Aguinaldo Shrine
The shrine is the ancestral home of General Emilio Aguinaldo, the first president of the First Republic of the Philippines. The house was first built in 1845 made from wood and thatch, and reconstructed in 1849. It was in this home where the general was born on March 22, 1869.
Independence Day
On June 12, 1898, the Philippine independence from Spain was first proclaimed from the window of the grand hall of the mansion. The Act of the Declaration of Philippine Independence was read to the people of the country by its author, Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista The Declaration of Independence was ratified by the Malolos Congress on September 21, 1898.
Renovations
President Aguinaldo, while in retirement after the repeal of Sedition Act of 1907 in October 1919 which banned the display of the Philippine flag, greatly enlarged his home from 1919-1921, transforming it into a monument to flag and country. He constructed an elaborate "Independence balcony", which Aguinaldo and top Philippine officials used during independence day celebrations. Many visitors today assume the balcony to be the actual location of the Independence Proclamation. Aguinaldo donated his home to the Philippine government on June 12, 1963, "to perpetuate the spirit of the Philippine Revolution of 1896 that put an end to Spanish colonization of the country".
National Shrine
Aguinaldo died on February 6, 1964, at the age of 94 at the Veterans Memorial Hospital in Quezon City. The same year, the government declared the mansion as a National Shrine on June 18 through Republic Act of 4039 signed by President Diosdado Macapagal.
Independence Day
On June 12, 1898, the Philippine independence from Spain was first proclaimed from the window of the grand hall of the mansion. The Act of the Declaration of Philippine Independence was read to the people of the country by its author, Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista The Declaration of Independence was ratified by the Malolos Congress on September 21, 1898.
Renovations
President Aguinaldo, while in retirement after the repeal of Sedition Act of 1907 in October 1919 which banned the display of the Philippine flag, greatly enlarged his home from 1919-1921, transforming it into a monument to flag and country. He constructed an elaborate "Independence balcony", which Aguinaldo and top Philippine officials used during independence day celebrations. Many visitors today assume the balcony to be the actual location of the Independence Proclamation. Aguinaldo donated his home to the Philippine government on June 12, 1963, "to perpetuate the spirit of the Philippine Revolution of 1896 that put an end to Spanish colonization of the country".
National Shrine
Aguinaldo died on February 6, 1964, at the age of 94 at the Veterans Memorial Hospital in Quezon City. The same year, the government declared the mansion as a National Shrine on June 18 through Republic Act of 4039 signed by President Diosdado Macapagal.