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02 FEB 2012

Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

House BiLLNo.__9782

Introduced by
ACT Teachers Party-List Representative Antonio L. Tinio

EXPLANATORY NOTE

On February 4, 2012, the country will commemorate the 113 anniversary of the outbreak of
the Philippine-American War.

The struggle waged by Filipinos to defend the freedom newly-won from Spain and uphold
the First Republic of the Philippines against the occupation forces of the United States of
‘America has been described as “one of the most heroic struggles ever waged in modem

times; a struggle waged against implacable odds and at terrible cost."

‘The war demonstrated Filipino solidarity and the resolute refusal to submit to imperial
‘aggression. Enjoying the overwhelming support of the people throughout the archipelago,
the armed forces of the First Republic, led by President Emilio Aquinaldo, waged a fierce
and determined war of resistance as the invading forces launched major campaigns, notably
in the provinces of Central Luzon, the llocos and Cordillera, Panay and the Eastem Visayas,
Souther Tagalog, and Mindanao.

‘With their overwhelming military and economic advantages, the occupation forces of the
United States unleashed a brutal military campaign to suppress popular resistance to the
imposition of colonial rule. Thousands of Filipino combatants were killed in lopsided battles,
and when Filipino forces shifted to guerrila warfare, the invading forces tuned their
aggression on the general populace, employing a scorched earth policy, the forced
displacement of civilian populations into concentration camps, the use of water-boarding and
other forms of torture, and the indiscriminate killing of civilians, as in the 1901 campaign in
Samar.

Even after the capture of Aguinaldo and the formal end of the war in April 1901, popular
resistance to the imposition of U.S. colonial rule continued. Notable leaders of these
resistance movements, branded as brigands and common criminals by the colonial
government, included Faustino Guillermo and his new Katipunan, Simeon Ola and the
guerillas of Bicol, Papa Faustino and the Pulajanes of Leyte, Papa Isyo of Negros, Apo Ipe
of Bulacan, and Macario Sakay, who declared a Republika ng Katagalugan in 1902. In
Mindanao, Moro resistance to the U.S. occupation, marked by the massacres of Bud Dajo in
1906 and Bud Bagsak in 1913, went unabated until 1916.



There are no definitive figures on the number of Filipinos who died as a result of the war
One conservative estimate places the number of Filipino soldiers killed at 34,000 together
with at least 200,000 civilian deaths directly or indirectly (mainly through disease) brought
about by the war. By comparing population figures before and after the war, others have
claimed that over one million Filipinos lost their lives as a result of the conflict. Navertheless,
the Philippine-American War stands as one of the bloodiest chapters in our nation’s history.
Filipinos of the present generation are charged with Rizal's admonition to “forget not those
who have fallen during the night.”

Sadly, February 4 passes yearly with hardly an official acknowledgment of the Philippine-
American War and its tremendous significance in our history. Any memory of the events,
heroes, and martyrs of the war has nearly been obliterated from the collective
consciousness of our people. This bill thus seeks to declare February 4 as a special working
holiday to honor the memory of our ancestors, the men and women who fought in the face of
‘overwhelming odds and gave up their lives to defend the ideal of a truly independent and
sovereign Philippines. Their sacrifice has been indispensable in the forging of the modem
Filipino nation, and every Filipino citizen owes them a debt of gratitude.

National commemoration of the Philippine-American War through the remembrance of the
patriotism and self-sacrifice of its heroes and martyrs will reconcile us with our past, clarity
‘ur present, and point the way to our future.

For the foregoing reasons, approval of this bill is eamestly sought.

ANTONIO L. TINIO


Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
‘Second Regular Session

5782

HOUSE BILLNO.

Introduced by
ACT Teachers Party-List Representative Antonio L. Tinio

AN ACT
DECLARING FEBRUARY FOUR OF EVERY YEAR AS “PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN WAR MEMORIAL DAY”

Be it enacted by the House Representatives and the Senate of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section 1. February 4 of every year is hereby declared as a special working holiday in
‘commemoration of the men and women who fought and died in defense of the Filipino nation
during the Philippine-American War. This holiday shall be referred to as the “Philippine-American
War Memorial Day” or “Araw ng Paggunita sa Digmaang Pilipino-Amerikano.”

Section 2. The Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education shall ensure that
appropriate activities are held in schools at all levels to commemorate “Philippine-American War
Memorial Day.”

Section 3. The National Historical Commission of the Philippines shall be responsible for providing
the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, and the general public with the
necessary information to enable @ meaningful commemoration of “Philippine-American War
‘Memorial Day.”

Section 4. Funds necessary for the implementation of this Act shall be drawn from the current
appropriations of the agencies concerned.

Section 5. If, for any reason, any section or provision of this Act is held to be unconstitutional or
invalid, the validity of other sections herein shall not be affected thereby.

Section 6. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or
‘one (1) newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,