1 week ago
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THE Cebu City government has expressed support to a proposal to sing the national anthem in Cebuano but will wait for guidance from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) before making any changes.
Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia. PHOTO BY KAISER JAN FUENTES
Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia earlier said that City Hall employees previously sang "Yutang Tabunon," the Cebuano version of "Lupang Hinirang," until the NCCA directed the use of the Tagalog version.
He added that he prefers reciting official oaths in Cebuano because it is the language most Cebuanos understand.
However, he emphasized that any return to Yutang Tabunon must comply with national regulations.
Garcia also questioned the definition of the Filipino language, pointing out that it could refer to either Tagalog or Bisaya.
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He called on authorities to clarify this matter.
The proposal to revive the Cebuano rendition of the anthem was submitted to the Cebu City Council on April 2 by the Office of the Muslim Affairs and Indigenous Cultural Communities (Omaicc).
The Council referred it to the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC) for review.
Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera, the majority floor leader, said the Cebuano version had been used before she assumed office in 1998. She noted that the city reverted to the Tagalog version in 2019.
She welcomed the proposal and said the committee would look into it, calling it a positive development.
In a position paper, Omaicc head John Joffrey Dabatos Jr. said promoting linguistic diversity helps strengthen cultural identity and fosters a more inclusive society.
He acknowledged concerns about national unity but argued that embracing cultural differences can reinforce it.
As of press time, CHAC chairman Bryner Diaz had not yet responded to requests for comment.
"Lupang Hinirang" was originally composed as an instrumental march titled "Marcha Nacional Filipina" by Julian Felipe in 1898, upon the request of then-president Emilio Aguinaldo.
It was first played during the declaration of Philippine independence on June 12, 1898, in Kawit, Cavite.
The original Spanish lyrics, "Filipinas," were written by Jose Palma in 1899. The anthem has since undergone several translations, with the current Filipino version officially adopted in the 1950s.
Republic Act 8491, or the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, prescribes the singing of the anthem in its official Filipino version.
