Former Senator Joey Lina on Friday launched “Maluwalhating Pilipinas,” a 10-song album of original compositions born from his lifelong love for poetry and music, his faith, and a continuing desire to serve others beyond his years in government.
The album was formally launched at the Tap Room of The Manila Hotel, in a program hosted by Manila Bulletin’s Barbie Atienza and attended by members of the media, friends, colleagues, and supporters. Singer-songwriter Jose Mari Chan joined Lina as the honored special guest.
More than a personal musical milestone, the album carries a charitable purpose: net proceeds from the project will support the Children’s First 1,000 Days Coalition (CFDC), the country’s largest alliance of non-government and government organizations working to help nutritionally at-risk pregnant women and young children during the critical period from conception to a child’s second birthday.
Lina traced the beginnings of the album to something he had loved doing long before becoming a lawyer, local executive, senator, broadcaster, and newspaper columnist: writing.
As a young student, he wrote poems. In recent years, he returned to the habit, eventually sharing his work
with his nephew Robert David, a songwriter and music arranger.
David offered to turn the poems into songs.
What followed was a collaboration that eventually produced 10 original compositions, recorded with
equipment brought directly to The Manila Hotel, where Lina serves as president.
The project also marked a departure from Lina’s first recording, which consisted largely of cover songs.
His experience as a singer, however, stretches back years through a series of fundraising concerts,
including performances with his late Cabinet colleagues Bayani Fernando and Angelo Reyes.
Lina recalled that singing eventually became a running joke around The Manila Hotel — until the joke
became reality.
“Ako ang kakanta. Kanta ako nang kanta, gagawa na akong album,” he recalled.
This time, however, he wanted the songs to be his own.
Among the compositions are “Sana Ako Rin,” “You Are My Home,” “You Are My Everything,” “Dios
ang Pag-asa,” “Tulungan Mo Ako,” “Ikaw ay Akin, Ako’y Sa’yo,” and the title track, “Maluwalhating
Pilipinas.”
Chan was particularly close to the story behind “Sana Ako Rin,” one of the songs featured during the
launch and a composition inspired in part by Lina’s admiration for the veteran singer-songwriter.
But Lina said his reason for making music at this point in his life goes beyond fulfilling a personal
ambition.
“Singing is a form of public service,” Lina said. “Kapag nasisiyahan ang mga taong kinakantahan mo,
pinaglilingkuran mo sila.”
For him, “Maluwalhating Pilipinas” also reflects a philosophy that has shaped much of his life: that
human effort must ultimately be anchored in faith.
Speaking about the title song, Lina reflected on a world confronted by war, corruption, poor governance,
and other social problems, and said that while people must act to address them, human effort alone is not
enough.
“Without God, we can do nothing,” he said, describing the song as a call not to despair or condemn, but
to return to faith and continue working toward a better country.
The title track carries that sense of hope — that even amid disorder and difficulty, the nation can once
again find its way forward.
“Muling magniningning ang ating bansa,” Lina said as he shared a portion of the song.
For Lina, that hope remains closely connected to the work he continues to pursue through the Children’s
First 1,000 Days Coalition.
The coalition brings together more than 200 organizations, including civic groups and other partners, to
support efforts addressing maternal and child malnutrition. Lina stressed that the first 1,000 days — from
conception until a child’s second birthday — are crucial to a person’s growth and development.
Proceeds generated by “Maluwalhating Pilipinas,” including from its digital distribution, are intended to
help sustain that advocacy.
“Lahat ng net proceeds will go to the First 1,000 Days of Life program,” Lina said.
The link between music and service also surfaced during the media conversation moderated by Atienza
following the album presentation.
Asked about the secret to pursuing different endeavors throughout his life, Lina pointed to love as the
force behind much of what he has done — from becoming a lawyer and entering public service to helping
disadvantaged communities.
He recalled his early days in legal practice, when he assisted fishermen who had little means to pay him.
After successfully defending some of them, he went home not with a conventional attorney’s fee, but with
fish given in gratitude — something he jokingly called his “attorney’s fish.”
For Lina, the story captures a principle he has tried to carry throughout his career.
“When there’s love, everything is conquerable,” he said. “I love our country.”
That same sentiment emerged when Lina was asked what he still hopes to see in his lifetime.
Instead of giving a conventional answer, he recited lines from a poem describing a dream he has carried
since his youth: a country where people have decent livelihoods, families have homes, streets are
peaceful, children are able to study, and government serves its people with integrity.
He described himself as already being in the “dapithapon” or late afternoon of his life, but said he still
hopes to glimpse even a ray of the “bukang-liwayway” — the dawn he has long hoped to see for the
Philippines.
The imagery closely mirrors the spirit of “Maluwalhating Pilipinas”: not a denial of the country’s
difficulties, but an expression of faith that renewal remains possible.
Chan, meanwhile, shared his own reflections on music and service and praised Lina’s natural ability as a
singer.
“He has that gift of voice,” Chan said, mentioning singers Matt Monro and Frank Sinatra while recalling
Lina’s musical style.
The two artists traded stories and songs throughout the afternoon, with Lina also speaking about the
importance of singing from the diaphragm — something he said he learned to apply from his years of
public speaking.
“Mas makulay ang daigdig pag may kanta,” Lina said.
During the media question-and-answer session, both Lina and Chan were also asked about their wishes
for the country.
Lina expressed hope for an end to wars, for societies to navigate rapid technological advances such as
artificial intelligence responsibly, and for greater prosperity.
Chan, meanwhile, emphasized the importance of job creation, saying businesses should look beyond
profit and help create more opportunities so fewer Filipinos are forced to leave the country in search of
work.
The launch featured live performances by Lina and Chan and culminated with “Christmas in Our Hearts”
as the afternoon’s finale.
Lina also announced another fundraising concert for the Children’s First 1,000 Days Coalition on
November 14.
From poems written quietly over the years to songs now being shared with a wider audience,
“Maluwalhating Pilipinas” represents another chapter in Lina’s continuing journey through public service,
advocacy and creative expression.
And for Lina, the purpose remains much the same.
Whether through law, legislation, public speaking, writing, advocacy — or now through music — the
goal, he said, is still to serve.
The album launch concluded on a warm and festive note as Jose Mari Chan, Joey Lina, and host Barbie
Atienza came together to sing Chan’s enduring Christmas classic, “Christmas in Our Hearts,” bringing the
afternoon of music, stories, and shared hopes for the country to a fitting close.
To access the YouTube playlist, click here.