Lea Defended her Friend Martin on the National Anthem Criticism

Martin Nievera has been criticized since he sang the Philippine National Anthem at the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton boxing fight in Las Vegas. According to the National Historical Institution (NHI) the singer had no permissionto change the tempo of the national anthem, "it is againts the constitution's provision, said NHI". Debate is ongoing whether or not Martin should be castigated because of the said issue.

Singer-actress Lea Salonga defended her colleague,
“I think there's too much of a hullabaloo right now. Everybody's just got to calm down first, seriously. And I think it’s a very tough thing to comment on because as an artist I believe there should be a little legroom in which to interpret the anthem. There should be enough artistic freedom, but within the boundaries of propriety and respect. And if the flag and the country are being honored and represented properly, then I don’t see any problem with how an artist decides to interpret it. So on the one hand I understand where Martin is coming from—that he wanted that last line to really be heard. But I understand those in charge of protecting the anthem are coming from because NHI is thinking of the anthem’s history and why it was created".

Well for me, why don't we give Martin another chance? Maybe he just forgotten all about our constitution's provision. And if NHI will really focus on this stuff I'm sure they'll found out that not only Martin has done this kind of provoking.