Muntinlupa City, November 28, 2025 — In the glittering halls of The Bellevue Manila, a moment unfolded that few thought possible. Amid polished entries from professional musicians and composers across the country, Contraband — a band formed inside Iligan City Jail–Male Dormitory — claimed 1st runner-up in the Freedom of Information (FOI) Multi-Arts Festival Jingle Writing Contest. Their voices, once confined to detention walls, reached a national stage and proved that creativity thrives even in the most unlikely places.
The FOI Multi-Arts Festival is part of the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), a global observance that champions transparency and the public’s right to know. In the Philippines, the festival is organized by the Freedom of Information–Project Management Office (FOI-PMO) under the Presidential Communications Office (PCO). Through competitions in music, literature, and the arts, the event highlights how access to information empowers citizens, strengthens democracy, and fosters sustainable development.
For Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs), competing in such a national platform is almost unheard of. Yet Contraband’s achievement showed that even behind bars, voices can rise to meet the call for openness and accountability.
Kalikasan sa Liwanag ng FOI is the jingle that secured Contraband’s 1st runner-up finish. It is a powerful and uplifting composition that champions transparency, environmental awareness, and civic empowerment through the lens of the Freedom of Information initiative in the Philippines. With its catchy melody and meaningful lyrics, the song serves as a musical manifesto for digital-age governance and ecological responsibility. It celebrates the right of citizens to access information, while reminding listeners that transparency is key to protecting the environment and ensuring accountability in government.
Contraband’s journey to this stage was forged in scarcity. Formed in April 2024 with only a guitar and a beatbox, they stitched together melodies with borrowed instruments. Their first song, Undangi, an anthem against drug abuse, had already broken through the walls, earning recognition in the BIDA (Buhay Ingatan, Droga’s Ayawan) campaign songwriting contest of the Department of Interior and Local Government. With the support of jail benefactor Robert “Kuya Bob” Schappert, who gifted them a full set of instruments and a recording studio, their sound grew stronger, their reach wider.
Music became more than entertainment — it became rehabilitation. Each lyric carried the message that confinement cannot silence the human spirit.
At the awarding ceremony, Regional Director JCSUPT Felixberto S Jagorin Jr and Jail Warden JCINSP Carmelo A Corsame, proudly received the plaque on behalf of the band. Their presence was a declaration that rehabilitation can produce excellence, and that creativity behind bars deserves to be celebrated alongside the best from beyond.
Contraband’s 1st runner-up finish is a hard-won triumph, a reminder that even in places where hope is often scarce, creativity can flourish, inspire, and transform. Their jingle showed that voices from confinement can illuminate freedom, accountability, and hope.
In the end, Contraband did not simply compete. They redefined what it means to win.
