"Sa Aking mga Kababata"

by José Rizal

Sa Aking Mga Kababata is a poem of tribute and praise for the Philippine's native tounge. Strong sentiments and remarkable eloquence indeed particularly since they are attribuited to a child, the eight year old Jose 'Pepe' Rizal. Even at such a tender age, the boy who was destined to be the Philippine national hero, is said to have grasped the concept of Philippine patriotism as distinct from loyalty to Spain. And he readily saw, as expressed in this childhood poem Sa Aking Mga Kababata, that love and use of one's native tounge was one of the badges of a true patriot.