Jai’s composition may sound like a difficult piece, as there are no familiar melody that’ll carry you to anticipated or familiar musical journey. The principle behind O Fortuna 500 is to distribute 500 counts between two performers. Somewhat by following that logic, we hear the echoes of scarcity, as it is in some aspects of this life in pandemic. By the numbers, is an expression that translates to “binibilang” in Tagalog or “de numero” in Filipino/Spanish. It is the act of counting. And with this Jai and Tusa performed a “butong-hininga”, a sigh of exasperation.
Track name: O Fortuna 500 (feat. Tusa Montes)// Date created: 21 Aug 2020// Duration 6:06 mins.// Date recorded 27 Sept 2020
O FORTUNA 500 targets another harsh reality other than the main fight through the pandemic, which Filipino frontliners have endured for the last five months of quarantine, which is an inadequate hazard pay amounting only to PHP 500.00 or USD $10. Realizing that the lack of a competent government is adding more damage to our current situation, I have intended to write this piece as a battle cry for our last standing frontliners who continue to sacrifice their safety and lives in exchange for the lives of millions of Filipinos.