12 MAY

Pres. Diosdado Macapagal y Pangan

1962 - Philippine Independence Day is moved from July 4 to June 12 by President Diosdado Macapagal y Pangan through Republic Act No. 4166 in a rare show of nationalism by Filipinos who have long observed the American-dictated post-World War II July 4 (1946) as Independence Day; Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy, revolutionary leader during the Philippine Revolution against Spain, declared the country's independence on June 12, 1898 and established the Philippine Republic on January 23, 1899 before the Bald Eagle imperialists under President William McKinley began its war of invasion of the Southeast Asian archipelago a month later, with the bloody and savage Philippine-American War (1899-1914) erupting on February 4, 1899 and raging for about a decade; Macapagal stated that the June 12 1898 Proclamation by Aguinaldo, who grabbed revolutionary leadership from Kataastaasang Kagalanggalangang Katipunan nang manga Anak nang Bayan Supremo Andres Bonifacio y de Castro, was a legitimate assertion of the Filipinos' inherent and inalienable right to claim independence and freedom; Macapagal laudably pointed out that any celebration of independence should be made on the basis of the people's declaration of it and not on the recognition of a foreign power; for the change of Independence Day to become permanent, Congress acted on the proclamation by passing Republic Act 4166 in 1964, thus confirming the change of the country's Independence Day from July 4 to June 12.

Photo credit: http://books.google.com/books?id=vqKsKUUSNNQC&dq=diosdado+macapagal+independence+day&source=gbs_navlinks_s