BAUTISTA, PANGASINAN—Inside a concrete-and-wood house typical of late 19th-century Philippine architecture, a young soldier-poet penned patriotic verses in Spanish in August 1899 while taking a break from his work for the revolutionary newspaper La Independencia.
More than a century later, the house where the poem was written—known as Casa Hacienda—remains privately owned. Despite its place in Philippine history, its significance is largely overlooked, even by many residents of this quiet agricultural town.
No historical marker identifies the house’s importance. The only hint of its past is a weathered Philippine flag hanging from a wall on the second floor.
Yet the poet who wrote there, Jose Palma, is well known to historians for his poem “Filipinas,” a stirring expression of love for country and defiance against oppression.
Palma wrote it to match the lilting rhythm and patriotic spirit of “Marcha Nacional Filipina,” the instrumental march composed by Julian Felipe in 1898 and first played during the proclamation of Philippine independence in Kawit, Cavite, on June 12 of that year.
President Emilio Aguinaldo was so moved by “Filipinas” that he adopted it as the official lyrics of the Philippine national anthem.
Today, Palma’s words, translated into Filipino, are woven into the fabric of everyday life. The anthem is sung by students before classes, performed during government ceremonies, and traditionally played by radio and TV stations at sign-off.
Yet in Bautista, where life revolves around farming and daily labor, many locals remain unaware of the town’s unique place in the nation’s history.
‘Wasted opportunity’
Most know only that the lyrics of “Lupang Hinirang” were written here. Beyond that, nothing more.
“It’s a wasted opportunity. It could be developed as a historical tourism attraction,” said Bernardita Lohan, 67, a retired teacher who was born and raised in Bautista.
Lohan said that despite living in the town all her life, she has never entered the compound where Casa Hacienda stands along the highway in Poblacion West.
She added that many people from other places know little or nothing about Bautista and its contribution to Philippine history.
Police Cpl. Janine Deocares, 33, who is assigned to the municipal police station beside Casa Hacienda, shared this observation.
Asked whether local schools teach students about the town’s significance, both women said the topic was discussed only briefly.
“We know that the lyrics of the national anthem were written here. That’s about it,” Deocares said.
Although she passes by the house daily, she admitted she has never taken a closer look at it.
Jesus de Guzman, 62, the property’s caretaker who has lived there since childhood, said the structure used to be much larger.
“Time and the elements have taken their toll,” said De Guzman. “Only the central portion remains standing.”
Palma shrine elsewhere
According to him, Casa Hacienda originally belonged to the Favis-Gomez family.
The estate stood in what was then Sitio Estacion, Barrio Nibaliw, Bayambang, and was owned by Doña Romana G. Vda. de Favis. On June 24, 1900, Nibaliw was renamed Bautista in honor of Saint John the Baptist and carved out of Bayambang to become a separate municipality.
De Guzman said the property has since been divided into five portions. The section containing the historic house was later acquired by a prominent provincial official.
Visitors wishing to see the house must first obtain permission from the owner, he said, noting that parts of the structure have become fragile with age.
“There is not much to see inside anymore because the paintings and other valuable items were removed before the house was sold,” he added.
Casa Hacienda has never been opened to the public. Local officials once proposed establishing a Jose Palma shrine within the property, but the plan never materialized.
Instead, a shrine was constructed in the town plaza near the municipal hall and unveiled in 2017 by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and local officials.
The nearly 10-foot monument features a life-size statue of Palma seated at a desk, deeply absorbed in writing “Filipinas.” Behind him stand two vertical panels inscribed with the lyrics of the national anthem in Spanish and Filipino.
Beside the monument is an official NHCP brass marker identifying Bautista as the birthplace of the national anthem’s lyrics.
The marker reads:
“Sa pook na ito sinulat ni Jose Palma y Velasquez ang ‘Filipinas,’ na naging liriko sa wikang Espanyol ng Himno Nacional Filipino, ngayo’y Pambansang Awit ng Pilipinas. Nalathala sa pahayagang La Independencia noong 3 Setyembre 1899. (In this place Jose Palma y Velasquez wrote “Filipinas,” which became the lyrics in Spanish of Himno Nacional Filipino, now the National Anthem of the Philippines. Published in the periodical La Independencia on 3 September 1899.)”
More than a hymn
But Casa Hacienda’s value extends beyond its association with the anthem. After the 1898 proclamation of independence, the house played other important roles.
In 1899, while retreating from American forces during the Filipino-American War, Aguinaldo reportedly used it as his Luzon headquarters. At the time, Bautista was still part of Bayambang.
During World War II, the invading Japanese army used the property as a military garrison.
In more recent decades, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP) used Casa Hacienda as a headquarters, which explained why the upper portions had been painted khaki, the BSP’s official color.
Residents like Lohan and Deocares hope that, with renewed attention from the property’s new owner, plus the promotion of the Jose Palma shrine, Bautista may finally find a spot on the tourism map in this part of Luzon.
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But for now, one of the key settings in the story behind the Philippine national anthem remains hidden in plain sight, standing quietly along a highway, its legacy known only to a few. INQ
