FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
First Regular Session 
} 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
SENATE 
S. No. 891 
Introduced by SENATOR EDGARDO J. ANGARA 
EXPLANATORYNOTE 
We 
live in a global community where countries are more 
interdependent than ever, where on the other hand there is a felt need to 
recognize specific countries with which the Philippines had sustained historic 
and cultural relations in order to encourage interaction between governments 
and peoples. 
Philippine-French relations go as far back as the age of discovery and 
exploration. When he embarked on his epochal mission to discover the route 
to the Spice Islands, Ferdinand Magellan had 15 Frenchmen among his crew. 
In the Christianization of the Philippines, some of the religious who served in 
the country came from France, as well as other nations allied with the rulers 
of Spain. The seminary of St. Clement in Manila, the first Diocesan seminary 
in the Philippines, was established with the help of French Monsignor 
Charles-Thomas Maillard de Tournon in 1704. 
Aside from serving as missionaries, other French residents of the 
Philippines served as traders, technicians, soldiers, and officers and crews of 
the Manila Galleons. 
By the 171h century, France began to take notice of the Philippines for 
its strategic location for trade. It was the French who discovered the potential 
of the abaca plant in the manufacture of ropes used in the shipping industry. 
Despite Spanish restrictions against foreign trade, a community of 
French other foreign traders existed in Manila before its formal opening in 
1832. By time, Paris fashion had become a standard in Manila. Foreign 
vessels brought in French products such as stockings, muslin and linen cloth, 
umbrellas, gloves and coats. On the other hand, France imported most of the 
indigo produced in the Philippines. 
French residents and travelers produced interesting accounts of the 
Philippines. Writing in 1818, French explorer Gabriel Lafond was captivated 
by the beauty and potential of Manila Bay. French navigator and geographer 
Dumont d'llrville visited Jolo and offered gifts to the sultan in May 1828. 
Paris figured prominently in the intellectual life of a number of 
prominent Filipinos. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera published El Sanscrito en la 
Lengua Tagalog in 1833. The painters Juan Luna and Felix Resurrecion 
Hidalgo did many of their works in France. The Philippine government has 
installed a marker on the site of the atelier of Juan Luna in boulevard Arago 
(14th arrondisement in Paris). cL/ 


Rizal lived in Pans which he described as an “intellectual city par 
excellence” during the summer of 1883, then in 1885 and in 1887 and finally 
in 1889 to 1891 where he worked with a French ophthalmologist, Louis de 
Wecker. A historical marker has been installed in 124 Rue de Rennes to 
commemorate the stay of Rizal in Paris. 
The greatest contribution of France lay in its revolutionary history and 
free social environment which inspired Filipino nationalism and our heroes. 
While living in Paris, Rizal annotated Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de /as 
Mas Filipinas which corrected the Spanish biases against Filipinos. It was 
also here that Rizal and other reformists formed a group called the “lndios 
Bravos” which advocated redeeming the honor of the Filipino race. 
During the centennial of the French Revolution in 1889, Rizal sought 
to organize a conference of scholars working in the Philippines to come to 
Paris. It was during this conference that an association called Association 
lnternationale des Philippinistes was to be launched with Ferdinand 
Blumentritt as president and Edmond Plauchut as vice president. 
Both Filipino reformists and revolutionists imbibed French liberal 
ideas of liberty, equality and fraternity. Rizal’s novels Noli Me Tangere and 
El Filibusterismo were inspired by Alexander Dumas, one of France’s great 
literary giants. Andres Bonifacio was heavily inspired by the French 
Revolution. Both he and Emilio Jacinto, the Brains of the Katipunan 
subscribed to the ideas of Jean Jacques Rousseau, Montesquieu and 
Napoleon Bonaparte, especially on the universal rights of man. These ideals 
of liberty, equality and fraternity are represented in the equilateral white 
triangle of the Philippine flag. 
On June 26, 1947 the Philippines and France signed a Treaty of Amity, 
which established diplomatic relations between these two countries. 
Underlying this alliance is a historical and cultural background between the 
Philippines and France. 
This bill seeks to declare the 2dh of June of every year as Philippines- 
France Friendship Day to remember and celebrate the shared history and 
friendship between the Philippines and France, and further serve to cement 
good relations between our two peoples. 
&/A 
EDGARDO J. ANGARA 
Senator 


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FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 
} 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
First Regular Session 
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SENATE 
S. No. 831 
Introduced by SENATOR EDGARDO J. ANGARA 
AN ACT 
DECLARING EVERY 26TH OF JUNE OF EVERY YEAR AS 
PHILIPPINES-FRANCE 
FRIENDSHIP DAY 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
Philippines in Congress Assembled: 
SECTION I. Declaration of Policy - It is the policy of the State to 
strengthen the relationship between the Philippines and such countries with 
which it shares historical, cultural and trade relations, in order to bring their 
respective peoples into closer contact and better understanding of each 
other’s history, culture and economy. 
SECTION 2. Philippines-France Friendship Day - The Twenty- 
Sixth of June of each year is hereby declared a national working holiday 
known as “Philippines- France Friendship D a y  to commemorate the cultural 
and historical ties, friendship and cooperation between the Philippines and 
France. 
Section 3. Implementation - The National Historical Institute (”1) 
shall be responsible for the implementation of this Act. For this purpose, it 
shall, upon consultation with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and 
the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), formulate and issue the 
implementing rules and regulations necessary for the proper implementation 
of this Act. 
Section 4. Appropriations - An annual budget for the celebration of 
the Philippines-France Friendship Day in the amount of Fifteen million pesos 
(Php 15,000,000.00) shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of 
the year following its enactment into law, fifty percent (50%) of which shall 
be devoted exclusively for research and development, publication and 
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information. Thereafter, the expenses for its continued implementation shall 
be included in the subsequent General Appropriations Act. 
Section 5. Separability Clause - If any section or provision of this 
Act is held unconstitutional or invalid, the other sections or provisions not 
affected thereby shall remain valid and effective. 
Section 6. Repealing Clause - All laws, presidential decrees, 
executive orders, rules and regulations, or any part thereof, which are 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified 
accordingly. 
Section 7. Effectivity - This law shall take effect within fifteen (15) 
days from publication in the Official Gazette or two (2) newspaper of general 
circulation. 
Approved, 
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