Emilio Aguinaldo Day and Philippine Army Founding Anniversary in the Philippines Date in the current year: March 22, 2024

Emilio Aguinaldo was a Filipino revolutionary, political and military leader who led the Philippine forces in the Philippine Revolution, the Spanish-American War, and the Philippine-American War. He became the first president of the Philippines at age 29 and still remains the youngest president in the country’s history.

Emilio Aguinaldo was born on March 22, 1869 in the province of Cavite. He was the seventh child of eight in a well-to-do family. Emilio’s father Carlos was a municipal governor, and Emilio eventually followed in his footsteps: he became a cabeza de barangay (head of the barrio) in 1895 and was soon elected as the municipal governor-captain of Cavite el Viejo.

That same year, Aguinaldo joined the Katipunan, a secret organization whose primary objective was to achieve the independence of the Philippines from Spain through an armed rebellion. The Katipunan was discovered by the Spanish authorities in August 1896, sparking the Philippine Revolution. The Cavite chapter, led by Emilio’s cousin Baldomero Aguinaldo, initially refused to participate in the offensive due to a lack of arms. They resorted to guerrilla warfare and were able to temporarily drive the Spanish out of the province through a series of carefully planned attacks.

On March 22, 1897, the leaders of different Katipunan factions gathered at the Tejeros Convention in Cavite to discuss the defense of the province. However, the primary focus of the convention was the election of the revolutionary leader meant to dissolve the tension between the factions. More than half of the voters supported Emilio Aguinaldo, who thus became the president of the revolutionary government on his 28th birthday.

It was also at the Tejeros Convention that rebel groups were officially organized into the Philippine Revolutionary Army, the predecessor to the present-day Philippine Army. Thus, Aguinaldo’s birthday coincides with the founding anniversary of the Philippine Army.

As the revolution continued, Aguinaldo served as the president of a series of revolutionary governments: the Republic of Biak-na-Bato, the Dictatorial Government of the Philippines, and the Revolutionary Government of the Philippines. Following the establishment of the First Philippine Republic in January 1899, Aguinaldo was formally inaugurated as its first president.

Less than two weeks into Aguinaldo’s presidency, the Philippine-American War began. In November 1899, Aguinaldo disbanded the army after a series of defeats and focused on guerrilla warfare. He was captured by American forces on March 23, 1901, and swore allegiance to the United States on April 1, ending the First Philippine Republic.

Emilio Aguinaldo Day (Kaarawan ni Emilio Aguinaldo) and Philippine Army Founding Anniversary (Araw ng Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas) are celebrated annually on the same day, March 22. The former is a special non-working holiday in the province of Cavite, where Aguinaldo was born, whereas the latter is a working holiday celebrated across the country.