Araw ng Kalayaan!

 

Independence Day, it is a day marking the freedom of the Filipinos from Spain that ruled our country for more then three decades. June 12, this date has become an annual national holiday in the Philippines. A day where we celebrate our countries freedom and also to celebrate and pay respect to our ancestors and bayanis who fought for our country to regain this freedom.

Let’s recap on the history behind the Philippines Independence Day. Since the mid-16^th century, Philippines was ruled by the Spanish Empire for 333 years. Of course, during those years, there have been revolutionaries, led by Emilio Aguinaldo who proclaimed independence for the Philippines. By mid-august Filipino rebels and U.S. troops outed the Spanish. But Aguinaldo’s hope for independence was shattered when the US annexed the Philippines as part of a peace treaty with Spain. In 1935, Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth. After a 10-year transition, Manuel Quezon was elected president and was task with preparing the country for independence. And when all thought the wars are done, in came World War II. The islands fell under the Japanese occupation, and Us soldiers and Filipinos fought together to regain control in 1944 – 1945. On July 4, 1946, The Republic of the Philippines gained independence.

All in all, I am not really a fan of history, but we can all agree that the Philippines has gone through a lot of hardships and obstacles to have the freedom and independence that we now have. As we celebrate Independence day, we should commemorate and pay respects to our bayanis who have fought and sacrificed themselves for the future of our country.

 References:

https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/philippines.html

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/philippine-independence-declared