"Bayan ko" - Filipino Anti-Dictatorship Protest Song

Originally written by Jose Alejandrino to express Anti-American Imperialism after the Philippine-American War, "Bayan ko" also became popular during Martial Law Era as a protest song against Ferdinand Marcos' Dictatorship due to the nature of the song's lyrics.
Happy 125th Independence day Philippines!
Performed by Philippine Madrigal Singers

[@paulinacortes-delorenzo4490]

BTW, I read somewhere that this “ultimate Filipino patriotic song” was composed several years before WWII, during the Filipinos’ peaceful struggle to achieve recognition as a sovereign territory and thus rid ourselves of the commonwealth status under the U.S.A. Perhaps, in the future, you might consider including this piece of information. Finally, as a serious fan of classical and folk music, I noticed that some bars in this composition can be juxtaposed with an old Italian song, “Santa Lucia.” I wonder if this case can be considered like the case of Bach-Gounod’s “Ave Maria.” Just a food for your though.

[@paulinacortes-delorenzo4490]

Thank you so much for the pleasure and the catch in my throat. I have been away from the Philippines since late 1969 (except for a 2-week trip in early 1979 for my paternal grandmother’s funeral and an 11-month stay with my American husband and our 8-year-old son in 1993). I chose to remain a Filipino citizen with a permanent resident’s status, notwithstanding all the years that that have elapsed since the U.S.A. allowed dual-citizenship status to Filipinos residing here. This fact alone explains the catch in my throat. Again, thank you so much.