The Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day

It is a story of uncommon valor.

In June 1898, about fifty Spanish soldiers held out inside the stone church of Baler, refusing to surrender. Baler being so isolated from the capital city, Captain Enrique de Las Morenas y Fossi, the commander of the fifty soldiers, knew nothing about the defeat of the Spanish fleet in Cavite by Commodore George Dewey on May 1, 1898.

Refusing to believe that Spain has been defeated, the Spanish troupe continues to fight against the Filipino revolutionaries. Several times when Filipinos tried to convince the Spanish about the defeat by sending copies of newspaper announcing that the war is over. But the Spanish troupe stand firm in their decision to fight till the end, ignoring all the news and regarding it as a trick.

In September 1898 Captain Enrique de Las Morenas died of Beriberi and Lt. Saturnino Martin-Cerezo toke over the command.

In any event, on the 28th of May, 1899 there was yet another attempt to get Martin Cerezo to surrender when again, another Spanish officer appeared under a flag of truce and was turned away. Before leaving he left among other items, a copy of a Madrid newspaper which the lieutenant dismissed as bogus. However the paper contained an article in the social column concerning the upcoming wedding of a fellow officer he knew in Malaga. Since there was no way the Filipinos could have known many of the facts in the column including the name of the bride and her parents with whom he was also familiar, Martin Cerezo realized that the paper he held in his hand was genuine and that indeed Spain had lost the war.

After 337 days the Spanish troupe surrendered. As the massive door of the church opened, the trumpet of surrender was sounded and the Filipinos who laid siege to the church shouted, ‘Amigos! Amigos!’ as a total of 33 survivors filed out into the churchyard.

Then President Emilio Aguinaldo went a step further when he issued a decree in June 30, which honored the ‘uncommon valor’ of the Spanish soldiers. Aguinaldo also gave them safe conduct passes and allowed their immediate transport to Spain. This was the first official gesture of reconciliation between the Philippines and Spain after a long and bitter war.

On September 1, 1899, the thirty-three survivors, including Martin-Cerezo, arrived in Barcelona where they were received and honored as heroes.

The decree issued by President Emilio Aguinaldo on June 30th to honor the bravery of the Spanish soldiers was the basis of the passage of the law on celebrating the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day.

By virtue of R.A. 9187, principally authored by Sen. Edgardo J. Angara, June 30 of each year is now be celebrated by the country (Philippines) as the Philippines-Spanish Friendship Day. The law essentially recognizes the friendship and shared historical and cultural values between the Philippines and Spain.
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I was proud to be a part of the first celebration of the Philippine Spanish Friendship Day in the Philippines. I have uploaded a short video presentaion that my team produced. It was shown on the debate floor before Senator Edgardo J. Angara deliver his speech informing fellow legislators on the important meaning of this certain account in the Philippine history.