On June 12, the Philippines will once again celebrate its Independence Day. In the wake of a tumultuous presidential election, a devastating global pandemic, and uneasy economic and geopolitical times, it is perhaps wise to reflect upon the history and significance of commemorating such a day. By examining the circumstances under which June 12 emerged as the official Philippine Independence Day, as well as the intended function of national holidays as a whole, we might become better equipped to navigate divided and uncertain futures.

June 12 was not always our official Independence Day. It was made-so on May 12, 1964, by then-president Diosdado Macapagal. Macapagal moved the celebration to June 12 in order to commemorate Emilio Aguinaldo’s original proclamation of Philippine independence from Spain on the same date in 1898. In his 1962 Independence Day Address, Macapagal elaborated on the rationale for the change, “The irrefutable claim of June 12 as our day of freedom is bolstered by the fact that it is the culmination of many acts of patriotism and nationalism. June 12, 1898 is pregnant with meaning not only for our people as the birthday of their sovereign nation but also for the world, since it was our Filipino patriots and leaders, Rizal, Aguinaldo and Bonifacio, who led the nations of Asia in breaking the chains of colonialism in order that they may breathe the fresh air of individual liberty and national dignity”. He viewed the change as a restoration of the legacy of the Filipino struggle for independence against Spain. As we are well aware, such a legacy was disrupted by half a century of U.S. colonial rule.

We used to celebrate Independence Day on July 4. The Philippines became a nation free from formal colonization on July 4, 1946. That Independence Day followed a brutal armed conflict against Japanese occupation in the Second World War, as well as the terms established by the 1934 Tydings-McDuffie Act which granted the Philippines independence from the United States following a ten-year transition period. A combination of arms and political negotiation constituted that chapter of the independence saga. Though the decades that followed were by no means tranquil. Asymmetrical political and economic relations with the West, broadly conceived, endured. Foreign imperialism was replaced by domestic dictatorship. The ills that have always plagued nations continue to plague this one. So why celebrate Independence Day?

We understand the significance of Independence Day to the state, but what does it mean to the nation? Independence Day commemorates the establishment of a sovereign Philippines. Sovereignty constitutes the source of authority over a given polity. In other words, where does power ultimately lie? In the context of the Philippine state, a postcolonial one, this has always meant the freedom of whichever nascent Philippine Republic to enact its own laws, to set its own diplomatic agenda, and to govern its own people. In extremely reductionist terms, independence in this context means that the highest office in the land is the Philippine head of state, not the Spanish Crown, or the American President, or the Japanese Prime Minister. The nation enters the picture when provisions like “Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them” exist and are taken to heart. The hyphen that binds the conceptual integrity of the nation-state is a delicate one. The latter, in principle, should serve the former. Though this has not always been the case. When celebrating Independence Day, we might wish to embody the spirit of the “Filipino patriots and leaders” Macapagal referenced in his address. We inhabit their memory to recall the conditions they witnessed their fellow Filipinos living under, to reflect on the reasons behind their dissatisfaction with the status quo, and to understand that it was and should always remain a struggle for an independent people. We celebrate so we might never forget that there remains much work to be done.

Ultimately, was Macapagal right in changing the Philippine Independence Day date? I personally would agree. National holidays have never been about historical accuracy or geopolitical technicality. To paraphrase Eric Hobsbawm, they are “invented traditions” meant to instill a sense of cohesion in the imagined community that is the nation. Aguinaldo’s Republic might only have been nominally independent, but that’s not the point. Britain recognized an independent United States seven years after it had declared itself so, yet Americans continue to celebrate on the Fourth of July – Macapagal made this exact point. June 12 exists as a symbolic independence. The Philippines had to wait another forty-eight years before actual independence. Commemorating a symbol, rather than an actuality, beckons us to ask broader questions. Is the nation independent and sovereign, or merely the state? Are all its people empowered, or merely a handful of actors as in our not-so-distant colonial past? When we speak of “our” independence, who are we leaving out of the conversation? Do we think enough of the ethnic and religious minorities marginalized not only in present discourse, but also to whom June 12, 1898 means very little historically. These are but some of the questions we must begin to ask. A tall order, yes, but Filipinos are no strangers to division and uncertainty. Our history has always been one of struggle and negotiation; on the battlefield, in legislative halls (both foreign and domestic), and in the symbolic realm home to grand debates over the national narrative we choose to internalize as a citizenry. By considering why we celebrate June 12, what we became independent from, and who exactly the “we” is in this story, we look not for definitive answers but aim instead to foster productive conversations.

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