*Dr. Rodolfo John Ortiz Teope, PhD, EdD
I was watching a DZMM radio interview on YouTube featuring Hi Jakkk formerly of Death Threat, better known as Teflon Don, as he talked about the song “Gusto Kong Bumaet Pero Di Ko Magawa, wherein his version was so deep moving when I heard him sang it wayback 2013 in the TV show Tsismaxx at GNN.” What struck me was how a playful, almost comical refrain could cut so deeply into the heart of our reality. It isn’t just music; it’s a mirror held up to our society, reflecting the same excuses, contradictions, and failures that plague our politics and governance today.
“Gusto Kong Bumaet Pero Di Ko Magawa.” That’s not just a lyric—it has become the anthem of our leaders. They promise reforms, they swear loyalty to the people, they speak of honesty and service. Yet when faced with the true test of power, their chorus is always the same: they want to be good, but they just can’t.
Flood control is a perfect example. Billions are poured into projects, blueprints are displayed, ribbon-cuttings are televised. But when the rains come, the poor are still submerged in filthy waters, their lives washed away by corruption disguised as public works. The intention sounds good, but the delivery is rotten.
Corruption itself is the eternal verse of this sad song. Leaders thunder about transparency and accountability, but backroom deals, kickbacks, and padded contracts remain the norm. Investigations are announced with fanfare, yet cases vanish into silence. They want to be clean, but they can’t—because greed pays better than good governance.
The haunting case of the missing sabungeros tells the same story. Families cry for justice, yet the trail of accountability disappears. Influence and silence cover the truth. The State says it wants justice, but it can’t—or won’t—deliver.
The drug menace remains another damning contradiction. Ordinary pushers are hunted, poor users are jailed or killed, while the real drug lords thrive—even inside prison walls. The war promises salvation, but delivers bloodshed without solutions. The refrain plays once more: “Gusto Kong Bumaet Pero Di Ko Magawa.”
The list goes on. Inflation and poverty crush ordinary Filipinos, while politicians feast at banquets. Rice prices rise while farmers suffer. Education crumbles with overcrowded classrooms and underpaid teachers. Hospitals run out of medicine while officials brag of “universal healthcare.” The West Philippine Sea is patrolled by foreign ships while our fishermen are left unprotected. Each issue is another verse of the same sad melody: leaders want to be good, but they just can’t—or refuse to.
And so, Hi Jakkk’s song interpretation of: “Gusto Kong Bumaet Pero Di Ko Magawa,” born from the streets, now echoes in the halls of power. What was once a humorous confession has become the anthem of a nation trapped in a cycle of betrayal. Our democracy, like the song, is stuck on repeat—comic to outsiders, but tragic to those who must live it.
The challenge now is simple but urgent: will our leaders
finally prove that they can? Or will they keep singing excuses while the people
drown, starve, and suffer? Because until courage and integrity replace
corruption and compromise, our nation will remain trapped in the same chorus:
“Gusto Kong Bumaet Pero Di Ko Magawa.”
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