The national anthem’s “rape” by the Tagalogs commissioned by President Ramon Magsaysay - Part 3
While the three Tagalogs commissioned by President Magsaysay to translate the national anthem from Spanish to Tagalog “raped” the poem of Jose Palma through their erroneous translation after failing to capture the spirit of its lyrics at the time it was written, Cebu proudly has its own translation by Jess Vestil, Dean of Cebuano Anchors, who bequeathed the Cebuanos his work. For brevity, only the first four and last four lines are quoted:
Yutang tabunon
Mutya nga masilakon
Putling bahandi
Amo kang gimahal
Yutang maanyag, duyan ka sa pagmahal
Landong sa langit ang dughan mo;
Pagatam-ison sa anak mong nagtukaw
Kong mamatay man sa ngalan mo!
The Cebuano version has a closer and more correct translation than that of the Tagalog version which was made the official version under Republic Act 8491 enacted on February 12, 1998. CEBUpedia even encourages provinces to come up with their own translation in their language based on the Spanish text of Jose Palma and to explain this to their pupils through Araling Panlipunan under the auspices of the native tongue of the Department of Education.
Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III, the grandson and namesake of Don Vicente Sotto, Father of Cebuano Journalism, Language and Literature, is correct in his noble effort to bravely challenge the nation to revisit the Tagalog lyrics of our national anthem, that academicians will not just silently swallow the errors committed by the past. This is the opportune time for a sober national discussion of the issue. Let it be recorded as national historians omitted in mentioning the “Jura dela Bandera” on the hills of Sudlon, Cebu City, on April 10, 1898, when the sons of Lapu-Lapu sang their own anthem:
“Alerta revolucionarios
Los bolos prepararse
Gritando viva republica
Viva nuestras lealtades
(segunda parte)
Via la suerte de los Filipinos
Viva los Indios combatimos
Contra los Frayles Agustinos
Y a los Espanoles son malvados
(Coro)
Viva los Cebuanos
Viva los Katipuneros
Valor revolucionarios
Los bolos en las manos
Aqui estan lost cazadores
Todos son cobardes
Corrieron a los vapors
Los finos Españoles”
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