José Palma y Velásquez (: June 3, 1876 February 12, 1903) was a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

poet and soldier. He was on the staff of ''La independencia'' at the time he wrote "Filipinas", a patriotic poem in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

. It was published for the first time in the issue of the first anniversary of ''La independencia'' on September 3, 1899. The poem fit the instrumental tune "Marcha Nacional Filipina" by

Julián Felipe Julián Reyes Felipe (: January 28, 1861 – October 2, 1944) was a Filipino composer of the music of the Philippine national anthem, formerly known as ''"Marcha Nacional Filipina"'', now known as " Lupang Hinirang". Early life Julián Feli ...

, and it has since been the basis for every translation of the

Philippine National Anthem "" ("Chosen Land"), originally titled in Spanish as "" ("Philippine National March"), and commonly and informally known by its incipit "" ("Beloved Country"), is the national anthem of the Philippines. Its music was composed in 1898 by Julián ...

Early life

Palma was born in Tondo, on June 3, 1876, the youngest child of

Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...

Hermogenes Palma, a clerk at the ''Intendencia'' Office, and Hilaria Velásquez. His older brother was the politician, intellectual and journalist

Rafael Palma Rafael Palma y Velásquez (: October 24, 1874 May 24, 1939) was a Filipino politician, Rizalian, writer, educator and a famous Freemason. He was a senator from 1916 to 1921 and was the fourth president of the University of the Philippines. Biog ...

. After finishing his ''primera enseñanza'' (first studies) in Tondó, Palma continued his studies at the Ateneo Municipal. While there, he gradually honed his skills by composing verses. One of his earliest works was ''La cruz de sampaguitas'' ("The Cross of Jasmines") in 1893. In the same year, he had a brief romantic relationship with a woman named Florentina Arellano, whose parents did not approve of him.

The ''Katipunan''

As underground revolutionary activities intensified, Palma devoted his time to composing more poems. In 1894, he joined the ''

Katipunan The Katipunan, officially known as the Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or Kataastaasan Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK; en, Supreme and Honorable Association of the Children of the Nation ...

'' but did not enter battle when the Philippine Revolution of 1896 broke out. He eventually joined the revolutionary forces of Colonel Rosendo Simón in 1899 when the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

erupted and fought under the command of Colonel Servillano Aquino in the encounters in Ángeles and Bambán. Since he could not physically cope with the difficulties of war, he often stayed in camps and entertained the soldiers with ''

kundiman Kundiman is a genre of traditional Filipino love songs. The lyrics of the kundiman are written in Tagalog. The melody is characterized by a smooth, flowing and gentle rhythm with dramatic intervals. Kundiman was the traditional means of sere ...

'', a traditional Filipino poetic and musical art.

''La independencia''

He eventually joined the staff of the

Tagalog-language Tagalog (, ; ; ''Baybayin'': ) is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by the ethnic Tagalog people, who make up a quarter of the population of the Philippines, and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, o ...

section of the revolutionary newspaper, ''La independencia'', to fight against the Americans as he could not on the battlefield. Palma and his colleagues in the newspaper often amused themselves with songs and poems while resting in camps or other places during their marches away from the pursuing American forces.

Writing of "Filipinas"

It was during on break of the newspaper staff in Bautista, Pangasinán, when Palma’s poetic spirit produced the

ode "Filipinas". Palma wrote "Filipinas" in the house of ''Doña'' Romana G. vda. de Favis at

Sitio A ''sitio'' (Spanish for "site") in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay. Typically rural, a ''sitios location is usually far from the center of the barangay itself and could be its own barangay if its popul ...

Estación in Barrio Nibaliw, Bayambang (today Barangay Población West, Bautista, Pangasinan). On June 24, 1900, Nibaliw was renamed "Bautista", in honour of Saint

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

, and partitioned as a separate town from Bayambang. The words were fit and eventually set to composer

's instrumental tune, “Marcha nacional filipina”, which was composed as incidental music a year earlier for the

Declaration of Philippine Independence The Philippine Declaration of Independence ( fil, Pagpapahayag ng Kasarinlan ng Pilipinas; es, Declaración de Independencia de Filipinas); es, Acta de la proclamación de independencia del pueblo Filipino, link=no) was proclaimed by Fili ...

Kawit Kawit, officially the Municipality of Kawit ( tgl, Bayan ng Kawit), is a first-class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 107,535. It is one of the notable places that had ...

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...

. "Filipinas" was published in the first anniversary issue of ''La independencia'' on September 3, 1899.

Complete lyrics

Tierra adorada,
hija del sol de Oriente,
su fuego ardiente
en ti latiendo está. Patria de amores,
del heroísmo cuna,
los invasores
no te hollarán jamás. En tu azul cielo, en tus auras,
en tus montes y en tu mar
esplende y late el poema
de tu ramada libertad. Tu pabellón que en las lides
la victoria iluminó,
no verá nunca apagados
sus estrellas ni su sol. Tierra de dichas, de sol y amores
en tu regazo dulce es vivir;
es una gloria para tus hijos,
cuando te ofenden, por ti morir.

Death

José Palma died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

on February 12, 1903. No historical accounts are known to where his resting place is, however, his remains were believed to be interred inside the Maria Clara Parish Church of the ''

Iglesia Filipina Independiente , native_name_lang = fil , icon = Logo of the Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan Church).svg , icon_width = 80px , icon_alt = Coat of arms of the Philippine Independent Church , image ...

'' in

Santa Cruz, Manila Santa Cruz is a district in the northern part of the City of Manila, Philippines, located on the right bank of the Pasig River near its mouth, bordered by the districts of Tondo, Binondo, Quiapo, and Sampaloc, as well as the areas of Grace ...

References

* * (Digital copy found online a
HathiTrust Digital Library
on 2010-03-31) ;Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:Palma, Jose 1876 births 1903 deaths Filipino writers Kapampangan people National anthem writers People from Tondo, Manila Writers from Manila People of the Philippine Revolution Spanish-language writers of the Philippines Ateneo de Manila University alumni Tuberculosis deaths in the Philippines 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis