HE GOT flak for seemingly taking liberties with the National Anthem and going off-key near the end. Still, Arnel Pineda deserves a pat on the back for doing something that many others in his beleaguered position failed to do: He apologized immediately.

In an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer last week, the Pinoy lead vocalist of the revitalized American pop-rock band Journey said he had anticipated the reprimand for rendering the last three lines of ?Lupang Hinirang? one octave higher. ?The moment called for it,? Arnel explained.

Come to think of it: Why get a rocker, in the first place, to do a marching anthem? That was risking boredom.