Kuwentong Peyups
Atty. Dennis Gorecho
Corruption in their hearts
“Greed is in their hearts” are words that transformed the classic Jose Mari Chan’s yuletide song “Christmas in our hearts” into an anti-corruption piece by the University of the Philippine Symphony Orchestra (UPSO).
UPSO, along with UPSO Symphonic Chorus and the UP College of Music Chorus Class serenaded the UP community last December 12, 2025 at the University Theater. The yearly event started in 2018.
The revised lyrics made the song more relevant to this year’s Christmas season.
“Whenever I see boys and girls, Lumulusong dun sa streets. I remember the bags Ng mga nepo babie.
Whenever there’s baha na. Lumulutang na Lulubog ang Christmas ‘coz greed is in their hearts
Let’s swim, Merry Christmas. Nothing beats this holiday. Mag-noche Buena dun sa bubong. Baha is all around us.
Budget sa flood control for a bright tomorrow, Inubos, nilimas, Ninakaw na. Oh gaaad!
Habang ang mga kurakot lumulusong dun sa snow. The cold will never bother them ..‘coz greed is in their hearts!”
Videos on the UPSO performance became viral that elicited varied reactions.
The group also performed the “Ikulong na yan, Mga Kurakot” chant to the tune of the UP cheer with the following words: “Ikulong na yan, mga kurakot; ikulong na yan, mga kurakot; ikulong na yan, mga kurakot; magnanakaw, mga pahirap; tanggalin sa kanilang pwesto!; hindi kami magpapagapi, ganiyan kaming mga pilipino!” This chant was adopted in UAAP basketball games and even in rallies.
The Philippines is a typhoon-prone country, with approximately twenty tropical cyclones entering its area of responsibility per year.
Social media is swamped with photos and videos of the impact of these weather disturbances: residents trapped on their roofs as floodwaters quickly rose, streets turn into rivers, cars sink under floodwater, landslides, homes and roads destroyed across the country’s most populous island along with displacement, injuries and death. Fierce wind and rain flood leave enormous piles of debris – including felled trees, furnitures and entire metal roofs.
The flood control issue was fueled by widespread corruption, climate change (more intense storms), and poor urban planning (deforestation, bad drainage), leading to devastating floods despite huge government spending.
Recent scandals revolve around the diversion of billions of public funds that involve “ghost” projects, padded contracts, kickbacks, and substandard work, sparking national outrage, protests and calls for accountability against a network of favored contractors as well as implicated politicians and officials. The issue highlights a systemic failure where corrupt practices, rather than effective infrastructure, worsen natural disasters, making communities more vulnerable.
“The University views with the gravest concern the deep-seated and massive corruption plaguing the flood control projects in our country. We cannot stay neutral,” UP President Angelo Jimenez said in a statement.
“We support and encourage the expression of general outrage of our citizens, in accordance with the constitutionally guaranteed rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” the university president added.
“Beyond raging against corruption we must also harness our education and training to provide solutions to the real problems of our people,” he added.
Under the baton of its musical director, Professor Emeritus Josefino Chino Toledo, UPSO performed a solemn yet jubilant retelling of the Nativity story via excerpts from a masterpiece that has moved listeners across generations.
One of the highlight of the concert is the segment on George Frideric Handel’s timeless oratorio “Messiah” known for its iconic Hallelujah chorus that pairs devotional text with soaring Baroque composition.
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by Handel. The text was compiled from the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter by Charles Jennens. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742 and received its London premiere a year later
UPSO was established on August 30, 2018 that consists of members exclusively from the UP community: alumni, students, faculty members and staff.
The Orchestra functions as a training ground for both composers and musicians, and as representative of not only the University but also of the country in the worldwide stage
Calamities are not just natural and climate change phenomena, but moral indictments of state failure.
Here is the youtube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcBox9yOB3s
(Peyups is the moniker of the University of the Philippines. Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the Seafarers’ Division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan Law Offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 0908866578)
