Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day – June 30, 2024

History of Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day

In Southeast Asia, specifically in the western Pacific Ocean, lies the Republic of the Philippines. It is an amalgam of over 7,000 islands and islets. The modern name of the country comes from Philip II, the King of Spain at the time of the colonization of the Philippines by the Spanish. The country remained under Spanish rule for over 300 years, followed by U.S. tutelage for nearly 50 years.

Spanish colonization of the Philippines began with the arrival of Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi in 1565. By 1571, Spanish Manila was the capital of the Spanish East Indies. The Spanish then continued to invade surrounding territories and annexed them. During its rule, Spain consistently quelled revolts from native Filipinos. The Filipino independence movement, however, found its roots in the 1872 execution of three activist Catholic priests under false pretenses. This event motivated a propaganda movement in Spain, lobbying for political reforms in the Philippines.

In 1896, the Philippine Revolution was started and was fought between Filipino revolutionary forces and the Spanish military. Finally, in 1898 the Philippines declared independence from Spain. The Siege of Baler lasted nearly a year. Herein, 33 Spanish soldiers defended the Spanish flag from 1898 to 1899, until they found out that Spain had already given the Philippines independence on December 10, 1898. Their endurance had, by then, impressed the Revolutionary Army to the point that General Emilio Aguinaldo issued a decree requiring them to be treated as friends.