12/06/2026
Raising the flag high and proud today!
Happy 128th Independence Day, Pilipinas! 💙💛❤️
Today we honor the heroes who dared to dream of a free nation. Mabuhay ang Pilipino! 🇵🇭✨
Let us never forget the legacy of our forefathers who fought for our liberty. May we honor their sacrifices by continuing to build a stronger, kinder, and more prosperous nation. Happy Independence Day! 💙❤️💛
🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝟏𝟐𝟖𝐓𝐇 𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘! 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭
Today, we feature a portrait of a central figure of Philippine Independence–the 1950 𝑷𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑬𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒐 𝑨𝒈𝒖𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒅𝒐 (1869-1964) 𝒂𝒔 𝑬𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒏 by 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐧 𝐕. 𝐋𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐳.
Painted when Aguinaldo was in his 80s, this piece captures the leader in the exact year President Elpidio Quirino appointed him to the Council of State, an advisory team composed of former presidents.
More than five decades earlier, on 12 June 1898, the then-General Aguinaldo proclaimed Philippine independence in Kawit, Cavite. However, following the fall of the First Republic, which had bravely defended itself during the Philippine-American War, control over the Philippines was effectively transferred to Washington, D.C.
In 1934, the United States issued the Tydings-McDuffie Act, establishing a 10-year transitional period under a Commonwealth government moving towards independence. While the Commonwealth government was set to lapse in 1944, the brutal Japanese occupation of the Philippines derailed this timeline. Philippine independence was later moved to 4 July 1946, coinciding with that of the United States.
Nearly 16 years later, in 1962, Aguinaldo, despite poor health and an advanced age, would himself witness the restoration of June 12 as the country’s Independence Day through President Diosdado Macapagal's issuance of Proclamation No. 28 (1962).
As we commemorate the 128th anniversary of Philippine Independence, this portrait honors one of the few individuals who played a pivotal role in—and lived to witness—the Philippines’ long and arduous journey towards self-determination and nationhood.
