Independence Day

Today is a national holiday celebrating the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spain in 1898. Spain actually did not recognize this declaration but instead signed over the rights to the Philippines to the US in the 1898 Treaty of Paris. This led to a 3-year conflict known as the Philippine-American War. It wasn't until July 4th, 1946 that the US granted independence to the Philippines through the Treaty of Manila. I'm guessing the Philippines probably felt like it was getting bullied around by these larger countries. Now the relationship between the US and Philippines appears to be very strong. Most retail shops are still open today but government offices (and other companies like Grace's) are closed for the day. You can see national flags posted up everywhere around the city. A nice day to relax at home and unpack our boxes.