Name: _______________________ Grade&Section: ________

Critique Paper about the song Tatsulok by Bamboo

Tatsulok is a Filipino song originally sung by an activist folk-group in the Philippines,
however the song was made popular by Bamboo. The song describes the social class order in our
society wherein few people belong to the top. Using the people’s social status or class starting
point, it also discusses the current state of the Philippines. The goal of the song is to inform the
Philippine government of how the population feels about the country's elites' harsh treatment, as
can be inferred from simply listening to the song in its entirety.

It is basically a revolutionary song against the social structure of our country. Many are
poor, few are in the middle class and only few rich people on top who can access and afford to
have a power and control major political and social institutions in our country. The song also
illustrates how few people who suffered abuse and maltreatment under Martial Law were given
justice. It demonstrates that if you are a "Totoy," or powerless commoner, you may be executed
without cause or due process. These exact events continue to occur now. The powerful one’s take
advantage of the weak and do little to stop the suppressors.

It is undeniable that many current hit songs, particularly OPM songs composed by Gloc-9,
Bamboo, Parokya ni Edgar, reflect social reality and national patriotism. Given that the community
has access to these songs, it is not surprising that even members of the lower socioeconomic
classes are inspired to compose their own makabayan songs. People were motivated to start their
own revolutions by these songs by renowned musicians. The true opponent of our country is not
the other countries who are more developed than our own, but it is us who are the true opponent
this country. Despite the reality being portrayed as something else, these songs opened my eyes
to it.

Bamboo said in the song "Habang may tatsulok at sila ang nasa tuktok, Hindi matatapos
itong gulo,” this basically indicates that if the ruling elites remain in place, the ongoing issues will
persist until the status quo changes. Until know the society is clamouring for change, for equality
and for the socio-political pyramid to be inverted or better yet abolished. To analyze this song, I
use the Marxist theory. It is about the Marxist point of view, which holds that achieving equality
requires ending capitalism.
Name: ______________________ Grade&Section: _____________

Critique Paper about the song Tatsulok by Bamboo

It is all about the socioeconomic

class in our society in which just a
few people are at the
top. It’s the socio-political pyramid,
which is organized by the decrepit
system’s reform forces of
corrupt governing elite and
oligarchs. The majority of Filipinos
are thought to be part of the
tatsulok’s lowest tier. Meaning,
many people are poor, some are
middle-class, and only a few are
wealthy individuals who effectively
dominate the country’s key political
and social institutions.
Where, they wield all of the
power and in the end, refuse to
share it with the powerless,
preferring to keep it for their own
selfish interests.
It is all about the socioeconomic
class in our society in which just a
few people are at the
top. It’s the socio-political pyramid,
which is organized by the decrepit
system’s reform forces of
corrupt governing elite and
oligarchs. The majority of Filipinos
are thought to be part of the
tatsulok’s lowest tier. Meaning,
many people are poor, some are
middle-class, and only a few are
wealthy individuals who effectively
dominate the country’s key political
and social institutions.
Where, they wield all of the
power and in the end, refuse to
share it with the powerless,
preferring to keep it for their own
selfish interests.
This wonderful song can be critically analyzed using Marxist theory. The song's title,
Tatsulok (Triangle), is also quite symbolic. It talks about the socioeconomic class in our society
where only a select few are considered to be at the top. The majority of Filipinos can be thought of
as belonging to the triangle's base. It is essentially a revolutionary song against the nation's
triangle social system. There are many poor people, few middle-class individuals, and just a small
number of wealthy people at the top, who essentially control the major political and social
institutions of the society. They are singing about how classism is to blame for the disorder.
Specifically, the lyrics speak about how justice primarily benefits the wealthy. That is who our real
opponents are.

Certainly, a lot of today's top songs, especially OPM songs by Gloc-9, Bamboo, and
Parokya ni Edgar, represent social realities and patriotic sentiment. It is not unexpected that even
people from lower socioeconomic groups are motivated to write their own makabayan songs given
that the community has access to these songs. These songs by famous singers inspired others to
start their own revolutions. The other nations that are more developed than our own are not our
country's genuine adversaries; rather, we are the ones who truly oppose this nation. These songs
made me more aware of reality, despite how it is often presented.

No specific person is pointed out in the song. Instead, it criticizes those in positions of
authority who, in the end, choose to retain that power for their own selfish ends rather than share it
with the weak. It's one of those songs that genuinely depicts the situation of the underprivileged
and aims to elicit anger and revulsion in order to spark a revolution.The song ultimately avoids
taking sides in favor of urging you to focus on the countless power-hungry individuals who are
actively attempting to gain and maintain their positions of authority, rather than worrying about
differences in allegiance.