The story behind a song
How a Les Miz anthem became a protest song for last weekend’s rallies
IT HAS been more than three decades since millions of Filipinos banded together to oust a dictator. The peaceful “People Power Revolution” in February 1986 then became a symbol of what people can do when the situation becomes so untenable and injustice become so blatant that the powers ruling the country should be removed.
And for a nation whose passion for singing probably equals its passion for freedom, the lead-up to People Power also brought to the fore patriotic anthems such as “Bayan Ko” during rallies and “Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo” in its aftermath.
Thirty-one years later, people in the thousands took to the streets once again this weekend, this time singing a well- known revolutionary anthem from Claude-Michel Schonberg’s musical Les Miserables translated to Filipino.
A few days before the scheduled Sept. 21 rallies marking the day Martial Law was declared in 1972 by then- President Ferdinand E. Marcos and to protest the policies — mostly the ongoing drug war — of the current Duterte government, a translation of “Do You Hear the People Sing” called “Di Niyo Ba Naririnig” made rounds on social media.
The translation, done by composer Vincent A. De Jesus with additional lyrics contributed by writer Rody Vera and actor Joel Saracho, was shared throughout Facebook because of its stirring lyrics asking people to protest against the current government.
A day before the rallies, a video surfaced showing Eunikkoh Castillo, a program coordinator in Fundacion Friedrich Naumann, singing “Di Niyo Ba Naririnig” in a capella against a stark black background. The post quickly became viral and has garnered over 437,000 views.
“The love for music and the wonderful translation made me do the video. I thought this could be a creative medium to channel my personal take on sustaining freedom and dignity in the country,” Mr. Castillo, who is a tenor in a Baptist church choir, told BusinessWorld in an online interview on Sept. 23.
Mr. De Jesus, in a separate interview on Sept. 21, said the translation of one of the most recognizable songs in the musical began when actress Bibeth Orteza — through a Facebook thread — was gathering theater artists to perform a song during the Luneta rally on Sept. 21.
“‘Do You Hear the People Sing’ was what she suggested [they perform] because it’s a popular song and just about everyone knows it. Unfortunately, I had a previous appointment and could not join the Sept. 21 rally but I volunteered to arrange a new music one for them to use,” he said.
Mr. De Jesus then suggested that they translate the chorus into Filipino so he set to work on the chorus but eventually decided to translate the whole song which took him an hour.
“Do You Hear the People Sing” has had a long history of being sung during protests — it has been translated in languages including Cantonese and Taiwanese Hokkien. The song has also been heard sung in various protest rallies in the US, Turkey, and South Korea, to name a few.
“I first posted the lyrics on my FB page for everyone attending the Luneta rally to learn it. The day after, I was tagged to a video post made by Narwin Espiritu featuring Eunikkoh Castillo singing the Filipino lyrics. I’m amazed because I don’t know these young guys personally yet they made an effort to shoot a video to teach everyone how to sing the song,” Mr. De Jesus said.
“Di Niyo Ba Naririnig” became the battle cry of the rallies held in Luneta and other parts of Metro Manila with theater actors, choral groups, and individuals singing: “Di niyo ba naririnig, tinig ng bayan na galit. Ito ang himig ng Pilipinong di muli palulupig...”
(A Rappler.com video posted on Facebook of a group of theater actors and other individuals singing the song during the Luneta rally had been viewed over 587,000 times as of this writing.)
Mssrs. De Jesus and Castillo weren’t able to attend the rallies but both expressed their joy at being part of the rallies somehow.
“I watched the performance on Facebook though. It was heartfelt. I felt the connection with them the moment I heard the first note. It was awesome,” said Mr. Castillo.
“I am extremely glad that somehow, in my own little way, I was able to contribute to [that day’s] Rally Against Tyranny,” said Mr. De Jesus.
“Theater is a powerful tool to awaken the mind, educate the youth, remind those who forgot, inspire people, empower the nation. Culture and the Arts is where you can find the soul of the nation,” he added.
“Di niyo ba naririnig, tinig ng bayan na galit. Ito ang himig ng Pilipinong di muli palulupig...”