Anthem row prompts DepEd to keep students in tune

MANILA, Philippines - Don’t do it your way! Students throughout the archipelago can soon expect a refresher on an urgent matter from their music teachers: sing the National Anthem the way it was hummed decades ago. The ruckus over Martin Nievera’s improper rendition of the anthem has prompted the Education department to keep students in tune and in the right tempo in singing the revered Lupang Hinirang. Education Secretary Jesli Lapus on Thursday reminded public and private school officials that they must ensure that students memorize and properly sing the hymn. The National Historical Institute led various sectors in blasting Nievera’s rendition of the anthem at the beginning of the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton bout in Las Vegas last May 3. Nievera sang the first few stanzas softly and slowly and ended erupting in prolonged, high note, to the dismay of Filipino conservative musicians and critics. The NHI said Nievera broke the law by singing the anthem in a different tempo. It cited Section 37 of the Republic Act No. 8491 also known as the 1998 Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, which says that "the rendition of the National Anthem, whether played or sung, shall be in accordance with the musical arrangement and composition of Julian Felipe." Felipe composed the anthem's music in a patriotic march tempo in 1898. The current kundiman-style Tagalog lyrics were adapted from the anthem’s Spanish version written by Jose Palma in 1899. Republic Act 8341 punishes failure or refusal to observe the provisions of the Act with public censure, which shall be published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation. The guilty person may be fined up to P5,000 or imprisoned not more than a year, or be meted both penalties, at the discretion of the court. In 2008, Lapus directed school officials to ensure that students properly sing the anthem after singer Christian Bautista buckled a few lines of the anthem’s lyrics before a boxing event. “This (order) is a reminder and to avoid embarrassing moment every time there’s a boxing event…," Lapus told reporters. - GMANews.TV