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The Making of FilipinasInside a railway depot at Bautista, in Bayambang, Pangasinan, a young poet-soldier, Jose Palma wrote a Spanish poem and called it Filipinas. It was unanimously acclaimed as the lyrics for the Marcha Nacional Filipina. Said Rafael Palma, brother of Jose: During the leisure hours allowed by the daily fidget, and especially at night after the day's work, the members of the staff of the La Independencia seeking to amuse themselves and to be relieved from their physical weariness, used to assemble together and sing of play on musical instruments. Their souls afflicted by the military situation, which was growing worse every day. It was in one of those occasions that Jose Palma saw the necessity
of writing a poem for the words of the Marcha Nacional Filipina. Although
this march was known since the beginning of the revolution, and was
hummed by everybody, it had not yet then any words accompanying it.
To suit its music, he wrote a poem Filipinas, which
was published for the first time in the issue of the first anniversary
of La Independencia on September 3, 1899. The spirit of his
verses glowed with an optimistic faith in the future because it was the
general belief that it would be impossible for the American forces to
dominate the entire archipelago.
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