The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will serenade the public on Sunday, June 11, ahead of the 125thIndependence Day celebration on June 12.
Major Cenon Pancito III, commander of media and civil affairs group (MCAG) of the Civil Relations Service of Armed Forces of the Philippines (CRSAFP). (Screenshot courtesy of PTV livestream)
The AFP’s Civil Relations Service (CRS) will organize the eight iteration of the “Musikalayaan” which features a free concert at the open-air auditorium of Luneta Park in Manila from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The activity will carry the theme "Kalayaan. Kinabukasan. Kasaysayan".
In the morning, the CRSAFP will hold a military and civic static display to showcase their assets and weapons including tanks, canons, rockets, mortars, machine guns, and other high-powered firearms.
Major Cenon C. Pancito III, commander of media and civil affairs group (MCAG) of the CRSAFP, said that the concert allows defense agencies “to promote national pride in a country with a heritage of valor and bravery.”
“Ang sa amin naman, ito ay pagsasaya natin pero sana ang aming mensahe sa lahat unang una is to imbue awareness sa ating mga kababayan na huwag nating kalimutan ang Araw ng Kalayaan (For us, this is a celebration but we want to imbue awareness among the public in order for us not to forget the Independence Day),” Pancito said in a public briefing on Friday, June 9.
“One-hundred-twenty-five years may have passed pero dapat hanggang ngayon magbigay tayo ng utang na loob doon sa mga bayani natin na nagsulong para sa kapayapaan ng Pilipinas (One-hundred-twenty-five years may have passed but we should still honor the heroes of the past who persevered to secure the country’s freedom),” he continued.
Through the Musikalayaan, Pancito noted that the AFP also wants to strengthen the people’s sense of nationalism.
“Walang dapat na lulupig sa kalayaan ng ating bayan at ito ang gusto nating mensahe sa lahat. Tayo bilang mga Pilipino ay sama sama na iindayog sa musika at tugtog para ibigay ang mensahe sa buong mundo na ang Pilipinas, atin ito (Nobody should suppress the freedom of our nation and this is the message that we want to send to everybody. We, as Filipinos, will groove to the music to tell the whole world that the Philippines is ours),” he added.
Musikalayaan 2023 (Courtesy of AFP)
The participants to the Musikalayaan 2023 will include the Philippine Army’s (PA) 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) Jungle Fighter Band, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Band, Jeck Pilpil and Peacepipe, and East Side Band.
Representatives from different uniformed services and agencies such as the Philippine Navy (PN), Philippine Marine Corps (PMC), Philippine Air Force (PAF), Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will also do solo, duet, ensemble, quartet and dance performances.
In addition, the AFP also invited reigning Mrs. Universe 2022 and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Lady Chatterly Alvaro-Sumbeling, who is assigned at the Presidential Security Group; singer-actor and Army reservist 1Lt. Ronnie Liang; social media influencer and singer Charleen Ong; the Kabataan Kontra Droga at Terorismo (KKDAT) group from San Juan City; and singers Katrina Velarde and Dulce to perform and share their skills.
Musikalayaan will also be simultaneously held in Cebu, Davao, Puerto Princesa in Palawan, Baguio, and Zamboanga City.