A rap contest tapping into patriotic fervour and youth culture has drawn hundreds of entries from Filipinos at home and abroad, with organisers saying the outpouring reflects growing creative resistance to Beijing’s assertiveness in the South China Sea.
The competition, launched last week by the civilian-led coalition Atin Ito (This is Ours) and hip-hop collective Morobeats, coincided with the Philippines’ national language month and invited participants to deliver one-minute raps defending the country’s maritime rights.
To enter, participants are required to perform a one-minute rap over the beat of “Teritoryo” – a track by Morobeats that invokes the Philippines’ sovereign claims over the West Philippine Sea, Manila’s term for parts of the South China Sea within its exclusive economic zone.
The Atin Ito Coalition and Morobeats created the “Teritoryo: West Philippine Sea Online Rap Challenge” to highlight the struggles of fisherfolk and frontliners in the West Philippine Sea. Photo: Atin Ito Coalition
The month-long contest offers a top prize of 100,000 pesos (US$1,754), with additional awards for runners-up and the most viewed entry, and winners will be announced five days after its conclusion.
In a statement, Atin Ito described the flood of submissions from Filipinos in the country and worldwide as a “surge of patriotic creativity and overwhelming public support for the campaign to defend the West Philippine Sea”, with more than 200 entries pouring in just one week after launch.
“The overwhelming support for Atin Ito’s initiative comes at a time of escalating tension in the West Philippine Sea. China’s continued harassment of Filipino fisherfolk and frontliners has intensified in recent weeks, even resulting in two of its vessels colliding with each other. For Atin Ito, these events underscore why Filipinos must stand united to peacefully and creatively defend the West Philippine Sea,” it said.
Filipino fishermen aboard their wooden boats sailing past a Chinese coastguard ship near Scarborough Shoal, in disputed waters of the South China Sea, in May 2024. Photo: AFP
Manila has long been embroiled in maritime disputes against Beijing, which claims nearly the entire South China Sea.
