BALER, AURORA – The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) will lead the nation in celebrating the 22nd Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day and commemorating the 126th Anniversary of the Start of the Siege in Baler, Aurora on 1 July 2024 8:00 AM in front of Baler Church and Baler Plaza.
Guests of honor, Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri of the Philippine Senate, and His Excellency Miguel Utray, Ambassador of Spain to the Philippines, will lead the wreath laying ceremonies at the Baler Church in the morning, to pay homage to the heroism of Filipino and Spanish soldiers.
They will be joined by NHCP Chairperson Lisa Guerrero Nakpil, Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, Representative Rommel Rico T. Angara of the Lone District of Aurora, Governor Reynante Tolentino of Aurora Province, Mayor Rhett Ronan T. Angara of the Municipality of Baler, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Other activities related to the event are the Literatura Hispano-Filipino Course, the book launch of ‘Vocabulario de la lengua Bicol’ and ‘Amistad Filipino-Hispano Cultural, Historical y Turismo’ Conference all facilitated in June, by the Centro de Filipinas en Madrid of the Philippine Embassy in Spain. The embassy will also lead a wreath-laying ceremony at the Rizal Monument in Madrid on 30 June 2024.
In Baler, various events abound to mark the occasion such as HIBU Awit at Kultura Festival and Ayos A Arts Workshop. On 30 June, early risers may join the 7:00 AM wreath-laying rites at Dikaloyungan Marker and Takbo para sa Kalayaan, then Holy Mass by 4:00 PM at the San Luis Obispo, Parish Church, to be followed by El Amor Perdura: A Cultural Night for the 22nd Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day at 5:00 PM in the Sen. Edgardo J. Angara Convention Center, Baler, Aurora.
An international conference in October 2024 organized by the University of the Philippines Diliman Department of History will cap off the celebration.
The Siege of Baler tells the story of Spanish soldiers who held out in Baler, 15 days after the proclamation of Philippine independence. Despite repeated efforts of informing them that the war had already ended, the soldiers barricaded themselves for 11 long months. Lt. Col. Tecson along with Bulacan soldiers, was sent by President Aguinaldo to end the siege.
In 2003, Republic Act No. 9187 created the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day to be observed on 30 June of every year. It commemorates the decree in which President Aguinaldo ordered that the survivors of the siege be treated as friends rather than prisoners of war. This simple act of benevolence of Filipinos paved the way for better relations between the Philippines and Spain today.
The NHCP is the national government agency mandated to promote Philippine history through its museums, research, and publications, and to preserve historical heritage through conservation and the marking of historic sites and structures.
Refer to:
NHCP Communications Team
T.M. Kalaw Ave., Ermita, Manila 1000
info@nhcp.gov.ph | nhcpcommunications@gmail.com
(+632) 5335-1217 | (+63960) 328-4200