Encrypted Children's Song Actually A Story of the Philippine History

"Saranggola ni Pepe" (English: Pepe's kite) is a famous children's song in the Philippines sung by Celeste Legaspi. What, at least for me, remained unclear for a long time - considering my Tagalog skills being in need of improvement - is that this song was made to comment on the political situation in the Philippines in the 1970s, when President Ferdinand Marcos imposed Martial Law in order to purge the nation from civil disobedience. 

Here, Legaspi speaks of the creation of the song, which many believe to be merely for children, but in fact it is a cryptic song full of metaphores. Watch the video and listen to this great live performance with its significant ukulele tune:

This is a brief summary of the Philippines during Marcos's Martial Law by philippine-history.org:

"Proclamation of Martial Law: On September 21, 1972, President Ferdinand E. Marcos placed the Philippines under Martial Law. The declaration issued under Proclamation 1081 suspended the civil rights and imposed military authority in the country. Marcos defended the declaration stressing the need for extra powers to quell the rising wave of violence allegedly caused by communists. The emergency rule was also intended to eradicate the roots of rebellion and promote a rapid trend for national development. The autocrat assured the country of the legality of Martial Law emphasizing the need for control over civil disobedience that displays lawlessness. Marcos explained citing the provisions from the Philippine Constitution that Martial Law is a strategic approach to legally defend the Constitution and protect the welfare of the Filipino people from the dangerous threats posed by Muslim rebel groups and Christian vigilantes that places national security at risk during the time. Marcos explained that martial law was not a military takeover but was then the only option to resolve the country’s dilemma on rebellion that stages national chaos threatening the peace and order of the country. The emergency rule, according to Marcos’s plan, was to lead the country into what he calls a 'New Society'" (philippine-history.org).

Update:
This song is more than merely an allusion to the Marcos adminsitration, but overall a critical depiction of  Filipino history. This is an interesting interpretation of the song found on Blogger: Click here.