in celebration of the
centennial of Philippine independence in 1998 The earliest recorded event related to the holiday was when
Andres Bonifacio, along with
Emilio Jacinto, Restituto Javier, Guillermo Masangkay,
Aurelio Tolentino, Faustino Manalak, Pedro Zabala, and few other Katipuneros went to
Pamitinan Cave in
Montalban (now Rodriguez, Rizal) to initiate new members of the
Katipunan. Bonifacio wrote
Viva la independencia Filipina! or
Long Live Philippine independence on walls of the cave after the Spanish discovery of the revolutionary group. Bonifacio also led the
Cry of Pugad Lawin, which signals the beginning of the
Philippine Revolution. Members of the Katipunan, led by Bonifacio, tore their community tax certificates (
cedulas personales) in protest of
Spanish conquest. The Philippine Revolution began in 1896. The
Pact of Biak-na-Bato, signed on December 14, 1897, established a
truce between the
Spanish colonial government and the Filipino revolutionaries. Under its terms,
Emilio Aguinaldo and other revolutionary leaders went into exile in Hong Kong after receiving $MXN400,000 from the Spanish Government. At the outbreak of the
Spanish–American War, Commodore
George Dewey sailed from Hong Kong to
Manila Bay leading the
US Navy Asiatic Squadron. On May 1, 1898, Dewey defeated the Spanish in the
Battle of Manila Bay, effectively placing the Spanish capital under US control. Later that month, the US Navy transported Aguinaldo back to the Philippines. Aguinaldo arrived on May 19, 1898 in Cavite. On June 5, 1898, Aguinaldo issued a decree at his house located in what was then known as
Cavite El Viejo proclaiming June 12, 1898 as the day of independence. The
Acta de la Proclamacion de la Independencia del Pueblo Filipino was solemnly read by its author,
Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, Aguinaldo's war counselor and special delegate. The 21-page declaration was signed by 98 Filipinos, appointed by Aguinaldo, and one retired American artillery officer, Colonel L. M. Johnson. The Philippine flag was officially unfurled for the first time at about 4:30 p.m, as the
Marcha Nacional Filipina was played by the band of San Francisco de Malabon. Independence was ratified in
Bacoor by 190 municipal presidents from the 16 provinces liberated by August 1, 1898, and was ratified again by the
Malolos Congress, a partly elected and partly appointed body representing all constituencies of the Philippines. is lowered, while the
flag of the Philippines is raised during the Independence Day ceremony on July 4, 1946 at the
Independence Grandstand in
Manila. The Philippines failed to win international recognition of its independence — specifically not from either the United States of America or Spain. The Spanish government later ceded control over the Philippines to the United States in the
1898 Treaty of Paris, in which Filipino representative
Felipe Agoncillo was denied entry, and in spite of Filipino control over large portions of the islands. The
Revolutionary Government of the Philippines and later the democratically constituted
First Philippine Republic did not recognize the treaty, leading to the outbreak of the
Philippine–American War with the US over the latter's assertions of sovereignty over the islands. The US government recognized the independence of the Philippines on July 4, 1946. In accordance with the
Philippine Independence Act (more popularly known as the "Tydings–McDuffie Act"), in which Filipinos ratified a constitution and voted for independence, President
Harry S. Truman issued Proclamation 2695 of July 4, 1946, officially recognizing the independence of the Philippines. On the same day, the
Treaty of Manila was signed. July 4 was chosen as the date by the United States because it corresponds to the United States'
Independence Day, and that day was observed in the Philippines as
Independence Day until 1962. On May 12, 1962, in response to the US government's failure to approve a payment of $72 million in war damages, President
Diosdado Macapagal issued Presidential Proclamation No. 28, which declared June 12 a special public holiday throughout the Philippines, "... in commemoration of our people's declaration of their inherent and inalienable right to freedom and independence." On August 4, 1964, Republic Act No. 4166 renamed July 4 holiday as "Philippine Republic Day", proclaimed June 12 as "Philippine Independence Day", and enjoined all citizens of the Philippines to observe the latter with befitting rites. ==Flag Day==