MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives on Monday passed on the third and final reading a bill proposing to make August 1 a special working holiday to commemorate an important piece of Philippine history – the official declaration of Philippine independence in Bacoor, Cavite on August 1, 1898.
House Bill No. 7986 proposes to make August 1 of every year to be the “Promulgation of the Solemn Declaration of Philippine Independence Day.”
“This important piece of history has only come to light within the last few years. It is only right to recognize this significant event in our storied past: the solemn declaration of Philippine independence in Bacoor, Cavite on Aug. 1, 1898,” Speaker Martin Romualdez said in a statement.
According to historian Ambeth Ocampo, “[Apolinario] Mabini drafted a document of ratification, signed by 190 elected municipal presidents who had gathered in Bacoor, the revolutionary capital, on [August] 1, 1898, to take their oaths of office.”
Romualdez said that he hopes the measure will encourage Filipinos to seek what actually happened in Philippine history.
“And I hope this measure will provide Filipinos with the encouragement to pursue knowledge on what transpired during the birth of our nation and hopefully look at this momentous event as a source of national pride and patriotism,” he said.
The bill was authored by Cavite representatives Lani Mercado-Revilla, Jolo Revilla, Elpidio Barzaga, Aniela Tolentino, Roy Loyola, and Adrian Advincula, and Manila Rep. Edward Maceda.