Sotto says revision of ‘Lupang Hinirang’ was just his wish

Senate President Vicente Sotto III clarified Friday that his proposal to amend the national anthem, “Lupang Hinirang,” was just a composer’s wish. 

Sotto said he has no plans of filing a bill to change what he called the “defeatist” line from “ang mamatay nang dahil sa iyo” to “ang ipaglaban kalayaan mo.”

“Not at all! It’s just a usual wish of a composer who thinks a word or two can stand improvement in any song, whether it’s an anthem or any song,” he said in a text message to GMA News Online when asked how serious was he in his proposed revision.

He said he is “more concerned and serious about the way our national anthem is being sung.”

“Pronunciation and intonation is incorrect in some words and phrases,” he added.

On his Twitter account, the Senate leader posted a video of singer Joey Ayala titled “How Lupang Hinirang ought to be sung.”

https://t.co/sbwh2MXV8p

— Tito Sotto (@sotto_tito) September 20, 2018

He also tweeted that the original translation from Spanish to English to Filipino was the cause of the wrong cadence of words.

Sotto said he just mentioned what has been bothering him for a long time during the interpellation on the proposal to add a ninth ray to the sun on the Philippine flag.

“Is there a possibility of taking a second look at the national anthem. It’s in the same law. I’m not suggesting it right now, I’m just saying that you might as well look into the entire law and that includes the Philippine national anthem,” he said during his exchange with Senator Richard Gordon.

He expressed dismay that some people are imposing their opinion on others.

“Kaso yung mga ‘know it alls,’ they want to impose their opinion on other people,” he said.

Asked how he was handling his critics, he said they should just mind their own business.

“That’s my opinion and I have not done anything to infuse to them my opinion,” he said. — RSJ, GMA News