Senate honors Freddie Aguilar for outstanding lifetime contributions

With the upcoming 40th anniversary of the release of the song ‘Anak,’ the Senate on Tuesday honored singer-composer Freddie Aguilar for his lifetime outstanding contributions to the Philippine arts and culture.

Majority Leader Vicente Sotto introduced Senate Resolution 658 while other senators were made co-author.

Sotto said Aguilar is the only Asian singer and composer who broke into the Western market and gained massive global recognition, bringing pride and honor to the country.

“His unceasing nationalistic contribution to the Philippine music and culture warrants recognition,” he said.

Senate honors Freddie Aguilar for outstanding lifetime contributions @gmanewsbreaking pic.twitter.com/6l44yvuSzh

— Amita O. Legaspi (@amitalegaspi) March 13, 2018

Sotto said ‘Anak,’ a song with a poignant story about parents’ love for a wayward child, was released on March 18, 1978.

He said the song was later released in 53 countries, translated in 29 languages, and re-recorded in more than 100 versions. It sold 33 million copies worldwide.

Sotto said Billboard reported that the song was number one in the US for two weeks and a world hit of the 1980s. He added that as of 2006, ‘Anak’ was unsurpassed as the all-time highest-selling record in the Philippine music industry.

He said ‘Anak’ was also used as the theme song of Gangnam Blues, a South Korean action film released in March 2015. — Amita Legaspi/RSJ, GMA News