How Eraserheads’ ‘Pare Ko’ helped Ely Buendia survive his Spanish class

Ely Buendia during Eraserheads’ Gawad Oblation conferment ceremony at the UP Diliman. Image: University of the Philippines/Handout

Eraserheads vocalist Ely Buendia looked back on his college days in UP Diliman, as he recalled how a demo cassette for the hit song “Pare Ko” helped him pass his Spanish class.

Buendia shared during his Gawad Oblation acceptance speech last Tuesday, August 20, that Spanish was one of the subjects he enrolled in, saying he had no choice but to “get as many units” in because he enlisted a week after the enrollment.

“In 1987, I was still reeling from high school so I didn’t go through the first semester enrollment week. I had no idea what a block was. So I foolishly enrolled a week [later],” he said. “From seven in the morning to seven in the evening, I tried to get as many units as possible… At the end of the day, I managed to enlist in only three subjects: History 10, Math 3, and Spanish 2 and 3. I was off to a great start.”

The musician then shared that his Spanish professor only spoke in Spanish which made the class “worse” for him. “At the end of the semester, I barely managed to pass History and Math.”

“But I was definitely going to get a singko (or a failing grade in UP) in Spanish. I begged my professor to give me a passing grade,” he continued. “He asked me, ‘Do you have anything that would make me consider passing you? Anything at all?’ I said, ‘Well, I can write a song.’”

WATCH: In his acceptance speech for the Gawad Oblation last August 20, Eraserheads vocalist Ely Buendia recalled how the band’s hit song “Pare Ko” helped him pass a Spanish class. | @HMallorcaINQ pic.twitter.com/uSV7hAV4f5

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This led to Buendia giving his Spanish professor a demo cassette of “Pare Ko.” The song, which was eventually released in 1993, revolves around going through heartbreak with the popular lyrics, “Oh Diyos ko, ano ba naman ito? / ‘Diba? T*ng*n*, nagmukha akong t*ng* / Pinaasa niya lang ako, l*ch*ng pag-ibig ‘to.” The song would later on spawn a youth-oriented romance drama starring Claudine Barretto, Mark Anthony Fernandez, Jomari Yllana, and Jao Mapa.

“And so I gave him a demo cassette of ‘Pare Ko’ and prayed. ‘Pare Ko,’ by the way, was inspired by my friend Raphael Umali. He was heartbroken so I made the song about him… But the day after, my professor in Spanish told me that I passed,” he said.

“This taught me that for one, my professor can’t understand Tagalog. And two, from that point on, music can get me through anything in life,” added Buendia.

While thanking UP, Buendia also recalled how the university became the avenue for the OPM band to kickstart their journey until their eventual success.

Buendia, along with his bandmates Raymund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala, and Marcus Adoro, were conferred with the Gawad Oblation medals at the UP Diliman Executive House, the highest distinction given by the university.