A highly political song performed by former Eraserheads frontman Ely Buendia initially gained buzz for its message but others were more critical of its background and origin.
The musician on Monday dropped a song titled “Metro” which calls for effective leadership and wise voting.
Without naming names, its lyrics took a hit at incompetent politicians and people who continue to support them despite how current issues are being handled, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the West Philippine Sea.
In the end, Buendia repeated the line “pangulo or panggulo” six times.
“Pangulo” means president while panggulo translates to a nuisance.
It gained support from some Filipinos who lauded the artist for releasing a “timely message” but some remained skeptical about its release.
The music video includes a logo of “We Need a Leader 2022,” a group that aims to “educate people to think when voting for a leader,” according to its website.
A Twitter user asked Filipinos to be “careful” of supporting the initiative and shared a link about former house speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, who was ousted in 2018 and replaced by then-Pampanga representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
“WE NEED A LEADER 2022”
Yan yung banner sa music video ni Ely Buendia ng kanta niyang Metro. Ang ganda ng mensahe kaso, yung “We Need A Leader 2022” ay mukang political campaign din pala ❗️
Ingat sa pag suporta sa #WeNeedALeader2022 https://t.co/EiRD9lmXnz
👀
— Gameboys PJ (@gameboys_pj) March 17, 2021
Another online user described the group as being “led by #DutertePalpak ally who was ousted as House Speaker.”
“Suddenly, he has a change of heart and now believes that #DutertePalpak. I wasn’t born yesterday not to see his real intention. This is all part of a show,” the Twitter user added.
A Twitter user shared an unverified photo of a tarpaulin bearing Alvarez’s name and the same name of the group.
Akala ko pa naman progressive na mag-isip si Ely Buendia for producing the song "Metro". Pero mukhang pang-jingle pala ng isang former PDP-Laban na si Pantaleon Alvarez. We Need A Leader? We need you to sit the fck down. 🙄 pic.twitter.com/cPCNtlIpxm
— Levi-oWsuhckerman 💦 팍 남 진 (@zackharrylevy) March 17, 2021
A look at the former’ House speaker’s official Facebook page reveals that it has shared Buendia’s song which is posted by the Luzon chapter of the group.
The page also shared an opinion column that mentioned Alvarez forming the group with the initiative of “educating voters that the next president must have ‘brains, heart, courage and fortitude.”
Last year, the former house speaker resigned from Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), the ruling political party, and said that he would focus on establishing a “voter’s education campaign”
The solon was also reported to “revive” Reporma, which his camp described as “a non-mainstream Party not affiliated with any personality reportedly seeking the Presidency.”
Reporma or Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma was founded by former defense secretary Renato de Villa in 1998.
Alvarez was ousted as a house speaker months after criticizing the Davao City mayor for forming another political party different from her father’s.
