Soul Supreme KZ Tandingan and indie acts pull out of Rakrakan 2017

- The theme of this year's Rakrakan Festival was 'OPM Against Dr*gs', which is their response to 2016's Closeup Forever Summer concert

- Several artists pulled out of the annual event due to their stance on the war against dr*gs while others did not specify their reason

- Electronic indie act BP Valenzuela stated in her tweets that she was not informed about the event's message despite her view against the war on dr*gs

READ ALSO: YOLO? Close Up Forever Summer concert kills 5

The most-awaited event of Filipino music lovers finally happened yesterday, January 14, as Rakrakan Festival 2017: OPM Against Dr*gs gave the crowd a hundred bands and performers to listen to with five different stages.

However, not all acts were present in the event due to unexplained circumstances or their personal beliefs regarding the festival's theme.

The annual event was a response to last year's Closeup Forever Summer concert, which caused the lives of five people due to dr*g use.

READ ALSO: Rakrakan 2017 offers anti-narotic-themed music festival

Here is the list of artists who opted not to play at the Mall of Asia (MOA) grounds yesterday, which was released through the festival's Facebook page last Thursday.

Another act that pulled out was Cheats, the band of Saab Magalona and her husband Jim Bacarro, who announced of their decision last Friday.

They did not reveal the reason why they withdrew, just like Soul Supreme KZ Tandingan and indie band Taken by Cars.

READ ALSO: Rakrakan Festival 2017: 4 things you should know

On the other hand, three indie acts spoke up about their departure on social media. Dondi Virrey of Techy Romantics took to Facebook to air his support for the war against dr*gs but did not really specify the reason why they pulled out.

The other two, Bullet Dumas and BP Valenzuela, almost had the same reasons why they withdrew - their stance against the war against dr*gs and the extrajudicial killings it has brought.

However, BP revealed that she was not informed of the festival's message in a series of tweets last Monday, January 9.

Just like the Cheats, she announced of her withdrawal last Friday.

Although the festival has become controversial to some, the crowd still enjoyed what the rest of the bands had to offer them.

READ ALSO: Close Up concert victims surprised doctors

Source: KAMI.com.gh