Dicta License releases new song 'Inosenteng Bala' on Martial Law anniversary

Filipino band Dicta License just released a new song called "Inosenteng Bala" on Monday.

The dark but mellow track, which fuses rock, rap, and jazz, is packed with hard-hitting lyrics that repeatedly asks: "Puwede na lang bang manahimik?"

It's no coincidence that "Inosenteng Bala" was released on September 21, the same day the Philippines marks 48 years since it was placed under Martial Law during the Marcos regime.

"If it isn't obvious enough, it is the bullet speaking — a tool designed for violence. And it does not want to kill anymore. It propounds questions about our methods in securing our communities," said frontman Pochoy Labog, who is also a human rights lawyer.

According to the band, the song "documents the violence and ongoing extra-judicial killings happening nationwide; an anthem of the darkness that (has) enveloped us."

The accompanying lyric video features photos and videos centered on the slums, blood, and police.

"How are we responding to these methods? Are we speaking out or do we choose to remain silent? In our silence, can we consider ourselves without fault?" Labog said.

Dicta License has been known for its social and political messaging. The band has been making waves in the music scene since the mid 2000s. —Margaret Claire Layug/MGP, GMA News