Duterte declares Feb. 4 as ‘Philippine-American War Memorial Day’

MANILA, Philippines—President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a measure which declares February 4 of every year a special working holiday for the “Philippine-American War Memorial Day.”

Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11304  on April 17 but it was only released to media on Tuesday.

The law aims to commemorate the “sacrifice and bravery the men and women who fought and died in defense of the Filipino nation during the Philippine-American war.”

It requires the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to ensure that appropriate activities are held in schools to commemorate the holiday.

Funds for the implementation of the law will be drawn from the yearly appropriations of the agencies concerned.

It also mandates the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) to provide the public with the necessary information to ensure a meaningful observance of the holiday.

The Philippine-American War broke out on Feb. 4, 1899 and ended on July 2, 1902, which resulted in the deaths of at least 200,000 Filipino civilians, mostly due to famine and disease. /muf