National Anthem: Lupang Hinirang (Literally "Chosen Land")

A/N

The Philippine National Anthem was composed in 1898 by Julian Felipe and the lyrics were adapted from the Spanish poem, "Filipinas" by Jose Palma in 1899 (in case anyone was wondering, pieces then were more commonly written in Spanish since it was the language of trade and commerce in the Philippines back then). Contrary to popular belief, the hymn played upon the proclamation of Philippine Independence had no words; the tune itself was called "Marcha Nacional Filipina". Through the years since its first use, the national anthem has gone through countless revisions with regards to both melody and lyrics – a shift in key, and numerous English and Filipino translations. Currently, we use the Filipino translation from 1958 which was revised in the 1960s. In this chapter, I will write the lyrics in Filipino and English using the official English translation (it's not an accurate translation of the Filipino one we use, even if it was translated from the Spanish poem itself). There are renditions by different television stations here in the Philippines and these are the ones they play before movies are shown, but the one made by GMA is my favorite because it shows the Filipino people's struggle for independence. For anyone interested, here is the link:

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Bayang magiliw, (Land of the Morning)

Perlas ng Silanganan (Child of the sun returning)

Alab ng puso, (With fervor burning)

Sa dibdib mo'y buhay. (Thee do our souls adore)

Pre-Colonial Philippines…

The little girl with clear brown eyes sat by the shore, her tanned feet slowly getting buried as the waves carried the fine white sand over her legs. Her wavy black hair swayed in the gentle breeze from the ocean; she reached up to check if the crown of jasmines she wore in her hair were still there. Her wide eyes scanned the horizon in anticipation. Ate Malaya and Ate Nesia promised they would be here, and so here their "Little Tawalisi" was to meet them. Tawalisi played around the shore, collecting shells for her sisters. They all loved shell necklaces, and Tawalisi always thought Malaya and Nesia looked so pretty wearing the ones she made.

Finally, Tawalisi spotted a boat in the distance. She jumped in the water. Oh yes, she was an excellent swimmer; she had to be, being an archipelago. In no time at all, she was swimming on the side of Ate Nesia and Ate Malaya's boat, but strangely enough, someone was there with them. She eyed the stranger suspiciously. He had the same features of herself and her sisters; brown eyes, black hair, and tanned skin. As Nesia and Malaya pulled her on board, he noticed her glaring at him and looked away shyly.

"Who is he?" Tawalisi pouted, demanding to know. If he was here to steal Ate Nesia or Ate Malaya from her, well…

"Tawalisi, be nice." Nesia scolded her gently, "This is Brunei. He has wanted to meet you ever since he first heard about you." Malaya explained, suppressing a smile directed towards Nesia.

Tawalisi turned to Brunei, who held out a hand to her, "Hello." Tawalisi eyed his outstretched hand for a long time before giving the poor Brunei a benefit of a doubt. Ate Nesia's smile grew due to some secret delight not shared to the two, and Ate Malaya just smiled softly as she watched things unfold as she had expected them to. Both of them laughed to themselves, unaware both of them were thinking the same thing. Brunei was just thankful she had accepted him as her guest. She was known to behead invaders using yo-yos…

"Just wait, Tawalisi. I will prove to you that we can be great friends." Brunei grasped both of her hands, smiling his shy smile. Tawalisi, who had expected him to still be aloof, was caught off guard, and she blushed.

Lupang hinirang, (Land dear and holy)

Duyan ka ng magiting, (Cradle of noble heroes)

Sa manlulupig, (Ne'er shall invaders)

Di ka pasisiil. (Trample thy sacred shore)

Spanish-Era Philippines…

Nueva España (Mexico), or Alejandro, had searched everywhere without luck. Maria was still missing. He had called her name all through the house, peering into every nook and cranny. A storm was coming, and he couldn't possibly manage to finish all of his chores before it hit and find Maria at the same time. Concerned for his missing adoptive sister after mentally picturing her soaked in the rain, he figured he could deal with the repercussions of not doing all his chores later. He stepped out the door, estimating how long he had before the storm hit.

Alejandro marched along, his cape swirling around him as the storm stirred up the wind. On a regular day, he would have checked if this made him look awesome, but right at the moment, his goal was to reach Maria before the storm did.

"Maria? Maria! Mariaaa!" Alejandro continued to call as tears started to form in his eyes. He wished Antonio were home. Sure, he would get an earful afterwards, but having him there would greatly increase the chances of finding Maria. His vision blurred, and he raised a hand to wipe the tears away as a huge bolt of lightning momentarily lit up his surroundings.

"Kuya Jandro? What are you doing here?" a sleepy Maria asked him. She was hanging upside down from a tree branch.

Alejandro jumped, "Dios mio… Maria?! What are you doing there, trying to give people heart attacks? And what are you doing here, chica? I have been looking for you for the past hour. You will get sick if you stay out here in a storm! Let's go back now, please, Maria. We have to finish all the chores we can before the storm hits or else Papa Antonio will make a huge fuss."

"Kuya Nueva, I'm used to this kind of weather. It's not the worst storm I've seen. I also know when a storm is coming, so I've done all our chores this morning." Maria answered groggily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She stretched and yawned as thunder echoed and lightning flashed.

"You… What?" After a few years of being with her in Antonio's house, she was still full of surprises, "Even so, it's not good for anyone to stay outside in this weather. What were you doing here, anyway?" He asked her as he helped her down the tree branch.

"I was taking a nap. It's way colder out here. I told you, Kuya, I'll be fine in this weather." Alejandro glared at her, and Maria sighed, "Alright, if it makes you feel better, I'll go indoors with you."

Sa dagat at bundok, (Ever within thy skies and through thy clouds)

Sa simoy at sa langit mong bughaw, (And o'er thy hills and seas)

May dilag ang tula, (Do we behold the radiance, feel the throb)

At awit sa paglayang minamahal. (Of glorious liberty)

American-Era Philippines…

Maria crept around her room silently, producing a light bright enough to not leave her stumbling in the dark but dim enough to hide from peering eyes. Alfred was still asleep, but she didn't know him well enough yet to know how light a sleeper he was, and she would rather not find out. Not today, of all days.

As the grandfather clock downstairs chimed midnight, she set a pastry she bought somewhere before her. She took out a small candle from one of her drawers. Carefully inserting in into the pastry, she lit the wick. She remembered her people, forbidden to sing their national anthem, forbidden to mount their flags, forbidden to speak in their native language… This was for them.

Maria sang herself a quiet happy birthday as tears formed in her eyes. She was sure Kuya Jandro, Ate Nesia, Ate Malaya, Brunei, and everyone else remembered her today, too. She was sure how they would react if they saw her now. Alejandro would have to be restrained from going after Alfred; he had, after all, wanted Maria freed from Antonio. Kuya Jandro would not stand for a new invader. Ate Nesia would get others involved; she was overprotective like that, and Maria loved her for it. Ate Malaya would do the same, although in a quieter manner so as not to arouse suspicion. And Brunei… Brunei would run to her first to see if she was unharmed.

Remembering her family only made things harder for Maria. She blew out the candle and was reduced to tears. She started to brokenly sing her national anthem, her voice cracking. She finished the song and broke down, crying, "Ate Nesia, Ate Malaya, Kuya Jandro, Brunei..."

Alfred stood behind the door listening to Maria's sobs, each one creating a sliver of guilt. He wanted to help her, he really did, but he was starting to second-guess the orders of his bosses. All these restrictions can't be good for Maria. He wanted to run in and comfort her, but he knew it would only make her shy away from him more, and he couldn't help her that way, and so he left Maria to celebrate alone. He would have to remember to take her out somewhere tomorrow…

Ang kislap ng watawat mo'y (Thy banner dear to all our hearts)

Tagumpay na nagniingning (Its sun and starts alight)

Ang butuwin at araw niya, (Oh, never shall in shining field be dimmed)

Kailan pa ma'y di magdidilim, (By tyrant's might)

Japanese Occupation

Kuro Honda held out his hand. He could feel the salty spray of the ocean as they stopped walking around a beach. Pretending to be Kiku was harder than he imagined, and he was slowly losing his patience, "Maria-san, I can free you from America. Asians should not be so dependent on these Westerners. Together, we can be greater than the west."

Maria stared intently at Kiku. Something was different, she could feel it. Usually, her Kuya Kiku would be delighted at her invitations to lunch. This time, however, Kiku forewent the pleasantries and was strangely on point, "I don't know, Kuya... Kuya Alfred already promised me independence, and this time, I'm sure he'll keep his promise…"

"But when is that?" Kuro interjected. He was growing more and more frustrated with the roundabout ways of the Filipina, "A decade? Two? I can give you independence if you join me now, Maria." He grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly to face him.

"Kuya Kiku, you're hurting me." Maria struggled to free herself from his grasp. This only caused Kuro to hold her tighter.

"Maria! Get away from him! He's not Kiku! He just helped attack Pearl Harbor ten hours ago to distract me!" Maria turned to look behind her to see Alfred running out of a boat, gun drawn and aimed at the man holding her arm. Before Maria could act, however, Kuro drew her closer and held his katana at her neck, "One more step, American, and you won't have to worry about Maria anymore."

Alfred stopped on his tracks, "You wouldn't."

"Try me." Kuro drew the blade nearer, just enough to draw the slightest amount of blood. "Phil!" Alfred cried. Maria whimpered, unable to reach her bolo, "Where is Kuya Kiku?" she asked, contempt dripping with every word. "He is somewhere where he cannot interrupt the activities of Imperial Japan." Kuro replied.

"What do you want from us?" Alfred asked Kuro, dropping his gun to the ground.

Maria could see the insane grin spread over Kuro's face in her mind's eye. "I want you to ride you boat as far away from here as possible. As for Maria…" He restrained her hands and sheathed his sword. His hands were now around her neck, his hands pressing on the wound he made, "I just want her if I'm to succeed."

Alfred, knowing he was cornered, retreated back to his vessel. Before he boarded, he turned back. "Don't worry Maria," he said as he flashed a confident grin and winked at her, "I'll come back for you. I'm your hero after all." Turning to Kuro, he said, "You have made a grave mistake in trying to involve me in this. You've just started the Pacific War." Maria shivered. She had never seen Alfred to angry. She hoped things would work out well, and that her real Kuya Kiku was fine…

Lupa ng araw ng luwalhati't pagsinta, (Beautiful land of love, o land of light)

Buhay ay langit sa piling mo, (In thine embrace 'tis rapture to lie)

Aming ligaya na pag may mangaapi, (But it is glory ever, when thou art wronged)

Ang mamatay nang dahil sa iyo. (For us, thy sons, to suffer and die)