Philippines may ban off-key national anthem singing

The Philippine Congress voted unanimously yesterday in favor of a law that forbids deviating from the tune of the country’s national anthem or displaying the flag in an unpatriotic manner: The proposal has been put forward as the MPs felt that Filipino artists had been changing the anthem’s military march melody and beat, and the ...

By , a former associate editor at Foreign Policy.

The Philippine Congress voted unanimously yesterday in favor of a law that forbids deviating from the tune of the country's national anthem or displaying the flag in an unpatriotic manner:

The Philippine Congress voted unanimously yesterday in favor of a law that forbids deviating from the tune of the country’s national anthem or displaying the flag in an unpatriotic manner:

The proposal has been put forward as the MPs felt that Filipino artists had been changing the anthem’s military march melody and beat, and the flag was being made into clothing articles. The change in the anthem’s tune was noted when it was sung at the boxing matches of Manny Pacquiao, the seven-time Filipino world champion.

If this new law is passed, Filipino singers deviating from the anthem tune could be handed a jail sentence as well as a $2,000 fine.

As a newly elected congressman, Pacquiao presumably voted for the measure himself. 

Here’s what a traditional rendition of the Philippine national anthem sounds like if you’re curious. Not a bad one, though I’m sure Marvin Gaye could have taken it to another level.

Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating

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