- Lea Salonga shares her reaction regarding the changing of the “Lupang Hinirang” lyrics.
- She believes that the national anthem is beautiful as it is.
- She also said that Senator Sotto interpreted the words literally thus concluding that it sounds defeatist.
Lea Salonga expressed her opinion regarding the Senate President’s proposal to change the last line of the Philippines’ national anthem “Lupang Hinirang.”
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III suggested that the last line “Ang mamatay nang dahil sa ‘yo” should be replaced by “ang ipaglaban ang kalayaan mo.”
He said that the original line sounds defeatist. Senator Richard Gordon agreed with Senator Sotto’s interpretation.
The Filipino people countered the proposal saying that the lyrics should remain as it is because it is part of history. Singer Lea Salonga agreed with the majority.
She said, “I love the anthem as it is, I love the spirit, and the context in which it was written.
“I told one of my friends, ‘You know what, context is everything.’
“The time period when it was written, the spirit when it was written, the spirit of rebellion and, you know, revolution that kinda went into the writing of this, it’s so beautiful.”
The singer said that the senator interpreted the lines literally.
“The calling of your country is that it asks you to give of yourself and all of yourself.
“The line, ‘Ang mamatay nang dahil sa ’yo,’ it doesn’t have always to be taken so literally. It just means that you must give of yourself fully for your country.
“So, for me, if you’re an artist, you are carrying your flag everywhere you go, and represent your country in the best way that you can, because if you’re in the public eye, you will constantly be a reflection of however many millions of countrymen that you are representing.
“It’s like you are an informal ambassador.
“So, you know, I don’t want any of those lyrics to be watered down in any way only because they spur on the greatest of our heroes in every field to give all of themselves in the name of this country.”
Lea Salonga suggested that the last lines don’t literally mean to die but to live up with the sacrifices our national heroes had to take in order to achieve true independence.
“I don’t know that it’s actually necessary per se, you know, because, you know, it’s all an interpretation, too.
“I mean, yes, the last, ‘Aming ligaya na pag may mang-aapi, ang mamatay nang dahil sa ‘yo.’ It’s a lot.
“It’s a lot to live up to and, obviously, not everybody is going to be Jose Rizal or Andres Bonifacio, that’s just not the way life works.
“However, you can live to the ideals of the anthem and of the heroes that have come before by living your life and doing what you do in the service of your country and its people. That’s it,” she ended.
