The court thing is silly, but still a stupid thing to do, especially if you are not a newbie in the Philippines. I will say that if similar behavior was exhibited in the States (and I'd guess at least some othe countries) you'd at the very least get some dirty looks/comments from the crowd. But ChMacQueen is right, although I see most Filipinos standing, when one doesn't, I've yet to see much reaction. But I never knew the requirement to sing was part of the law! I don't mind, but I only know the very first and last words. So I start off with "Bayan magiliw" (which for years I actually thought was the song's title), hum most of the rest, then end with a rousing "sa iyo". Afterwards, 99% of the people around me will swear I sang it flawlessly word-for-word
Hmmm, what a connundrum. It is common for a person who solicits to acquire money from peters which do stand erect....... But now, we have a person who solicits, who is realy upset and taking legal action because a peter did not stand erect This all just seems so wrong
I guess there are more to the story that can't be read in the news. The incident might very well stem from a verbal argument at the site. Can think of a potential scenario like Lawyer: "You know it's custom to stand up for the national anthem in this country, don't you?" Foreigner: "f*ck off!" If I was a lawyer who could take anyone to court without it costing me a dime, just some of my time, I likely would. If not to defend the national anthem law, which I agree is silly (you don't honour something by force, you do by virtue) but to defend my own pride. But, that's just a potential scenario. And if it is anything near the truth, I think this case will be dismissed after a simple "Sorry sir, I did wrong and won't again.", replied with a "Ok, if you come back one week from now, stand erect and sing the national anthem I'll forget all about it." ;-)
I stand for the anthem because I believe it is the socially acceptable thing to do (respect is earned not given, and the government here has earned absolutely no respect from me). I do not, however, sing or place my hand over my heart. Not a single person has said anything to me about singing. Let's just hope this guy was an isolated event and doesn't become a fad.....i really think this is something personal between the lawyer and the foreigner though. Just sounds too extreme of a reaction for something so petty.
hmmmm what a croc. What was the good attorney doing at the matinee anyway? Shouldn't he be busy preparing cases against other foreigners?
I will modify that just a bit; I think this case will be dismissed after a simple "Sorry sir, I did wrong and won't again, here's P50,000." Larry
This sounds like a lawyer that has nothing else better to do but make trouble or he are trying to make money. Lawyers like this give good filipino lawyers a bad name. I seem to remember hearing about a murder case of a filipino lawyer sitting at his desk in his office and someone walked in and shot him several times and people wonder why it happened in the first place. Lawyers like this use old out of date laws to abuse and harass people and it sometimes gets very personal and bloody. Had it been a filipino that didn't stand to the national anthem, this case would have never been filed. Please don't get me wrong when I say this cause I respect filipinos and their culture. Most filipinos that I have talked to are very disgusted with their government due to extreme poverty and lack of jobs. Many filipinos try to move out of the country by the thousands every year because they can't make a decent living in the Philippines. Now we have a filipino lawyer that has a bug up his @ss and is trying to go after a foreigner. If there are draconian laws like this that exist in the Philippines, then maybe the United States should allow the Chinese to take over the Philippines maybe they can do a better job than the Philippine government. Some foreigners are diplomats and can not stand up to another countries national anthem, especially if the country is a neutral one like Switzerland.
