Interpretation:

Tatsulok was the song and voice of the young, composed and performed by Buklod band. The
opm song “tatsulok” is very symbolic. It describes the social class in our society wherein few
belong in the top. Most Filipinos can be associated to be included in the bottom part of the
tatsulok. It’s basically a revolutionary song against the triangular social structure in the country.
Many are poor, few are in the middle class and only a few rich people who are on top. Those
who can afford and have the power controls the major political and social institutions of the
country. Few elite people continue to live a luxurious lifestyle while majority of the people live
in dire poverty. Land and resources are controlled by the few, while our farmers are landless and
laborers hardly survive with their small income. Tatsulok is indeed oppressive. If we just open
our eyes one would realize the true opponents of our country is not from other countries who are
far more developed than ours, but ourselves. We are the reason why our country remain
undeveloped due to classicism. It is like a disease slowly killing our society. This song would
help us to come up with a realization that we have the power to turn the triangle around and give
a fair justice we deserved.

Tatsulok is a Filipino song originally sung by Buklod, an activist folk-group in the Philippines in
the year 1989. However, the song was made popular by a Filipino alternative rock band founded
in 2003 by Francisco “Bamboo” Mañalac, Ira Cruz, Nathan Azarcon and Vic Mercado. The band
is known in producing rock hits with a jazzy feeling to it, they are also known in creating songs
with deeper meanings. Almost all of their songs define the Philippine society. They redefined the
Filipino rock band and mastered the art of persuading Filipinos to buy their albums because the
masses can relate to their songs. I myself loved Bamboo because of their songs being so catchy
and that Bamboo Manalac himself looks so handsome. They are different from the other Filipino
rock bands I listened to. Most of the Filipino rock bands has meanings attached to their songs but
is very shallow. From the way I see it, only intellectuals who has a deep perspective in life can
fully appreciate the lyrics of the songs. Bamboo used the art of singing to express their honest
opinion on how they see the Filipino people and the Philippine society as a whole.

In order to critically analyse the song, I will be using the Marxist Theory. The title of the song,
Tatsulok (Triangle), is quite symbolic. It describes the social class in our society wherein only a
few belongs in the top. It is the socio-political pyramid, organized by the overhaul forces of the
decadent system that is subservient to the foreign interest and the ruling elite. Most Filipinos can
be associated to be included in the bottom of the tatsulok. It’s basically a revolutionary song against
the triangular social structure in the country. Many are poor, few belong to the middle class, and
only a handful are rich people on top who basically control major political and social institutions
in the country. They are raising their voices to raise the awareness about classicism being the
reason for chaos. Specifically how justice is only for the rich according to the lyrics. That, the true
opponents of our country is not other countries who are far more developed than ours, but
ourselves. We are the reason that the country is not developing, is because of this classicism. It is
like a disease killing our society.

In this song they are motivating the masses not to be complacent on their place on the society and
complain why they are always oppressed by the much more powerful class, instead they have the
power to turn the triangle around and give a fair justice they deserved. In this dog eat dog society,
the weak shall be perished by the strong. It is true, but it is in ourselves if we will continue living
in this type of society.

Like what they are saying in the song, this chaos is caused by the triangular structure of the society.
And it will not end unless we ourselves, do something about it.

According to the Philippine Music Registry, the song was originally written by Rom Dongeto in 1989 and
was included in the album Karapatang Pantao, an anthology of songs by various artists. In 1991,
“Tatsulok” became the carrier song of Buklod’s second album. Eventually, it was picked up by Noel
Cabangon again when he transitioned to a solo career, and afterwards was picked up by Bamboo, giving
it a new lease on life in 2007, as part of the album We Stand Alone Together.

However, the song doesn’t point fingers at any one person. Instead, it points at the people who
are holding all the power, and are ultimately refusing to distribute it to the powerless, being
content to just hold on to it for their own selfish desires. The song wants to illicit anger and
revulsion, hoping to incite a revolution, and it’s one of those songs that truly show the plight of
the poor.

At the end of it all, the song doesn’t attempt to take sides; in fact, it encourages you to do the
opposite: instead of bothering with distinctions in allegiances, get to the root of the problem—the
numerous power-hungry individuals trying to seize and stay in power, no matter what.

The song invokes in us anger, seeing as how the wealthy are the only ones capable of “affording”
justice, while the rest of the country is abused by the rich and powerful.

BUKLOD (Bukluran ng mga Musikero para sa Bayan)

The band was born in the 1980s at the height of the anti-Marcos struggle. Members Noel
Cabangon, Rom Dongeto, and Rene Boncocan each had their own musical endeavors, but they
banded together to form Buklod, which stands for Bukluran ng Musikero para sa Bayan.

Together with other cultural workers, they raised their voices against the Ferdinand Marcos’
government. They continued to sing about the social problems that persisted in the wake of
Marcos’ removal, with songs that centerd on the lives, struggles, and aspirations of Filipino
peasants.

They released their first album, Bukid at Buhay, in 1988, before Boncocan left the group. The
remaining members then released their second album, Tatsulok, in 1991, whose carrier single
gained popularity in the 2000s due to a cover by pop rock band Bamboo.

Buklod is a duo band made up of Noel Cangangon and Rom Dongeto, who writes and sings about
environmental and political songs. They write and composed their own songs.
Noel Cabangon is the singer in the duo.
The lyrics of this song were written back in the late 1980's by Rom Dongeto, a member
of a local folk-rock group named "Buklod". The song was then popularized by "Bamboo"
a well-known local rock band from the Philippines.

Rom Dongeto used a clever approach in composing the lyrics to this song. The
lyrics actually symbolize and talk about the state of the Philippines during the time of the
Aquino government. Dongeto specifically used the name "Totoy" in the lyrics, which is a
common name used among locals in the Philippines. Dongeto used "Totoy" to represent
the ordinary masses in the country. This can be considered as a technique to attract the
attention of people, especially Filipinos. Another creative technique used to attract my
attention was the genre of the song. The rock genre of the song appeals to both young
adults and adults because of its modern take.

The message of the song focuses on the state of the Philippine society. The word
"tatsulok" refers to the triangle of the three social classes. At the base of the triangle are
the majority of the Filipino citizens. These Filipino citizens are those who are in a state
of poverty. Situated at the peak of the triangle, which has the smallest part of the shape,
are the wealthy Filipino citizens, while in the middle part of the triangle are the middle
class citizens. This triangle shows the inequality in the Philippine society. This message
serves as an eye-opener not only to me, but to Filipinos everywhere. It aims to wake up
the Filipinos and instill in their hearts the love for the country which our past heroes
fought hard for.

The message of "Tatsulok" tells people to start acting and involving themselves
with the political issues of the Philippines. The message suggests that the state of the
Philippines will remain stagnant and will not change unless the Filipinos initiate a
change by starting with themselves.

Originally, the song Tatsulok was part of Buklod’s second album of the same title. The song
deals with militarization in the countryside, and the root of the armed conflict in the country. It
was released at the time of the Total War policy of then president Corazon Aquino. The Total
War policy then, as is with the “all-out war” policy of current president Arroyo, intended to
crush the insurgency. But instead of defeating the armed revolutionary movement in the
countryside, the militarization campaign’s first casualties were civilians.

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

At the time of the song, memories of anti-communist vigilante groups were still fresh in the
minds of the people, especially with the rise of such infamous groups as the Alsa Masa and other
“death squads” tolerated by the Aquino administration and the militarists in the regime.
Totoy makinig ka, wag kang magpa-gabi
Baka mapagkamalan ka’t humandusay dyan sa tabi
Totoy alam mo ba kung ano ang puno’t dulo
Ng di matapos-tapos na kaguluhang ito
Quite interestingly, the same incidents of death squads have come to the fore again with the rise
of extrajudicial killings under the Arroyo regime. Those killed have been conveniently called
“NPA supporters”.

Hindi pula’t dilaw tunay na magkalaban

Ang kulay at tatak ay di syang dahilan
Hangga’t marami ang lugmok sa kahirapan
At ang hustisya ay para lang sa mayaman[Chorus]
Habang may tatsulok at sila ang nasa tuktok
Di matatapos itong guloLumilikas ang hininga ng kayraming mga tao

At ang dating munting bukid, ngayo’y sementeryo

Totoy kumilos ka, baliktarin ang tatsulok
Katulad mong mga dukha, ilagay mo sa tuktok

In the end, the song tells us that the armed conflict is not just about fighting between the NPA
and the Aquino regime at that time (pula’t dilaw). The root causes of the fighting are poverty, the
social pyramid.
The song is tight, lyrically and musically. Hands down, it is one of the best songs by Buklod
(even better than the other popular Buklod song used in a McDonald’s commercial).

The remake is long overdue. The airplay is much deserved. The timeliness is beyond question.

I only hope that the impact transcends the traditional rock song airplay-sales-awards cycle. I do
hope the song raises questions about how things are being run in the country today. Tatsulok
does not mince words in describing society and the justice system. It is straightforward in
“sticking it to the Man”.

Bamboo does an excellent job in covering the song, though I personally feel that the intro
sounded too much like the intro of Hallelujah. One misses the original Buklod strumming and
flute background. The vocals are great and invoke strong emotions and are almost like the
subdued anger of the original Buklod. The percussions seem to be holding back, unlike the guitar
riffs which are let loose, almost like in a fit of rage.

The remake of Tatsulok raises the bar in socio-political songwriting and performances for this
generation’s rockers. A trail has been blazed anew for the current crop of bands and singers. This
is no longer uncharted territory for mainstream acts.