American Idol Runner-up Jessica Sanchez to Sing National Anthem at Manny Pacquiao’s Bout; Helps Raise Funds for Yolanda Victims

American Idol runner-up Jessica Sanchez will sing the Philippine national anthem when eight-division title holder Manny Pacquiao returns to the ring on Nov 24 to battle Brandon Rios.

Pacquiao asked her through Twitter, and Jessica replied, "Yes, I'm honored."

It has become a tradition for the boxing champ to request famous Filipino singers to render the national anthem before his bouts, but some of them had become controversial. Christian Bautista forgot some lines, while Martin Nievera changed the arrangement which is considered a violation of the Philippine flag law.

Since Jessica was born in the Philippines, but her family migrated to the U.S., she is a Filipino at heart. But by citizenship, she is American, hence since her American Idol victory, she has also been asked to sing the American national anthem with no less than U.S. President Barack Obama and his family singing along at the White House.

YouTube/sillyboofunny

Noticeably, Jessica rendered the U.S. national anthem in a slightly different manner, belting out some of the lines, but such style of singing does not raise a ruckus in the U.S. The question now is will she do the same for the Philippine national anthem and risk incurring the ire of the Philippine government?

Pacquiao and Rios are seeking to win the vacant World Boxing Organisation international welterweight championship belt at the Cotai Arena in Macau, China. For Pacquiao, the fight seeks to reestablish his greatness as a pound-for-pound boxer, marred by his recent two losses to Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley.

Meanwhile, besides singing the Philippine national anthem, Jessica shows her heart for her country by organising a video online concert on Stageit.com on Nov 15 for typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) victims. Online viewers were asked to donate $10 each as admission ticket. Jessica sent the amount collected through the Philippine Red Cross.

Also helping out is Criss Darren of Glee, who is half-Filipino. Darren, who plays the gay student Blaine in the hit Fox musical, asked his Twitter followers to donate $25 each to the UN World Food Programme which provides emergency meals for the typhoon victims. In exchange for their donation, Darren will give his Twitter followers an autographed postcard with the message: "You're not alone."