MANILA, Philippines — Artists broke their silence on Friday to show support for rapper Shanti Dope after the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) attempted to ban his song “Amatz” for supposedly promoting marijuana use.
The frontman of the OPM band December Avenue Zel Bautista said Friday: “Creativity and artistic freedom should never be suppressed. I’m with you, Shanti Dope.”
Singer-songwriter Ebe Dancel likewise showed support to the rapper in a tweet that read: “I’m with Shanti Dope.”
Im with Shanti Dope
— Ebe Dancel (@ebedancel) May 24, 2019
Actor and writer Juan Miguel Severo, on the other hand, dared PDEA and said: “PDEA Get Off Shanti’s Back and Actually Do Your Job Challenge.”
https://twitter.com/TheRainBro/status/1131784760697581568
PDEA’s move also did not sit well with Urbandub’s Gabby Alipe who said in a tweet: “Then maybe, to be fair, we shouldn’t show action shows on tv as well, cuz it ‘promotes’ violence. And elects actors into public office. Different but carries the same logic #amatz #gagorderonartistry.”
Then maybe, to be fair, we shouldn’t show action shows on tv as well, cuz it “promotes” violence. And elects actors into public office. Different but carries the same logic 🤔 #amatz #gagorderonartistry
— Gabby Alipe (@udubGAB) May 23, 2019
This was after PDEA issued a statement saying that Director General Aaron Aquino asked the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), the Organisasyon ng mga Pilipinong Mang-Aawit (OPM), and ABS-CBN Corporation to stop airing the song.
READ: PDEA asks MTRCB to ban ‘Amatz’ song for ‘promoting use of marijuana’
But an artists group earlier pointed out that “it is not PDEA’s job to be a music critic” and “neither it is mandated to promote censorship and the suppression of artistic expression.”
READ: Artists’ group to PDEA: It’s not your job to be a music critic
Shanti Dope’s managers likewise slammed the agency for setting “a dangerous precedent for creative and artistic freedom in the country.” (Editor: Eden Estopace)
READ: Shanti Dope’s camp slams PDEA’s bid to ban rap song ‘Amatz’