MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte ended his Tuesday night public address by playing a song which he said captures what Filipinos are feeling amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Right after defending his Metro Manila police chief for having a birthday celebration amid the community quarantine, Duterte asked his staff to play a song which he said was composed by one of his Visayan friends.
“May isang kaibigan ako, pangalan niya hindi ko muna sabihin ‘yung… Kung nagustuhan ninyo next time, Bisaya ito ha. Ito iyong kanta niya na Tagalog — Tagalog naman lahat kanta natin eh,” Duterte said.
“Pero iyong kanta niya nakuha niya iyong the — the spirit that we have been longing for na where we can express our — well the — the — what we feel for the moment,” he added, before ordering his aides to play the song.
As the song plays, Duterte and members of his Cabinet passionately listened.
After the song, the President said: “Mga kababayan ko, I hope na maski na papaano we were able to convey, napaabot namin ang mensahe ng gobyerno sa inyo at we were also able to answer some of your questions.”
Malacañang did not identify the artist behind the song which was titled “Hihilom ang Sugat.”