A low-budget music video on West Philippine Sea has been making the rounds of all social media platforms to create awareness on the plight of fishermen in Masinloc, Zambales.
The video, produced by transparency watchdog Pinoy Aksyon, had been delayed for weeks because of funding woes.
“Our group has no seed money to bankroll the production of the video so we decided to pool our meager resources and enjoined everyone not charge professional fees,” said Bency Ellorin, convenor of Pinoy Aksyon.
Veteran events, video and stage director Neil Maristela said assembling a team of professionals who would take part in the video “for free” was not an easy task.
“We could only promise free food, transport and accommodation but no talent fees,” he said.
Maristela said the consensus was that everyone would create a music video out of “our love of country and empathy.”
Ellorin said they chose San Salvador Island in Masinloc to shoot the video as most fisherfolk who experienced harassment from the Chinese Coast Guard in Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc live there.
The music video titled “Lampara” is sung by emerging artist Justin Taller, who charged a reasonable fee because he believed in the advocacy.
“Lampara” depicts the plight of Masinloc fishermen whose livelihood is dependent on the seas.
“The harassment at the WPS, our seas, continues so they suffer from hunger. Naapektuhan ang kanilang mga pamilya,” Ellorin said.
Maristela stressed the video is also about resiliency, hope and the will to fight for what “belongs to the Filipino people.”
The video has no commercial value and is only intended for the group’s educational campaign in the West Philippine Sea.
Pinoy Aksyon recently staged an interactive exhibit on WPS in a Quezon City mall last November.