House OKs 1st Philippines Republic Day as holiday
MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives has approved a bill seeking to declare Jan. 23 of every year as a special working holiday to commemorate the First Philippine Republic Day.
“The event shall inspire and instill a sense of pride in the Filipino people,” said Bulacan Rep. Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado, principal author of House Bill 477, which was approved on third and final reading on Wednesday.
Sy-Alvarado said activities to mark the event will be planned and implemented by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and the Department of Education.
The declaration of the first Philippine republic in 1899 as well as the first Philippine Congress on Sept. 15, 1898 and the drafting of the Malolos Constitution from Sept. 29, 1898 to Jan. 21, 1899 were held at the Barasoain church in Malolos, Bulacan.
The church was declared a national shrine under Presidential Decree 260 issued by the late president Ferdinand Marcos in August 1973.
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