Andam Na Ko

TATAY’S SONG: A Voice Beyond the Walls 🎶 Inside Iligan City Jail’s male dormitory, the Bob Schappert Music Studio—donated by New York philanthropist Robert “Kuya Bob” Schappert—has become more than a room with instruments. It’s a sanctuary. A place where music becomes therapy, and voices find freedom. One day, Tatay Novanie approached the welfare and development office with a quiet plea. “Gusto kong kumanta para sa pamilya ko,” he said. “Para makita nila ako sa YouTube. Para hindi nila ako masyadong ma-miss.” (“I want to sing for my family,” he said. “So they can see me on YouTube. So they won’t miss me too much.”) We said yes. In the studio, Tatay stood before the mic—not as a person deprived of liberty, but as a father. His voice carried longing, love, and hope. Through the song, he reached across the distance, sending a message only music could deliver: I’m still here. I love you. Don’t forget me. Somewhere beyond the walls, his family may have listened. Maybe with tears. Maybe with smiles. But surely, with love. [All PDL involved provided their respective formal consent for the publication of this video with their faces unobscured]