Lobregat Bastards City Councilor To Bring National Anthem Issue

by Shiela Covarrubias

Mayor Celso Lobregat has dared Vice Mayor Mannix Dalipe to make true his threat to bring the national anthem issue to the National Historical Institute (NHI) expressing confidence that he is backed by legal provisions when the city government, just like other local government units including international organizations allow the singing of the Pambansang Awit in different versions during special occasions.



Lobregat issued the challenge as legal luminaries the other day cited provisions of the Constitution which says that Republic Act 8491 otherwise known as the flag law has to pass through a referendum before it can finally become effective.

“I am not a lawyer but I know how to read and understand the Constitution,” Mayor Lobregat asserted. “We sang the national hymn in chabacano, if you want to be legalistic about it, yes, there is RA 8491 but it is also subjected to the Constitutional provision, it is not self executory. You should know how to read the Constitution”.

Lawyers Jose Saavedra, Norberto Patriarca and Edward Fronda during the Adelante Zamboanga Show hosted by Mayor Lobregat last Saturday, were one in saying that RA 8491 is implemented in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

Mayor Lobregat cited Section 2 of Article 16 of the Constitution which states: “Congress may by law adopt a new name for the country, a national anthem or a national seal which shall be truly reflective and symbolic of the ideals, history and tradition of the people. Such law however, shall take effect only upon its ratification by the people in a national referendum”.

Lobregat said the city government allowed the singing of the national anthem in chabacano during the commemorative program culminating the Zamboanga Hermosa Festival last October 11 without any intention to desecrate the law.

“We sang it with fervor, with respect and we proudly sang it in chabacano”, the mayor declared.

Based on researches, Lobregat said national hymn has several versions and other local government units are proudly using their own versions of the same. These versions include the Aklanon (Akaenon), Bikol (Naga dialect), Butuanon, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Ilokano, Kapampangan, Kinaray-a, Manobo, Pangasinan, Tausug and several other adaptations.

“Specifically we did not sing it in Spanish as what he claimed earlier. It was in chabacano. It’s a shame that he does not know how to distinguish between the Spanish language from a chabacano language”, the mayor exclaimed, referring to the vice mayor.

Atty. Fronda, Lawyer III of the City Legal Office cited Article 3 Section 4 of the Constitution which emphasizes that “no law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech and expression” in his reasoning in defense of the mayor. “If indeed the flag law is valid, I firmly believe that it transgresses the people’s rights to freedom of expression”.

He even mentioned the singing of the national anthem during several boxing competitions of international boxing champ Manny Pacquiao where the national anthem was sang with different melody and tune. “So technically if we follow the law, that it has to be in the manner it was composed by Julian Felipe then that is a violation of the law. It was sang in an international competition and it was aired and telecast worldwide.”

“As long as we do not desecrate the national anthem, as long as we don’t make foolishness out of it, the singing of the chabacano version is within the bounds of the constitution of freedom of speech,” Fronda added.

Atty. Saavedra said the framers of the Constitution opted that any law pertaining to a new name for the country, national anthem, seal and flag should be subjected to a referendum simply because the Filipino is still an evolving theory. He said the same is to give identity to the Filipinos.


Mayor Celso Lobregat gifts his out of town visitors who are non-chabacano speakers with a Chabacano-Spanish-English dictionary as part of the city’s program to preserve the unique language. Now he intends to give one to Vice Mayor Manuel Dalipe Jr.

“It is very clear that the national anthem was sung in chabacano not Spanish during the commemorative program marking the culmination of the Zamboanga Hermosa Festival last Saturday”, Mayor Lobregat said in exasperation.

The vice mayor yesterday assailed City Hall, the organizer of the commemorative program for permitting the national anthem to be sung in Spanish during the said program and said that the city should apologize for what he termed as “a clear violation of the Constitution”.

“If a person does not know the difference between chabacano and Spanish and claims to be a Zamboangueno, then he should be the one to apologize”, the chief executive said. “It was not Spanish, it was chabacano, chabacano un pokito Espanol”.

Mayor Lobregat said such chabacano version of the national anthem has been sung in so many occasions in the past, even during a maiden session of the City Council. “Personally I feel proud if the national anthem is sung in chabacano because it is our very own language, de atone se lenguaje chabacano”.

He chided Dalipe for not being able to distinguish the difference between the chabacano language and the Spanish language and said that the young vice mayor ought to be given a Chabacano-Spanish-English dictionary as well.

Other cities and provinces like Cebu also sing the national anthem in cebuano, its native dialect, during special occasions to emphasize the uniqueness of their tongue, according to the mayor. “I have been to Cebu and there were occasions when they organizers of the programs allowed the singing of the national anthem in Cebuano”.

“It is very obvious somebody does not know the difference between chabacano and Spanish. I will give him a dictionary”, he declared referring to the vice mayor.
The El Pueblo chorale, one of the multi-awarded choral groups in Zamboanga, was tapped to lead the doxology and the national anthem during the commemorative program last Saturday. Both the doxology and the national anthem had chabacano lyrics.

There were many instances when the chabacano lyrics of the national anthem were used during programs but nobody complained, the mayor added.

When asked what he advice he could give to Dalipe, the mayor said: “aprende chabacano”.




Zamboanga City - - A university professor yesterday expressed strong disgust against Vice Mayor Mannix Dalipe for displaying his irrational tantrum over the Philippine national anthem sang in Chabacano during the culminating program of the Zamboanga Hermosa Festival last week, October 11.

Prof. Ali T. Yacub, director of Pubic Affairs Office of the Western Mindanao State University (PAO-WMSU), said that Dalipe, being the second highest official in the city, should have been more circumspect and responsible in his words and actions.

“He should be the least person to rise a howl,” Yacub said of Dalipe, who has been making a fuss out of a very trivial matter— that was singing the national anthem in Chabacano, not in Spanish as the vice mayor had earlier claimed.

Prof. Yacub, also a convenor of the Muslim group in the Inter-Religious Solidarity for Peace, further said “Dalipe must know that during my elementary and high school days in 1950s to ‘60s we were taught singing the national anthem in Spanish then later in English.”

“Not one raised a howl during our time,” the professor said, adding that this was not his first time to hear the national anthem sang in Chabacano. “Why Dalipe is moving heaven and hell only now?” Yacub asked in a statement.

A visiting lecturer of WMSU, who requested anonymity, shared the views of Prof. Yacub that Dalipe’s tirade, blaming Mayor Celso Lobregat of the issue, “could be politically motivated” even as both acknowledged that Dalipe could also be right about the flag law.

Prof. Yacub said he was not defending Mayor Lobregat but “the vice mayor was getting out of bounds.”

“We are getting uncomfortable of his unreasonable outburst of anger,” Yacub said, stressing that Dalipe’s press statement apologizing for those people who did not understand the national anthem sang in Chabacano “was uncalled for a city official.”

“Why apologize?” Yacub exclaimed. “Dalipe’s display of tantrum is giving a bad image of Zamboanga City,” he deplored.

“For little things Dalipe shouts to the media, the media quote and misquote him. What a disaster,” lamented Yacub, who is a member of the city government’s Council for Culture, Arts and History.-(Vic Larato)