MANILA -- The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) will launch the official logo for the 125th anniversary of Philippine Independence and Nationhood 2023-2026 at Fort San Pedro, Cebu City on 3 August 2022. This coincides with the city’s hosting of the opening program for History Month 2022 on 3 August 2022 and the 9th Local Historical Committees Network (LHCN) General Assembly on 4 August 2022. The milestones’ theme is Kalayaan. Kinabukasan. Kasaysayan.
The multi-year commemoration highlights the birth of the Filipino nation from the proclamation of Philippine independence on 12 June 1898 in Kawit, Cavite until the end of the first Filipino government that lasted until the capture of President Emilio Aguinaldo in Palanan, Isabela on 23 March 1901. It aims to raise awareness among the Filipino people of our place in history as the earliest modern democracy and republic in Asia. Among its goals are the appraisal of democratic ideals and principles, universal human rights, justice, and the value of freedom and sovereignty.
The flagship project of this commemoration is the marking of around 100 sites along the path of Philippine independence and nationhood from Kawit to Palanan, and across the country. Each will receive a national historical marker and a standard memorial to be called “Landas ng Pagkabansang Pilipino” (Philippine Nationhood Trail). This is inspired by the 34 Quincentennial Historical Markers installed along the Philippine route of the first circumnavigation of the world in 2021.
Among the coverage of the milestones are:
1. 125th anniversary of the birth of the Philippine Flag and National Anthem in June 2023
2. 125th anniversary of the First Philippine Congress in Barasoain Church in September 2023
3. 125th anniversary of the First Philippine Constitution in January 2024
4. 125th anniversary of the First Philippine Republic in Malolos in January 2024
5. 125th anniversary of the Philippine-American War in January 2024
6. 125th anniversary of the Siege of Baler in June 2024
7. 125th anniversary of the Death of Antonio Luna and Gregorio del Pilar in June and December 2024
Member-Affiliates of the LHCN will also hold activities and projects in solidarity with the commemoration, highlighting stories from the provinces and regions on the birth of Philippine independence. The last time the national government commemorated a milestone event in Philippine independence and nationhood was in 1998 during the Philippine Centennial Celebrations under the tenure of the late President Fidel V. Ramos.
NHCP Chairperson and concurrent National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Chairperson Rene R. Escalante and Cebu City Councilor and Acting Mayor Donaldo "Dondon" Hontiveros will lead the occasion. Fort San Pedro was selected as the venue of the launching activity because of its historical significance. It figured in the liberation of the Philippines from Spanish rule during its capture by Cebuano revolutionaries on 29 December 1898. It was also in Cebu where the Philippines took form in 1565.
The NHCP is the national government agency mandated to promote and preserve Philippine historical heritage through research and publication, conservation, marking of historic sites and structures, and administration of national shrines and museums. (NHCP)
