By Eva C. Visperas

 

LET’S have a real talk.

Who among you knows by heart the Pangasinan Hymn?

One out of 100? 200? 300?

The truth is, it’s possible, based on what I see whenever there are events where part of the program is the singing of the Pangasinan Hymn, aside of course, from our national hymn, the Lupang Hinirang.

During official events, you can count on your fingers the number of Pangasinenses who can sing our very own Pangasinan Hymn by heart, the hymn introduced many years ago when then-Gov. “Ama” Amado Espino Jr. was the province’s chief executive.

While it was not scrapped nor changed to an entirely new hymn when a new administration took over, up to now, only a few know the lyrics. I’m 100 percent sure of that because even most of our board members cannot sing it by heart during their regular Monday sessions, which I religiously attend for news coverage.

Let’s get real here. They know how to sing it when the lyrics are flashed onscreen, like singing in a videoke bar. But without available lyrics? Nah, they’d just mimic singing but their lips are not in sync.

How do I know it? Well, a couple of months ago, the sound system of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan had a technical problem during the singing of the Pangasinan Hymn. So, the technician had to stop flashing the lyrics onscreen,. Result? Most of the SP members could not sing it anymore.

After attending hundreds of SP sessions, they still cannot sing it properly, and that, indeed, is sad.

The secretariat, at one point, gave each member copies of printed lyrics for their use. But they stopped doing it as it only emphasized what was obvious.

Many ordinary Pangasinenses, even students and department heads, haven’t memorized the lyrics.

During big events, whether it’s in the Capitol, town or city/town halls, I look around and observe people, especially officials, to see if they know our Pangasinan Hymn. Again, without lyrics flashed onscreen, they’re at a loss! Try to observe them too, and see my point.

And now comes another material to memorize. Malacañang’s new memorandum requires government agencies and schools across the country to recite the Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines) hymn and pledge.

“Na naman? May dagdag?” many said in surprise.

Yes, dearies, Malacañang’s directive is to integrate the singing and recitation of the “Bagong Pilipinas” hymn and pledge into the weekly flag ceremonies of national government agencies and instrumentalities.

One news item I read the other day during the Philippine Independence Day celebration at the Rizal Park in Manila said that camerawork from state media panned to the President, “who was seen mouthing some of the song’s lyrics, but the same cannot be said of his Cabinet members, who didn’t bother trying.”

Oh well, let’s give them some time to memorize it. But going back to the Pangasinan Hymn “Luyag Ko Tan Yaman” that has been there since 2008 when it officially became the province’s official hymn after three years by virtue of a provincial ordinance passed on September 5, 2011.

The provincial government embarked on a school tour to introduce the song to students throughout Pangasinan to further promote and reinvigorate the Pangasinan language and the province’s cultural heritage.

I hear young students in most public schools singing it well, but the rest? They would not even move their lips.

And when the students graduate from high school, they tend to forget it quickly.

Back to the Malacañang directive. I believe it can help instill a sense of unity and shared identity among government employees, promoting national pride and solidarity, but I’m afraid that will take several decades more before the awakening happens.

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