Thank God it was Kyla!

FROM the start of the Pacquiao-Barrera rematch, the Philippines was already a winner.

When recording star and TV host Kyla did a wonderful and seamless rendition of “Lupang Hinirang,” we could rightfully say we hit it right on the head.

True enough, Manny Pacquiao was again declared the undefeated international super feather weight champion of the world against Mexico’s people’s champ, Marco Antonio Barrera after a 12-round pound-for-pound fight which saw a jampacked crowd at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao may have been the declared winner of the night, but Kyla also stood tall despite a controversy which she left behind. Ara Mina’s camp accused Kyla of stealing the chance to sing the Philippine National Anthem in the much-awaited fight-night, watched by millions all over the world.

The three-minute world fame surely brought Kyla’s talent to a higher level, a contrast to balladeer Christian Bautista’s boo-boo, and which some quarters doubt would have been the same had it been Ara who stood in that ring.