Manny Pacquiao has been overseeing the singing of the Filipino National Anthem today, having insisted that a group of pastors perform the song ahead of his contest on Saturday night. Failure to sing the anthem correctly can lead to imprisonment or a fine as much as 20,000 Filipino pesos, about a month’s salary in The Philippines. They will sing ‘Lupang Hinirang’ – which means ‘Hail The Native Land’ in the wake of American Idol singer Jessica Sanchez having unexpectedly cancelled. Pacquiao is seen listening intently to the practise session as it is a law of the Filipino Republic that a certain version of the anthem must be sung. Deliberate flaunting of this law can lead to a jail sentence if the melody or length of the song is altered. It was believed that the pastors wanted to sing a different version, and Pacquiao was insistent on turning choir master on Thursday in Macau.
In May 2009, when Pacquiao fought Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas, Martin Nievera caused a storm which drew severe criticism from Congressmen in The Philippines when he created his own version of the anthem at the MGM Grand Garden and was lucky to escape with no prosecution.
