BETTER DAYS
Senator Sonny Angara
Last week, our country, with representatives from the Kingdom of Spain led by the Spanish Ambassador to the Philippines Jorge Moragas Sanchez, physically gathered in Baler, Aurora to celebrate the 20th Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day and the 123rd Anniversary of the historic Siege of Baler.
This celebration, which commemorates the iconic friendship between two nations, was borne out of a compassionate gesture by our first President Emilio Aguinaldo. On June 30, 1899, Aguinaldo issued a decree commending the gallantry of several Spanish soldiers who garrisoned inside the San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Church for almost a year during the military encounter now known as the Siege of Baler, mandating that they be treated no longer as enemies but as friends, and granting them safe passage back to their homeland, Spain.
Decades later, my late father — former Senate President Edgardo Angara — pushed for the enactment of Republic Act No. 9187 which declared June 30 of every year as Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day, cognizant that ties between the Philippines and Spain had already evolved from a relationship between colony and colonizer to a friendship between two nations bonded not just by a shared history and cultural heritage, but also a shared destiny. Ambassador Moragas Sanchez, whose mother was born in Baguio City and whose great grandparents are buried in the country, shared that the Congress of Spain also approved this commemoration to emphasize the importance of this friendship because of our history, linkages, cultural heritage, and governments.
In 2021, Philippine-Spanish relations reached a special milestone, when despite the pandemic, both countries still took steps to celebrate the quincentennial of Ferdinand Magellan’s attempt at circumnavigating the globe, which eventually lead to his landing at Homonhon, Eastern Samar and hence the beginning of the two nation’s shared story.
In recent years, Spain has done nothing else but demonstrate that this story is that of a lasting, enduring friendship. For instance, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and despite being hit hard by the virus, Spain still took it upon itself to be among the EU countries that directly donated Covid-19 vaccine doses, sending the Philippines some 453,600 Moderna doses last year. Around 9.9 million doses were also donated to the country by the EU through the COVAX facility, a global effort to which the Spanish government gave up to 50 million doses.
The Philippines has also been the singular recipient of assistance across Asia from the Spanish Agency for International Development (AECID) especially in support of the Bangsamoro Transition process. In fact, as early as 2019, the Spanish government pledged $50 million in order to assist in the rebuilding of war-torn Marawi.
Such developmental aid, coupled with investments from private Spanish firms in our country’s infrastructure, renewable energy, and defense, are testaments to our shared desire towards progress and prosperity.
Indeed, unhindered by physical distance, Philippine-Spanish relations continue to blossom. Nevertheless, there is still much more room for it to flourish. This is why during our closing remarks at last week’s celebration in Baler, we emphasized that work will continue towards expanding the commemoration of this friendship through a more permanent structure. Such a structure shall be filled with historical artifacts that will be showcased all year-round, beyond the annual celebrations of Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day. And the hope is that it will serve as a tangible way to commemorate the historic Siege of Baler and highlight for future generations the loyalty and bravery of Spain and the compassion and benevolence of the Philippines.
We also shared our hope to one day witness the completion of one of my father’s passion projects which was the construction of a Galleon Museum for showcasing Spain’s sailing vessels from centuries ago and how Manila became an integral part of global trade. Ultimately, the goal of such initiatives and more is for closer relations to flourish not just through government-to-government exchanges, but also through direct people-to-people friendships — all leading to even deeper ties between the Philippines and Spain.
The acts made 123 years ago remind us of what we are capable of whenever we let our better angels lead the way. And as we close this year’s Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day, it is our view that there can be no better foundation and no better starting point from which the Philippines and Spain can look to the future than from a place of enduring friendship. Viva l’amistad duradera.
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Senator Sonny Angara has been in public service for 18 years — nine years as Representative of the lone District of Aurora, and nine as Senator. He has authored and sponsored more than 250 laws. He is currently serving his second term in the Senate.