PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE DAY

Commemorative Cover signed by Emilio Aguinaldo

At the Barasoain Church, Malolos, Bulacan

On the 58th Anniversary of the Malolos Revolutionary Congress

September 15, 1956

Today is June 12, Philippine Independence Day.  On this day in 1898, prior to the formal conclusion of the Spanish-American War, Filipino revolutionary forces under General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the sovereignty and independence of the Philippine Islands from the colonial rule of Spain and the birth of the Philippine Republic “under the protection of the mighty and humane North American Union.”.

This momentous event took place in Cavite el Viejo (now Kawit), Cavite Province. Admiral Dewey had been invited but did not attend. The Filipino national flag was officially unfurled for the first time at 4:20 PM. The same flag was actually unfurled, albeit unofficially, on May 28, 1898 at the Teatro Caviteño in Cavite Nuevo---now Cavite City---right after the battle of Alapan, Imus, Cavite, and again three days later over the Spanish barracks at Binakayan, Cavite, after the Filipinos' victory.

A tattered flag of the First Philippine Republic, one of many used during the struggle for independence. The flag believed by heirs of Emilio Aguinaldo to be that unfurled by the general in Kawit, Cavite, in 1898 is encased in glass at the Aguinaldo Museum in Baguio City.  However, the National Historical Institute has yet to authenticate this flag despite years of probing. In his letter to Capt. Emmanuel Baja dated June 11, 1925, Aguinaldo mentioned that in their Northward retreat during the Filipino-American War, the original flag was lost somewhere in Tayug, Pangasinan Province; the Americans captured the town on Nov. 11, 1899.

At the historic Proclamation of Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite, Ambrosio Bautista (Aguinaldo's War Counsellor and Special Delegate), solemnly read the "Acta de la Proclamacion de la Independencia del Pueblo Filipino". The declaration was signed by 97 Filipinos and one retired American artillery officer, Colonel L.M. Johnson.  Although Aguinaldo unfurled the flag, contrary to common belief, it was Bautista, and not Aguinaldo, who waved the Philippine flag before the jubilant crowd.

The June 12 proclamation was later modified by another proclamation done at Malolos, Bulacan, upon the insistence of Apolinario Mabini, chief adviser for General Aguinaldo, who objected to the original proclamation, which essentially placed the Philippines under the protection of the United States.

The Philippine flag was sewn in Hong Kong by Marcela Mariño Agoncillo; she was assisted by her 7-year-old daughter, Lorenza, and Delfina Rizal Herbosa Natividad. The generals of the eight provinces which revolted against Spain had replicas and copies made of the original flag.

The Philippine National Anthem, then known as "Marcha Nacional Filipina", was played by the band of San Francisco de Malabon during the declaration of independence. It was composed by Professor Julian Felipe but it had no lyrics yet. The composition had similarities with the Spanish "Himno Nacional Español." Felipe admitted that he purposely put into his composition some melodic reminiscences of the Spanish National Anthem "in order to preserve the memory of Spain."  His composition was adopted as the Philippine national anthem on Sept. 5, 1938.

First Day Cover signed by President Manuel Roxas

On the Inauguration of the Philippine Republic

July 4, 1946

However, this independence was not recognized by the United States until July 4, 1946. From 1946 to 1961, the Philippines observed Independence Day on July 4 each year. In 1961, President Diosdado Macapagal reverted the holiday to the June 12 date, which up to that time had been observed as Flag Day in the Philippines. In place of the former Independence Day, Macapagal created Filipino-American Friendship Day on July 4.