Philippine Centennial Explained

Centennial of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence
Date:1998
Location:Primarily in the Philippines[1]
Type:Series of commemorations
Patrons:-->
Organizers:National Centennial Commission
Blank Label:Slogan
Blank Data:"Kalayaan, Kayamanan ng Bayan"
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Website: (archived)

The Philippine Centennial was a series of celebrations by the Philippine government to primarily commemorate the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898.

Background

The Philippine Centennial primarily commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Philippine Declaration of Independence on June 12, 1898. It also commemorates other events in the Philippine Revolution and the earlier part of the Philippine-American war including the execution of José Rizal (1896), the Cry of Pugad Lawin, the death of Andres Bonifacio, the exile of Emilio Aguinaldo in 1897 (See Hong Kong Junta), the Capture of Malolos, the death of Antonio Luna, and the Battle of Tirad Pass. The Philippine Centennial culminates with the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the Malolos Constitution on September 15, 1898, that led to the establishment of the First Republic on January 23, 1899.[2]

Organization

The implementation of the Philippine Centennial is largely overseen by the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos. It was part of Ramos' program Philippines 2000 which envisions the Philippines as a newly industrialized country by the year 2000.[3]

The government body which organized the centennial was the National Centennial Commission (NCC). The NCC was established as the Committee for the National Centennial Celebrations on June 13, 1991, through Administrative Order No. 223 issued by President Corazon Aquino. The same order also mandates that the composition of the committee shall include 11 representatives; six from the Presidential Commission for Culture and the Arts (PCCA), and five from the Philippine Centennial Foundation, Inc. (PCFI).[4] President Fidel V. Ramos later renamed the committee as the National Centennial Commission through Executive Order No. 128. It also expanded the committee to include certain government officials including Cabinet secretaries and former Vice President Salvador Laurel.[5]

The conduct of the centennial had the following goals:[6]

Marketing

Memorabilia

A commemorative banknote was issued as part of the centennial celebrations in 1998. The banknote is the highest ever currency denomination issued by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Philippines' central bank.[7] In December 1998, another Centennial commemorative banknote were issued by the BSP, the 2,000-Piso Banknote and they issued for the limited amount of 300,000 pieces.

From 1997 to 1998, BSP released one-hundred peso banknote featuring the Philippine Centennial logo at the watermark area. The version without the year of issue was released in 1997, while those with a year of issue was released in 1998. A scene of the centennial celebration is also featured in the New Generation Currency (NGC) one-thousand peso banknote since 2010.

Branding

The logo for the Philippine Centennial was the winning entry of a national design competition which had 5,000 submissions. The logo designed by Edgardo Santiago featured a rising sun above a blue and red ribbon which twirls to form the number "100". The logo contains the centennial's slogan "Kalayaan, Kayamanan ng Bayan" which presents the concept that "freedom" is the wealth of the country, the said slogan was won by Joachim Medroso on the said competition.[8]

Aklanon songwriter-composer Dante Beriong composed the Philippine Centennial theme song, "Mabuhay Ka Pilipino".[9]

Expo Pilipino

See main article: Expo Pilipino. The Philippine National Centennial Exposition, a world's fair featuring the Philippines' culture and history was held as part of the commemorations. The site of the exhibition was built at the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga.

The project for the exhibition's facilities was riddled with graft and bidding irregularities. President Fidel V. Ramos as a result was implicated in a political scandal, which was known as the Expo scam.[10]

National flag and observances

The shade of blue of the Flag of the Philippines has been a subject of debate by historians. American blue (navy blue) has been used for the flag prior to 1998, with a lighter blue (Oriental blue) used briefly during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos from 1985 to 1986.[11] Royal Blue was codified as the official shade of blue of the Philippine flag in 1998 through Republic Act No. 8491 signed on February 12, 1998.[11] [12]

President Fidel V. Ramos issued Executive Order No 179 in 1994 which mandates the observance of National Flag Days from May 28 to June 12 every year. All establishments are therefore obliged to display the Philippine flag from sunrise to sunset on those dates.[13] [14] May 28 marks the date of the Battle of Alapan in Imus, Cavite when the Philippine flag was believed to have been first unfurled.[15]

Infrastructure projects

Infrastructure projects were implemented as part of the Philippine Centennial.[16] The Old Legislative Building in Manila which used to host the Senate of the Philippines was renovated and converted to a museum – now known as the National Museum of Fine Arts.[16] [17] The Libingan ng mga Bayani was likewise renovated in 1998.[16] [18]

There was a plan to build a supertall structure as part of the commemorations. The proposed structure was the 390m (1,280feet) Centennial Tower which was designed by Filipino architect Francisco Mañosa. The project, which was proposed to be built at the Luneta Park, was met with controversy due to its scale and planned site.[19] [20] [21] The tower was never built.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Objectives of the 1998 Program . The Philippine Centennial . National Centennial Commission . https://web.archive.org/web/19990417191842/http://www.philcentennial.com/object.html . 17 April 1999.
  2. Bankoff . Gregory . History at the Service of the Nation-State . Public Policy Journal . October–December 1998. II . 4 . P Center for Integrative and Development Studies.
  3. "THE Centennial project is very much a program of the Ramos administration (1992-1998)", "For the new administration, the future was one of promise - indeed of vision, or what has come to be known as Philippines 2000."

  4. Web site: Administrative Order No. 223, s. 1991 . Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines . 4 August 2021.
  5. Web site: Executive Order No. 128, s. 1993 . Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines . 4 August 2021 . 4 October 1993.
  6. Web site: The Philippine Centennial Vision . The Philippine Centennial . National Centennial Commission . https://web.archive.org/web/19990417225715/http://www.philcentennial.com/vision.html . 17 April 1999.
  7. News: Lucas . Daxim L. . Lapu-Lapu: From one-centavo coin to P 5,000 bill . 4 August 2021 . Philippine Daily Inquirer . 19 January 2021 . en.
  8. Web site: The Philippine Centennial Logo . MSC Computer Training Center . MSC Communications Technologies, Inc. . 4 August 2021.
  9. News: Antique LGUs urged to inventory cultural properties . 4 August 2021 . Philippine News Agency . en.
  10. News: Bagares . Romel . Ramos partially cleared in Expo scam . 4 August 2021 . The Philippine Star . 4 February 2000.
  11. Web site: Merit Badge Center . The History of the Philippine Flag . 4 August 2021 . 3–5.
  12. Web site: Agbayani . Eufemio III . 1985: A Year of Three Shades of Blue . National Historical Commission of the Philippines . 3 June 2021 . 29 May 2021.
  13. "In fact, as the NCC's first project, President Ramos issued Executive Order No 179 declaring the nationwide observance of Flag Days between 28 May to 12 June each year. As of 1994, all public and private buildings are required to display the national flag from sunrise to sunset".

  14. News: Know more about PH’s Independence Day . 4 August 2021 . Cebu Daily News . Philippine Daily Inquirer . 12 June 2020 . en.
  15. News: FAST FACTS: Philippine flag misconceptions and other trivia . 4 August 2021 . Rappler . en.
  16. Web site: Major Infrastructure Projects . The Philippine Centennial . National Centennial Commission . 4 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/19990225124651/http://www.philcentennial.com/infra.html . 25 February 1999.
  17. News: A walk through the National Museum . 4 August 2021 . The Philippine Star . 11 March 2018.
  18. Web site: Libingan ng mga Bayani Revitalization Plan . Pros Architect and Planners, Inc. . 4 August 2021.
  19. News: Ermita. Estefania. Centennial Tower to give Luneta a 'second life'. April 13, 2012. Manila Standard. January 7, 1996.
  20. News: Villanueva. Marichu. Shelve tower plans, Ramos asked. April 13, 2012. Manila Standard. September 30, 1995.
  21. News: Bacobo. Ariel. Hired guns from Nueva Ecija. 2 June 2016. Manila Standard. 14 November 2014.