Today we received the sad news that Pinoy rap legend Francis Magalona passed away. It was a day we had not expected to come so soon, despite the battle with leukemia. Folks were actually expecting a new collaborative album with Ely Buendia, even during Francis M’s treatment.

Very few people are entitled to have the word “legend” attached to their names.

Even fewer for those who are just 44.

Kiko was a pioneer, a trailblazer for all the Pinoy rappers today. He started out when folks in the Philippines had not even heard of hip-hop.

He was a giant in his field, yet never forgot to look after the “little people”, the aspiring artists he took under his wing, or the young rappers he inspired.

The Master Rapper lived up to the words of the late Lino Brocka, that the artist is also a citizen. I remember as a kid, listening to “Mga Kababayan” ,”Man from Manila” and “Tayo’y mga Pinoy”.

These songs gave us a sense of national identity, a concept that was just forming in our heads as grade-schoolers. The words “three stars and a sun” will always be associated with him.

Francis M was down with being Brown with lyrics such as “Mga kababayan ko, dapat lang malaman nyo, bilib ako sa kulay ko, ako ay Pilipino!” and “I am the Man from Manila. Kami ang tinig ng Kayumanggi”.

He brought a sense of national pride into Pinoy hip-hop. Francis M. was looked up to even by Fil-Am hip-hop artists who also strived to grasp their roots while living in the US.

But more than this affirmation of national identity is the serious effort at commenting on social ills. There’s the remarkable “Kaleidoscope World”, reminding us that “some are friends, some are foes, some have some, while some have most.”

There’s his collaboration on Lando with Gloc 9 about a tragic relationship set in urban poverty. There’s Liham sa Pangulo which he did with Stick Figgas and Gloc 9, a scathing criticism of corruption at the highest levels.

Mahal na pangulo bakit mahal ang mga bilihin
Di mo na nanaisin na tumira dito sa bayan natin
Ang kinain ng mayaman tinatapon sa basura
Pinupulot ng mahirap mapuno lang ang sikmura
Balahurang nahalal halos kaban ng bayan isinugal
Isinambulat sa Senado at sa dyaryo binulgar
Napahiya’t ayaw umamin na sila’y nagnakaw dinDi lan
g sa pagkain pati sa pera ay matakaw din
At pagdating sa lupain sila ay mga buakaw din
Lahat ay inaangkin kahit ano ay gagawin
Mga sakim, ganid sa ginto di makuntento sa milyon
Bilyon ang gusto kahit ang bayan ay baon
Sa utang at sa kangkungan pupulutin
Tanong ko lang sa inyo mahal niyo ba ang bayan natin
Mahal na pangulo paano na ang Pilipinas
Lantarang pagnanakaw araw araw di lilipas.

There’s That Money which he did with Fil-Am rapper Kiwi and Gloc 9, talking about corporate greed.

These weren’t just rhymes without reason. These verses spoke the truth about the society we live in. Activists from the early 90′s remember Francis M. perform at the Quezon Memorial Circle during a protest activity against high oil prices.

Lest I forget, Francis M’s “influence” on the mass movement was this short line which he used to do in that TV program Loveli-ness when he would do the music chart countdown with Willie Revillame on drums. He’d say “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no-no”.

This line was picked up by activists and was popular during rallies, “Say no! Ayoko! Say, No, no, no, no, no,no ,no no-no… sa base militar ng Kano dito!” Pinoy Music is a head shorter now without the Man from Manila.

He will be truly missed. It is our hope that his words and works will live on in the next generation of artists who will pick up a mic and and instrument. Farewell to the Man.

Related posts:

1. Francis Magalona: Artist, Patriot
2. Francis Magalona, Pilipino

Nakalipas na ang ilang dekada ngunit hanggang sa ngayon ay hindi pa rin nalalagot ang tanikala ng kahirapang kinalulugmukan ni Juan dela Cruz. Ito ang puno’t dulo ng lahat ng pangyayaring nararanasan sa kasalukuyan ng ating bansa. Kung bakit sa bawat sulok ng dilim nagaganap ang mga krimen. Kung bakit nawawala ang pagmamahal sa isa’t isa. Ang siyang dahilan kung bakit patuloy tayong sinasalubong ng mga maliliit at maruruming paang nakalahad ang mga palad na sana’y ang hawak ay mga panulat at papel. Kung bakit mahigit dalawang milyong pamilya ang nakararanas ng kagutuman at malaking bahagi ng sangkatauhan ay natutulog nang gutom sa gabi. Kahirapang hindi nagpatuntong sa paaralan sa halos sampung milyong kabataan.

Subalit hindi lamang ito ang sanhi. Hindi lamang ang tanikalang ito ng kahirapan ang nagpapahirap kay Juan dela Cruz. Kasama sa sapot na bumabalot sa ating bayan sa pag-unlad nito, ang pamahalaang bingi sa mga hinaing ng mga tao, bulag sa mga batang naglipana sa lansangan at manhid sa init at lamig na nadarama ng mga Pilipinong walang tirahan. Hindi ba’t silang mga nasa likod ng lingkurang bayan ang nangako ng kariwasaan sa ating bayan? Sa matatamis nilang dila narinig natin ang milyun-milyong hanapbuhay, pabahay at iba pang gabundok na mga proyekto. Isa ang pamahalaan kung bakit kinakailangang may mga taong natutulog sa lansangan kung mayroon namang mga lupain na maaaring pagtayuan ng kanilang mga tahanan at nang hindi nila pilit na isinisiksik ang kanilang mga sarili sa riles ng tren at tabi ng ilog.

Dapat na tayong mabahala. Sapagkat sa bawat isang kabataang tumitigil sa pag-aaral, humihinto rin sa pag-inog ang mundo. Ang mga pangarap at kagalingan ng mga kabataang ito na maaaring mga susunod na pinuno ng ating bayan ay nasasayang.

May pag-asa pa. Sapagkat ako’y naniniwala na sa likod ng mga kalawang ay minsa’y isang kumikinang na ginto. Ang ating bayan ay dati ng tinaguriang Perlas ng Silangan at maaari pa nating maibalik ito na tulad ng isang kumikinang na ginto kung aalisin natin ang mga kalawang na nakapalibot dito.

Ako, kami, tayo, bilang mga kabataang Pilipino ang lalagot sa tanikalang nagpapahirap sa ating Inang Bayan at siya ring tutulong upang alisin ang mga sapot at kalawang na pumipigil sa ating bayan sa pag-unlad. Sapagkat ako’y naniniwala, ang kulimlim na ulap ay lagi nang nahahawi upang bigyang laya ang haring araw sa muling pagsikat nito.

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1. Pag-asa

Meron pa nga bang pag-asa? Oo, meron pa. Kung iisipin natin, hindi tayo nawawalan n’yan. Kilala nyo ba sina Jack Canfield at si Mark Victor Hansen? Kung hindi, sila ang dalawang taong nag-publish ng Chicken Soup for the Soul. Alam nyo ba na sa bawat isandaang taong tinanong nila tungkol sa mga motivational essays at inspirational Short Stories ay may sumagot na iisang tao lamang? Nakita n’yo ba kung gaano nila ginusto na mailabas ang librong ‘yon? Ginawa nila iyon dahil sa pagkatuyo ng iba’t ibang aspeto ng buhay ng mga tao at hindi dahil sa pera o popularidad. Parang ganoon din sa ating bansa. Wag tayong mawawalan ng pag-asa dahil sa bawat isandaang taong kakatukin natin sa puso, mayroong isang magbubukas.

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2. Tagalog
3. Pilipinas, Saan Ka Patutungo?

Nakakalungkot, pero may mga bagay na dapat iwan upang hindi ka masaktan. Na tanging pagtakas o paglayo lamang ang tanging solusyon.

Mahirap. Hindi. Napakahirap!

Gusto mo mang sisihin ang mundong iyon dahil sa kabila ng pagpapahalaga at pagmamahal ay nagawa kang isantabi at ituring na walang kwenta. Gusto mo mang isumbat lahat ng tulong at paghihirap na ibinigay at dinanas mo upang mapabuti lamang ang mundong iyon pero hindi mo magawa! Dahil halos ayaw mo nang tumapak pa at masulyapan ang dating buhay na iyon. At kasama sa paglimot ang mga taong naging malapit sa iyong puso.

Napakasakit tumalikod ngunit kailangan. Bago pa mawala ang lahat ng paggalang at pagmamahal sa mundong iyon…

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Math is my most hated subject in school, and thank God my course in UP Diliman does not require a lot of math.

But I guess numbers and computations are bound to annoy me and make me curse to high heavens.

A recent episode of Probe bared the current figure of unliquidated cash advances (UCA) the Arroyo government issued to its officials and employees in its five and a half years of reign — a whopping total of P322 million. Probe also compared that amount to the UCAs of the past three administrations — Aquino’s totaled P11 million, Ramos with P75 million, and Estrada with P56 million. Compute these amounts and it will sum up to P142 million — still less than half of Arroyo’s UCA.

Legal and finance experts agree that UCA is a form of corruption, of plunder, basically because the law requires cash disbursements and transactions properly checked and audited. To illustrate, a certain government office has a legislated budget X, and the value of X is divided to specific expenses by the office, i.e. procurement of facilities, operational expenses, and primarily the payroll of its heads and staff. UCA occur when the department doles out the payroll budget sans the issuance of cash vouchers, which is a standard operating procedure in all offices and businesses to ensure proper cash flow and transparency. And with Probe’s expose about this unprecedented amount of P322 million we taxpayers lost due to UCA is another proof that this country is run by a plunderer.

And yes, numbers don’t lie, and numbers present the irony of the President’s claim. Arroyo says we are having an economic recovery, and that the Philippines is the most improved economy in Asia primarily because we are having the highest gross domestic product in years, the peso has reached the high 40s, and stock indeces have skyrocketed.

On the other hand, the Consumer and Oil Price Watch predicts that the price of diesel will increase by P8 at the end of the year. And we all know that the higher the price of diesel, the higher the commuter’s fare and food products, since these goods are transported by diesel-powered trucks. Moreover, families of migrant workers complain about the strong peso since their breadwinners earn a weaker dollar. In a “normal” and import-dependent economy, a strong currency must translate to cheaper goods and oil, and more open jobs inside the country. Perhaps, Gloria may be right that she’s met her state of the nation address promise of providing an additional one million jobs in the form of contractual call center agents and blue-collared laborers.

But we’ve just discussed a minute detail of the picture. Arroyo bragged in a government ad that the economic boom will enable the government to be independent to foreign debts. But a Freedom from Debt Coalition study says that as long as the Automatic Appropriation Law is not lifted and a comprehensive debt audit does not take place, we common citizens will suffer the debt burden aggravated by Arroyo, who borrowed more than the past three administration’s borrowings combined. And with this debt burden, basic needs like education, health, and social welfare is compromised. No wonder why UP is coming at par with UST in terms of tuition rate, why the East Avenue Medical Center is called a virtual morgue, and why street dwellers and juvenile delinquents are aplenty, while Arroyo and her kiss-ass minions in the Lower House enjoy weeks of escapades in Europe with our money as their pamasahe.

Yes, Math is indeed a painstaking subject, and with these latest mathematical statistics laid to us common people, there is a crystal clear reason to flunk Ate Glue. The hard-earned money of the millions of workers is being plundered by the hundred millions while a guy named Benjamin Abalos and a pig named Jose Pidal are playing golf, screaming the words “back-off” in every swing.

In this tyranny of numbers, let us be the terror math teacher while Arroyo and her minions be the failing student.

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