area,” said Jonah de Lumen-Pernia, director for public affairs and communications of CocaCola Philippines. “Our 5by20 entrepreneurship programs will be provided for the spouses of soldiers deployed in Marawi, while water systems will also be installed in the communities. We’ll also build a Little Red Schoolhouse.”
It was a night filled with music and hope as Coke Studio artists including The Ransom Collective, Gab and John of Urbandub, Abra, Gracenote, Moonstar88, Autotelic, Ebe Dancel, Franco, Reese Lansangan, BP Valenzuela, Sandwich, Noel Cabangon and Curtismith lent their voices and talents for Marawi. Their rousing performances included renditions of Christmas favorites and groundbreaking collaborations.
To further engage the youth in the advocacy, Coca-Cola also selected artists from the top UAAP schools: SLTO of University of the Philippines Diliman, PAPA PETA of University of Santo Tomas, The Cohens of Ateneo de Manila University and Matt Junasio of De La Salle University to perform an original collaboration piece. Other artists from different universities were also present to entertain the crowd in the pocket stage at the Tunebayan area.
Aside from upbeat performances, there were also several emotional moments during the benefit show. Noel and Curtismith led the audience in observing a few minutes of silence as they offered a prayer for the victims of Marawi. Afterwards, they both sang the empowering lyrics of their collaboration Payong Kaibigan.
There was also a special group performance where all Coke Studio artists sang Oh Come, All Ye Faithful in hopes of inspiring unity to support our affected Maranao brothers and sisters, especially this Christmas season.
During the event, attendees enjoyed such fun activities as singing along to their favorite tunes at the Coke Studio Canraoke and receiving personalized Coke bottles with their names in the labels at the Coke Jukebox. There was a Christmas food fair and bazaar where guests feasted on a variety of food, best paired with a refreshing drink.
The benefit concert proved to be a great night worthy of its even greater advocacy, which showed just how music unites and inspires Filipinos to come together and do something meaningful for each other.