Pilipinas Kong Mahal
Pilipas Kong Mahal (English: Philippines, My Philippines) is one of the Philippines’ most beloved patriotic songs. It was written by Ildefonso Santos (lyrics) and composed by Francisco Santiago (music) in 1931. An English version, Philippines, My Philippines, has lyrics by Prescott Ford Jernegan. The tune was adapted from Maryland, My Maryland, which was originally set to the German carol O Tannenbaum. Santiago revised the melody and Santos translated Jernegan’s English text into Filipino.
The song is widely sung at national events, political rallies, patriotic dramas, choirs, and dances, and is commonly taught in schools during Araw ng Kalayaan (Independence Day) in June and Buwan ng Wika (Language Month) in August. It is often performed during flag retreat ceremonies on Friday afternoons and at other occasions.
Both Filipino and English versions express love for the country and a pledge to serve, with hopes for freedom, peace, and progress for the Philippines.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 07:00 (CET).