“Lupang Hinirang” ala Pussycat Dolls?
by: Edgar O. Cruz | STIR Editor (Chief Agitator)
11 Jun 2009 | 12:43 AM

Local attraction to Pussycat Doll member Nicole Scherzinger centers on her being a Filipino-American. The Pussycat Dolls, made up of Nicole, Melody Thorton, Kimberly Wyatt and Ashley Roberts, is staging “A Doll Domination: The Pussycat Dolls Live in Manila” tonight, June 11, at the Mall of Asia Concert Grounds. Member Jessica Sutta is not with the band due to a hip wound she sustained during a concert in Australia where they previously performed. Nicole said at the girl group’s arrival press conference last Tuesday that she’d like to sing The Philippine National Anthem at Manny Pacquiao’s boxing bout. 

But how Pinoy is she? For one, she’s aware who Lea Salonga is. According to her she’s 50% Filipino, having a father from Batanes named Valiente and Russian-Hawaiian mother, the surname of whom she is using. Most of her relatives are in Hawaii and she does not know if she still has relatives in the Philippines. But that’s how much she’d talk about her family. She begged off from talking about them further. She probably does not talk about personal issues or does not want to look stupid because she does not know. 

Is she qualified to sing “Lupang Hinirang.” STIR doubts it. She may not aware it’s not in English. She does not speak Tagalog. How will she deal with the accent and correct pronunciation? Can she carry the high end notes? She’ll probably sing it ala Pussycat Dolls. Maybe even pre-taped like the Pussycat Dolls are doing tonight. Disaster! For sure, there are more qualified Pinoy singers than her like Lea Salonga and Charice!