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Tatsulok

“Tatsulok” is a song of Filipino folk-rock band Buklod from their second album with the same name. The song tells about a boy named Totoy, who was a casualty of the Total War policy of then Philippine President Corazon Aquino during the late 1980s. Although the song refers to a real situation in the Philippines during that time (i.e. the effect US militarization), the boy is probably fictionalized to emphasize a point and to give hope to society’s inequality.

The song opines that the battle is not between the reds (New People’s Army) and yellows (the Aquino government) and the true battle is combating the “Tatsulok”. “Tatsulok”, Tagalog word for Triangle, refers to the social structure in the Philippines where the elite is at the top and impoverish at the bottom, which, according to the song, the source of injustice and poverty. The song encourages Totoy to end the battle against poverty by inverting the triangle and place those poor people at the top.

Filipino rock group Bamboo revived this on their third studio album, We Stand Alone Together. Bamboo music video of this song seems to be ironic with the message of the original version because it shows an old man (presumably Totoy), who burns himself and, in the end of the video, jumps at the top of building in the manner of a suicide attempt, which may signify lose of hope with the social inequality that the country faces.

Tatsulok

Totoy bilisan mo, bilisan mo ang takbo
Ilagan ang mga bombang nakatutok sa ulo mo
Totoy tumalon ka, dumapa kung kailangan
At baka tamaan pa ng mga balang ligaw

Totoy makinig ka, huwag kang magpagabi
Baka pagkamalan pa’t humandusay diyan sa tabi
Totoy alam mo ba kung ano ang puno’t dulo
Ng di matapos-tapos na kaguluhang ito

(Refrain)
Hindi pula’t dilaw ang tunay na magkalaban
Ang kulay at tatak ay di siyang dahilan
Hangga’t mas marami ang lugmok sa kahirapan
At ang hustisya ay para lang sa mayaman

(Chorus)
Habang may tatsulok
At sila ang nasa tuktok
Hindi matatapos itong gulo

Lumilikas ang hininga ng kayraming mga tao
At ang dating lunting bukid ngayo’y sementeryo
Totoy kumilos ka, baligtarin ang tatsulok
At katulad mong mga dukha ang ilagay mo sa tuktok

(Repeat Refrain and Chorus twice)
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