"We Say Mabuhay" (sometimes called the "Mabuhay March") is the common name for "Mabuhay, My Philippines", a march used as the

honors music The anthem for a person, office or rank is music played on formal or ceremonial occasions in the presence of the person, office-holder, or rank-holder, especially by a military band. The head of state in many countries is honored with a prescribe ...

for the

president of the Philippines The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...

. It was composed by Tirso Cruz, with lyrics by James King Steele.

History

Tirso Cruz penned the melody to "We Say Mabuhay", with lyrics by James King Steele, sometime during the 1930s. Various dates have been attributed to the original composition of "We Say Mabuhay" ranging from 1931 to 1940. According to ''

The Philippine Star ''The Philippine Star'' (self-styled ''The Philippine STAR'') is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines and the flagship brand of the Philstar Media Group. First published on July 28, 1986, by veteran journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, ...

'', however, it was first performed May 16, 1931 at the Manila Hotel. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, U.S. government broadcasters used the melody of the song for their radio program ''The Philippine Hour'', which was transmitted from relay stations in Australia and San Francisco to the Japanese-occupied archipelago. The lyrics and music to the song were also printed in a 1945 issue of the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

propaganda leaflet ''Free Philippines'', which was covertly distributed in the country. In that version of the song, the original lyrics "under our blue sky" were substituted with "under the blue sky", a version that has remained as the one most commonly used in the Philippines since. As the honors music for the President of the Philippines, "We Say Mabuhay" is traditionally performed at the

Philippine presidential inauguration The inauguration of the president of the Republic of the Philippines is a ceremony marking the commencement of the six-year term of a president of the Philippines, who is both head of state and head of government. The inauguration is performed o ...

following the oath of office of the incoming president, as well as at other times during the entrance or approach of a sitting President of the Philippines. In keeping with the American custom, it is traditionally preceded by four

ruffles and flourishes Ruffles and flourishes are preceding fanfare for honors music, ceremonial music for distinguished people. By country Israel In the Israeli Defence Forces, ruffles and flourishes are sounded as a guard of honor presents arms to signify the honors ...

by a military band, but in parades the formation on the parade ground just stands at attention and everyone stands as the song is played. The word "Mabuhay", which forms part of the song's title and features prominently in its lyrics, is a Tagalog greeting meaning "long live". Lyrics: :We say Mabuhay! :We say Mabuhay! :Under the blue skies, :Where our friends sit by! :A greeting of farewell! :A toast that will wear well! :We raise our voices and say Mabuhay!

Composer and lyricist

Tirso Cruz was a prominent Filipino bandmaster in the 1930s and 1940s who helped popularize

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

in the Philippines. He is remembered for his longtime leadership of the Mabuhay Orchestra, the house band at the

Manila Hotel The Manila Hotel is a 550-room, historic five-star hotel located along Manila Bay in Manila, Philippines.

. James King Steele was an American public relations executive who, during the 1930s, was retained to promote tourism to the Philippines and would later fill a similar role for Nevadans Unlimited, a tourism trade group in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

state of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

"We Say Mabuhay" is performed following Rodrigo Roa Duterte's inaugural oath of office in 2016

"We Say Mabuhay" is performed in 2014 as Benigno Aquino III exits Malacañang Palace with Barack Obama

Vocal performance of "We Say Mabuhay" by the Philippine Marine Corps

Photo of Tirso Cruz with his band at the Manila Hotel in the 1930s
1931 compositions English-language Filipino songs

History

Composer and lyricist

See also

References

External links