THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC 1 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
i' 
? E  
Third Regular Session 
1 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. a
c
 
8 
Introduced by Senator Edgardo Angara 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
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, 
and 
that 
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 numb@F of prominent 
Filipinos. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera published El Sanscrito en la Lengua Tagalog 
in 1883. 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). 


Rizal lived in Paris 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 Islas 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 
to redeem 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. 
EDGARD 
& /G;”- 
J.ANGARA 
Senator 


~C 
THIRTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC } 
OF THE PHILIPPINES 
1 
; - A  
ti 
Third Regular Session 
3 
Senate Bill No. 
8 
Introduced by Senator Edgardo 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 Day” to commemorate the cultural and historical ties, 
friendship and cooperation between the Philippines and France. 
Section 3. lmplernentation - The National Historical Institute (NHI) 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 information. 
Thereafter, the expenses for its continued implementation shall be included in the 
subsequent General Appropriations Act. 


Section 5. SeparabMy 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;