5 Underground Musicians on Struggle Against the Oppressive Marcos-Duterte Dynasties

The sounds and sights of the 2022 presidential elections according to switchbitch, Alyana Cabral, Scandal Jenner, and Catpuke

Text Amrie Cruz

From Hella Pinay 03: The Culture Issue - Spring/Summer 2022.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in 2022 and has been updated for republication. One interview featured in the original version has been removed in accordance with Hella Pinay's current editorial standards.

When the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos was reelected in 1970 after what is described as one of the dirtiest elections in Philippine modern history, the period of civil unrest called the First Quarter Storm began soon after. It is then fitting that the 2022 presidential election is inspiring stronger political participation, if the increase in voter registration and the succession of massive campaign rallies are anything to go by.

We are at the tail end of President Rodrigo Duterte’s violent and sexist reign. We are also witnessing former Senator Bongbong Marcos and Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio, offspring of strongmen presidents who declared martial law, team up in their quest to continue their fathers’ legacies.

To put it nicely, we’re in a ridiculous situation. To be frank, we’re possibly facing six years under an administration that continues to distort our nation’s truth. Rough times often inspire powerful art, so we talked to some of our favorite underground Philippines-based musicians to find out what the election looks and sounds like from their vantage points.

(Top) Photography Christian Dave Opiniano. (Bottom) Photo courtesy of the artists.

switchbitch

Born out of the pandemic lockdown, underground rap duo switchbitch’s work has mostly been related to their immediate experiences. With the past few years being horrific for most Filipinos, some of the duo’s more scornful songs are befittingly steeped in horror.

Part of switchbitch’s sophomore EP Lalamunan [Throat], “Nightmare” was a track written at the peak of Duterte's “criminal negligence.” Produced by Club Matryoshka co-founder AHJU$$I, it has a chilling outro with the lyric “Pinapatay lang din naman / Ba't di na manlaban?” [Being killed anyway / Why not fight back?]. The rousing chorus of another song called “Fax Machine” from the same EP goes, “Bawat taong inuuwi sa numero at datos / Lumalawak hukbo, sagot sa pagkagapos” [With every person who ends up part of the statistic and data / The army grows, the answer to liberation] to declare the stance that electoral participation doesn’t solve injustices — only a people's revolution can.

The duo lists K-pop girl group Red Velvet and Daveed Diggs’ experimental hip-hop group clipping. along with local artists like emcees Calix and BLKD, hip-hop artists GVNDVLXCXXX$ and slumsies, and screamo band Limbs as some of their influences. As a member of Artists for Anakpawis, switchbitch has been bringing their firebrand sound to gigs in support of Anakpawis Party-list. The Makabayan bloc party-list is the electoral wing of the May First Labor Movement and the Peasant Movement of the Philippines. It’s no wonder that they also admire the cultural workers of Artist Alliance for Genuine Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (SAKA), Artista ng Rebolusyong Pangkultura, and Tambisan sa Sining (Interaction in Arts).

During the campaign period, switchbitch has been talking to various communities as part of unity-building efforts. They say that many Filipinos still believe that whoever wins the election doesn't really matter because of the likelihood that they’d still be left fending for themselves. “Some even support the Marcos camp just because they think [the candidates are the same] and they don't like Leni,” says the duo.

Faced with this reality, switchbitch warns that Filipinos must be prepared to launch an immediate ouster campaign should Marcos win. They add that Duterte’s new Commission on Elections appointees and the contract with F2 Logistics, a firm tied to Duterte ally Dennis Uy, for the handling of election paraphernalia are reasons for us to be extra vigilant of election fraud.

The duo ultimately dreams of a future where the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (a set of policy reforms said to address the roots of armed conflict in the country proposed by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines during peace negotiations with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines) can be signed. But at the very least, they want the next president to raise the minimum wage, ensure job security, continue providing government pandemic subsidies, and to establish better health, education, housing, and agrarian systems.

Photography SAKA. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Alyana Cabral

Despite wearing many hats, multi-disciplinary artist Alyana Cabral never wants to be neutral in her expression. She has been mainly performing as a singer, multi-instrumentalist, and DJ for various musical projects in Manila’s underground scene under monikers like Teenage Granny. But she’s also an actress, musical score composer, sound artist, curator, and writer. If the breadth of her work can speak for itself, it tells narratives on women, spirituality, interdimensional concepts, and conflicts that include colonialism and land struggle.

The Teenage Granny track titled “Destitute Angels of Comfort and Light,” for example, is a musical interpretation of Lino Gopez Dizon’s poem “Passion of the Workers”, considered a classic of Pampango literature and of the proletariat movement. Cabral sings in an ethereal voice, “Kapatid kong naisahan / Ng mga mapagsamantala, / Hangarin na nating lahat / Ang ginhawa sa liwanag” [My brethren who have been duped / By oppressors / Let us all seek / comfort in the light]. During the return of the enhanced community quarantine in 2021, she chronicled the reasons why the #EndDuterte campaign was launched with the song “Waraque.” She is a storyteller, like her musical influences Alice Coltrane, Antye Greie-Ripatti, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and Madonna.

Cabral believes that elections are not a banner for people's democracy. But she does consider the extreme contrast between a Marcos or Robredo win as a hit or miss moment. She has observed that people are now maximizing their time and freedom in case the worst happens. For her, we’re at the point where we need to ask ourselves how we’ll be able to exercise restraint while continuing to fight for our rights, and how we can survive through this highly political time with grace.

While she treats infusing her own creative output with important messages as a responsibility, Cabral considers direct action as a volunteer and advocate more crucial. She walks the talk as a co-founder of the feminist women and arts platform Kababae Mong Tao and a member of SAKA. “For true democracy to happen, presidents need to prioritize the interests of the most oppressed people in our society. Peasants, workers, and Indigenous people have been the targets of state violence for years. Unless they are placed in office or [allowed to represent themselves at the forefront], genuine change can't happen,” she asserts.

Photo courtesy of the artist.

Scandal Jenner

Genre-hopping solo artist Scandal Jenner bared a bit of their playful and irreverent side when they confided that their favorite self-written lyric is “If I'm a criminal, then you're Al Capone” which specifically referenced Jon Bernthal as Al Capone in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.

So how would an artist with Scandal Jenner’s sensibility describe the election? With the apologue of the frog in boiling water. “We've been that frog for years. Now, we're faced with the threat of being completely thrown into the flames, the hope of the stove being finally turned off, and the very real fear that we'll all end up cooked frogs either way,” they said.

On their debut EP Best in Class, tracks like “Anarchy in the Ukay-Ukay '' and “Lorraine” give glimpses into Duterte’s macho-fascist rule in a sound that’s partly influenced by “The Ronettes if Ronnie went ‘Gone Girl’ on Phil Spector.” They intone in one of the songs, “Why you acting brand new? We’ve done this before / Screaming, ‘Marcos, Hitler, Diktador [Dictator], Tuta [Lapdog]!’” These reflect Scandal Jenner’s fear that those they consider as selfish and evil caricatures in government won't ever be held accountable. “I'm just a guy who writes about personal thoughts and experiences; it just so happens the personal is political, too,” they clarify.

However, they’re now more optimistic that retribution won’t be wishful thinking anymore. While slightly reluctant to engage with electoral discourse, Scandal Jenner has come to realize that it’s possible to dream of a better Philippines where we don’t have to settle for a lesser evil. This campaign period showed that we can have a candidate like Ka Leody de Guzman who can say that he's for decriminalizing abortion and that all Filipinos, not just the oft-redtagged activists, can be empowered to mobilize for what they believe to be the greater good.

Photography Deck Cortez of THEdeck.

Catpuke

Stressed and traumatized. That’s how the members of hardcore punk band Catpuke find themselves in the election season. This anxiety seems to be a persistent figure in the band’s aggressive and unrelenting riot-esque music. But with lyrics like “May I die with hands curled into a fist,” they are far from hopeless. 

The group consists of vocalist and guitarist Jamie Ogalesco, guitarist Grois Enayo, bassist Papat Catriz and drummer Ten Derillo Pagalunan. Their debut EP’s titular track "K.T.M." talks about destroying the Man, a representation of antiquated institutions. Toppling down systems of oppression is a central theme seen in the rest of their songs like “Warsuxx” and “Eat The Rich.” For them, the election affirms that our country hasn’t undergone any significant changes in the last four decades. But even if the band thinks we’re miles away from throwing out traditional politics, this election has been refreshing because they’ve seen more people volunteering for causes.

Being part of communities and being engaged is important for Catpuke. They’ve joined D.I.Y. punk communities Sleeping Boy Collective and Counterflow with some of their favorite artists like Tiger Pussy and Nonentities. On social media, Catpuke has been sharing posts from progressive candidates and party-lists. Apart from discussions with other artists who might have differing opinions, the band has also been performing at political gigs that campaign for genuine land reform, national industrialization, and women’s rights. “We do consider ourselves as cultural workers. Given the themes of our songs, it's inevitable for us to shape and be shaped by what we write about,” the members say.

What Catpuke wants from the next president is for them to just do their job to the best of their ability without selling the country and its people. “It's sad that Filipinos are still yearning for the bare minimum. Accountability, competence, and integrity remain the foundations of what we want the leader of our country to embody. Maybe if they do it too well, we won't have anything to sing about. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.”

From Hella Pinay 03: The Culture Issue - Spring/Summer 2022.

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