Starting a little past 4pm and rocking almost non-stop till 12 hours later, a hardy band of Cebuanos flocked to the Outpost Restaurant to listen to 26 local bands play, think about audio visual presentations on global warming and its solutions, wonder at what seemed to be antics of the UP Performa group of performance artists and experience, via live feeds through the internet, clips of Madonna and Red Hot Chili Pepper in London, Metallica in Tokyo and others.
The sky also did its own outpouring. But it failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd of almost a thousand who, all the more, got closer together under tarpaulin tents that had been pitched earlier on the parking lot, serving as the venue, for exactly that contingency.
Immediately, an amount of some 18,000 pesos was raised for the Bike4U foundation. This was the share that was pledged by the management of the Outpost Restaurant from drink sales. There were other donations by individuals and local companies that paid for the sound system, the fare of the Greenpeace Philippines representative and other expenses.
The organizers of the event, Bite Magazine among them, hope that the success of the event will lead to a virus effect, infecting many more with resolve to do their share to lower carbon emissions through energy conservation, responsible consumption and other actions.