Pilar Manalo Danao

Pilár Manalo Danáo (March 10, 1914 - November 26, 1987) also known as Ka Pilár, Manang and PMD, was the eldest daughter of Felix Y. Manalo and the first Head Choir Director of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) from 1942 until her death in 1987. She was instrumental in the creation of hymns for INC; she is the sole lyricist of the church’s Tagalog hymnal, Ang Himnario ng Iglesia ni Cristo. The hymnal originally contained 220 songs, and its first publication in 1937 bears her name and initials imprinted on hymnals (in Tagalog and English) and musical scores (Tagalog) for the choir.

Upon her death, Fausto Perez succeeded her as the Head Choir Director while Liberty Manalo-Albert took charge as the Coordinator of the choir to Executive Minister Eraño G. Manalo. Ramon C. Reyes and Gemma Manalo-de Guzman, daughter of current Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo, are the most recent to posts vacated by Perez (after his death) and Albert.

Pilár de Guzmán Manalo was born on March 10, 1914 in Punta Santa Ana, Manila, Rizal Province (now part of Metro Manila) to Honorata de Guzmán and Felix Manalo regarded by the members of Iglesia ni Cristo as the Last Messenger of God in These Last Days, months before the beginning of the First World War coinciding with the registration ofthe Church to the Philippine Government. Her name given by her father literally means "pillar."Few months later, her father decided to move to Tipas, Taguig to teach his newfound doctrines to hometown neighbors where Pilar spent childhood with her younger sister.

Pilar had five siblings named Avelina, Dominador, Salvador, Eraño (1925-2009), and Bienvenido. Eraño assumed INC leadership after their father's death in 1963. She married Artemio Montes Danao, a dentist.

Head Choir Director

In 1942, Felix Manalo consolidated all choir units under the post, Head Choir Director of the INC given to her daughter, Pilar Manalo Danao. The post functions as overall head of the INC Music Department assigned on hymn line-ups for regular worship services and leading choristers, organists and all choir units. In the span of her leadership, she organized several classes for organists and for the choir.

Among INC's primary choirs are the Tabernacle Choir, Sanctuary Choir, and Central Temple Choir. Other choir directors are disseminated in metro manila and provinces to oversee choirs from different local congregations. Some of the notable choir directors in Metro Manila are Ramon Reyes, Jose A. Mena Jr., Michael Solitario, Ligaya Garcia-Quinitio, Rogel Flores, Ed Pontillas, Nemerson Mariano, and Ireneo Del Rosario Jr. while in provinces are Ariel Del Rosario, Adrian Andres, Victor Aquino, Nenita Rosanes, Winnie Azarcon, Jimmy Cruz, Romeo Purificacion (deceased), Rendell Ronquillo, and Gerardo Roldan. To extend management of choirs, assistant choir directors are assigned since early 2019.

Ang Himnario ng Iglesia ni Cristo (The Hymnal of the Church of Christ) is the official hymnbook of INC, written in Tagalog by Danao and published in 1937. The latest edition of the Himnario, published in 2016 with copyright, states: "Hymns underwent several changes from recent publications, by choir directors of the church, all of which were written by Sister Pilar Manalo Danao".

Danao also composed several hymns for the Children's Worship Services (CWS). A separate hymnal for the CWS entitled Mga Awit Sa Pagsamba Ng Kabataan Ng IGLESIA NI CRISTO ("Hymns for the Children's Worship Services of the CHURCH OF CHRIST") was first published in the year 1996 after they separated the CWS hymns from the "Ang Himnario ng IGLESIA NI CRISTO" (published in 1994).

While Danao's hymns were all originally written in Tagalog, these have since been translated into other languages such as English, Spanish and Japanese, for use at worship services and other functions of the Church locally and abroad.

Content

The 2016 edition of the Himnario has 314 pieces, excluding the Doxology (see below) and the Church's anthem, Ako'y Iglesia ni Cristo (I am a Member of the Church of Christ).

Hymns fall under several categories, such as the following examples:

• Hymns of praise to God Almighty (Hymn #61 Aleluya/Alleluia);
• Hymns to Jesus Christ (Hymn #131 Naririnig Kita, Jesus/Lord Jesus Christ, I Hear Your Voice);
• Hymns about the Church (Hymn #209 Ang Iglesia Ay Kaniya/The Church Belongs To God);
• Hymns about performing Church duties (Hymn #6 Nasa Tungkulin Ko Ang Aking Kaligtasan/My Salvation Rests In My Duty);
• Hymns about worship services (Hymn #263 Ang Pagsambang Iniaalay/This Worship That We Offer To You);
• Hymns about the Holy Land (Hymn #58 Ang Bagong Jerusalem/The New Jerusalem),
• Hymns about prayer (Hymn #22 Ang Aming Pagdaing/Our Fervent Prayers);
• Hymns for the Offering (Hymn #251 Ang Handog Ko Sa Diyos/My Offering To God);
• Recessional Hymns (Hymn #300 Muling Makikipagbaka/Once More We Will Fight For Our Faith), and
• Hymns about singing (Hymn #1 Tayo'y Umawit Sa Ama/Let's Sing To Our Father)

Other hymns

Danao also made Special Hymns (called Mga Tanging Awit in Tagalog) for other church occasions and functions (i.e. the Anniversary and Year-End Thanksgiving for CWS and Regular Worship Services, Holy Supper, Baptism, Weddings and Evangelical Missions). These hymns were not specifically found in the hymnal but were performed by the choir, and were also updated in recent years.

In the Iglesia ni Cristo, the Doxology is sung before the Benediction and Concluding Rites of the worship service. The original text reads:

Tagalog
"Ang Amá ay papurihan,
Anák, Espiritung mahal,
Ng mga taong nilalang,
At ng tanang sanlangitan.
Amen"

The revised text reads:

Tagalog	Approved English version
"Purihin natin ang Amá;	"Praise God, our Father up above;
Mabuhay sa pag-ibig ng Anák;	Proclaim the love of His beloved Son;
Taglayín ang Espiritung Banál;	Receive the Holy Spirit's gift;
Ang Diyos ay lagi nating sambahin.	Forever worship our Almighty God.
Amen"	Amen"

Pilar Manalo-Danao Multimedia Center

The infrastructure commemorating the late Pilar Manalo Danao was inaugurated on March 10, 2014 coinciding the latter's 100th birth anniversary, by the current Executive Minister of the Iglesia Ni Cristo,Brother Eduardo V. Manalo. It was part of Centennial projects of the Church, which includes Philippine Arena, Philippine Sports Stadium, Honorata de Guzman-Manalo Building, Eraño G. Manalo Medical Center, Philippine Sports Center and New Era University Bocaue Campus .

The building is located at the INC Central Complex, Quezon City Philippinescomprising about 9500 square meters. Classically designed but with a modern approach, the sunny-yellow infrastructure has eight levels: consists of two basements, six upper floors and a roof deck. It has 200 rooms, serves as designated office for choir directors, songwriters and all those who part in the artistic works of the church.

In the epic and biographical film Felix Manalo, Pilar is portrayed by Filipino actresses Snooky Serna and Carla Humphries respectively.