The one above is the most popular version, written by Senator Camilo Osías and an American, Mary A. Just enjoy the following English version of our national anthem:Įver within thy skies and through thy cloudsĭo we behold the radiance, feel and throb,īut it is glory ever, when thou art wronged,Īlthough the Flag Law banned the use of Filipino nationalist symbols during the early years of the American occupation, it was repealed in 1919 and our hymn was translated into English.

But we’re not going to dwell on that on such a day as this. In one of Philippine history’s many little ironies, just a few a months after this triumphal proclamation of independence, the old Spanish-speaking colonizers we thought we had gotten rid of sold us to some new, English-speaking colonizers for a few million dollars. Titled Filipinas, It was later set to the music of Marcha Nacional Filipina, a rousing composition by musician Julián Felipe played on that historic day in Kawit, Cavite. The original version is in Spanish, a beautiful piece of poetry written in 1899 by Tondo-born soldier and poet José Palma. Our hymn, just like many other aspects of our culture, is multilingual and reflective of our country’s many-layered history. In commemoration of this significant event, here are three versions of our national anthem. Wednesday, June 12 marks the 115th anniversary of the Philippine declaration of independence from Spain.

Spanish version of lupang hinirang