“Ikaw at ako’y nasa iisang dagat, ang iyong pagmamahal aking kasama. Ang iyong kamay ay di ko bibitawan. Maaliwalas na kinabukasan, ating masisilayan. (You and I are in the same sea, your love keeps me company. I won’t let go of your hand. We have a bright future ahead).’’ It sounds like a love song—both not about sweethearts but about two countries finding a reason to celebrate and remain optimistic amid the coronavirus pandemic. The video was released in the same week Department of Foreign Affairs lodged fresh diplomatic protests against China over a Feb.17 encounter between a Chinese warship and a Philippine Navy corvette, and Beijing’s declaration that parts of Philippine-claimed territory belong to Hainan province—the latest episodes in the maritime dispute between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea.

Avendaño, C. (2020, April 25). Music video cheers China-PH team-up vs COVID-19. Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. A1, A4.