PASTORS TO SING PHILIPPINE NATIONAL ANTHEM
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 21 Nov 2014
MACAU, China ? When can Manny Pacquiao, who will be defending his World Boxing Organization welterweight championship Sunday against American Chris Algieri, run out of novel ideas?
Pacquiao, who already had set a record of bringing a two-plane load of entourage numbering about 350 people, has brought in a nine-man, all-male choir made up mostly of pastors to sing the Philippine National Anthem during the pre-fight ceremony going into the 12-round fight at the Cotai Arena at the Venetian Resort here.
"It will be the first time in a title fight that a choir, much more a religious group, will be rendering the National Anthem of a protagonist?s country," asserted Bob Arum, CEO of promotional outfit Top Rank.
?Never had I experienced seeing a choir sing the National Anthem of the country of a fighter involved in a fight,? Arum, who is in fight promotion for the past five decades or so, swore when asked if there had been an occasion of the same.
?Manny asked me if it can be possible and I said, why not? It will be a first and it will be good for the promotion and for boxing itself,? Arum told this writer. ?As long as they won?t be blessing anyone.?
?And, I also hope that they won?t deviate from the law prescribing the manner by which your National Anthem is sung,? the 82-year-old Harvard law graduate said.
?I know for a fact that several professional singers had already been charged in court and, in fact been penalized for rendering their own version of your National Anthem,? he added.
It will be the first time, too, in a fight involving a Filipino fighter, that the rendition of ?Lupang Hinirfang? will be done by non-professional artist.
Pacquiao himself confirmed that Arum approved of his request in an interview Thursday evening shortly after presiding over a two-hour bible study session inside his suite at The Venetian Hotel, Macao.
?Nine of them will sing our National Anthem. Out of that number, six are pastors. They have been practicing since we arrived here in Macao last Monday,? Pacquiao said
Pacquiao identified the pastors as Antonio Torres, Boy Buan, Bong Quintos, Federico Gloria, Rexcel Neri and Jess Bascuna.
The three others ? Boyet Layog, Gerry Girado and Cris Aguilar ? are not pastors but they have been active in the religious music ministry.
Gloria claimed that it was Pacquiao himself who asked the group to sing in the pre-fight ceremony replacing Fil-American international artist Jessica Sanchez who was earlier chosen to do the honor.
?No less than Cong. Manny who asked us to sing our National Anthem before the fight. So, who are we to turn down his request?? Gloria reasoned out.
Gloria considered it a big challenge and a great opportunity for them to perform before a huge crowd here and around the world.
?The fight is live on pay-per-view, so, we will try our very best to sing the Philippine National Anthem correctly,? Gloria said.
Torres was feeling excited at the mere thought of performing before a global stage.
?It?s God?s will and we?re happy about it. We will just do our job,? Torres said.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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