Critique about the song, “Ang Huling El Bimbo”

The musical's inspiration song, "Ang Huling El Bimbo," has a deep lyrical
tale. The song by the Eraserheads that may be their most famous is about split up
lovers and a brief existence. This tragedy may rank as the most well-known in OPM's
history. More than 20 years after the song's initial release, a musical centered on
memory and grief has been created. This time, the focus is on "Joy," the girl who
resembles Paraluman a lot, and how she ended up in trouble. When a phone call leads
three men to a nearby station, they are jolted out of their convenient, albeit troubled,
existence. How come? On the phone of a lady who was on the drug watch list, missed
calls to the three men were discovered. Hector (Gian Magdangal), Emman (OJ Mariano),
and Anthony, Joy's closest pals, have been trying to get back together for months (Jon
Santos). Because of what happened that terrible night, twenty years ago, Emman, a
government official, Anthony, a secretive family-oriented businessman, and Hector, a
fiery director, all received the same phone call, informing them that a girl they had all
known in college had been killed in a hit-and-run accident. Since then, the three men
have grown up and become more elusive to her. The three unwittingly come back
together when they each unknowingly claim to know her while still going to the police
station. The narrative then flashes back to the three characters' 20-year-old college
years when they were still housemates, classmates, and friends. However, a closer look
at the musical's story shows several layers that need to be explored. Rape and sexual
violence, as well as how male characters respond to such a life-altering tragedy, are the
musical's main themes. As the text goes on, we see how the characters' relationships,
both individually and collectively, change profoundly as a result of the calamity. This is
likely why the musical was faced with such strong criticism. Joy must handle the rape
by herself. Naiwan siya, or, to put it another way, iniwan siya. The story's resolution is
likely the trickiest part. Any possibility of redemption is lost when Joy passes away on
the streets. Males, on the other hand, despite their feelings of regret and discontent, ,
on the other hand, lead successful lives. A friend claims that the three men are shown
as Ligaya, Joy's daughter, in the final scene as "saviors." They help Ligaya do what her
mother was unable to, which is striving for the stars. The marginalization of Joy's
character is an issue in and of itself, but the guys can still "rescue" Joy by saving
Ligaya, whom they most likely see as a second "Joy". Her experience with sexual
assault is just used in the novel for "shock value," according to critics.
Concept about “War on Drugs” here in the Philippines

Since President Rodrigo Duterte declared his "war on drugs" on June 30, 2016, the day
he took office, thousands of people have died in the Philippines. Philippine children's
rights nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) put the total number of child fatalities at
101 from July 2016 through December 2018, both targeted and killed as bystanders.
Among those who died were dozens of children under the age of 18, who were either
specifically targeted or accidentally shot during anti-drug raids, what authorities have
called "collateral damage." In 2019 and 2020, more child fatalities were reported in the
media.

In general, 5,601 people have died as a result of the "drug war," according to official
estimates from the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement
Agency as of 31st January 2020. In almost every instance, the subject resisted arrest
and fought back; as a result, police claimed they killed a drug vendor or user during a
raid. More than 27,000 people, according to the national commission on human rights
and domestic human rights organizations, have allegedly been killed by police, police
officers, or unidentified assailants.

The vast majority of these murders have not undergone thorough investigations. Just
76 deaths, according to the Philippine Department of Justice, have sparked
investigations as of January 2019. Even though, 38 cases were dropped by the
prosecutor, and only 33 led to court cases. Five other cases were still pending with the
prosecutor's office. Currently, there is only one case, the murder of Kian, a 17-year-old
delos Santos in August 2017—an incident that was accidentally caught on camera—led
to a trial and conviction. Human Rights Watch also looked into cases of adult
homicides in which police conducted raids while the family was still at home,
frequently with little to no regard for the security and wellbeing of the kids. Many time
during raids, kids saw their parents being shot or shot while being taken away from
them.

Beyond the obvious violence of the raids, Duterte's anti-drug campaign has negative
effects on kids. Many people experience psychological distress after seeing a loved one
killed. Because they and their families feared for their lives, some kids have been forced
to leave their homes and communities and go into hiding or move.