People are loving this Georgia musician playing the Philippine national anthem

Image: Sheila May Fernandez (TikTok)

By Coconuts Manila

Mar 21, 2022 | 4:04pm Manila time

The country of Georgia in the eastern part of Europe is about half a world away from the Philippines, yet the cultural and geographical distance did not hinder this busker from knowing and playing the Philippines’ national anthem with gusto.

Social media loved a video of a street musician in Tbilisi playing Lupang Hinirang (Chosen Land) that made the rounds online.

TikTok influencer Sasha May Fernandez shared a clip of the accordion player performing the anthem, taken during a four-day trip in Georgia as she and her boyfriend strolled the ancient Narikala Fortress in Tbilisi.

Sasha told Coconuts that the musician played the tune when he caught sight of the couple. “We were pleasantly surprised, and it shows that a lot of kabayans (fellowmen) have been there before.”

“I froze for like two seconds, then when I realized what he was playing, I immediately told my boyfriend to start filming,” she narrated.

Sasha shared that she quickly thanked the musician for the gesture.

NO MENTION OF RENUMERATION 

The TikTok clip has nearly 150,000 likes and over 3,000 comments as of writing.