2 young Filipina talents to sing anthems at Pacman fight

Young singers with Filipino blood, Maria Aragon and Thia Megia, are set to perform the Philippine and US national anthems, respectively, at the Nov. 12 (US time) match between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas.

The 11-year-old Fil-Canadian Aragon, who hit more than 40 million views on YouTube with her rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way,” and 16-year-old Fil-American Megia, a finalist in the 10th season of the popular singing contest “American Idol,” were picked by Pacquiao himself.

Aragon gained fame after a YouTube video of her performing Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” went viral early this year.

On the other hand, Megia finished in the top 11 of the 10th season of “American Idol.”

Past performances of “Lupang Hinirang” at Pacquiao bouts have proved to be interesting in that some of the interpretations have been criticized by the National Historical Institute (NHI). According to the NHI, these “versions” did not comply with Section 37 of Republic Act No. 8491which states that “the rendition of the National Anthem, whether played or sung, shall be in accordance with the musical arrangement and composition of Julian Felipe.”

Local celebrity singers who have performed in Pacquiao’s fights—presented in chronological order—included Kyla (Pacquiao vs. Marco Antonio Barrera of Mexico, Nov. 15, 2003); Lani Misalucha (Pacquiao vs. Erik Morales of Mexico, March 19, 2005); Jennifer Bautista (Pacquiao vs. Morales, Jan. 21, 2006); Bituin Escalante (Pacquiao vs. Oscar Larios of Mexico, July 2, 2006); Sarah Geronimo (Pacquiao vs. Morales, Nov. 18, 2006); Geneva Cruz (Pacquiao vs. Jorge Solis of Mexico, Apr. 14, 2007); Ciara Sotto (Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico, March 15, 2008); Karylle (Pacquiao vs. Oscar De La Hoya of United States, Dec. 6, 2008); Martin Nievera (Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton of United Kingdom, May 2, 2009); La Diva (Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico, Nov. 14, 2009); Arnel Pineda (Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey of Ghana, March 13, 2010); Zyrene Parsad (Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito of Mexico, Nov. 13, 2010); and Charice (Pacquiao vs. Shane Mosley of United States, May 7, 2011).

Some of the most controversial interpretations of the Philippine national anthem were by Nievera, Pineda, and La Diva. The NHI scored them for their “too slow” renditions, thus, exceeding the 49 to 54 seconds total run of the song as prescribed by law. They also belted out some notes, particularly towards the end, which deviated from the anthem’s original form, according to NHI.

By ROWENA JOY A. SANCHEZ