Party-list lawmakers sought Tuesday a congressional inquiry into the manner popular singer Martin Nievera sang the Philippine national anthem during the Hatton-Pacquiao bout in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casino said Nievera’s style of singing, which is apparently different from what Republic Act No. 8491 provides, has made it necessary for Congress to determine whether or not there is a need to amend the law.

On the other hand, Rep. Rissa Hontiveros of Akbayan said RA 8491 or the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines must now be amended to allow artists to “deliver new but still reverential rendition of the national anthem.”

Casino and Hontiveros, who are both eyeing Senate seats in 2010, noted that various Filipino singers have been giving the national anthem different renditions, especially when they face international audiences.

“Mr. Nievera is not the first artist who sang the national anthem in a different style and tempo,” said Casino.

The varying renditions usually trigger debates among policymakers and the public who either contend a strict compliance to the law or give artists more freedom to interpret with their own style and tempo.