Independence and Interdependence

I have written in the past about the Fourth of July and the Rotary Club of Makati. What is the relationship of the two, you might ask? Bear with me as the significance of both will come together later in this piece.

- ATTY. MIKE TOLEDO

The current alphabet generations of Z and A would probably know of July 4 as the Independence Day of the United States of America, a federal holiday commemorating the Declaration of Independence from the monarchy of Britain on July 4, 1776. Independence Day would also be the 1996 movie about an alien invasion or the 2016 sequel on the resurgence of the same.

The Philippines used to celebrate Independence Day on the 4th of July, not as an homage to American independence as a former colony, but because we did achieve independence on that date.

On July 4, 1946, the Philippines won its independence from the United States, not as a consequence of the just-concluded World War II but in compliance with the provisions of the Tydings-McDuffie Law or Philippine Independence Act enacted in 1934 that created the process by which the Philippines as an American colony will achieve independence after a 10-year period.

It was on July 4, 1946 that the Commonwealth of the Philippines became the Republic of the Philippines, when the United States of America formally recognized Philippine independence and withdrew sovereignty over the country.

For some time, Philippine Independence Day was celebrated every July 4 until 1962 when then-President Diosdado Macapagal issued Proclamation No. 28 moving the date to June 12, the date when independence from Spain was first declared in 1898.

July 4 during the time of President Macapagal became known as Republic Day, which later became Philippine-American Friendship Day during the time of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the father of our current President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr.