THE HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL ANTHEM AND FLAG
Lupang Hinirang is the national
LUPANG HINIRANG
Bayang Magiliw Perlas ng silanganan
Alab ng puso, sa dibdib mo'y buhay
Lupang hinirang, duyan ka ng
magiting
Sa manlulupig, di ka pasisiil
Sa dagat at bundok,
Sa simoy at sa langit mong bughaw
May dilag ang tula at awit sa
paglayang minamahal
Ang kislap ng watawat mo'y
tagumpay na nagniningning
Ang bituin at araw niya kailan pa
may di magdidilim
Lupa ng araw ng luwalhati't pagsinta
Buhay ay langit sa piling mo
Aming ligaya na pag may mang-aapi
Ang mamatay ng dahil sa iyo.
During the Commonwealth
anthem of the Philippines. Its music
was composed in 1898 by Julian Felipe,
and the lyrics were adapted from the
Spanish poem Filipinas, written by
José Palma in 1899. Originally written
as incidental music, it did not have
lyrics when it was adopted as the
anthem of the revolutionary First
Philippine Republic and subsequently
played during the proclamation of
Philippine independence on June 12,
1898. During the American Colonial
Period, the Flag Law of 1907
prohibited public display flags,
banners, emblems, or devices used by
revolutionaries in the Philippine-
American War. Under color of this law,
the colonial government banned the
song from being played. The Flag Law
was repealed in 1919.
era, Commonwealth Act No.
382, approved on September 5,
1938, officially adopted the
musical arrangement and
composition by Julian Felipe
as the Philippine National
Anthem. The Spanish lyrics
were translated into Tagalog
beginning in the 1940s, and a
final, Pilipino version from
1956 was revised in the 1960s
to the present lyrics. Over the
years, several English
versions came into use. On
February 12, 1998, Republic
Act No. 8491, officially set out
Tagalog lyrics as the National
Anthem, abandoning use of
the Spanish and English
versions.
 What does The Philippine
Flag Symbolizes?
The Philippine national flag has a
rectangular design that consists of
a white equilateral triangle,
symbolizing liberty, equality and
fraternity; a horizontal blue stripe
for peace, truth, and justice; and a
horizontal red stripe for patriotism
and valor. The eight rays of the sun
on the flag symbolizes the eight
provinces- Manila, Cavite, Bulacan,
Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bataan,
Laguna and Batangas—"which
declared themselves in a state of
war almost at the very start of the
uprising” during the Philippine
revolution.
DID YOU KNOW WHO MADE THE
PHILIPPINE FLAG?
THAT?
Aguinaldo hand-delivered his design of It is sewn by Marcela Marino
the flag to Doña Marcela Mariño de de Agoncillo, Lorenza
Agoncillo while the general was in Hong Agoncillo, and Delfina Herbosa
Kong after the signing of the Pact of de Natividad in Hong Kong
Biak-na-Bato in 1897. With the help of
and first flown in battle on
her eldest daughter Lorenza M. Agoncillo
May 28, 1898. It was formally
and Jose Rizal's niece Delfina Herbosa
unfurled during the
Natividad, they went on to work day and
Proclamation of
night on the first Philippine flag. It was
delivered personally to Aguinaldo on May Philippine Independence and
17 before he came back to the the flag of the First Philippine
Republic, on June 12, 1898 by
Philippines.
President Aguinaldo.
In an Executive Order, former president
Ferdinand Marcos pointed out the "the
shade of the color blue [of the original
flag] was lighter than the present dark
blue being used in the making of
Philippine flag." This change in color
from navy blue to light blue proved
unpopular and was explicitly rejected GAWA NI: NAVARRO,
after the 1986 EDSA Revolution. EURIKA KYLLA B.