Official tribute in the Philippines to the Spanish soldiers who fought in the Siege of Baler

For the past 24 years, June 30th has been celebrated as the Day of Hispanic-Philippine Friendship, a date that was not chosen at random.

Fort Santiago: the Spanish fortress that survived a brutal battle of World War II
Cape Engaño, the last Spanish lighthouse in Philippines that still illuminates the Pacific

On June 30, 1899, Emilio Aguinaldo, the first president of the Philippines, issued a decree praising the Spaniards who fought in the Siege of Baler between 1898 and 1899, describing their heroic defense of the Church of San Luis as "an epic so glorious and so characteristic of the legendary valor of the sons of El Cid and Pelayo". In the text of that decree, Aguinaldo ordered: "The individuals comprising the aforementioned forces shall not be considered prisoners, but rather friends, and consequently, the Captaincy General shall provide them with the necessary passes so that they may return to their country."

Thus culminated one of the most memorable feats in Spanish military history: 55 Spanish soldiers and 3 friars resisted the attacks of Filipino insurgents for 337 days, between 1898 and 1899. Isolated from the outside world, the defenders of Baler were unaware that Spain had been defeated by the United States in the war that pitted the two countries against each other between April 25 and August 13, 1898, and which resulted in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines ceasing to be Spanish territories. The defenders of Baler left the Church of San Luis on June 7, 1899, and they did so with honor. In recognition of their courage, the Filipino insurgents allowed them to leave armed and in formation.

Since 2007, the town of Baler has hosted an annual civil and military tribute to the last Spanish soldiers in the Philippines. This year, the event was held again, during which the Philippine town was filled with Spanish flags in remembrance of a shared past that lasted 333 years: from 1565, when Miguel López de Legazpi established the first permanent Spanish settlement in the Philippines, until the Spanish defeat of 1898, when the country passed into the hands of the United States, under whose control it remained until 1946, with the exception of the Japanese military occupation during World War II. Last Sunday, the Baler Municipal Tourism Office posted these photos of the town, decorated with Spanish and Philippine flags to celebrate Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day.

Events commemorating the combatants of the Siege of Baler began this Monday at Putok sa Dikaloyungan, a small monument that remembers the Filipino revolutionaries who fought in that battle. At this ceremony, the Philippine National Police paid tribute to the Filipino and Spanish combatants of that battle, with the flags of both countries displayed.

Two officers of the Philippine National Police placed a wreath on this monument.

Finally, members of the Philippine National Police fired honor salutes.

This Tuesday, the ceremony honoring the heroes of Baler was held, with the attendance of Miguel Utray Delgado (third from the right in the photo below), Spanish ambassador to the Philippines, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau, and the military attaché of the Spanish Embassy in Manila, Colonel Santiago Martín Sanz (on the left in the photo), of the Spanish Army. The event was presided over by José Francisco "Kiko" Benítez, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture of the Philippine government, as well as civil and military authorities of the country.

Despite the rainy weather, the event was well attended by people carrying Spanish and Philippine flags.

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Photos: Baler Municipal Tourism Office - Baler, Aurora.