MANILA, Philippines??Filipinos are, by nature and tradition, a liberty-loving people,? according to historian Esteban de Ocampo.

Proofs are the struggles, uprisings, mutinies, revolts and insurrections that our forefathers waged from the time the Spaniards landed in our soil till the occupation of the Imperial Japanese. Filipinos had shed their life and blood for our freedom.

If we trace the history of the Philippines, independence had been declared more than once. June 12, of course, is the most popular one.

Some historians say the first proclamation took place at the Pamitinan Cave in Montalban, Rizal, on April 12, 1895. It was Holy Week when Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, Guillermo Masangkay, Aurelio Tolentino and other Katipuneros went to the cave to initiate new members of the Katipunan and plan their fight against the Spaniards. Bonifacio wrote on the cave wall ?Viva la Independencia Filipina.?

The Katipuneros chose the Pamitinan Cave because they believed it represented purity of purpose in achieving independence. Bonifacio had plunged into a vigorous campaign to propagate the ideals of the secret society.

Informal affair

However, the event in Pamitinan was considered informal as only a handful of Katipuneros witnessed it.

The second declaration of national emancipation was on Aug. 23, 1896, a few days after the discovery of the Katipunan. Bonifacio called his people to a meeting in Balintawak to discuss the steps to be taken to address the crisis. They proceeded to Pugadlawin.

The following day, in the yard of Juan Ramos, the son of Melchora Aquino, Bonifacio asked his men to fight for independence and tore their cedulas with great fervor symbolizing their disinterest from the Iberian rule. They shouted, ?Long live the Philippine Independence.?

This is popularly known as the Cry of Pugadlawin. But then again, this proclamation of our independence was not committed to writing.

Kawit declarations

The third instance was in Kawit, Cavite, on Oct. 31, 1896, when Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo issued his first two manifestos. One was titled ?Liberty, Equality and Fraternity,? in which he defined the aim of the revolution as the attainment of independence. Another announced the formation of a central revolutionary committee for the government of towns under the revolutionary government.

According to De Ocampo, this event lacks solemnity and force, for the decrees mentioned by Aguinaldo were aimed principally at exhorting the Filipinos to fight the Spanish forces until independence was won.

The fourth proclamation was also made in Kawit on June 12, 1898. This is the date that most Filipinos have been commemorating since 1962 when President Diosdado Macapagal changed the date of independence from July 4 to June 12 through Republic Act No. 4166.

True meaning of freedom

In this momentous event, the Act of Declaration of Philippine Independence was read by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista in front of many Filipinos. Our forefathers also witnessed the unfurling of our national flag and the playing of our National Anthem.

Indeed, this event symbolizes the true meaning of our freedom?a declaration led by Filipinos. The Philippine flag and the National Anthem are two primary prerequisites in proclaiming a nation?s independence.

The fifth declaration of independence was announced in Manila on Oct. 14, 1943, when the Philippines was occupied by the Japanese. This was also the inauguration of the Japanese-sponsored Republic of the Philippines with Jose P. Laurel as president.

According to the decree, ?the Filipino people, through the Preparatory Commission for Philippine Independence, invoking the aid of Divine Providence, and the hallowed spirits of Filipino patriots and martyrs who gave their lives for the freedom of their fatherland, hereby proclaim to the world that they are, as of right they ought to be, a free and independent nation;

?That they no longer owe allegiance to any foreign nation; that henceforth they shall exercise all the powers and enjoy all the privileges to which they are entitled as a free and independent state;

?and that for the defense of their territorial integrity and the preservation of their independent existence, they pledge their fortune, their lives, and their sacred honor.?

This declaration was not taken seriously by the majority of Filipinos.

US ?grant?

The last declaration of our freedom against the colonizers was on July 4, 1946, at Luneta, Manila. This date was observed as Independence Day every year until 1961. The date, similar to that of Independence Day of the United States, was the moment that they ?granted the independence to the Philippines.? The Americans were the ones who chose July 4, not the Filipinos.

But among the many declarations, it has been June 12 that we commemorate permanently and wholeheartedly.

June 12, 1898, was not an overnight event. According to Teodoro Agoncillo, ?the first week of June 1898, General Aguinaldo had been convinced of the wisdom of declaring Philippine independence.? Aguinaldo believed that this event would be a big boost for the Filipinos to fight harder against the Spaniards.

Solemn

In addition, June 12 was made in the most solemn manner: Asking for the Lord?s divine guidance and protection after winning battles after battles.

Certainly, the June 12 independence proclamation was an overwhelming expression of desire of many Filipinos for freedom. The document attesting to it was signed by 97 Filipinos who clamored for a true and meaningful freedom.

(Mona Lisa H. Quizon is a History researcher at the National Historical Institute)