STATEMENT OF PURPOSE FOR 46-ARTIST ANTHEM ENTITLED,

More than a political statement, “Kaya Mong Maging DAKILA” addresses what is beneath this political mess. It is a coming together of creative forces, reminding all of the core Filipino values taught to us by our own history and those who came before us.

Without ignoring our different views on the present political situation, the 46 artists came together in agreement in the form of this song. Written and composed by Mr. Noel Cabangon, “Kaya Mong Maging DAKILA” is a firm culmination of what we discovered common among us. We are all hungry for change, thirsty for transformation. We are artists, this is our expertise. We state our message through our craft.

Over a year in the making, the song’s production was finally completed this month. Independently produced through small contributions from the community of artists and volunteers, “Kaya Mong Maging DAKILA” is a creative co-op of musicians and believers. The song will speak for us – over and above the din of political rhetoric.

Bob Dylan said it best, “Music should not reflect culture, it should subvert culture.” Sa Filipino: Ang musika ay hindi lamang nagsasalamin ng ating kultura, musika’y naghuhulma ng kultura. This song is our loudest voice. Our collective stance. We are artists, this is our expertise, therefore we say our piece on this stage. Listen.

“Kaya Mong Maging DAKILA” is not a mere reaction to the political mess. It has been an ongoing project meant to shape the “values-direction” that we believe we should take. This is simply a magnificent assertion of what we already know and what we have been taught. We know that we are truly a brave, honest and efficient people; that is what we are. If through generations we have forgotten our nobility, let this song remind you, “Kaya Mong Maging DAKILA.”

More than just a song about nobility: this is a song about OUR nobility.

Listen.

Kaya Mong Maging DAKILA!

The idea of heroism sounds a little daft in a culture of game shows and celebrity video-phone scandals. Irony has become such an accidental virtue that it has swung back to hit us in the head. Calling someone a “hero” is to invite sarcasm and self-righteousness. So here we are now, living in a time tragically bereft of them.

Heroes are products of circumstance. There are those who have become so through sheer will, but there are people who become heroes after being pushed to a dead end.

A wise man once said our past shapes our response to the present. This nation was formed on the sacrifices made by martyrs both immortalized and anonymous. A country need not be a colony of a foreign power— it can also be the fiefdom of its own leaders. We are a heroic people, but we can also be shackled by our own pessimism and apathy.

A hero resides in every one of us. It begins in the mind, with one thought that says it can be done. To do all things with pride and dignity, to learn from the lessons of history, to realize that the deeds of our heroes are not hackneyed fables but real, breathing examples of how to live our lives.

This is a song about nobility. Listen.