About Us

Mga Bayaning Nagbabayanihan Para sa Bayan.

Who We Are

DAKILA is a collective of artists, educators, and individuals in the Philippines building a movement of modern heroism to bring about social change. We believe that every person has the potential to be a hero, to stand up for justice, and to transform society.
➡ In Filipino, dakila means great and noble. At DAKILA, we believe that true greatness lies not in privilege or birthright, but in the daily struggle to cultivate one’s heroism, connect with others, and contribute to society. By tapping into the creative, collective, and transformative powers of individuals and groups, we create platforms for civic participation, promote human rights, and inspire communities to fight for a society that respects, upholds, and protects the rights of all its people.

What We Do

At DAKILA, we use the power of art, culture, and community to transform society and uphold human rights:

We Resist Creatively.

We transform society by creating new, secure, and innovative ways to stand up for rights and freedoms. Creativity is our weapon to change the world.

We Gather and Strengthen our Forces.

We transform society by bringing people together and building our strength. We go beyond our echo chambers and build safe and inclusive platforms of coming together toward social progress with social justice.

We Sustain the Movement.

We're committed to continuing our fight for justice and freedom, passing the baton from generation to generation. We give birth to a new generation of heroes that will creatively resist amid fear and despair.

We Change the Narrative.

We transform society by changing the narratives. Along with dismantling anti-people, anti-collective, and anti-progressive culture, we redraw our battle lines and carve new paths toward our future victories.

Where We Are

We have members throughout the Philippines working together towards fulfilling DAKILA’s mission, one community at a time. 

← Explore our interactive map to locate existing Collectives in the regions.

Explore our interactive map to locate existing Collectives in the regions.

Our History

Explore the Gallery to see DAKILA’s journey through various eras, each marked by significant milestones and impactful campaigns.
2005 (Foundation) 2006 - 2010 (Rock and Roll) 2011 - 2015 (Human Rights) 2016-2022 (Challenging the 2 Pandemics)

Our Founding Members

Lourd de Veyra

Multi-awarded writer and journalist

Noel Cabangon

Musician-activist

Ronnie Lazaro

Veteran actor

Buhawi Meneses

Bassist of Parokya ni Edgar

† Tado Jimenez

Comedian and activist