Independence Day

What it marks

Independence Day is a one-day public holiday in the Philippines. It falls on 12 June and recalls the 1898 proclamation that ended Spanish colonial rule. In Filipino it is Araw ng Kasarinlán, and it is also called Araw ng Kalayaan, the day of freedom. The country's national day designation dates from 1978. Manila stages a national programme, while provinces, towns and schools run their own ceremonies and cultural shows. Filipinos overseas hold gatherings too.

Road to 1898

The Katipunan opened the story. Andres Bonifacio and a group of companions swore in new members at a cave in Pamitinan, in what is now Rodriguez, Rizal, and Bonifacio painted a cry of Philippine independence on the rock. Members tore their tax certificates to pieces. The revolution began in 1896. December 1897 brought the Pact of Biak-na-Bato and a truce, and Aguinaldo and other leaders left for Hong Kong. Then came war between Spain and the United States: Commodore George Dewey sailed from Hong Kong, defeated the Spanish at Manila Bay on 1 May 1898, and the US Navy carried Aguinaldo back to Cavite on 19 May.

The 1898 ceremony

On 5 June 1898 Aguinaldo issued a decree at his house in Cavite El Viejo, naming 12 June as the day of independence. Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, Aguinaldo's war counsellor, read the 21-page declaration aloud, and 98 Filipinos chosen by Aguinaldo signed it, along with a former United States artillery colonel, L. M. Johnson. The flag was raised for the first time at about half past four that afternoon, as the San Francisco de Malabon band played the Marcha Nacional Filipina. Municipal presidents at Bacoor ratified the act, and the Malolos Congress did so again. No foreign government recognised it; Spain ceded the islands to the United States at Paris, and war with the United States followed.

How the day is kept

Kawit, in Cavite province, holds a commemorative ceremony each year. The flag is raised at the Aguinaldo Shrine, the house where independence was proclaimed, and the 1898 declaration is read aloud. The main national event is in Manila; earlier versions of it drew a parade of uniformed services alongside civic and business groups. The biggest recent parade came in 2018, for the 120th anniversary. Towns, cities, schools and government offices arrange flag ceremonies, wreath layings and cultural performances of their own. Filipino communities abroad hold events as well, often on the weekend nearest the date.

The flag and the date

For a time after 1946 the country's independence holiday sat on 4 July, the date Washington recognised the republic through Proclamation 2695 and the Treaty of Manila. In 1962 President Diosdado Macapagal issued a proclamation moving the observance to 12 June. Two years later, Republic Act No. 4166 gave June the name Philippine Independence Day and turned the July holiday into Philippine Republic Day. June 12 had earlier been Flag Day; in 1965 National Flag Day shifted to 28 May, remembering the flag flown after the 1898 victory at Alapan in Imus, Cavite. A 1994 executive order stretched the flag season from 28 May to 12 June.

How Independence Day is kept

Flag ceremonies open the day at government offices, schools and plazas. In Kawit, Cavite, the centrepiece is at the Aguinaldo Shrine, where the flag is raised and the 1898 declaration is read. Manila hosts the national programme, which in some years included a parade of uniformed services and civic groups. Local governments and schools then hold wreath layings and cultural shows. From 28 May to 12 June, public buildings display the national flag. Filipinos abroad organise their own gatherings, parades and dinners.

When and where

The holiday is fixed to 12 June and lasts a single day. It remembers a declaration made on that date in 1898 at Kawit. The date has been a public observance since 1962 and the national day since 1978. A flag-display season opens on 28 May and closes on 12 June.

It is kept throughout the Philippines, on every island and in every province. The strongest observances are in Kawit, Cavite, where the Aguinaldo Shrine stands, and in Manila, where the national celebration is held. Filipino communities abroad also mark the day.

What Independence Day means

For Filipinos the day carries a claim to self-rule made in 1898, before any foreign power accepted it. The flag raised at Kawit, the reading of the old declaration and the shrine itself hold that memory. Moving the date from 4 July to 12 June also turned attention to what Filipinos declared for themselves, rather than the recognition that came from the United States in 1946. Schools treat the date as the country's birthday.

Questions people ask about Independence Day

See also

Good FridayA solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.Holy WeekThe solemn seven days leading to Easter, recalling the final week and Passion of JesusChristmas EveThe evening before Christmas, marked by church services, family meals, and gift preparations across Christian cultures.PangalayA traditional fingernail dance of the Tausūg and Bajau peoples in the Sulu Archipelago and Sabah.

Good reading and sources

• Research Guides: World of 1898: International Perspectives on the Spanish American War: IntroductionLibrary of Congress, Article
• Research Guides: World of 1898: International Perspectives on the Spanish American War: IntroductionLibrary of Congress, Article

• Independence Day (Philippines) on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.