Philippine law-makers are attempting to raise the bar when it comes to singing their country’s national anthem.
Known for their passionate singing and nationalistic pride, singing the national anthem is about to get a little more difficult, especially if you get it wrong.
Why?
Because not singing it ‘right’, or ‘modifying the beat’, will be considered a violation and the guilty ‘party’ will face up to two years in jail and a fine of 100,000 pesos ($2,280).
A ban on the improper singing of Lupang Hinirang (Beloved Land) and unpatriotic displays of the Philippine flag is before the Senate, and is only a vote away from becoming law after the lower house voted 196-0 in favor of it on Monday.
Representative Salvador Escudero, the bill’s principal author, told reporters:
Our Congress has given more teeth to government’s campaign to invigorate patriotism, respect and love of country by singing our anthem properly
He lamented that Filipino artists and singers had been changing the anthem’s military march melody and beat, and that the flag had been made into shirts and short pants. Manila has been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently, with law-makers being criticized by foreign aid groups for not tackling some of Manila’s biggest issues – homelessness, crime and poverty.
The massive vote in favor of this bill in the lower house has clearly struck a chord with the politicians though. Heaven help anyone that can’t hold a note.
[Reuters]
