Filipino-American Friendship Day was first celebrated on July 4, 1963. Before this date, the Filipino people celebrated July 4 since 1946 as Philippine Independence Day. This was the day in 1946 when United States President Harry S. Truman proclaimed United States withdrawal, surrendering all rights of possession, supervision, jurisdiction, and control of sovereignty, and recognizing the independence of the Philippines.

In 1964, President Diosdado P. Macapagal moved the celebration of Philippine Independence Day from July 4 to June 12, the date in 1898 when President Emilio F. Aguinaldo proclaimed Philippine Independence at the same time, President Macapagal proclaimed July 4 as Filipino-American Friendship Day.

We celebrate July 4 as Filipino-American Friendship Day to highlight the enduring relations between the Philippines and the United States. Various factors strengthen these ties, including a shared history and a common commitment to democratic values.

The United States is the Philippines’ major trading partner – accounting for almost 20 percent of annual Philippine trade. The United States is home to more than three million Filipino migrants as well as Filipino-Americans who have made America their home.

Filipino-American relations formally began on December 10, 1898, when Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States. Until July 4, 1946, the United States governed the Philippines and transformed it into a “show window of American democracy.” The period of American tutelage was also the period that witnessed many changes in Filipino life and culture. Public education and democratic institutions are two of America’s many enduring contributions to the Philippines. These two contributions moulded Filipino-American relations.

We celebrate Filipino-American Friendship Day to bring to the awareness of the peoples of the Philippines and the United States and to the rest of the world the numerous beneficial effects generated by mutual trust and friendship among nations – that friendly ties are the foundations of lasting international ties.