The
Philippine National Anthem
Musical Score of the Philippine National Anthem (pdf format)
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 ma'y di magdidilim.
Lupa
ng araw, ng luwalhati't pagsinta,
Buhay ay langit sa piling mo;
Aming ligaya na pag may mang-aapi
Ang mamatay nang dahil sa iyo.
The
Philippine National Anthem is a product of revolution, a response to the
need of the revolutionary times that gave birth to it. And this need arose
in 1898, when the revolution against Spain was in its second year and
a Filipino victory was in sight.
Gen.
Emilio Aguinaldo astutely recognized the need for national symbols to
rally the nation against the enemy. On June 5, 1898, he commissioned Julian
Felipe , a Cavite pianist and composer, to work on a march for the revolutionists.
Felipe worked on the assignment for six days and on June 11, sitting in
front of a piano in the Aguinaldo living room, played his music before
the presidente and his lieutenants. Named by Felipe the Marcha Filipino
Magdalo (after Aguinaldo's nom de guerre and his faction in the Katipunan),
the music was adopted on the spot and renamed the Marcha Nacional Filipina
(Philippine National March).
The
national anthem was heard publicly for the first time on June 12, 1898,
when, standing on the balcony of his Kawit mansion, Aguinaldo proclaimed
Asia's first independent republic before a cheering throng. Two rallying
symbols were presented to the infant nation that day. Also displayed for
the first time was the national flag, unfurled to the stirring strains
of the marcha nacional played by the band of San Francisco de Malabon
(now Heneral Trias) whose members had learned the music the day before.
But
still without words, Felipe's music was simply a march. It could not be
sung. The need for lyrics was just as great as there was for the music.
In December 1898, the Philippines was ceded by Spain to the United States
of America in the Treaty of Paris. Having thrown off Spanish rule, the
Filipinos found themselves under new colonial masters, the Americans.
In February of 1899, the Filipino-American War erupted.
The
defiant lyrics to march the stirring strains of Felipe were supplied by
Jose Palma, a 23-year old soldier who was as adept with the pen as he
was with the sword. He wrote a poem entitled "Filipinas" and
this was wed to the Felipe composition. The anthem was readily taken by
the young nation at war. But on March 23,1901, the war with America ground
to a halt with the capture of Aguinaldo in Palanan, Isabela.
The
first half of the century were years of humiliation for the Filipinos
and their anthem. The American administors discouraged the singing of
the anthem and in the 1920s, Palma's original spanish lyrics underwent
several English and Tagalog translations. The most popular were the following
versions, one in English by Camilo Osias and M.A.L. Lane and one in Tagalog.
In
1956, a new version penned by the Surian ng Wikang Pambansa (Institute
of National Language) was adopted. These are the official Filipino lyrics
sung all over the country today and given wider propagation through radio,
television and cinema. |
Geography
Location,
Boundaries, Land Area
The
Republic of the Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands lying on
the western rim of the Pacific Ocean and north of the equator.
The
northern part of the country is separated from Taiwan by the Bashi Channel.
It is bounded on the east by the Philippine Sea, on the south by the Celebes
Sea, and on the west by the South China Sea.
It
is approximately 6,290 kilometers away from Australia or, in terms of
travel time, seven hours by plane from Sydney to Manila, the capital city
of the Philippines.
The
total land area is about 298,170 square kilometers (114,830 square miles).
Topography
The
Philippines is composed of three major islands known as Luzon, Visayas
and Mindanao. The largest island is Luzon, followed by Mindanao and the
Visayas group. The Visayan region is composed of about 6,000 islands,
including Panay, Samar, Cebu, Leyte and Bohol. Mindanao encompasses about
400 islands.
The
islands extend about 1,850 kilometers from north to south and almost 1,127
kilometers from east to west. The coastlines of all the islands are extremely
irregular, measuring about 36,289 kilometers in length.
Of
volcanic origin, the Philippines is generally mountainous. Mountain ranges
extend north to south, running parallel to the coasts and, in many places,
bordering them.
The
mountains in Luzon include the Sierra Madre, Cordillera Central, the Caraballo
Mountains and the Zambales Mountains. In the second largest island, Mindanao,
are the Diwata Mountains and the mountain ranges in southern Mindanao
including Mount Apo (a volcano) which, at 2,954 meters, is the highest
point in the Philippines.
Seismic
disturbances are often experienced in the islands that include 20 active
volcanoes. The most recent volcanic eruptions were in 1993 (Mayon Volcano
in the Bicol Region, southeastern Luzon, dormant for 600 years) and in
June 1991 and July 1992 (Mount Pinatubo, central Luzon).
The
larger islands have a more diversified topography, with rivers, broad
plains and level, fertile valleys in the interior. Luzon has the Cagayan
Valley (a plain about 80 kilometers wide, the Central Plain (extending
from Lingayen Gulf to Manila Bay), the Cagayan River (longest river in
Luzon), Abra River, Chico River, the large Laguna de Bay, Agno River,
Pampanga River and Bicol River. Mindanao contains the Mindanao Valley
(the largest lowland area), the Agusan River the Rio Grande de Mindanao
(known in its upper course as the Pulangi).
Climate
The
Philippines lies within the tropics and has a mean annual temperature
of about 27ºC. Rainfall averages 2030 millimeters per year in the
lowlands. On most islands of the Philippines, the rain season occurs during
the summer monsoon, from May to November, when the wind blows from the
southwest; the dry season occurs during the winter monsoon, from December
to April, when the wind blows from the northeast. From June to October,
typhoons sometimes appear in the Philippines.
Natural
Resources
The
Philippines contains about 19 percent arable land and 46 percent forests
and woodlands. Aside from being endowed with forest resources it has also
rich deposits of minerals, principally gold, copper, iron, chromite, manganese,
salt and coal. Other minerals are silver, lead, mercury, limestone, petroleum,
nickel and uranium.
Mangrove
trees and nipa palms grow in coastal swamps and coarse grasses cover many
areas of the uplands. The forests contain trees such as banyan, palm trees,
rubber trees and indigenous hard wood trees such as the apitong, yakal,
lauan, camagong, ipil, narra, and mayapis. Bamboo, clove, and pepper plants
grow in the wild, as do numerous species of orchid. Abaca or Manila hemp
yields the fibrous material for making cordage, textiles, and hats.
The
most important animal species include the domesticated water buffalo called
the carabao, several species of deer, wild and domesticated pigs, the
mongoose, and a variety of humped cattle. Reptiles are numerous, and the
islands contain about 760 species of birds, including colorful parrots.
Coastal waters teem with marine fauna, particularly mollusks, for which
the Philippines is noted. Pearl oysters are harvested in Sulu Archipelago
from which are extracted the famous lustrous Sulu pearls.
Major
Cities
Manila,
the capital city, is the country's chief port and main commercial center.
The
last official census in 1990 showed that Manila proper had a population
1,601,234, while the greater metropolitan area had 7,948,398. Quezon City,
which forms part of the Manila metropolitan area, holds a population of
1,669,776, and served as the country's capital from 1948 to 1976. Davao,
a provincial capital and seaport, contains 843,607 people. Cebu, a seaport
and trade center for the agricultural and coal-mining industries, has
610,417 people. Zamboanga, also a seaport has 442,000.
|
History
of the Philippines
The
first humans in the Philippine Islands are thought to have come from the
Asian mainland some 250,000 years ago, during the Ice Age, but few remains
from that time have been discovered. Afterward, other peoples migrated
to the islands, among them the negroid Aetas, who probably arrived about
25,000 years ago. A Mongoloid people from Southeast Asia followed about
10,000 years later. All are thought to have reached the islands across
a land bridge that no longer exists. Larger groups of people from the
regions of present-day China and Vietnam arrived from about 7000 BC to
2000 BC. The largest migrations to the islands, however, probably occurred
after the 3rd century BC. The latest arrivals were people from the Malay
and Indonesian archipelagos and the Polynesian islands. These migrants
brought iron tools and technologies that included glassmaking and weaving
as well as seafaring skills.
In
the 5th century AD a new Filipino civilization had emerged from the mixture
of cultures. Traders from as far away as India became frequent visitors
to the islands. Competing influences from the Middle East, India, and
China brought many changes in the economy and social life. Several primary
industries, such as mining and metallurgy came into being. Gold and Silver,
coins and pearls were utilized as media of exchange. By the 12th century,
the powerful Sri Vijayan Empire had extended its reach from its Sumatran
base to the Philippines. Starting in the 14th century, Islam spread through
the southern parts of the archipelago and became firmly established there.
Trade with merchants of the Chinese Ming dynasty is thought to have been
established by the 15th century.
On
17 March 1521, the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, in the service
of Spain, landed on the Homonhon Islet, near Samar Island. He was later
killed in Mactan Island of Cebu in a clash with native warriors led by
a chieftain named Lapu-Lapu.
The
Philippines was a prize catch for Spain which, at that time, was locked
in a fierce struggle for world colonization with Portugal. The archipelago
was named Felipinas for Spain's King Philip II.
After
the successful expedition in 1564 of Spain's Miguel Lopez de Legazpi,
an administrative center was established in 1572 in Manila. Representatives
of various Roman Catholic religious orders, such as the Augustinians,
Dominicans, Franciscans, and Jesuits, to convert the population. They
were successful only in Luzon and the Visayas because the Moslems resisted
the Spanish efforts.
Upon
the overthrow of Spanish rule in Mexico by the Mexican War of Independence
in 1821, the Philippines was put under the administrative control of Madrid.
When three Filipino priests were executed for nationalist activities,
a group of reformists, led by Dr. Jose Rizal, formed the Propaganda Movement
in 1892 that would later pave the way for the Philippine Revolution.
Rizal
was a doctor by profession as well as a man of letters. While essentially
a political moderate, his writings were critical of Spanish repression
and aroused the ire of the Spanish colonial authorities. He was executed
on 30 December 1896 and became the martyred symbol for Filipino aspirations
to independence and self-rule. Rizal's death brought the Katipunan (Tagalog
for "association") movement led by Andres Bonifacio to the fore,
seeking to establish independence by open revolt. Armed hostilities commenced
on 26 August 1896 when the revolutionaries tore their certificates of
identity (cedulas) in repudiation of Spanish rule.
The
revolution, under the leadership of Emilio Aguinaldo was initially successful.
However,
events were soon overshadowed by outbreak of the Spanish-American War
on 21 April 1898. On 12 June 1898, with the Spanish retreating to the
walled city of Intramuros, Aguinaldo was able to declare Philippine Independence
and to establish a government with himself as President of the first republic
in Asia. However, this independence was undermined by the terms of the
Treaty of Paris (December 10, 1898) which governed the cessation of hostilities
between Spain and the United States. In that treaty, Spain ceded the entire
archipelago to the United States in return for $20 million. On 21 December
1898, the United States proclaimed the establishment of American military
rule in the Philippines. Aguinaldo and the nascent Philippine republic
refused to acknowledge American domination and went to war with the Americans
on 04 February 1899. Filipino resistance to American rule was weakened
after Aguinaldo's capture on 23 March 1901 but sporadic warfare continued
up to 1905.
The
United States established a civil government in 1902. In 1935 a commonwealth
government was established complete with a Constitution, with Manuel L.
Quezon as the first commonwealth president. He was reelected in 1941.
World
War II broke out in 1941. Japan annexed the Philippines after a heroic
battle with Filipino-American forces making a last stand in Bataan and
Corregidor. With the surrender, Filipinos took to the hills and waged
a guerilla war for four years. In 1945, American-led forces liberated
the Philippines.
President
Quezon had died in 1944, and Vice President Sergio Osmena succeeded him
as President. On 23 April 1946, Roxas was elected president, with Elpidio
Quirino as vice president. On 04 July 1946, the US flag was lowered for
the last time as the Philippines was finally granted independence.
In
addition to the problem of economic rehabilitation, the new state was
faced with internal strife. In central Luzon the Hukbalahaps, or Huks,
a Communist-led group of former guerrillas against the Japanese, organized
a rebel government with its own military, civil, and administrative procedures.
Demanding collectivization of farmlands and the abolition of tenant farming,
the Huks became a powerful force in Luzon.
Vice
President Quirino, who became acting president on the death, in April
1948, of President Roxas, won a term on his own in 1949. The Huk rebellion
continued to gather momentum in 1949 and 1950.
In
the presidential elections, held on 10 November 1953, former Defense Minister
Ramon Magsaysay won a decisive victory over the incumbent Quirino, and
because of his vigorous conduct of the campaign against the Huks, the
back of the rebellion was broken, although it was not entirely suppressed.
Magsaysay
died in an airplane crash on 17 March 1957 and on the next day Vice President
Carlos P. Garcia was sworn in as president. Garcia was subsequently elected
president, and Diosdado Macapagal, an opposition Liberal party candidate,
was elected vice president. Macapagal was elected president in 1961, but
in the elections of 1965 he lost to the Nationalist candidate, Ferdinand
Marcos.
Rapid
development of the economy brought prosperity during Marcos's first term,
and he was easily reelected in 1969. His second term, however, was troubled
by civil unrest, caused by increasing Communist ideological influence.
By the early 1970s two separate forces, the Communist New People's Army
and the Moro National Liberation Front, a Muslim separatist movement in
the south, were waging guerilla war on the government. The unrest and
criminal depredations were cited as excuses for the declaration of martial
law in 1972. Congress was dissolved, opposition leaders arrested, and
strict censorship imposed. Marcos thereafter ruled by decree.
A
new constitution was promulgated in January 1973, but transitional provisions
attached to it gave Marcos continued absolute powers, and elections were
indefinitely postponed. President Marcos officially ended martial law
in 1981 but maintained a tight grip on the country. Opposition to his
rule, however, continued to grow. In 1983, opposition leader Benigno Aquino
returned to Manila from exile in the US and was assassinated by a military
escort sent by Marcos to arrest him.
The
assassination dramatically increased opposition to Marcos' rule and his
mandate was called into question. Marcos called for presidential elections
in February 1986 with Aquino's widow, Corazon, running against him. With
his attempts to cheat exposed by Church and citizen groups, Marcos lost
the support of his Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and the Armed Forces
Deputy Chief of Staff General Fidel Ramos.
The
two led an uprising of military reformists who declared their allegiance
to Corazon Aquino. Marcos sought to crush the uprising by sending an armored
tank column against the rebels. However, more than three million Filipinos
massed in the streets preventing the tanks from reaching rebel encampments.
This display and a rocket attack by rebel helicopters on the presidential
palace convinced Marcos to flee. He went into exile in Hawaii and later
died there.
Aquino
was sworn in as President and won the enactment of a new constitution
in February 1987. Although she won a vote of confidence in legislative
elections that May, military unrest, coupled with popular discontent at
the slow pace of economic reform, continued to threaten her government.
In
the May 1992 presidential election Aquino endorsed the eventual winner,
her former defense secretary, Fidel Valdez Ramos. Ramos, a West Point
graduate and a veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam Wars, assumed office
with the Philippines on the verge of economic recession. Industry was
crippled by a shortage of electric generating plants.
The
Administration pushed through a series of dramatic legislative measures
aimed at privatizing massive infrastructure programs and further liberalizing
the economy. By end of 1993, the establishment of sufficient power generating
capacity, privatization efforts and the conversion of the Subic Naval
Base into an industrial estate and free port ushered in a flood of foreign
investment. By 1994 and 1995, the economy began exhibiting dramatic growth
and looked poised to compete with those its prosperous Southeast Asian
neighbors.
The
Asian financial crisis, which began in late 1997, slowed the resurgent
Philippine economy. However, due to the economic reforms that had already
been put in place and a democratic system that assured transparency of
governance, the country was able to weather the crisis well.
In
May 1998, Joseph Ejercito Estrada was elected as President and Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo was elected Vice President. The Estrada Administration
placed emphasis on three major objectives: reduce poverty, preserve law
and order and fight graft and corruption.
However,
in November 2000, a motion to impeach him was passed by Congress and the
impeachment trial commenced presided over by Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court, Hilario Davide. On 16 January 2001, following a NO vote by 11 out
of the 22 Senators that composed the impeachment court, a second People
Power revolution was staged at EDSA demanding his resignation from office.
On 20 January 2001, the Supreme Court unanimously declared the position
of President vacant and Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was sworn
in as President. She became the 14th President of the Philippines, the
second woman to be swept into Presidency by a peaceful People Power Revolution
(EDSA II). |
The Philippine
Government
As
mandated by the 1987 Constitution, the Government of the Republic of the
Philippines operates under a presidential system. There are three branches
of government, namely: the Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary.
The
Executive Branch
The
Executive Branch is composed of the President, Vice President, Department
Secretaries and other officers of the Executive Department.
The
President is both chief of state and head of government. The President
and the Vice President are elected on separate tickets by popular vote
for 6-year terms.
The
last presidential elections was held on 11 May 1998 and the next will
be held in May 2004. During that election, Joseph Ejercito Estrada and
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo were elected President and Vice President, respectively.
However, on 20 January 2001, following the staging of a second People
Power Revolution (EDSA II) that demanded the resignation of Estrada, the
Supreme Court declared the position of President vacant and swore in Vice
President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO as the 14th President of the Philippines.
The
Legislative Branch
The
bicameral Congress of the Philippines is composed of 24 Senators and 250
members of the House of Representatives. The Upper House is led by the
Senate President while the Lower House is led by the Speaker of the House.
One
half of the Senate is elected every three years. The members are elected
by popular vote to serve 6-year terms.
The
House of Representatives are composed of members elected by popular vote
to serve three-year terms and of a number of sectoral representatives
appointed by the President.
The
last Senate elections was held on 11 May 1998 and the next will be held
in May 2004. During the last elections the LAMMP won 12 seats, Lakas 5,
PRP 2, LP 1 and others 3. The Senate now has only 23 members when one
seat was vacared with the election of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as Vice-President.
At the House of Representatives, LAMMP won 135 seats, Lakas 37, LP 13,
Aksyon Demokratiko 1 and others 35.
The
Judicial Branch
The
Judicial Branch is cmposed of the Supreme Court and other lower courts
established by law. The 15-member Supreme Court is appointed by the President
upon the recommendation of the Judicial and Philippine Bar Council.
The
Constitution bars the President from seeking a re-election after serving
a single term of six years. The Vice President can seek re-election after
serving the 6-yar term. The Senators can be re-elected for two consecutive
terms while the Representatives can be re-elected for three consecutive
terms.
Capital:
Manila
Administrative
divisions: 72 provinces and 61 chartered cities*; Abra, Agusan del Norte,
Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Albay, Angeles*, Antique, Aurora, Bacolod*, Bago*,
Baguio*, Bais*, Basilan, Basilan City*, Bataan, Batanes, Batangas, Batangas
City*, Benguet, Bohol, Bukidnon, Bulacan, Butuan*, Cabanatuan*, Capiz*,
Cagayan, Cagayan de Oro*, Calbayog*, Caloocan*, Camarines Norte, Camarines
Sur, Camiguin, Canlaon*, Capiz, Catanduanes, Cavite, Cavite City*, Cebu,
Cebu City*, Cotabato*, Dagupan*, Danao*, Dapitan*, Davao City* Davao,
Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Dipolog*, Dumaguete*, Eastern Samar, General
Santos*, Gingoog*, Ifugao, Iligan*, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Iloilo,
Iloilo City*, Iriga*, Isabela, Kalinga-Apayao, La Carlota*, Laguna, Lanao
del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Laoag*, Lapu-Lapu*, La Union, Legaspi*, Leyte,
Lipa*, Lucena*, Maguindanao, Mandaue*, Manila*, Marawi*, Marinduque, Masbate,
Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental,
Mountain, Naga*, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, North Cotabato, Northern
Samar, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Olongapo*, Ormoc*, Oroquieta*, Ozamis*,
Pagadian*, Palawan, Palayan*, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Pasay*, Puerto Princesa*,
Quezon, Quezon City*, Quirino, Rizal, Romblon, Roxas*, Samar, San Carlos*
(in Negros Occidental), San Carlos* (in Pangasinan), San Jose*, San Pablo*,
Silay*, Siquijor, Sorsogon, South Cotabato, Southern Leyte, Sultan Kudarat,
Sulu, Surigao*, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Tacloban*, Tagaytay*,
Tagbilaran*, Tangub*, Tarlac, Tawitawi, Toledo*, Trece Martires*, Zambales,
Zamboanga*, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur
National
holiday: Independence Day, 12 June 1898
Constitution:
2 February 1987, effective 11 February 1987
Legal
system: based on Spanish and Anglo-American law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Political
parties and leaders: Laban Ng Masang Pilipino or LAMP (Struggle of the
Filipino Masses) [Joseph ESTRADA, titular head; Eduardo "Danding"
COJUANGO, chairman, Edgardo ANGARA, party president]; Lakas [Raul MANGLAPUS,
chairman, Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, secretary general, Jose DE VENECIA,
party president]; Liberal Party or LP [Raul DAZA, president, Jovito SALONGA,
chairman, Florencio ABAD, secretary general]; People's Reform Party or
PRP [Miriam DEFENSOR-SANTIAGO]; Aksyon Demokratiko or Democratic Action
[Raul ROCO]
International
organization participation: APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-24,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO |
