The National Historical Commission of the Philippines, by virtue of Republic Act No. 10086 and Administrative Order No. 23, s. 2011, will lead our country’s commemoration of the 125th Anniversary of Philippine Independence and Nationhood from 2023 to 2026. The theme Kalayaan. Kinabukasan. Kasaysayan. gives focus on the freedom that our forebears struggled for in the future that they dreamed for the country and the history that we seek to remember and honor them with.

The multi-year commemoration seeks to highlight the events and realities that gave birth to the Filipino nation from the proclamation of Philippine Independence on 12 June 1898 in Kawit, Cavite, up to the end of the First Philippine Republic on 23 March 1901 in Palanan, Isabela. It also aims to raise from the regions and provinces across the Philippines their stories of revolutionary struggle and incorporate them into the national narrative of our independence and nationhood. The commemoration of this milestone likewise raises awareness among our people of our unique place in history as the earliest modern democracy and republic in Asia that espoused generally accepted ideals such as democracy, universal human rights, freedom, sovereignty, and self-determination as core values of the nation.

As a multi-year commemoration, a significant number of allied and related events are aligned with the 125th anniversary from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The official logo was unveiled last 4 August 2022 in Cebu City as part of History Month 2022 while an official 100-day kick-off event is scheduled on 4 March 2023 at Kawit, Cavite. Among the milestones included in the 125th in 2023 are:
1. 125th Anniversary of the birth of the Philippine Flag and National Anthem (May 2023)
2. 125th Anniversary of the ratification of Philippine Independence (August 2023)
3. 125th Anniversary of the First Session of the Philippine Congress in Malolos, Bulacan (Sept 2023)

Member-Affiliates of the LHCN will also hold activities and projects in solidarity with the commemoration, highlighting stories from the provinces and regions on the birth of Philippine independence. The last time the national government commemorated a milestone event on Philippine Independence and Nationhood was in 1998 during the Philippine Centennial Celebrations under the tenure of the late President Fidel V. Ramos.

125th Anniversary of Philippine Independence and Nationhood Public Materials