Eight years after the last Southeast Asian Games were held in the Philippines, the SEA Games is finally returning to the country. Set to run from November 30 to December 11 of this year, the excitement for the event is once again picking up as now with the release of its official theme song written by Floy Quintos, composed by Ryan Cayabyab, and sung by Lea Salonga.
The song, “We Win as One,” does not only refer to Filipinos winning for their countrymen, but also for the whole of Southeast Asia. Despite the competition happening between the 11 ASEAN nations—Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam—we win as one because of the relationship we have with our neighboring countries.
The music video of the song shows the hardships and triumphs of Filipino athletes while Lea Salonga soulfully sings in front of a screen depicting these athletes.
Aside from the music video that showcases our athletes and their sports, a behind the scenes video was also released. In it, Lea Salonga talks the viewers through the filming, and the athletes are seen in a less serious situation as they prepare to face the camera.
In the official music video for “We Win as One,” we see Salonga in a bejeweled Filipiniana gown in the shade of red; while in the BTS video, we see her without the fancy dress and we get a sneak peek of her recording the song in a studio, donning a SEA Games jacket instead.
