'Christmas in Our Hearts' parody hits corruption, flood control mess

The audience initially roared with laughter at every funny line when the UP Symphony Orchestra performed an anti-corruption parody of Jose Mari Chan’s “Christmas in Our Hearts” – but then listened intently to the scathing meaning of the lyrics about the flood control controversy.

According to Mark Salazar’s report on “24 Oras” on Wednesday, the popular and nostalgic tune about Christmas was performed with political lyrics about the scandal.

“Whenever I see girls and boys lumulusong dun sa street, I remember the bags ng mga nepo babies,” the parody version began, drawing laughter from the audience.

(Whenever I see girls and boys wading through the street, I remember the bags of the nepo babies.)

“Whenever there’s baha na, lumulutang na their cars, lulubog... Ang Christmas, coz greed is in their hearts.”

(Whenever there’s flood and their cars are floating or under water, Christmas, because greed is in their hearts.)

“Budget sa flood control, for a bright tomorrow… Inubos, nilimas, ninakaw na, ohh gaaad.”

(Budget for flood control, for a bright tomorrow… Wiped out, emptied, stolen, oh god.)

Then came the familiar chorus but with the stinging lyrics.

“Let’s swim, Merry Christmas, nothing beats this holiday. Mag-Noche Buena dun sa bubong, baha is all around us. Habang ang mga kurakot, lumulusong dun sa snow, the cold will never bother them, coz greed is in their hearts.”

“Let’s swim, Merry Christmas, nothing beats this holiday. Have Noche Buena on the roof, flood is all around us. While the corrupt wade through the snow, the cold will never bother them, because greed is in their hearts.)

Augie Rivera, who wrote the new lyrics to the familiar tune, said the parody of the Christmas song evoked a wide range of emotions from the audience – like amusement, sadness, and anger.

“Maganda siyang encouragement para pag-usapan ang iba’t ibang isyu. Ang intensyon ko, ‘wag makalimutan ang isyu,” Rivera said.

(It’s an encouragement to talk about different issues. My intention is for the audience to not forget this issue.)

According to sociologist Dr. Gerald Abergos, a parody is a song or line from a movie whose original words are replaced, yet it remains familiar to the audience.

“[It’s] funny, mischievous, sometimes biting, and allows people to express feelings in a relatable way,” Abergos said.

A veteran writer for Batibot, a popular children’s educational show in the early 1990s, Rivera said he just thought of writing the lyrics and posted it online in September. A friend referred him to conductor Dr. Chino Toledo.

“Kung writer ka, dapat mulat ka sa nangyayari sa lipunan. Gusto mong i-express tungkol doon, so ginagawa ko through funny parody,” he said.

(If you’re a writer, you should be aware of what’s happening in society. You want to express your thoughts about it, so I do it through funny parodies.)

He also wrote a parody version of the Christmas song, “Kay Sigla ng Gabi” after the Department of Trade and Industry claimed that P500 is enough for a Filipino family’s Noche Buena.

“Kay sagwa ng gabi, ang lahat nadismaya. Mayroon nagsabi, budget sa Noche Buena.”
“500 pesos lang, may ispaghetti na.”
“May hamon, may salad, may hangin na sahog pa.”

(The night is awful, everyone is dismayed. Someone said, the budget for Noche Buena is P500, with spaghetti too. There’s ham, there’s salad, with air as ingredient.)

Abergos pointed out that people are amused by parodies because it is a way to express themselves.

“It does not mean na magaan ‘yung pagkakatanggap, ‘yung mensahe ay hindi na mabigat (It doesn’t mean the song is received well, its message is not grave). It just means that Filipinos are still aware of what is happening right now,” Abergos said. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/JMA, GMA Integrated News