SUGGESTED DONATION: Sliding Scale of $12 - 30. All sales go to the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines - US Chapter (ICHRP-US).

April 18, 2018 - Filipino American artists and allies release Rock the Mic for Human Rights in the Philippines: Stop the Killings! - a compilation album produced by the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP-US). The album features various artists from throughout the United States, such as Geo from the politically charged hip-hop duo Blue Scholars (Seattle), Free The Robots (a pioneer of LA’s beat scene; Los Angeles), Beatrock Music artist Power Struggle (San Francisco); Filipina-fronted electronica soul group Bootleg Orchestra (Los Angeles); the aclaimed east coast punk band Material Support (NYC); Palestinian activists and rapper Sharif, as well as VerSoul (Women’s Audio Mission, San Francisco), just to name a few. The album is in direct support of ICHRP-US’s Stop The Killings Campaign to end Philippine President Duterte’s drug war, lift martial law in the Mindanao region and prevent another fascist dictatorship from occurring in the Philippines.

Since taking office in 2016, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has shocked the international community with not only his brash mouthed statements but also his atrocious human rights record. To date, Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’ has claimed over 20,000 casualties at the hands of the Philippine National Police (PNP). Thousands more have been displaced by the intensified militarization of indigenous and Moro Muslim communities by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), under the guise of ending insurgency and rebellion. Human rights activists and open critics of the government and regime are criminalized, harassed, disappeared, or even killed – by elements of the state security forces.

Deeply troubled by the human rights crisis and inspired by a people-led movement calling for peace, Filipino-American artists and allies come together to create an album that educates and inspires the international music listener to join the growing call to action to protect human rights in the Philippines.

Bootleg Orchestra’s “Carry on the Fight” lists the names of women human rights defenders who were recently killed, while Shining Sons’ “Our Time” calls on the listeners to mobilize and take action.

“This is our attempt to depict the realities in the Philippines - while making a connection to peoples’ crucial role here in the U.S. We need to respond to these killings because our tax dollars are directly supporting Philippines’ state operations to target the poor, indigenous people, and human rights leaders”, says Menchie, producer of Bootleg Orchestra.

Geo of Blue Scholars and The Bar added, “I’m proud to stand alongside our allies and my Filipino sisters and brothers in music to show our strength and solidarity -- that we recognize our role here in the US to support our people back home and to not sit idly and allow the injustices of the past to repeat. Never again!”

The April 17 release is in conjunction with the Stop the Killings: The People’s Caravan for Peace and Justice, a national caravan of human rights advocates from the Philippines and U.S., who are touring the country spreading awareness in communities and legislative houses, on the human rights situation in the Philippines. The caravan and speaking tour begins on April 20 in Washington D.C., to New York, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and ends on May 11 in Los Angeles. All proceeds from this album will go to ICHRP-US in helping the coalition continue its advocacy work for human rights in the Philippines.