Pasko sa Binilanggo
It’s now only seven days before Christmas. Everyone is off and ready for parties, reunions, exchange gifts, and assorted happy whatsoever. After all, Christmas is “the most wonderul time of the year” and everyone is supposed to be happy. Christmas time as a joyous and festive occasion comes to be accepted as a universal norm. And becuse of this state of mind, the joyful atmosphere of Christmas also serves as the most perfect backdrop for irony. In the midst of the season of plenty and celebration there are poor souls suffering from tragedies, despondent and languishing in silent misery. A lot of stories and songs have been made in this context, like the old classic movie, All Mine to Give, and the Band Aid song, Do They Know its Christmas.
There is one song that struck me deeply with this same thought. It is a Cebuano song I heard sung regularly by the istambays in our place in Iligan City during drinking sessions a long Christmastime ago. It is said that the song was composed by a prisoner whose name remain in legendary anonymity. Incarcerated away from his family and friends, he sadly wished them merry Christmas. The lyrics of the song depicts injustice, imparts a feeling of intense unhappiness and its melody is tuned almost like a melancholic lullaby. The song is aptly titled, Pasko sa Binilanggo (A Prisoner’s Christmas).
| Pasko sa Binilanggo
Sa gikauban ko pa Nabilanggo ako Korus: Meri Krismas na lang Meri Krismas na lang |
A Prisoner’s Christmas
When I was still I was jailed for a petty reason Chorus: Merry Christmas is all I can wish Merry Christmas is all I can wish |
This song strikes me not just because of its general emotional appeal. My heart hangs heavy with the thoughts of the thousands of Children languishing in our prisons today. According to the Coalition to Stop Child Detention Through Restorative Justice, in their petition to the United Nations, the number of small children as young as 8 years old in the Philippines who become victims of sodomy, rape and abuse for being imprisoned with hardened adult criminals has risen from 20,000 in 2003 to a soaring 52,000 in 2004.
On Christmas eve, imagine what happens to these Children in the midst of adult criminals and rapists celebrating Christmas inside their cramped, dark and cold prison cells.
hi kua.. tagae kug MP3 format ana na song beehh.. ganahan man gud kaau ku ana unya wa koi copy buhh.. every christmas lang sad nako na madunggan,, maau ng maminaw ta ana everyday of our life di lang kai xmas diba? heheh,, amping mung tnan,, hapit ang pasko..
mery xmas!! god bless sa inyu tnan mga igsuon!!
Hi,
My brother is in the prison right now in Cebu, he is 17 I felt so sorry for him. He was influenced by his friends to use drugs and now he can’t stop. Why our society, espescially where I came from, is in drugs not all but the victims are the youth. I wish someday there is a stop of this sickness that the human made it. Taga kanta nako aning kantaha nga binilanggo dili nako kapugngan ang akong mga luha nga motulo. It’s pretty sad. I was there, in Phils. and I visit him inside the big house. I felt so sorry for him that he has to sleep by the place where they cook their rice. There are too many of them and there’s not much space, in a place looks like a tent, inside the building. I wish this Christmas the folks inside the big house have good health.
hi pips…. naa mo chords sa pasko sa binilanggo? pls email me at bluejay_817@yahoo.com. thanx
merry christmas to all
Mga people favorite baya na sa ako mga klasm8′s knang pasko sa binilanggo..naa mo guitar chords ana???
ahm,…mangayo unta ko…pwede pud inyo na e-mail or pki-send lang sa ako profile..sa ttisi_info@yahoo.com..friends tah ninyo!!friendly btaw ko!!..hehehehhehe
amvot lng ala jud ko kta sa mga chords…..kpoy
tbang mo guys veh,,,,gae ko chords nga binilanggo
huhuhu… naara man diay ka dria… almost 5 yrs k nku gipangita nga kanta… its too late na, peru ukie lang atleast nita rjud k nku. huhuhu.. mkalibang man sab ta og thumbstack ani nga song oi…
sir f naa k time, e send pod s akoa ha.. tnx ‘n advance… advance meri xmas..
wii1206@yahoo.com
Wow very, very nice translation!
sinong composer nang kantang ito? at anong year lumabas ang kanyang ito.
naa na cya sa youtube bai, “pasko sa usa ka binilanggo” paminawa lng nya nnyu ang kanta.. :]
kinsa tong gusto aning kantaha email lang (bongcaps_8570@yahoo.com
naay akong mp3 ani free of charge kay pasko man ako nalang pinaskuhan ninyo mga higala. (bongcaps_8570@yahoo.com)
love kau ni nko nga song ia kay kahinumdom ko sa ako lolo ………now wla na cia sa world miz na kaau nko cia (sunod adto )intawn kahilakon ko/////(senti)
Brod,
Kinsa may nahibalo sa guitar cords sa Kanta. Please email it to remrimsgems@yahoo.com
Daghang salamat
Merry Christmas na lang