The APO HIKING SOCIETY first gained recognition in 1973 when they gave a fa… Read Full Bio ↴The APO HIKING SOCIETY first gained recognition in 1973 when they gave a farewell concert at the plush Meralco Auditorium in Metro Manila. Just out of college, the group was the talk of the Ateneo University and adjoining campuses for their music and humor.

It was only when two of its four members were about to retire from the field of amateur music, however, that the APO, then known as the Apolinario Mabini Hiking Society, finally had a city-wide audience. One of them was scheduled to leave for Turkey as an exchange student. The other had a position waiting for him in his father's advertising firm.

Why a talented young man of 21 would want to go to Turkey, every young man in the early seventies would probably understand. But what the APO could not understand was their fourth member's decision to leave the irresponsibility of being unemployed to join the ranks of the corporate world.

The trip to Turkey did not materialize and the APO, now a tentative trio, pushed on steadily towards fame and fortune.

Looking back, the APO members Danny Javier, Boboy Garrovillo, and Jim Paredes do not regret never having been regular wage earners. Their farewell concert, which had SRO audiences for two stormy nights, not unexpectedly became a hit record the following year.

In the three decades since that "farewell" concert, the APO has made 22 record albums; hosted several television shows including their own noontime Sunday show "Sa Linggo nAPO Sila"; and launched hugely successful major solo concerts and countless provincial, dinner, and corporate shows. They have performed in over 50 cities in the United States, in Canada, Singapore, Indonesia, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Japan to bring Original Pilipino Music to Filipinos the world over.

In October of 1987, during their annual US tour, the APO became the first Filipino pop artists to perform at the Main Hall of New York's prestigious Carnegie Hall. They also performed at the equally prestigious Massey Hall in Toronto, Canada's music capital. Both concerts, as well as the other shows held during that particular concert tour, were sold out. The APO were also the first Filipino artists to perform in a public concert in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In 1987, they were one of the first Filipino artists to be recorded on compact disc. And in 1994, they were awarded the first Dangal ng Musikang Pilipino by Awit Awards - the Filipino equivalent of the Grammy. They have also been conferred the Tanglaw Ng Lahi Award, the highest accolade given by Jesuits in the field of culture and arts.

The APO also earned international recognition for Jim Paredes' anthem on the bloodless Philippine revolution in 1986. "Handog ng Pilipino sa Mundo" was recorded by 15 Filipino artists in April 1986. A few months later, the English version "A New and Better Way" was launched in Australia. In February 1987, the first anniversary of the Philippines' People Power revolution, the song was released in London, England. The lyrics of the song are embedded on a wall of Our Lady of Edsa Shrine, the center of the revolution.

Banal Na Aso
Apo Hiking Society Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Kaharap ko sa dyip ang isang ale
Nagrorosaryo mata niya’y nakapikit
Pumara sa may kumbento
Sa babaan lang po sabi ng tsuper kase me naghuhuli
Mura pa rin nang mura ang ale

Banal na aso, santong kabayo
Natatawa ako hihihihi
Banal na aso, santong kabayo
Natatawa ako hihihihi
Sa ‘yo

Nangangaral sa kalye ang isang lalake
Hiningan ng pera ng batang pulubi
Pasensya na para daw sa templo
Pangkain lang po sabi ng paslit
Talagang di ba pupwede?
Lumipat ng pwesto ang lalake

Anuman ang iyong ginagawa sa iyong kapatid
Ay siya ring ginagawa mo sa akin

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Apo Hiking Society's song "Banal Na Aso" portray different situations where people's actions contradict their supposed religious beliefs. The first verse talks about an old woman who is praying with closed eyes on a jeepney ride, but as soon as the driver tells her that there is a traffic enforcer ahead, she starts to curse. The repetition of the line "Banal na aso, santong kabayo" (Holy dog, saintly horse) in the chorus signifies the irony of the situation and the singer's amusement towards it.

The second verse tells the story of a man preaching on the streets and asking for donations from a young beggar. When the boy asks if it is for the church, the man says yes but later on moves on to a different spot when asked why he is asking for money outside the temple. The final line of the song is a message that whatever one does to their fellow human beings, they are doing it to God as well.

The song reflects on the hypocrisy and irony of some religious practices and beliefs. It urges people to be more aware of their actions and to practice what they preach. It is a social commentary that sheds light on the reality of how religion can be used to mask immoral or unethical behavior.

Line by Line Meaning

Kaharap ko sa dyip ang isang ale
I'm facing an old lady in the jeep

Nagrorosaryo mata niya’y nakapikit
Her eyes closed as she recites her rosary

Pumara sa may kumbento
We stopped by the convent

Sa babaan lang po sabi ng tsuper kase me naghuhuli
The driver said we could only stop at the designated area because there's someone catching up

Mura pa rin nang mura ang ale
The old lady keeps cursing

Banal na aso, santong kabayo
Holy dog, saintly horse

Natatawa ako hihihihi
I'm laughing

Sa ‘yo
To you

Nangangaral sa kalye ang isang lalake
A man is preaching on the street

Hiningan ng pera ng batang pulubi
A beggar child asks for money

Pasensya na para daw sa templo
The man apologizes and says it's for the temple