Spolarium By The Eraserheads

If you wanna know what this song actually means, I could share it with you.

Professors here in the University of the Philippines know about it and they share it in class whenever the song comes in discussions. It is actually the story of the rape victim Pepsi Paloma who was allegedly raped by Vic Sotto, Joey De Leon, and Richie D’ Horsie.

She was made to drink too much by the three (this is described in the first 3 stanzas of the song) and when she was unconscious, they raped her. Pepsi died when she was about to cry out for justice. There were rumors that Pepsi did not commit suicide but she was killed to stop her from testifying in court.

So after knowing that, the song is pretty much direct except for some parts like “itigil muna ang pag-ikot ng mundo”. We can interpret this part differently. It can mean that the victim wanted her oppressors to stop their manipulations or she was just too tired of everything that’s happening that she wanted the world to just stop.

Pepsi was not able to receive justice. Until now, there is no closure to her case. And whether Vic and Joey were guilty, no one can prove it.

I assume Ely Buendia, who wrote the song, learned about Pepsi’s misery when he was still in the university. Maybe for him, even if Pepsi was not able to testify, the song would speak out the truth.

Pakingan ninyo yung Spolarium ng Eraserheads or revival ng Imago. Isipin ninyo si Pepsi Paloma ung nagsasalita– This are some of the lyrics and translation of what happened according to news.

–Dumidilim ang paligid May tumawag sa pangalan ko (gabi nung nangyari)
–Labing isang palapag(sa sulo hotel room nangyari yung rape)
–Sabay abot ng baso May naghihintay(nagiinuman sila)
–Puwede bang itigil muna Ang pag-ikot ng mundo(lasing or bangag na sila)
–Di ko na nasasakyan Ang lahat ng bagay ay Gumuguhit na lang Sa ‘king lalamunan (the crime is happening)
–Ewan mo at ewan natin Sinong may pakana? (sino nga b may pakana ng krimen)
–Umiyak ang umaga(syempre umiyak)
— Anong sinulat ni Enteng at Joey diyan Sa gintong salamin(anong ginawa ni enteng at joey Alam na!
–Di ko na mabasa Pagkat merong nagbura(Inareglo yung kaso allegedly Tito Sotto who paid d settlement)

THE END of the STORY

But here is another version which came from a story supposed to be from a Manager of the Eraserheads telling us that the song wasn’t about the Pepsi Paloma case.

dumilim ang paligid
may tumawag sa pangalan ko –XXXX called out to E
labing isang palapag –Unit 1108 of a condo in San Juan
tinanong kung okey lang ako –XXXX and I had the habit of asking people “Ok ka lang?”
sabay abot ng baso –inuman session kasi
may naghihintay
at bakit ba ‘pag nagsawa na ako
biglang ayoko na
at ngayon
di pa rin alam
kung ba’t tayo nandito
puwede bang itigil muna
ang pag-ikot ng mundo
lumiwanag ang buwan –we stayed up till sunrise; in fact, everyone (except me and XXXX) were so wasted that they ended up crashing there that night (oh, except pala for Joey whom I distinctly remember excused himself “bago magising ang anak ko”)
san juan
di ko na nasasakyan
ang lahat ng bagay ay
gumuguhit na lang
sa ‘king lalamunan
ewan mo at ewan natin
sinong may pakana?
at bakit ba
tumilapon ang
gintong alak diyan sa paligid mo? –Goldshlagger: a hot cinnamon schnapps drink infused with pure 23k gold flakes…that got everyone wasted!
at ngayon
di pa rin alam
kung ba’t tayo nandito
puwede bang itigil muna
ang pag-ikot ng mundo
umiyak ang umaga
anong sinulat ni enteng at joey diyan
sa pintong salamin –Enteng and Joey had written “Eleandre” (E’s real name) using their fingers on the misty glass door of the balcony
di ko na mabasa
pagkat merong nagbura –actually I don’t think anyone really erased it; when the weather got warmer I think it just got erased
ewan ko at ewan natin
sinong nagpakana?
at bakit ba tumilapon ang spoliarium
diyan sa paligid mo? –see photo: this is how they all looked: w-a-s-t-e-d!
at ngayon
di pa rin alam
kung ba’t tayo nandito
puwede bang itigil muna
ang pag-ikot ng mundo

Who is Pepsi Paloma?

“Pepsi Paloma was one of the biggest “bold stars” of the ’80s. She was one of the so-called “softdrink beauties,” sex nymphets with names like Coca Nicolas, Sarsi Emmanuel, etc. under the management of the late Dr. Rey dela Cruz, who will go down in history as the guy who got smacked on the head with a microphone by Divina Valencia on national television.

Paloma’s filmography includes Brown Emmanuelle, Snake Sisters, Virgin People, Naked Island, and Room 69. In May 1985, Paloma’s body was found hanging inside her room. Suicide, investigators concluded, but there were louder whispers of rape and murder– allegedly masterminded by a bunch of comedians (Vic Sotto, Joey De Leon and Richie D’ Horsie) famous for their transcendentally silly movies (Against whom she filed a rape complaint years before, but was dismmised).

The truth is that Paloma, who disrobed her way into the industry at the tender age of 14, was depressed over financial and romantic problems, as her diary would attest. According to an epigraph in an Eric Gamalinda poem, Paloma left a suicide note containing the words: “This is a crazy planets.” That was perhaps a mistranslation of the melodramatic Tagalog idea of “Baliw na mundo.” She obviously was not a big fan of Tears for Fears, who could’ve neatly summed up her sentiments in two words: “Mad World.” But that would be ignoring the sad, desperate if accidentally comical poetry of “crazy planets.”

Like Shakespeare or Sylvia Plath by way of Jimmy Santos. What does Paloma’s immortal quote have to do with this column? Absolutely nothing. One thing is certain: this space will be devoted to suicidal nymphets with grammatical dilemmas and grand conspiratorial coverups. On second thought, maybe not.” – Spot.ph

We would aim to resurrect a deadened issue from 30 years ago as if we were necromancers. We should go, and raise all of them past issues, and turn them to zombies and make them eat our hate subject’s brain. Too bad for us, we are not superhuman to put necromancy in real-life action TODAY.

Sa tingin ko, kahit na sobrang tagal na tong issue na to hindi pa din natin maitatangging ginawa nilang lahat ang karumal dumal na krimen. At sa tingin ko, KAILANGANG malaman ng mga bagong henerasyon kung ano ang nangyari, dahil sa simula pa lang dapat wala siya sa puwesto niya ngayon.

Ang tunay na nakakaasar ay an mga taong nakakalimot sa kasaysayan. Hinding hindi tayo matututo dahil di tayo natututo sa mga pangyayari ng nakaraan. Naghahangad at umaasa pa tayo ng pag-usad na mala-telenobelang kwento ng kasaysayan, hibang sa pag-usad sa di natin alam na pinggagalingan.

Eto pa ang link sa kantang “Spolarium” pati rape case nandito. Kaya pala mainit at pina ban ang E-heads ni Senator:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM6UKxhzTWA&feature=fvwrel

This isn’t anything new with celebrities and politicians anywhere. They have power and money. Most of the time they can get away with doing shit like this. You get the occasional arrests but the sentences are mediocre, more akin to a slap on the wrist. What the world needs is a hard reset. Come on Mayan calendar don’t disappoint me. If I’m a casualty so be it.

Truth and Justice must be serve, but Pepsi Palomas’s death ended It. I’m sure these guys has already been tormented by what they did to Pepsi Paloma, but these is not enough. Even though I’m a fan of Vic Sotto and Joey De Leon(no Tito Sotto, epal kasi 🙂 ) the truth must be spread, and justice must be serve.

Multuhin sana ng kaluluwa ni Pepsi Paloma si Tito Sotto para umamin na!