PHILIPPINE- SPANISH FRIENDSHIP DAY

by Janine Galang

The Law designating the friendship day with Spain is REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9187. The Republic Act declares that June 30 of the year is the Philippine Spanish Friendship Day. his law makes the Philippines the only country to celebrate a friendship day with its former colonizer. In the said act, it may be commemorated as Fil- Hispano Day and will / may be organized by a Inter- Agency Committee, consisting of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs as Chairman, the Executive Director of the National Historical Institute and the Mayor of Baler, Aurora as Co- Vice Chairmen, and an Undersecretary of the Department of Education, Undersecretary of the Department of Tourism and one (1) representative each from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the University of the Philippines History Department, as members. The Philippine Ambassador of Spain and the Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines shall also be ex officio members of the committee.

The implementation of this act was on the basis of the fact that June 30, the date of the said celebration, is  a day when President Emilio Aguinaldo commended the besieged Spanish soldiers in the Church of Baler for their loyalty and gallantry, which is discussed in Section 1 of the Republic Act. Section 2 states that Philippine-Spanish Day The Thirtieth of June of each year is hereby declared as Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day to commemorate the cultural and historical ties, friendship and cooperation between the Philippines and Spain. It is hereby declared as a national special working holiday and a special non-working holiday in Aurora Province.

Since it’s enactment in 2003 which was initiated and authored by Senator Edgardo Angara and signed into law by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the Philippine Spanish Friendship Day has paved ways to numerous bilateral agreements about economic and cultural cooperation between Philippines and Spain. This celebration is an indication of the desire of the Philippines to strengthen its ties with Spain and Europe. For its part, Spain, parallel to the European Union, has declared it her policy to pay greater attention to its ties with Southeast Asia. Naturally for Spain, this should start with its former colony, the Philippines.

 Retrieved from http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno9187.html

 Retrieved from http://www.philstar.com/starweek-magazine/2012/08/19/839584/baler-history-filipino-spanish-friendship

 Retrieved from http://archive.today/SRXJt#selection-713.0-713.330