We are currently known as Filipino in accordance to 1986 Philippine Constitution as our Colonizer’s have named our Country in Honor of the King of Spain who is King Philip II on 1521 when Ferdinand Magellan arrived in our Archipelago.
Right now, many of us wanted to denounce that name as it is an Identity that was Given to us by our Colonizers. So many have come to be called as Maharlikans which is derived from Sanskrit word “maharddika” meaning man of wealth, knowledge or ability. Which means it is also a borrowed word from other people which comes from the Srivijaya which is a Hindu/Buddhist influence. Aside from being a barrowed word, in precolonial Caste system, it is second ranking to Maginoo, which is a Ruling Class. The Maharlika are lower than Maginoo which makes them a Warrior Class to defend the Maginoo. By using that name as Maharlikan, though seen as a warrior, it has connotation that as Maharlikan we are only a Second Class Citizen of this Nation. As a Citizen of this Country which our National Anthem have called as Perlas ng Silanganan (Pearl of the Orient), reject the Idea of being called as Maharlika as it connotes us as a second class Citizen but I rather prefer to be called as Maginoo.
But in finding the right word to call our Citizen Status, I consider looking at our National Anthem which declares our own Identity. We know that the music was arranged by Julian Felipe who is a Filipino born in Cavite Nuevo or presently as Cavite City; and the one who write the lyrics is Jose Palma who is a Filipino born in Tondo.
Actually the lyrics of the Current National Anthem has difference from the original lyrics that Jose Palma wrote. The Current Lyrics are as follows:
Bayang magiliw,Perlas ng Silanganan.Alab ng puso,Sa dibdib mo’y buhay.
Lupang Hinirang,Duyan ka nang magiting.Sa manlulupig,Di ka pasisiil.
Sa dagat at bundok,Sa simoy at sa langit mong bughaw.
May dilag ang tula,At awit sa paglayang minamahal.
Ang kislap ng watawat mo’y,Tagumpay na nagniningning.
Ang bituin at araw niya,Kailan pa ma’y ‘di magdidilim.
Lupa ng araw ng luwalhati’t pagsintaBuhay ay langit sa piling mo.
Aming ligaya na ‘pag may mang-aapi,Ang mamatay nang dahil sa’yo.
Using this current lyrics, i come to think that the name of our country is called as Perlas ng Silanganan. But in the original lyrics which was written by Jose Palma in Spanish it was as follows:
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
original lyrics in spanish
en tu regazo dulce es vivir;
es una gloria para tus hijos,
cuando te ofenden, por ti morir.
But if we Translate this in English these will be the result:
adored land,
daughter of the eastern sun,
his burning fire
in you beating she is.Homeland of loves,
of cradle heroism,
the invaders
they will never trample you.In your blue sky, in your auras,
in your mountains and in your sea
the poem shines and beats
of your ramada freedomYour pavilion that in the fights
victory illuminated,
will never see off
its stars nor its sun.Land of happiness, sun and love
English Translation through Google Translate
in your sweet lap is to live;
It is a glory for your children,
when they offend you, for you die.
In Tagalog the translation is this:
lupang sinasamba,
anak na babae ng silangang araw,
ang nagniningas niyang apoy
sa pagbugbog mo ayLupang tinubuan ng pag-ibig,
duyan ng kabayanihan,
ang mga mananakop
hinding hindi ka nila tatapakan.Sa iyong asul na langit, sa iyong mga aura,
sa iyong mga bundok at sa iyong dagat
ang tula ay kumikinang at pumalo
ng iyong kalayaan sa ramadaIyong pavilion na sa mga laban
ang tagumpay ay nagliwanag,
hindi kailanman makikita off
ang mga bituin nito o ang araw nito.Lupain ng kaligayahan, araw at pag-ibig
sa iyong matamis na kandungan ay ang mabuhay;
Ito ay isang kaluwalhatian para sa iyong mga anak,
kapag sinaktan ka nila, para kang mamatay.
Though I love the current version of our national anthem as it reflects our identity who lived in Bayang Magiliw or the Adored Land that is called as Perlas ng Silanganan; but in the Original Lyrics Tierra Adorada or the Adored Land was called as Ija Del Sol Oriente, which was considered that our adorned land was called as the Daughter of the Eastern Sun, and in the old original lyrics misses what its people been called. But in the Current version of Lupang Hinirang, we are called as Magiting which in original lyrics by Jose Palma we are called as Bayani.
On my Facebook post a friend commented about this which says that the word Magiting is more appropriate as it is a person that is still alive doing heroic act for our mother land, whereas being Bayani were already dead.
Thus we in Luntiang Aghama consider our Nationality as Maginoo and Magiting being children of the Daughter of the oriental sun.
Dambana ng Luntiang Aghama 