Unveiling of the historical marker commemorating the 1898 Bacoor Assembly at the Cuenca Ancestral House by the city government of Bacoor and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines on August 1, 2023 (Photo from NHCP's Facebook page/MANILA BULLETIN)
President Marcos has signed into law an act declaring August 1 of every year a special working holiday, commemorating the promulgation of the declaration of Philippine independence during the Bacoor Assembly in 1898.
A publication uploaded by the Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines on November 13 indicated that the president signed the law on November 7.
Republic Act No. 12073, also known as the Bacoor Assembly of 1898 Act, officially declares August 1 as “Araw ng Paglalathala at Pagtatanyag ng Kasarinlan ng Pilipinas.”
“Sa bisa ng Republic Act No. 12073, nakamit na ng ating mahal na Lungsod ng Bacoor ang karapat-dapat nitong pagkilala sa ating kasaysayan (With the enactment of Republic Act No. 12073, our beloved City of Bacoor has finally received the recognition it deserves in our nation’s history)," principal author Cavite 2nd District Rep. Lani Mercado Revilla said in a statement.
Historical documents reveal that on August 1, 1898, the Act of Independence written by Apolinario Mabini was signed by President Emilio Aguinaldo in Bacoor, along with around 200 elected municipal leaders from 16 liberated provinces.
The Malolos Congress subsequently ratified it as Acta Agosto Uno.
Mercado Revilla mentioned historians' explanation that the earlier declaration on June 12, 1898, included the term “protectorate,” indicating that the Philippines would become a protectorate of the United States. For this reason, President Aguinaldo hesitated to sign it.
“Hindi natin layuning mabawasan ang kahalagahan ng Hunyo 12, ang anibersaryo ng kasarinlan ng Pilipinas. Hangad natin na makilala ang Lungsod ng Bacoor bilang bahagi ng isa sa pinakamahalagang pangyayari sa kasaysayan ng ating kasarinlan (Our goal is not to diminish the importance of June 12 as the anniversary of Philippine independence. Instead, we seek to recognize Bacoor’s role as part of one of the most significant events in our history)," Mercado Revilla said.
The Bacoor Assembly of 1898 Act mandates cultural agencies to promote the significance of August 1 and the events surrounding the Bacoor Assembly.
The Department of Education, meanwhile, is directed to develop and implement lesson plans that teach students the importance and relevance of the historical event.