It sounds like July 4 was officially decomissioned as an Independence Day in 1987…and that it was the US that chose the date for the grant of independence.
The U.S. government granted independence to the Philippines on July 4, 1946. In accordance with the Philippine Independence Act (more popularly known as the “Tydings–McDuffie Act”), President Harry S. Truman issued Proclamation 2695 of July 4, 1946 officially recognizing the independence of the Philippines.[15] On the same day, the Treaty of Manila was signed.[16]
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, 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.[17]” 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.[18]
In 1955, President Ramón Magsaysay had issued Presidential Proclamation No. 212, s. 1955, which established the observance of Philippine American Day every November 15—the anniversary of the inauguration of the Commonwealth.[2][7] Sometime under the rule of President Ferdinand Marcos, Philippine–American Day was renamed “Philippine–American Friendship Day” and moved to July 4, overshadowing the observance of the date as Republic Day.
On January 9, 2013, President Benigno Aquino III (son of the former president) issued Proclamation No. 533, declaring January 23 as “Araw ng Republikang Pilipino” (Philippine Republic Day), the anniversary of the proclamation of the First Philippine Republic.[10]
On April 5, 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11014, declaring January 23 of every year as “First Philippine Republic Day,” making it a special working holiday nationwide.[11]
It sounds to me like the current official dates are:
January 23: Philippine Republic Day. This commemorates the establishment of the First Philippine Republic, which was the government that existed after Spain
June 12: Republic Day – this corresponds to the declaration of independence from Spain
July 4: Phillippine-American Friendship Day. This was Independence Day until 1987.
So I don’t believe that it’s really zinging the US.
It sounds like July 4 was officially decomissioned as an Independence Day in 1987…and that it was the US that chose the date for the grant of independence.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(Philippines)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_Day_(Philippines)
It sounds to me like the current official dates are:
January 23: Philippine Republic Day. This commemorates the establishment of the First Philippine Republic, which was the government that existed after Spain
June 12: Republic Day – this corresponds to the declaration of independence from Spain
July 4: Phillippine-American Friendship Day. This was Independence Day until 1987.
So I don’t believe that it’s really zinging the US.
Thanks, is is a great history lesson.