The following is a list of historical markers unveiled by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) as part of the Philippine Nationhood Trail to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Philippine declaration of independence in 1898 including the subsequent struggles of the First Philippine Republic leading to General Emilio Aguinaldo's capture in 1901.
Inspired by the NHCP's project in 2021 for the Quincentennial Commemorations where 34 quincentennial historical markers were unveiled at sites all over the Philippines that the Magellan expedition visited, the commission launched the Landas ng Pagkabansang Pilipino (Filipino for "Philippine Nationhood Trail") where 100 sites in the country will be given a standard memorial and historical marker. The NHCP held a program at Fort San Pedro in Cebu City on August 3, 2022, where they announced the project and unveiled the logo with the theme of "Kalayaan. Kinabukasan. Kasaysayan." (Freedom. Future. History.). [1]
The first marker was unveiled in Bacoor, Cavite on August 1, 2023, and the second at the Aguinaldo Shrine in nearby Kawit on August 31, 2023 (originally announced to be unveiled on June 23 [2] ).
| Order | Marker title | Location | Commemorated event and date | Date when marker was unveiled | Marker photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kawit | Aguinaldo Shrine, Kawit, Cavite | Philippine Declaration of Independence (June 12, 1898) | August 31, 2023 [3] |  |
| 2 | Bacoor | Cuenca Ancestral House, Gen. Evangelista Street, Bacoor, Cavite | Bacoor Assembly (August 1, 1898) | August 1, 2023 [4] |  |
| 3 | Malolos | Malolos Cathedral, Malolos, Bulacan [5] | Arrival of Emilio Aguinaldo in Malolos (September 10, 1898) [6] | September 10, 2023 [7] |  |
| 4 | San Fernando | Gen. Hizon Extension, San Fernando, Pampanga | Retreat from Malolos to San Isidro (March 28-29, 1899) | April 1, 2024 |  |
Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who is the youngest president of the Philippines (1899–1901) and became the first president of the Philippines and of an Asian constitutional republic. He led the Philippine forces first against Spain in the Philippine Revolution (1896–1898), then in the Spanish–American War (1898), and finally against the United States during the Philippine–American War (1899–1901).
Malolos, officially the City of Malolos, is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 261,189 people. It is the capital city of the province of Bulacan as the seat of the provincial government.
Apolinario Mabini y Maranan was a Filipino revolutionary leader, educator, lawyer, and statesman who served first as a legal and constitutional adviser to the Revolutionary Government, and then as the first Prime Minister of the Philippines upon the establishment of the First Philippine Republic. He is regarded as the "utak ng himagsikan" or "brain of the revolution" and is also considered as a national hero in the Philippines. Mabini's work and thoughts on the government shaped the Philippines' fight for independence over the next century.
The Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine is a national shrine located in Kawit, Cavite in the Philippines, where the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spain was declared on June 12, 1898 or Independence Day, To commemorate the event, now known as Araw ng Kalayaan or Independence Day, a national holiday, the Philippine flag is raised here by top government officials on June 12 each year. The house is now a museum.
The Philippine Declaration of Independence was proclaimed by Filipino revolutionary forces general Emilio Aguinaldo on June 12, 1898, in Cavite el Viejo, Philippines. It asserted the sovereignty and independence of the Philippine islands from the 300 years of colonial rule from Spain.
Barásoain Church is a Roman Catholic church built in 1888 in Malolos, Bulacan, Philippines. It is about 42 kilometres (26 mi) from Manila. Having earned the title as the "Cradle of Democracy in the East, the most important religious building in the Philippines", and the site of the First Philippine Republic, the church is proverbial for its historical importance among Filipinos.
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural heritage through research, dissemination, conservation, sites management and heraldry works." As such, it "aims to inculcate awareness and appreciation of the noble deeds and ideals of our heroes and other illustrious Filipinos, to instill pride in the Filipino people and to rekindle the Filipino spirit through the lessons of history."
The Museum of Philippine Political History is a museum in Malolos, Philippines. It is located on Paseo del Congreso, Plaza Rizal, Malolos, Bulacan. The museum, owned and operated by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), opened to the public in 2001 to foster awareness for the country's different government systems which defined its political history, enabling an understanding of current political developments and encouraging action to safeguard republican values. The building was initially built on 1580. It was restored in 1852 and was converted into a municipal library. After the Philippine–American War, the building served as the provincial capitol Bulacan until 1930.
The Philippine two hundred-peso note is a denomination of Philippine currency. President Diosdado Macapagal is currently featured on the front side of the note, and since 2017, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's inauguration as the 14th President of the Philippines is on the lower-left side on the note just in front of the scene of the Declaration of Philippine Independence, and the scene of the opening of the Malolos Congress is also present on the obverse side of the note. From 2010 to 2017, the Aguinaldo Shrine and the Barasoain Church were featured on the front side of the note. The Chocolate Hills and the Philippine tarsier is featured on the reverse side. Currently, it is the rarest banknote circulating in the country, and thus is seen more as a novelty than legal tender.
Ancestral houses of the Philippines or Heritage Houses are homes owned and preserved by the same family for several generations as part of the Filipino family culture. It corresponds to long tradition by Filipino people of giving reverence for ancestors and elders. Houses could be a simple house to a mansion. The most common ones are the "Bahay na Bato". Some houses of prominent families had become points of interest or museums in their community because of its cultural, architectural or historical significance. These houses that are deemed of significant importance to the Filipino culture are declared Heritage House by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), previously known as the National Historical Institute (NHI) of the Philippines. Preservation is of utmost importance as some ancestral houses have come into danger due to business people who buy old houses in the provinces, dismantle them then sell the parts as ancestral building materials for homeowners wishing to have the ancestral ambiance on their houses. These ancestral houses provide the current generation a look back of the country's colonial past through these old houses.
Historical markers are installed by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and its predecessor agencies in the Philippines and places abroad that signify important and historic events, persons, structures, and institutions. The commemorative plaques are permanent signs installed by the NHCP in publicly visible locations on buildings, monuments, or in special locations. The NHCP also allows local municipalities and cities to install markers of figures and events of local significance, although these markers are barred from using the seal of the Republic of the Philippines.
Mactan Shrine, also known as Liberty Shrine, is a memorial park on the island of Mactan in Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines. It hosts two monuments, namely the Magellan Monument, which is dedicated to Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and the Lapu Lapu Monument, a bronze statue which commemorates Lapu Lapu, a native leader who defeated Spanish soldiers led by Magellan in the 1521 Battle of Mactan.
The 2021 Quincentennial Commemorations in the Philippines is a series of observances organized to mark the 500th anniversary of various events in the Philippines, notably the introduction of Christianity in the Philippines, the role of the country in the Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation, and the victory of Lapulapu in the Battle of Mactan.
