About this Holiday
Philippine Independence Day commemorates the proclamation of independence from Spain by General Emilio Aguinaldo in Kawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898, where the Philippine flag was unfurled for the first time and the national anthem played. Though the Philippines was subsequently ceded to the United States, June 12 was officially declared Independence Day in 1962 to honor this historic proclamation. Celebrations include the singing of the national anthem, flag-raising ceremonies, and parades nationwide, with the grandest ceremony held at Kawit, Cavite.