TAN, ALTHEA MAY U.

BSTM 1F
Analysis of Proclamation of Philippine Independence
In a speech delivered on June 12, 1962, President Macapagal explained why such a move is
appropriate. Mr. Macapagal felt it was "proper that what we should celebrate not the day when
other nations gave recognition to our independence, but the day when we declared our desire to
exercise our inherent and inalienable right to freedom and independence," because the nation's
right to liberty is not derived from the grant or recognition of another, but is an attribute it
naturally holds.
He went on to say that, unlike the American declaration of independence in 1946, the declaration
of independence in 1898 is marked by the determination and unity of local government leaders to
revolt. The proclamation of Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite, on June 12, 1898, was the
most significant achievement of Aguinaldo's Dictatorial Government. The day has been
designated as a national holiday. Thousands of people from the surrounding provinces flocked to
Kawit to witness the historic event. The "Act of the Proclamation of Independence of the
Filipino People" was read on June 12, 1898, at General Emilio Aguinaldo's ancestral house in
Kawit, Cavite. However, the country's independence did not come easily.
The Spaniards ceded control of the islands to the Americans via the Treaty of Paris, resulting in
the Philippine-American War and, as a result, US rule over the country. The Philippines did not
gain complete independence until July 4, 1946. Since then, July 4 has been designated as
Independence Day. The country's ninth President, Diosdado Macapagal, declared June 12 a
public holiday in 1962 "in commemoration of our people's declaration of their inherent and
inalienable right to freedom and independence," which was later confirmed by Republic Act No.
4166 in 1964. With a government in operation, Aguinaldo thought that it was necessary to
declare the independence of the Philippines. He believed that such a move would inspire the
people to fight more eagerly against the Spaniards and at the same time, lead the foreign
countries to recognize the independence of the country.
He credited General Aguinaldo for galvanizing the entire nation to action, that when he
“formally assumed political command and declared his country free from [colonizers], a nation
came into being.”