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 40th 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
