Aguilar’s contributions to PH arts and culture get Senate recognition

The Senate on Tuesday adopted a resolution recognizing Filipino singer and composer Freddie  Aguilar  for his “lifetime outstanding contributions to Philippine arts and culture.”

The commendation came just days  before   Aguilar’s famous  song,  “Anak”   marks its  40th anniversary on Sunday, March 18.

The singer-composer was present  at the Senate    to personally receive  the resolution, initiated  by  Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III  and was unanimously  adopted by the chamber. All the other senators were made co-authors  of the  measure.

“Aguilar is the only singer and composer who broke into the western market and gained massive global recognition, bringing pride and honor to our country. His unceasing nationalistic contribution to Philippine music and culture warrants recognition,” Sotto said in the resolution.

The  resolution  particularly cited   Aguilar’s song,  “Anak” —   a “poignant story about a parent’s love for a wayward child—which was first released on March 20, 1978.

“The 40^th Anniversary of the release of this phenomenal song will be celebrated on March 18, 2018,” the resolution said.

The song has since   been released in 53 countries, translated into 29 languages, re-recorded in more than 100 versions and sold 33 million copies worldwide.

“Billboard, the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, reported that the song was the number one in the United States for two weeks and a world hit of the 1980s. As of 2006, it was unsurpassed as the all-time highest-selling record of Philippine music,” the resolution pointed out.

“Thirty-seven years after its release, “Anak” was used as the theme song of “Gangnam Blues,” a South Korean action film released in March of 2015,” it added.

Aside from the song “Anak,” the resolution noted some  of Aguilar’s songs  that “echoed the state of the nation” such as “Katarungan” (justice), “Pangako” (promise), and “LUZVIMINDA” (Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, the three main islands in the Philippines).     /muf