Cover Photo Courtesy Of Up Cosmos Official Facebook Page
Cover Photo Courtesy Of Up Cosmos Official Facebook Page.

Saving the galaxy for a cause with this year’s UP Fair Cosmos online benefit concert


It’s “mission accomplished” for Cosmos: An OPM Festival! #MissionCosmos


By Ralph Regis | Wednesday, 16 March 2022

The University of the Philippines Junior Marketing Association (UP JMA) launched an explosive supernova of an OPM celebration with Cosmos: An OPM Festival on Mar. 5. Featuring a diverse group of emerging Filipino talents, the festival also stands for equality in the name of social justice.

Cosmos Thank You Pub 01

Originally scheduled to take place on Feb. 26, the online benefit concert for the Save Our Schools Network, composed of child-focused non-government organizations (NGOs) advocating for children’s educational rights, was postponed following the massacre of the New Bataan 5, which included Chad Booc, UP alumnus and volunteer teacher for Lumad Students.

In a moment of silence, the live stream flashed a message on screen in honor of Booc, Gelejurain Ngujo II, Lumad school volunteer teacher, Elgyn Balonga, community health worker, as well as two accompanying drivers Robert Aragon and Tirso Añar, who were wrongfully killed in a military encounter. 

On the other hand, the music festival further amplified the call for #MapagpalayangEdukasyon—an advocacy that stands for safe, quality, and accessible education for the Filipino youth, #LigtasNaBalikEskwela for the safe return to face-to-face classes, and #SaveLumadSchools—a call to protect indigeneous schools from militant forces.

Across the universe

Ria Ramirez, co-host and RX 93.1 DJ, welcomed the audience with the message, “Now more than ever, it is important that we continue to show our support for the Lumad students, their communities, and their everyday battles with violent law enforcement. We encourage you to do so by donating, carrying their memory with us throughout the entire night, and of course demanding justice in any way possible.”

“It is amazing that through Cosmos 2022: An OPM Festival, we are able to shed light on what is currently happening in the countryside and call for support of course for our Lumad brothers and sisters,” Fiona Bacani, co-host and RX 93.1 Student Jock, followed.

The pre-recorded performances kicked off with Reneeza Sevilla (EZA), Cosmic Clash 2022 winner and Ateneo Senior High School student performing “If Love,” an upbeat original song she wrote at the COVID-19 pandemic which talks about complicated relationships.

She followed it with “Liwanag,” the song she wrote and performed for the Cosmic Clash Battle of the Bands pre-event on Feb. 5 and her closing song “Alitaptap.”

This was followed by R&B artist and college student Maki (Ralph William Datoon), who swooned the audience with his original song “Halaga” and two unreleased tracks.

But the soulful and chill vibes didn’t stop there. allen&elle, a Manila-based gospel, soul, and R&B duo performed a short set with their original songs “You” and “Promise.”

Making music out of paintings, sibling indie alt-pop duo No Lore (Tita Halaman and Jerald Angelo) provided an audio-visual transcendence with their first track “Lou,” which talks about “denying love out of fear that no one will understand,” Angelo shared. 

Meanwhile, “With Little Light” talks about a soul continuously searching for the light in gloomy spaces. Their final track “A Leo” deals with astrology and is about an experience of a Leo who feels incompatible with the person they’re in love with.

Alternative quintet Carousel Casualties performed “San Junipero,” “Leona,” and their latest single “What’s On Your Mind?

MarsMango, the five-piece atmospheric pop band, performed “Nasa’n Ka, Oh Luna?” “Iingatan Ka,” and “Sa Panaginip.”

On the other hand, queer indie pop singer-songwriter rienne raised the banners of the LGBTQIA+ community and performed their original songs “Try Again” and “honey.” 

Moving over to the Southeast Asian rap scene, Young Cocoa (Elyon Barrera), Iloilo-born and Jakarta-raised Filipino rapper, dropped some bars with his tracks “Quezon Don,” “Zesto,” and “Manila.”

Meanwhile, raven, Cavite-born singer-songwriter performed “S.U.K.I. (featuring somere & naila),” “Ngayong Lang ‘To,” and his hit song “Paraluman.” 

Formerly known as Nathan&Mercury, the R&B/Soul four-piece of Mercury performed “HEAVEN ON EARTH,” “I’M FINE,” and an unreleased track.

Oh, if you just knew how badly we want live gigs to come back. Indie Filipino rock band Oh, Flamingo! made a splash with their performances of “Naubos Na,” “Reflections,” “Echoes / Psychedelic Sweater,” “Galit,” and “June.” 

Meanwhile, indie folk singer-songwriter Clara Benin performed her new single “blink,” as well as her previously-released songs “Closure,” and “Here Comes the Feeling.”

A current indie music staple, the six-piece alternative rock band Lola Amour brought in some sad hugot vibes with “Fallen,” “Please Don’t Leave,” and “Pwede Ba.”

Further giving some sappy feels, indie folk band Munimuni performed “Bukas Makalawa,” “Nawa,” and “Tiwala.” 

To cap off a night filled with overwhelmingly diverse performances, iconic Filipino rock band The Itchyworms solidified their songs “Armageddon Blues,” “Ayokong Tumanda,” “After All This Time,” “Di Na Muli,” and “Gusto Ko Lamang Sa Buhay.”

Cosmos for a cause

Aside from the musical performances, the festival also shed spotlight on Rose Hayahay, Davao de Oro native and Lumad Bakwit School Manila volunteer teacher where she shared her experience, “Noong pagpunta ko po, nakita ko po na maraming mga batang Lumad ang gustong makapag-aral–maraming mga bata ang gustong magbasa, umintindi, magkwento, at doon ko rin po nalaman na deprived sila sa basic social services such as education and health.”

The Lumad school curriculum features three legs of education. Firstly, in the academic leg, subjects such as Math, English, and Science are being taught by the volunteer teachers to the Lumad students. 

The second leg is health, “Mga bata po ay tinuturuan po natin paano magbunot, mga minor surgery, magtuli, mag-first aid, [at] ‘yung paggawa ng mga herbal na gamot,” Hayahay shared. 

Lastly, the Agriculture leg cultivates the knowledge of the Lumad students through organic farming. Furthermore, Hayahay also shared the plight of the Bakwit schools being closed down in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Moreover, Lumad elder Datu Benito Bay-ao was given the chance to share the community’s experiences and the on-ground realities facing Lumad communities, “[Noong February 2021,] hinuli kami, kinulong kami. Mahigit tatlong buwan kami sa kulungan. Nakalabas kami dahil walang basehan na sinampahan nilang kaso sa amin [...] Hanggang sa kasalukuyan, nandiyan pa rin ang pag-redtag sa amin. Gusto lang po namin na sana ay matulungan po kami sa aming pakikipaglaban, sa aming lupang ninuno, at sa aming edukasyon na makabalik po ang aming mga paaralan doon sa aming komunidad.”

Through the generosity of the Cosmos community, they raised over ₱121,000 for the benefit of the Lumad Bakwit School, which will go towards supporting the displaced indigenous youth from over 200 Lumad schools in the country.

You may send in your monetary donations through these accounts:

BDO

Account name: Josephine Mary S. Abesamis

Account number: 011730019798

BPI

Account name: Jose Raphael Gutierrez

Account number: 0579 2117 56

GCash

Account name: Niccole Ann Claire Jao

Account number: 0922 234 5678

PayMaya

Account name: Jose Antonio Posadas

Account name: 09206575955

PayPal

Account name: Josephine Mary Abesamis (@josephineabesamis)

Account link: paypal.me/josephineabesamis

Be part of this year’s #MissionCosmos to champion #MapagpalayangEdukasyon. You may also send in your monetary donations through the UP JMA website until Mar. 19!