A growing Filipino diaspora means plenty of celebration worldwide for Philippine Independence Day

In the Philippines – where Spanish and later American colonial rule lasted almost four centuries – June 12 is the real Independence Day. That date in 1898 was the crucial moment when the island nation took its first bold step towards autonomy.

Ahead of this year’s holiday in Manila, the country’s capital, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called on Filipinos in a video message to display the country’s flag everywhere “as we continue to fight for independence. Independence in various aspects of our Filipinoness, but more than this independence in our territory, our sovereignty.”

Since 2023, the Philippines has faced more and more problems tense territorial confrontations with Beijing in the South China Sea.

The much-awaited annual celebration would be festive with an array of activities, which began Monday at the capital’s historic Rizal Park, Marcos said. There is a bazaar and government stalls offering services to the public. The festivities include a cooking competition, a chili pepper eating contest, free screening of films about Filipino heroes, free nightly concerts and an obstacle course race. A parade of 22 floats from different provinces will be staged on Independence Day, ending with a musical concert, he said.

The celebration of Philippine Independence Day extends far beyond the Southeast Asian archipelago, from the United Kingdom to the United Arab Emirates. Millions of Filipinos in cities across the US, Europe and Australia will be able to find parades, fairs, galas and other gatherings close to home. Some even fly in well-known talent from the Philippines. The event’s growing reach and inclusive ethos demonstrate how the Filipino diaspora continues to assert cultural pride and thrive around the world.

The struggle for independence dates back to 1565, when Spain colonized the Philippines and named it after King Philip II. However, it was not until 1896 that talk of revolution led to action. Andrés Bonifacio, a leader of the Katipunan, a brotherhood of anti-Hispanic revolutionaries, and others tore up their “cedulas,” tax receipts for housing for people considered Spanish nationals.

“It’s like tearing up your passport or anything else that identifies you as a citizen of a nation,” said Richard Chu, a history professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a native of the Philippines. “So they symbolically tore that up as a breach and declared independence – or (were) at least fighting for independence from Spain.”

Emilio Aguinaldo, also a member of the Katipunan, saw an opportunity for liberation when the US declared war on Spain on April 25, 1898 over its treatment of Cuba. On June 12, he declared independence and a year later he even became the first president of the Philippine Republic. But the US refused to recognize the country as a territory in its own right, sparking the Philippine-American War, which lasted until April 1902.

The Philippines finally gained independence on July 4, 1946. Thus, the Fourth of July was the traditional holiday until President Diosdado Macapagal changed it to June 12 in 1964.

Chu remembers seeing the preparations in Rizal Park as a child in the 1970s. The festivities started in the morning when the senior Marcos hoisted the flag as the Cabinet and military officers looked on. The parade was more of a ‘military parade followed by people from various government agencies’.

“It should be a festive celebration and every other city or major city should have its own Independence Day celebration,” Chu said.

Independence Day may evoke mixed feelings among some who do not share the same nationalistic fervor or disagree with the government’s policies. This is one of the reasons why Chu doesn’t feel a pressing need to celebrate the holiday. At the same time, he enjoys being with other Filipinos in his community.

“If I lived in Boston, I would probably participate just for the festivities, like the food vendors and maybe a popular Filipino-American landscape,” Chu said. “I’m definitely proud to be Filipino.”

New York City held a parade and street fair along Madison Avenue on June 2. The same weekend in Seattle there was a two-day Pagdiriwang Philippine Festival. There have been large parties and smaller picnics in Texas, California and Colorado, among other places.

In Phoenix, the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team will hold its first-ever Filipino Heritage Celebration during Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels.

Amilyn Pierce, part-Filipino and the Diamondbacks’ vice president of government affairs, credits a team business consultant who is also Filipino, Hunter Fitton, for pitching the Independence Day event. He pointed out the high presence of Filipinos in the state. He also recruited local Filipino dance groups and food trucks. Diamondbacks caps with the Philippine flag also sold out.

“I was surprised to find out there was such a large Filipino community,” Pierce said. “I just really like that the team has made it a priority to reach beyond the normal or stereotypical target group.”

In all countries of Europe there are large gatherings with a long-standing reputation. Considering that the Philippine diaspora is one of the largest diaspora populations in the world, it’s not surprising how many celebrations are taking place, says Chu, the Amherst professor.

In the Netherlands, the Kalayann Fiesta Netherlands Foundation organized a Picnic on Independence Day this weekend. Ice Seguerra, a popular Filipino actor and singer-songwriter who is a transgender man, was the guest artist.

Journey Torres, who immigrated to the Netherlands from the Philippines in 1999 at the age of 8, remembers going to a Philippine Independence Day event in Amsterdam two years later. He described it as having the atmosphere of a small “family barbecue party.” There weren’t many other Filipinos around then. But by the 2010s, jobs and cultural exchange programs were paying more. The event gained more fame among Filipinos from Germany and Belgium.

“Now there are also buses that go from Belgium to the Netherlands,” says Torres. “I believe it is one of the first Philippine Independence Day celebrations organized here in mainland Europe.”

The Philippine Independence Day Association in Rome has been organizing events in hotels, parks and squares for more than 15 years. They seem to be growing in size and attracting Filipinos from all over Italy, said Jaiane Morales, program director of the event.

This year’s all-day party, Sunday, took place in a concert hall but with outdoor Pinoy food stalls serving the traditional Filipino ice cream dessert halo halo, as well as the Italian classic gelato, among others. The goal is to have a celebration of food and “Filipino costumes,” Morales said.

The event’s talent show theme, ‘Balik Saya’ or ‘Returning Joy’, aims to promote a meaningful connection with foreign countries. Millions of Filipinos have left the Philippines, a major source of the global workforce, in search of jobs and better opportunities to earn money and care for the loved ones they left behind.

“If they miss their family back home, this is a way to alleviate that loneliness,” Morales said.

___ Associated Press writer Jim Gomez in Manila contributed to this report.

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Terry Tang is a Phoenix-based member of AP’s Race and Ethnicity team. You can follow her on X on @ttangAP.