Filipinos risk jail if they fail to sing national anthem with enough fervour

FILIPINO citizens could be fined or jailed for refusing to sing their national anthem with appropriate gusto under a new bill proposed by the country’s parliament.

The law, approved by the House of Representatives on Monday, requires that singing along when the anthem, the Lupang Hinirang, is played at public gatherings “shall be mandatory and must be done with fervour”.

If signed off by the Senate, violators could be punished with fines of £780£1,560 or up to one year in prison. A second offence would include both a fine and prison time and offenders may also be publicly “named and shamed” in a national newspaper.

“Any act which casts contempt, dishonour or ridicule upon the national anthem shall be penalised,” the bill says.

According to the Philippine Inquirer, all citizens must stand at attention facing the Philippine flag, if displayed, or the band or conductor.

The bill also provides precise official music for the tune, which was composed by Julian Felipe and adopted as the anthem in 1938. A 2/4 beat is mandated when the music is played and 4/4 when it is sung. The “flag code” also obliges the national education authorities to teach all students the words.

Although previous rules regulated the singing of the national anthem, participating with enthusiasm was not legally binding.

Other countries in Asia have taken action to ensure that their anthem is sufficiently respected. India’s supreme court last year ordered cinemas to play the national anthem before screenings to encourage citizens to “feel this is my country and this is my motherland”.

By December, 19 moviegoers had been arrested for not standing, according to the Los Angeles Times.

After several reported altercations, the court was forced to clarify in February that there was no need to stand when the anthem was played as part of a film plot.