‘Me Pulis sa ilalim ng tulay ‘ in times of EJK

When things are difficult, you laugh and you sing.

Those are coping mechanisms that Filipinos have developed into art.

There’s a song going around social media that is so much fun. It’s a new version of an old game song “May Pulis sa Ilalim ng Tulay.”

The song is usually sang in a party where each one adds a line to the original sentence about a policeman under the bridge. Often, as each one adds a sentence depending on his or her views and wit, the song becomes a sharp commentary.

Like this version we found in our email yesterday:

Me Pulis, Me Pulis sa ilalim ng tulay/Pag alis ng pulis, meron ng isang bangkay /Me Pulis Me pulis, Me pulis, Me pulis /Me pulis at bangkay sa ilalim ng tulay/

May utos sa pulis pumatay nang pumatay/ Maraming mahihirap ang naging bangkay/ May utos sa pulis, sinunod ng pulis/Ang bangkay iniwan sa ilalim ng tulay/

May bangkay may pulis sa ilalim ng tulay/May bangkay may pulis sa ilalim ng tulay/Nilagyan nilagyan nilagyan ng pulis /Ang kamay at bulsa ng bangkay /Ng sachet at baril sa ilalim ng tulay.

Nanlaban ang bangkay sa pulis na naglagay ng sachet at baril sa ilalim ng tulay/Minulto, minulto, minulto, minulto ang pulis ng bangkay sa ilalim ng tulay!

Sa takot, sinumbong ng pulis ang nag-utos na pumatay / Sa takot, sinumbong ng pulis ang nag-utos na pumatay / Ito raw, dating meyor ng Dabaw / Ito raw, dating meyor ng Dabaw / Sinumbong, sinumbong ang kilalang Tatay D / Na ngayo’y walang iba kundi si Katay Digunggong.

Tinanong ang Digunggong kung anong tunay na pakay / Tinanong ang Digunggong kung anong tunay na pakay / Bukod daw sa to lie and to lie and to lie / Ay to kill and to kill and to kill sa ilalim ng tulay / O kumitil at kumitil at kumitil ng buhay sa ilalim o ibabaw at paligid ng tulay.

My favorite part is about a corpse fighting back at the policemen (Nanlaban ang bangkay sa pulis na naglagay ng sachet at baril sa ilalim ng tulay) apparently a shot at the reprehensible claim of policemen of handcuffed victims shooting at them to justify extra judicial killings and also of planting evidence.

Darkness looms with the threat of President Duterte to declare martial law amidst escalating protests over indiscriminate killings in connection with his campaign against illegal drugs and attempts to undermine democratic institution and process like reducing the budget for the Commission on Human Rights to P1,000 and postponement of barangay elections.

Let us sing, “Me pulis, me pulis sa ilalim ng tulay…”