It's A March!

Following the highly lucrative Pacquiao-Clottey fight, an overwhelming amount of news coverage focused on anything related to Manny Pacquiao inundated local television. However, I happened to stumble upon an intriguing piece of news while riding a jeepney and listening to the radio. It pertained to Arnel Pineda, the Filipino vocalist of Journey, who performed the Philippine national anthem during the fight. Apparently, he had altered the tempo of the song, which has led certain individuals from the National History sector to file a complaint against him. According to them, changing the tempo of our national anthem is a violation of the law. Surprisingly, they seem quite serious about pursuing this matter.

But what about the other artists who have sung the national anthem at previous Pacquiao fights? Shouldn't they also be held accountable if changing the tempo is indeed against the law? It would be grossly unfair if only Arnel Pineda faces repercussions while others who have similarly altered the anthem's tempo escape any consequences. Personally, I hesitate to blame these artists entirely. Perhaps they couldn't resist the temptation to showcase their talents and deviated from the original march tempo of the national anthem. Maybe they saw it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to display their abilities, disregarding any potential violation of Philippine anthem laws. I mean, let's be honest... Politicians frequently bend or break laws to enhance their image. Yet, ironically, they often complain about each other's actions.

While this situation raises questions of fairness and inconsistency, it also highlights the complex nature of our society and the contradictions within it.