Beyond the Beat: Inside UP Fair: REV Music Festival 2025

As the sun set last April 5, the gates opened, and the sound of drums boomed through the fields of Sunken Garden in UP Diliman. The heavy rain that fell that noon did not stop the hyped up crowd from attending the festival. Laughter, music, and kilig filled the air as they waited for the performances from different local artists— but REV wasn’t just another music festival. It is where every beat carries a purpose. REV rises to echo its advocacies and calls, a platform for hope, activism, and action.

Multiple performances from local artists and bands like Kitchie Nadal, The Ridleys, TJ Monterde, Imago, Maki, Shirebound, James Reid, Over October, Any Name’s Okay, Angela Ken, and many others graced the stage of REV. But that’s not all. Aside from music, this year’s edition of UP Fair: REV Music Festival amplifies the voices and rights of the national minorities— the Indigenous Peoples and Moro Communities.

Part of the program commemorates the death anniversary of Jay-el Maligday, a Mangyan-Hanunuo student from Oriental Mindoro who was killed by the state forces last April 7, 2024. Together with the progressive leaders like Renee Co of Kabataan Partylist, Liza Maza from Makabayan, and others, screamed with the crowd for justice and for defending Mindoro against militarization.

In an interview with Tinig ng Plaridel, the official student publication of the UP College of Media and Communication, REV Advocacy Committee Propaganda head Rommer Publico stated how important it is for the fairgoers to be aware of the struggles of the national minorities. "Kahit ano pang problema ng UP Fair, nakikita namin 'to as an avenue para mas maging malapit kami sa tao, mas makilala ng tao kung sino ba 'yung pambasang minorya, sino ba 'yung mga katutubo at Moro natin, na kailangan nating sumandig kasama nila kasi sila 'yung kadalasang hindi pinakikinggan ng estado,” Rommer said in the interview.

UP Fair: REV served as a platform for the national minorities’ voices to be heard. This is not only about music but an instrument for them to be recognized, protected, and respected.

For Kaela Torren, a UP Baguio student who travelled all the way from the North just to attend the UP Fair, it was good to see that the national minorities have representation during the event. “Nakakatuwang inihayag ‘yung patuloy na pakikibaka ng mga IP at Moro sa sariling pagkakakilanlan at karapatan nila sa lupa. Lalo na sa plataporma na hindi lamang mga UP students ang naroon at nakikinig,” she said.

As the event ended, the team behind REV was hopeful that the message that the advocacy wanted to amplify was able to transcend to the fairgoers. Because when we stand up for the rights of national minorities, we are not only preserving their culture and traditions, we are also protecting their life and dignity.