00:00So we're talking about the 1950s, so a lot of people don't remember or don't have any memory of that.
00:07So what was it about then that you say this song was effective?
00:12Why was it effective?
00:13I mean, now we remember it, but back then, it was effective.
00:17Did it really help Magsaysan win?
00:19Well, I think that it contributed to his landslide.
00:25You can debate whether the song was done or not, he still would have won
00:28because he was very, very popular to begin with.
00:32And Kirino was very unpopular for whatever reason.
00:36But I think it just added this particular song, just added more fuel to the landslide.
00:43It made it bigger because it just got people more excited to be part of the Magsaysan crusade.
00:50That's the goal of lifting up the morale of your supporters.
00:54You need certain props, whether it is music or whatever.
01:01In this particular case, it was this song that really captured Magsaysay and what he was trying to do
01:07and got the young people particularly really, really excited about supporting him
01:12and his message of change.
01:16I think it really, really worked.
01:17In the lyrics, he was referring to election cheating in Lanao.
01:31I guess that occurred during the previous election for President Elfidio Quirino.
01:38Ironically, Magsaysay was the defense secretary under Elfidio Quirino.
01:44That resonated as well because Magsaysay supposedly represented a new kind of politics.
01:51And also your father was a new kind of politics.
01:55So, you really liked that in the lyrics.
01:58Yeah, Lanao was notorious even up to today.
02:05For some reason, election manipulation, with all due respect to my friends,
02:10and I have many friends in Lanao, but in all due respect to them,
02:15it's still considered as, for some reason, an industry there.
02:20Post-election manipulation is considered industry.
02:24But as early as, at that time, as you said, it was already known as a place
02:29where there was a lot of shenanigans going on with elections before and after the counting.
02:36And in a way, your father, as a songwriter and lyricist,
02:40kind of lucked out on Magsaysay, not only as the candidate,
02:44but also because of the name Magsaysay, it rhymed with a lot of words.
02:49Without Magsaysay, democracy will die.
02:52So, talagang nilaro niya, yung pangalang Magsaysay.
02:57So, that was kind of charming.
03:00My dad had a knack for rhyming.
03:03That's his, he was really word smooth.
03:07That was his first talent.
03:09And his putting music is just the coating.
03:13He really likes to write stuff, songs, speeches.
03:18He always wrote his own speeches, wrote his own songs.
03:32But in terms of rhyming nga, Magsaysay, as a name, was a gift.
03:38Yeah.
03:39Made it a lot easier.
03:40And in fact, it was revived later on because of that,
03:43because of those lyrics na democracy.
03:45Yes, timeless, timeless talagang message.
03:48I mean, you take out the references to the early 50s,
03:51the election cheating in Llanos,
03:52even though, you know, sabi mo nga,
03:54mecha timeless nyo, no?
03:55Timeless.
03:55But in terms of democracy,
03:58in 1986, no?
03:59It was revived on Radio Veritas at that time.
04:03So, kailan nalaman ng pamilya mo,
04:05your father in particular,
04:06that it was being revived?
04:08In 1986,
04:09by June Keasley,
04:11Radio Veritas.
04:12Well, we were quite surprised.
04:13We were still in exile in Washington
04:15when we started to receive messages
04:17that during the four-day People Power Revolution
04:23that the kids were singing and humming it in the streets
04:26and it was all over the place.
04:28And I said,
04:28my dad said,
04:30but how did this happen?
04:31And so that's when we said,
04:32ah, you know,
04:33this June Keasley,
04:34Radio Bandido,
04:35he found that record there in the file.
04:38we really felt this is a way to,
04:39you know,
04:40to help lift the morale
04:42of the people that were demonstrating.
04:46And so that's what happened.
04:47So we were very surprised.
04:49You know,
04:50it came by...
04:51It's kind of a stroke of genius
04:53by June Keasley
04:54because she knew a hit
04:56when she heard it.
04:57Yeah, yeah.
04:58And I think the message also,
05:01there are elements in the song
05:03that resonated to what was going on.
05:05That's just take away the magsaysay thing.
05:07But just the whole message was still the same.
05:12Noong dekade 50,
05:13pausbong pa lang ang telebisyon.
05:16Kaya radyo,
05:17ang pangunahing libangan.
05:19Wala ko bang TV?
05:20Oh, of course, no?
05:21GMA was 1961, no?
05:22Napata.
05:23So, yeah, yeah.
05:24Or it was just starting.
05:25It was a very small part of...
05:27I think it was,
05:27but it was not...
05:28Yeah, so hindi pa dominant.
05:29Or even if there was TV,
05:32people didn't have TV sets.
05:33Yeah, radio pa rin, no?
05:34So it was not a radio.
05:36Yeah, yeah.
05:36It was still radio.
05:37So I guess this was a medium
05:40that was really the most popular, no?
05:43Yeah, the radio.
05:44You know, this song could easily be played
05:46on any radio station.
05:48I guess back then,
05:49you also bought spots, no?
05:51Yeah.
05:51To air the jingle
05:53and whatever else message you had.
05:55And then I think they had turntables,
05:57so they had records.
05:59Ah, it was also sold as a record.
06:01Yeah, it was a record.
06:02And I suspect maybe
06:04when they would go to the provinces,
06:06they would have a machine
06:09and they would play it
06:10and put it on bullhorn
06:12so that everyone could hear it.
06:14I speculated that's what
06:16they were doing at that time.
06:17It was like a loudspeaker.
06:18They had a turntable there,
06:21they played the record,
06:22and then...
06:22So it was really one of the first,
06:24I guess,
06:25media-based political campaigns, no?
06:29Kasi may kasabihan, di ba?
06:31Sa Philippine politics,
06:33can you defend it?
06:34In Plaza Miranda.
06:35Yes, yes.
06:36Kadalasan, yung kampanya
06:38was really face-to-face, di ba?
06:39Yes, yes.
06:40You'd address audiences
06:42in like public plazas
06:44and spaces like that.
06:45Very personal.
06:46You'd go around,
06:46oh, very personal.
06:47Pero ito,
06:48Magsaysay did the same.
06:50Yes.
06:50But in addition to that,
06:52they used the new popular media.
06:54Yes, yes, yes.
06:56And it was after that,
06:57it became practically normal.
06:59I think...
07:0057 campaign,
07:02Yulu had a jingle,
07:04can you see that today?
07:04Sunod-sunod na yan.
07:06But this was really the first one.
07:17Looking back now,
07:18so ano yung impact
07:19ng Mambo Magsaysay
07:21para sa'yo?
07:22Well, I think
07:23it's a standard
07:25that's very hard
07:27to duplicate.
07:29Every...
07:31There's been a lot of
07:32jingles over the years,
07:34but I don't think
07:35any jingle
07:37has been able
07:39to duplicate
07:41the...
07:43how effective
07:44this particular
07:45piece was.
07:47both in the message,
07:50both in the fact
07:50that it was an original.
07:52A lot of people
07:52take a song
07:53and they just
07:54change the lyrics.
07:55There are some
07:56originals out there,
07:57but it still
07:58does not
07:58capture
08:00really the feeling
08:02and the message
08:04that this particular song
08:05did.
08:06It was really timeless
08:07in my view.
08:08So up to now,
08:10when people hear it,
08:11it's catchy,
08:12they recognize it,
08:14they love the lyrics.
08:16It was in one package,
08:18it was all there.
08:18So
08:21it was all there.
08:25It was interesting
08:26and
08:27I
08:29thought
08:31that
08:32it was all there.
08:33So
08:33rea
08:33.
08:34was
08:34our
08:44what
08:44would
08:45go
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