By Camille De Asis
Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao’s recent victory over Joshua “The Grand Master” Clottey last March 14, 2010 has been the talk of the town for a couple of days. Almost all media organizations talked about how Pacquiao managed to bring triumph to the country again. Amidst all the fuss about the victory of Pacman, another issue has been raised concerning the National Anthem of the country.
Journey’s lead singer, Arnel Pineda was the one who sang the Philippine National Anthem during Pacquiao’s fight with Clottey. Pineda is known to be inclined to the Rock genre and that is probably the reason why his rendition of the anthem turned out to be a bit Rock. Though it did not sound bad, there were people who reacted with the way he sang the song. People thought that he should have sticked with the original melody of the song since in the first place; he ought to sing the way all the other Filipinos in the world sing it.
The same issue was raised when Martin Nieverra sang the National Anthem during Pacquiao’s fight with Ricky Hatton last May 2, 2009. Nieverra was the first male singer to sing the national anthem during Pacquiao’s fight. People thought that Nieverra turned the national anthem to a pop song. His rendition of the anthem is very modernized and to some, it seemed as if Nieverra thought that singing the song with a high pitch would make him sound like a great singer.
Both Nieverra and Pineda are alleged to have violated the Republic Act No. 8491 or the Flag Law. Section 37 of the law states: "The rendition of the National Anthem, whether played or sung, shall be in accordance with the musical arrangement and composition of Julian Felipe." Section 20 of the law also states: "The rendition of the flag ceremony in official or civic gatherings shall be simple and dignified and shall include the playing or singing of the anthem in its original Filipino lyrics and march tempo." Rumors spread that a case will be filed against the two for violating the law but up to now, there has not been any development about it.
Personally, I think there’s nothing wrong with the way the two singers sang the national anthem. Though they sang it in their own preferred rendition, it does not mean that they don’t respect the song. It just so happened that they figured out another melody that they think could better enhance the quality of the song. Besides, what is more important is the way they expressed themselves through the song. I believe both performances were heartfelt and the two showed how proud they are for the country. I personally felt proud after Nieverra sang his piece during the Pacquiao-Hatton fight. Nieverra seemed to really have that strong passion for the song and he sang it in a way only he can do.
Sometimes, people need to think more critically about how they react to issues like this. We need to be more open-minded and creative. The law regarding the singing of the national anthem should be modified. Singing the national anthem in a way you believe would make it sound better is not a criminal act. As long as you respect the song by heart and you don’t make fun of it, then there should be nothing wrong with it.
