“Mactan”, a song by Kian Dionisio for the Philippines’ upcoming quincentennial celebration in 2021, is calling on Filipinos to follow the heroism shown by the people in 1521 who fought off the Spanish invaders for freedom, identity, and sovereignty in the land.
The song, written and interpreted by indie artist/singer-songwriter Kian Dionisio, was produced as part of the Quincentennial Album reIeased by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), and the PhilPop MusicFest Foundation.
The National Quincentennial Committee (NQCP), the official team which handles the country’s 500th year anniversary celebration, posted the lyric video of “Mactan” on its social media on February 29, 2020, two days after its initial release on PhilPop’s YouTube channel, with an explanation of the inspiration behind the song.
“The songwriter employs Indic sound to emphasize the influence of India (via Sri Vijaya Empire) to the world of our ancestors,” the National Quincentennial Committee said on its Facebook post.
“Among the archeological finds in Mactan were an image of Shiva and a medallion featuring Ganesha. Sanskrit words like diwata, mahal, tala, diwa, karma, and the honorific titles Sri (indigenized as “Si,” like Silapulapu, the documented name of Lapulapu) and Rajah, as well as the Brahmic influence to our ancient scripts (e.g., Surat of the Visayans, Baybayin of the Tagalogs) and vestiges of Ramayana and Mahabharata to various Philippine epics are some of the proofs of well entrenched Indian influence to ancient Philippine society.”
Here are the lyrics of the song Mactan written and performed by Kian Dionisio:
Mactan
Mactan
Mactan
Nabubuhay sa aking isipan
Tuwing nakikita ang mga larawan
Naglalakbay sa malayong nakaraan
Isang paraisong nais makamkam
Isla na kung tawagin ay Mactan
Mactan
Mactan
Kampilan at palasong nagliliparan
Sigaw ng bawat pusong lumalaban
Dugong dumanak dahil sa karapatan
Na ninais angkinin ng dayuhan
Mactan
Ipagdiwang
Mactan
Ang kalayaan
Mactan
Pasalamatan
Ang laban ay napagtagumpayan
Halina aking mga kababayan
Ipagdiwang ating kasarinlan
Ipagbunyi ating kalayaan
Atin ‘to, atin ‘to, Mactan
Mactan
Ipagdiwang
Mactan
Ang kalayaan
Mactan
Pasalamatan
Ang laban ay napagtagumpayan
Ang laban ay napagtagumpayan
Ating ipagdiwang ang Mactan
The NQCP, NCCA, and NHCP first launched the song “Bagani” in December 2019. Bagani was sung by Anthony Castillo and the award-winning acapella group PINOPELA and was designated as the official theme song of the quincentennial celebration.
Glaiza de Castro’s song “Pamana” also calls for Filipino heritage preservation, while the Department of Science and Technology-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) project is helping the Talaandig tribe in Bukidnon in preserving their bamboo musical instrument-making heritage.
WATCH the lyric video of Kian Dionisio’s “Mactan” here and SEND CONGRATULATIONS in the comments below!
Want to know how to be a Proud Pinoy? Like, Follow, Subscribe to GoodNewsPilipinas.com and our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Good News Pilipinas! TV on YouTube, for new good story notifications and e-mail newsletters for updates on more Filipino Pride stories
