Jim Paredes on singing anthems vs. Marcos: ‘You could get killed’

Filipino musician Jim Paredes is one of the artists behind the moving post-EDSA anthem "Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo" and its music video that filled the airwaves and TV screens shortly after People Power forced Ferdinand Marcos out of power 30 years ago on Thursday.

However, before anti-Marcos celebrities basked in the victory of the EDSA Revolution in song and on the air, Paredes and the two other members of the APO Hiking Society—Danny Javier and Buboy Garovillo—challenged the dictator with performances that could literally get them killed.

“The greatest challenge was really to conquer your fear. Nakakatakot talaga. When you left the house, you really consider the possibility na puwede kang mamatay,” Paredes said in an interview with GMA News Online.

The APO did many concerts all over the Philippines prior to the EDSA Revolution, proudly opposing the dictatorship under then-President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

“Sometimes we wondered if we were exposing ourselves to big trouble. But it was almost a sin not to do it. Many artists expressed themselves freely regardless of the danger. As the audience egged us on, we reciprocated by becoming bolder and bolder,” Paredes said in an online piece on Rogue.ph.

Paredes said joining the People Power Revolution in February 22 to 25, 1986 was no-brainer. He said it was a mission that needed to be accomplished, a duty that needed to be served.

From the fateful day of August 21, 1983, after hearing about the assassination of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr. upon arrival in the Manila International Airport, Paredes was ready to fight for the freedom of the Philippines.

“Mula noong 1983, nang pinatay si Ninoy, meydo on-call na ako. I really felt na when the time comes na may magagawa tayo, dapat may gawin tayo. So, since 1983, I think we were ready. We were in EDSA, we did concerts," said the writer, educator, and activist said.

“We did it because Cory was cheated. We went there not for Ramos or Enrile. We went there for Cory,” he added.

For him, it was a highlight of being a Filipino. The revolution, together with APO's songs, was his expression of love for his motherland.

“I have a lot of memories about it, pero kung isa-summarize ko sa feeling, it was a time when you really proved your love for your country. It was a definitive time to be a Filipino," Paredes said. -NB, GMA News