From Isagani Cruz's Separate Opinion on "Lupang Hinirang" (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 15 May 2005):
Our "Lupang Hinirang" sings of peace, the beauty of our hills and seas and the azure skies, and the treasured liberty we will defend with our very lives. We should all rise to hear those gallant words.Independence Day is less than a month away. But the disrespect of the national anthem that Cruz writes about is not a welcome display of independence on the part of citizens and non-citizens who should know better.
See Wikipedia for more on the history of the national anthem (sometimes incorrectly identified as "Bayang Magiliw"), its lyrics in Tagalog, Cebuano, English, and Spanish, and links to websites with downloadable versions of the song.
