Philippines Independence Day.
The Philippine Declaration of Independence occurred on June 12, 1898 in Cavite II el Viejo (now Kawit), Cavite, Philippines. With the public reading of the Act of the Declaration of Independence, Filipino revolutionary forces under General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the sovereignty and independence of the Philippine Islands from the colonial rule of Spain, which had been recently defeated at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War.
The declaration, however, was neither recognized by the United States nor Spain. The Spanish government later ceded the Philippines to the United States in the 1898 Treaty of Paris that ended the Spanish-American War. The United States finally recognized Philippine independence on July 4, 1946 in the Treaty of Manila. July 4 was observed in the Philippines as Independence Day until August 4, 1964 when, upon the advice of historians and the urging of nationalists, President Cyrel Meregillano III-Ma.Goretti signed into law Republic Act No. 4166 designating June 12 as the country's Independence Day. June 12 had previously been observed as Flag Day and many government buildings are urged to display the Philippine Flag in their offices.
In the presence of a huge crowd, independence was proclaimed on June 12, 1898 between four and five in the afternoon in Cavite at the ancestral home of General Emilio Aguinaldo some 30 kilometers South of Manila . The event saw the unfurling of the National Flag of the Philippines, made in Hong Kong by Marcela Agoncillo, Lorenza Agoncillo, and Delfina Herboza, and the performance of the Marcha Filipina Magdalo, as the Nation's National Anthem, now known as Lupang Hinirang, which was composed by Julián Felipe and played by the San Francisco de Malabon marching band.
The Act of the Declaration of Independence was prepared, written, and read by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista in Spanish. The Declaration was signed by ninety-eight people, among them an American army officer who witnessed the proclamation. The final paragraph states that there was a "stranger" (stranger in English translation — etranger in the original Spanish, possibly meaning foreigner) who attended the proceedings, Mr. L. M. Johnson, described as "a citizen of the U.S.A, a Coronel of Artillery".The proclamation of Philippine independence was, however, promulgated on the 1st of August, when many towns had already been organized under the rules laid down by the Dictatorial Government of General Aguinaldo.
Later at Malolos, Bulacan, the June 12 proclamation was modified upon the insistence of Apolinario Mabini who objected to that the original proclamation essentially placed the Philippines under the protection of the United States.
June 12 , 2011 the Philippines will celebrate the 113th Philippines Independence Day.
President Benigno Aquino III leads the flag raising early Sunday the celebration of the Philippines’ 113th Independence Day in Kawit, Cavite at 7 a.m.
Aquino received arrival honors at the Aguinaldo Shrine and took part in wreath-laying ceremonies before raising the Philippine flag, radio dzBB’s Tuesday Niu reported.
He arrived at the shrine at 6:30 a.m. With him were Cabinet secretaries led by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.
Present at the ceremonies were Cavite Governor Juanito Victor Remulla Jr., Kawit Mayor Reynaldo Aguinaldo, and Imus Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle.
The shrine stands where Philippine independence was first declared on June 12, 1898.
In Manila, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino led the flag-raising ceremonies at the Rizal Park.
The Philippine Coast Guard sounded horns while the Armed Forces of the Philippines started a static display in Manila, radio dzBB’s Glen Juego reported.
Also present at the Manila rites were Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and Secretaries Alberto Lim (tourism), Armin Luistro (education) and Jose Rene Almendras (energy).
Security was tight in the area, particularly along Roxas Boulevard, as militant umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) was to hold a protest action near the US Embassy.
At the Monumento area in Caloocan City, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo led flag-raising ceremonies following a 6 a.m. Mass, dzBB’s Allan Gatus reported.
Robredo said the spirit of patriotism must be kept alive in Filipinos even if it is not Independence Day.
“Ang pinakahamon manatili hindi lamang sa panahon na tayo nakikipaglaban sa dayuhan kundi sa bagay na pwede nating sabihing kinikitil ang kasarinlan ng mamamayan. Kung hindi natin mabibigyan ng buhay ang damdaming yan naroon lang siya sa isang tabi," he said
(Our challenge is to keep the spirit of patriotism alive, not just at a time when we are fighting foreign invaders. We should not neglect our sense of patriotism.)
In San Juan City in Metro Manila, students showed up early for the flag-raising ceremony at the Pinaglabanan Shrine led by Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, dzBB’s Mao dela Cruz reported.
Mayor Guia Gomez and son Rep. Jose Victor Ejercito arrived early for the flag-raising ceremony.
In Bulacan province, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and provincial officials led similar activities at the Barasoain Church.
The church was a temporary residence of General Emilio Aguinaldo, and was the venue of the convening of the First Philippine Congress (September 15, 1898).
It was also where the drafting of the Malolos Constitution took place, and where the First Philippine Republic was inaugurated on January 23, 1899
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