04/07/2026
On this day, 80 years ago, the Independence of the Philippines was rightly restored and recognized by the nations of the world. A new Republic was proclaimed before a tired and ravaged nation that was in the middle of rebuilding itself from almost half a decade of world war. In the light drizzle of that July day, the Filipino masses gathered in the streets of the capital to see, and bear witness the rebirth of hope.
Following the capture and subsequent pledge of allegiance by President Emilio Aguinaldo to the United States of America in early 1901, the First Philippine Republic had effectively ceased to exist. While a number of Republican Army commands continued to resist across the country - most notably those of General Miguel Malvar in Southern Luzon, General Manuel Tinio in Northern Luzon, and General Vicente Lukban in the Visayas - American governance would finally take root and civil government would now begin effective administration of the archipelago through the Insular Government. By 1902, the US Congress would pass the Philippine Organic Act, transforming the Philippine Commission into a legislative body serving as the upper house of a bicameral legislature. An All-Filipino Philippine Legislature popularly elected would serve as the lower half. At the same time, the United States continued its campaign to incorporate the rest of the archipelago into its sphere of governance, particularly in the Muslim-majority regions of Mindanao.
The spirit of Independence never truly left the Filipino people during this time with campaigns to lobby for liberty both here and in the United States. The passage of the Jones Law in 1916 now recognized Philippine Independence as official policy of the United States, laying down conditions that, if achieved, would hasten recognition. Between 1919 and 1934, successive “Independence Missions” were sent to Washington D.C. to campaign for further commitments by the United States to “grant” independence. Two laws, the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act of 1933 and the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934, would now secure a timetable for liberty. Under Tydings-McDuffie, the Philippines would become a Commonwealth where a Filipino Chief Executive, Filipino Legislature, and Filipino Judiciary would be formed under the protection of the United States for 10 years following which, Independence would be recognized. Thus, on 15 November 1935, Manuel Quezon took his oath as President of the Philippine Commonwealth, starting the clock to full liberty. This liberty, with the brief existence of the Second Philippine Republic during the Japanese Occupation in World War II, would complete a 45-year campaign by the Filipino people to see their country’s flag fly alone once again.
To learn more about this historic day, now referred to as Republic Day and as Filipino American Friendship Day, check out this link from the Official Gazette:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160613094339/http://www.gov.ph/featured/republic-day/
You can also learn more about that day and the first year of the Third Philippine Republic from the book “Blue Book of the First Year of the Republic” (published by the Bureau of Printing, Manila, 1947.):
https://memory.nhcp.gov.ph/?s=Blue+Book
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