Did you know

The late Julian Felipe, who was born on Jan. 28, 1861, composed the Philippine national anthem in six days. After he was commissioned on June 5, 1898, Felipe performed the piece initially called “Marcha Filipina Magdalo” for Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo on June 11. Aguinaldo adopted it as the country’s national anthem and changed the title to “Marcha Nacional Filipina.” Schatzi Quodala, Inquirer Research