Kanta ng ‘70s band, iniba pati lyrics… “BONGGA KA ‘DAY” NI ATASHA, TINAWAG NA “BOBO KA, ‘DAY” NG UTOL NINA DENNIS AT RENE NG HOTDOG

ni Julie Bonifacio @Winner | September 30, 2026

Photo: Atasha Muhlach as Annie Batungbakal - IG

Umalma ang kapatid ng dalawang pioneers ng sikat na banda noong mid-‘70s na Hotdog na sina Dennis at Rene Garcia, sa paggamit ng mga awitin ng grupo sa musical play ni Atasha Muhlach.

Hindi raw mapapatawad ng kanilang kapatid na si Greg Garcia ang ginawang pagbabago sa mga sikat na awitin ng Hotdog. Iniba raw kasi ang lyrics at may mga pagkakataon pa na iniba ang melody ng mga kanta sa musical play ni Atasha Muhlach.

Sa kanyang Facebook (FB) page ay isiniwalat ni Greg ang kanyang saloobin sa changes na ginawa sa mga awitin ng Hotdog sa musical play ni Atasha.

Paglalahad ni Greg, “There are many things one can debate about Bongga Ka ‘Day! as a stage production. But there is one thing I find very difficult to forgive.

“They changed the songs. Not simply the arrangements. Not the orchestration. Not the staging around them. They changed lyrics. And, in places, they even changed melody. I find that astonishing.

“These are not anonymous folk songs that have drifted through generations waiting for somebody to improve them.

“These songs were written by a composer and a lyricist. Every word was chosen. Every melodic turn was written.

“And over nearly half a century, Filipinos made those songs their own precisely in that form. You can reinterpret a classic. You can rearrange it. Slow it down. Speed it up. Put it in another musical setting. Give it to another voice, another generation, another character.

“But there is a line between interpretation and alteration. When you start rewriting the lyrics and changing the melody, you have crossed that line.”

Ikinumpara pa ito ni Greg sa Broadway at West End kung saan inirerespeto ang paggamit ng mga kanta sa theater plays ng mga awiting gawa ng composers.

“Directors do not simply decide that a lyric would work better another way or that a melody needs improving. Major theatrical licensing practice explicitly requires permission before changing the music or lyrics of a copyrighted work. And there is a reason for that. The song belongs to its author before it belongs to the production,” pahayag ni Greg.

Sey pa niya, “What bothers me most is the presumption behind the changes.

“Imagine staging Sondheim and deciding that one of his lyrics could use a little improvement.

“Imagine doing Rodgers and Hammerstein and thinking a melodic phrase would work better if you rewrote it. Imagine telling (John) Lennon and (Paul) McCartney: wonderful song, but we changed a few notes.

“The arrogance would be breathtaking. Why should Filipino composers deserve any less respect?

“Hotdog did not merely provide a convenient catalogue of catchy songs around which someone could build a musical.

“My brothers, Dennis and Rene Garcia helped create something that did not exist before them.

“They helped define what came to be called Manila Sound. Those songs are part of our popular culture because the words, melodies, attitude and Filipino-ness of those records became inseparable.

“So by all means, build a new story around them. Be daring with the staging. Reimagine the world around the music.

“But have the humility to know what is yours to reinvent and what is not. A director owns the production. The writers own the songs.

“And if you believe a classic song has to be rewritten in order for your story to work, perhaps the problem is not the classic song.

“Perhaps, the problem is your story. Bobo ka, ‘Day.”

Gets ng mga netizens ang tinutumbok ng kapatid ng Hotdog band. Komento nila…

“Mismo!”

“Boba! Boba! True, Tito Greg.”

“Bastardized to the core.”

“Mortal sin (angry emoji).”

Well, ano kaya ang masasabi ng kampo ni Atasha Muhlach tungkol sa isyung ito?