Hotdog's Dennis Garcia says they wrote Manila ‘as Filipinos missing the Philippines’

Filipino athletes parading on stage during the 30th SEA Games opening ceremony with the very groovy Hotdog song “Manila” playing in the background was such a moment.

On Sunday morning however, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte criticized the use of the Hotdog song and said inclusivity should have been considered.

On Facebook Sunday afternoon, Dennis Garcia, one-half of the songwriters of the famous song said “Rene and I created ‘Manila’ not thinking of ourselves as Tagalogs, Bisayans, or Ilokanos but as Filipinos missing the Philippines.”

Speaking to GMA News Online, Dennis clarified his Facebook post was not a response to the Davao Mayor’s criticism. “It was an inquiry from my friend, Pancho Alvarez, a Cebuano who wanted to trace and write about the backstory of the song,” Dennis said.

On Monday morning, the musician shared his friend's narration about the song on his Facebook page. “Dennis and Rene wrote the song while they were OFWs. Dennis, on one of his engagements as a Creative Director somewhere around Asia, penned the lyrics to the melody and they recorded it together – probably in one incarnation of Dennis’ personal studios, when they were home together.”

“The song resonated so much with generations of Filipinos some thirty plus years ago till now and it’s evolved into an anthem of sorts specially for those homebound on a PAL plane flying from Dubai, Heathrow, JFW or any other part of the world where they fly to and return.

“It is this setting that drew into the hearts and minds of the participants, the legendary athletes present in the parade, and mostly the audience that got them to their feet, singing and dancing while the song was playing over and over again, until the parade was over.”

— LA, GMA News