HANDA… AWIT… LINDOL!: SINGING OUR WAY TO SAFETY

handa awit lindol“Ligtas ang may alam” is a popular statement on disaster preparedness. It is a statement that simplifies the famous line “Kung walang knowledge, walang power” by Ernesto “Ka Ernie” Baron, a well-known weatherman of ABS-CBN. Indeed, learning more about disasters can save us and there is no better way to do it than through music.

Last July 13, the album Handa… Awit… Lindol! was launched at the PHIVOLCS Auditorium. It was a project headed by Prof. Glecy Atienza of the Department of Filipino and Philippine Literature at University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman College of Arts and Letters and was produced under the funding of UP Diliman Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Development (OVCRD). The tracks in it were composed by members of the organization known as “Guro sa Sining ng Bayan”. Its goal is simple, that is to help educate the listeners about disaster preparedness through singing. With a mixture of R&B, ballad, and rock rhythms, you will surely love listening to its songs over and over again while learning.

If you want to know what to do during earthquake, you can listen to the songs “May Plano Ba Tayo”, “Don’t Panic”, “Dapa, Tago, Kapit”, “Lindolski” and “Lumikas Tungo sa Kaligtasan”. The songs “Natural ang Lindol” and “Kahit ang Mundo’y Yanigin” are songs that explains the nature of earthquake. “Pacific Ring of Fire” is about our country being inside the Pacific Ring of Fire. If you don’t understand the different earthquake intensities posted by PHIVOLCS, the song “Intensity” is just right for you. With the right melody, you can imagine what tsunami is and what you should do when it happens through the song “tsunami”. One of the things that should be done in preparing for any disaster is to have a survival kit. If you are not sure of the things to place in your survival kit, you can listen to the song “Ang Cute Na Kit Ni Buboy” as it gives you the list in a fun and upbeat music. Ever wonder why whistle is very important in times of disasters? “Pito ng Kaligtasan” gives you the answer as it enumerates when you can use the whistles. The last track in the album is “Practice Tayo” which emphasizes the importance of the conduct of drill in disaster preparedness.  These are the thirteen songs in the album and I know that you will be amazed as you listen, learn, and sing your way to safety.

You can get a copy of the songs in the website https://soundcloud.com/up-diliman-ovcrd/sets/handa-awit-lindol. As stated in the UP Diliman’s website, you can share and download this album for free in accordance with Fair Use of Copyright. So, what are you waiting for? Share and download now these songs because you’ll never know whose lives you will be able to save through music.

By: Jimdandy S. Lucine
      Project Development Officer I (DRRM)