Mayor Junard Chan wants “Panalo” rapper Ez Mil to be declared persona non grata (unwelcome person) over lyrics falsely portraying national hero Lapu-Lapu, whom the city is named after.
“This is a big insult to us Oponganons. He mocked the person that we consider a hero,” said the mayor in an interview, according to CNN Philippines. “He doesn’t recognize Lapu-Lapu as a hero, he should have not created a song that will irk the people. He should not be looked up to by the youth,” Chan adds.
The Las Vegas-based Filipino rapper (real name Ezekiel Miller) admitted that his line, “Nanalo na ako nung una pa pinugutan si Lapu sa Mactan” (“I already won before Lapu-Lapu was beheaded in Mactan”) was historically inaccurate.
In a statement, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) has pointed out that Lapu-Lapu was “definitely not killed in the Battle of Mactan” and while they welcome songs “that inspire people to think great and be informed of their history,” they urge the public to “not compromise history and be conscious of our accountability on what we are conveying to our people.”
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Ez Mil has since apologized for “twisting the truth,” but said he will not rewrite the lyrics so as not to “ruin the integrity of the recording.”
“That whole why I chose the term, ‘pinugutan si Lapu sa Mactan,’ it’s like — because in terms of the rhyming pattern, I always go to this dilemma or doubt in my head in terms of when I’m closing out a song. Am I gonna close it out with absolute truth or am I gonna make people talk about it? That’s like me weighing the options,” he said in an interview with rapper Hbom Segovia.
Dubbed “Trap Cariñosa,” which refers to a popular colonial-era Philippine folk dance, Ez Mil’s “take on Filipino nationalism” has racked 40 million views on YouTube since it was posted by Wish USA Bus on January 29.
Watch “Panalo” below:
