Formerly celebrated as the Independence Day of the Republic of the Philippines, 4^th of July has been downgraded to Philippine-American Friendship Day when President Diosdado Macapagal amended the date of Philippine Independence to 12 June 1898 in 1962. 

And, rightly so. This has been a contentious issue. My own point of view is that 4^th of July should have never been celebrated as the actual Independence Day. 

Here’s why:

In the intervening period between 12 June 1898 until 04 July 1946, the Philippine Islands has had four different Republics, namely: the First Philippine Republic of General Emilio Aguinaldo, which was officially promulgated in January 1899 after the signing of the Malolos Constitution; the 1935 Commonwealth Government under Manuel Quezon; the Japanese-sponsored Pupet Government under Jose P. Laurel from 1943-1945; and the 1946 Independent Government under Manuel Roxas.

In effect, there have already been four different Filipino Presidents by 04 July 1946, with varying degrees of autonomy and self-rule, of course. To consider that the Philippines was only a sovereign state on the day the Americans relinquished control of the Islands overlook these facts. People claim that the Revolutionary Government of Aguinaldo, the Commonwealth Government of Quezon, and the War Government of Laurel should not be considered as “true” sovereign states as they did not fully control their respective territories.

In fact, it can be argued that the Roxas’ Government was similarly subjected to external influence because the Americans did not really go away. They continued to have same rights to exploit Philippine resources based on the Parity Rights Act. They exerted undue influence on government policymaking through their advisers like the infamous Edward Lansdale. And, of course, they continued to maintain military bases on the Islands even after 1946. 

The fact remains that the 1935 Commonwealth Government under President Quezon was already a sovereign state other than name. It had its own constitution, congress, and armed forces, albeit led by a foreigner in the person of Douglas MacArthur. Quezon was managing the nation’s own affairs albeit under the protection of the Americans. The Americans projected to proclaim the independence of the Philippine Islands on 04 July 1945. They missed their mark only by a year because World War II broke out. The US Government, burdened with the cost of maintaining a colony during the Great Depression, was in a hurry to provide self-government for the Philippines Islands to save cost.

Similarly, General Aguinaldo’s revolutionary government had its own constitution, parliament, and a revolutionary army. However, it had to share control of the islands to pockets of Spanish resistance, American invaders, and a number of independent Muslim Sultanates in Mindanao. Spain and the United States switched hands through the 1898 Treaty of Paris without consulting the Filipinos. When the Treaty of Paris was signed in December 1898, Filipino insurgents already had formed a revolutionary government and controlled the countryside. 

President Macapagal, bless him, had the foresight to amend this oversight when declared the date of Philippine Independence to be 12 June 1898. To celebrate the 4^th of July as Philippine Independence Day is tantamount to historical amnesia. Why should we forget the sacrifices made by Filipino revolutionaries who gave Asia its First Republic? 

The 4^th of July should be a reminder to Filipinos that despite being granted “independence” in 1946, the Americans continued to exert influence over Philippine policymaking. The American policy of containing Communism in the aftermath of World War II paved the way for the Proclamation of Martial Law of Ferdinand Marcos in 1972. In fact, it was the American advisers, fearing the much-maligned Domino Theory, were happy to see Marcos declare Martial Law when his government was tethering on the brink of collapse in the face popular street protests.

The 4^th of July should also remind Filipinos how American largesse has created a culture of dependency that has degraded what was once a comparatively well-equipped Philippine military to one that is unable to defend its own sovereignty against Chinese encroachment of its territory today. Filipinos should not rely on the expectation that the Americans would come to our aid in the event of a clash with China in South China Sea.

We should remember the lessons of 1898, folks. The Americans will always act on their own interests, which sometimes (or dare I say, more often than not) are contrary to Philippines’ own interests.