Inter-agency committee for 125th Philippine Independence day formed

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has created an inter-agency committee that will plan and implement programs and projects for the commemoration of the 125th anniversary of Philippine independence on June 12.

Under Administrative Order 8, signed by Marcos on Tuesday, the body will be chaired by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) while the Department of the Interior and Local Government will serve as vice-chair.

The committee’s members include the Department of Tourism, Department of Education, Department of National Defense, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Transportation, and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

The country will commemorate the 125th anniversary of Philippine independence from 2023 to 2026 to “give focus on the freedom that our forebears struggled for towards that they dreamed for the country and the history that we seek to remember and honor them with,” the order said.

It directed concerned agencies to “reinvigorate government support for historical research; and sustaining and enhancing programs for the protection, preservation and conservation of historical relics and memorabilia, monuments, sites and other historical resources.”

Republic Act 10086 or the “Strengthening Peoples’ Nationalism Through Philippine History Act” provides that the state shall provide the means to “strengthen people’s nationalism, love of country, respect for its heroes and pride for the people’s accomplishments by reinforcing the importance of Philippine national and local history in daily life with the end view of raising social consciousness.”

The 125th anniversary of Philippine independence and nationhood will have the theme “Kalayaan. Kinabukasan. Kasaysayan (Freedom. Future. History).”

On March 4, the NHCP launched a 100-day countdown at the Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite, where Philippine independence was declared on June 12, 1898.

Republic Act 4166, signed by the late president Diosdado Macapagal on Aug. 4, 1964, changed the date of Philippine Independence Day to June 12 from July 4. The law also declared July 4 as Philippine Republic Day also known as Philippine-American Friendship Day.

The NHCP is the national agency mandated to promote and preserve Philippine historical heritage through research and publication, conservation, heraldry and administration of historic sites and structures.