Observance guideSource-backed

First Philippine Republic Day2026 · Date · History

Republic Act No. 11014 declares January 23 of every year First Philippine Republic Day and a special working holiday throughout the Philippines.

Annual dateReviewed 2026-10-01Sensitive topic

About First Philippine Republic Day

First Philippine Republic Day is observed every January 23 in the Philippines as a nationwide special working holiday under Republic Act No. 11014.

The day commemorates the declaration of the First Philippine Republic on January 23, 1899 at Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan.

Why First Philippine Republic Day matters

The observance is a civic and historical commemoration centered on the First Philippine Republic and its place in Philippine national history.

Because the law calls it a special working holiday, the guide should not describe it as automatically equivalent to a non-working national holiday.

History of First Philippine Republic Day

Republic Act No. 11014, approved on April 5, 2018, is titled the First Philippine Republic Day Act.

Section 2 declares January 23 of every year First Philippine Republic Day and a special working holiday throughout the country.

The law gives the historical anchor as the declaration of the First Philippine Republic on January 23, 1899 at Barasoain Church in Malolos.

Section 3 directs the National Historical Commission, in coordination with the Department of Education, to plan and implement commemorative activities.

Institutional timeline

How the observance developed

This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.

  1. Establishment

    Congress of the Philippines through Republic Act No. 11014

    Republic Act No. 11014 — First Philippine Republic Day Act

  2. Current stewardship

    National Historical Commission of the Philippines in coordination with the Department of Education

    Section 3 of Republic Act No. 11014 assigns these bodies responsibility for planning and implementing activities.

Origins & establishment

What the evidence establishes

Evidence & sources ↓

Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.

Proclaiming / establishing bodyCongress of the Philippines through Republic Act No. 11014The statute was enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives and approved into law.
Original establishing instrument / decisionRepublic Act No. 11014 — First Philippine Republic Day ActThe act expressly declares January 23 of every year First Philippine Republic Day.
Original instrument adoption / decision date5 April 2018The Senate legislative reference entry and statutory text give April 5, 2018 as the approval date.
Current facilitator / coordinatorNational Historical Commission of the Philippines in coordination with the Department of EducationSection 3 of Republic Act No. 11014 assigns these bodies responsibility for planning and implementing activities.
Why this exact date?January 23 commemorates the declaration of the First Philippine Republic on January 23, 1899 at Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan.Section 2 of Republic Act No. 11014 states this rationale directly.
4 fields not established in reviewed sources
Originator / proposerThe enacted law and legislative reference entry establish the measure but this guide does not assign the observance to a single individual proposer.
First observanceThe act establishes annual recurrence but does not identify the first actual commemorative edition under the law.
Former nameNo formal former name is established.
Former dateNo former recurring date is established.
Source qualityHigh confidence
2 Primary institutional / legal
View all sources ↓

How to Observe First Philippine Republic Day

01

Learn about the Malolos Congress and the First Philippine Republic from historical and archival sources.

02

Attend or follow educational programs organized by historical, educational or cultural institutions.

03

When discussing holiday status, retain the law’s exact “special working holiday” classification.

04

Use the anniversary to compare primary historical documents and later interpretations of the First Republic.

First Philippine Republic Day Facts

Fact 01

First Philippine Republic Day falls on January 23 every year.

Fact 02

Republic Act No. 11014 makes it a special working holiday throughout the Philippines.

Fact 03

The act was approved on April 5, 2018.

Fact 04

The date commemorates the January 23, 1899 declaration of the First Philippine Republic at Barasoain Church.

Classification

Topic and context

Civic, Remembrance & History →
Accuracy notes

What this page does not assume

  • Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
  • Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
  • Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
  • Remembrance Civic Context Care.
Evidence

Evidence & sources

Source policy →

Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.

Questions & connections

Understand it, compare it, then explore further

Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.

Reader questions

Frequently asked questions

When is First Philippine Republic Day?

23 January annually The documented recurrence rule is: 23 January.

Does First Philippine Republic Day fall on the same date every year?

Yes. It uses a fixed annual date unless stronger evidence changes the pattern.

Is First Philippine Republic Day an official public holiday?

The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: Philippines / nationwide special working holiday. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.

Who established or recognizes First Philippine Republic Day?

The reviewed sources identify Congress of the Philippines through Republic Act No. 11014 as the proclaiming or establishing body. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as National Historical Commission of the Philippines in coordination with the Department of Education.

Is First Philippine Republic Day international or country-specific?

This observance is specific to Philippines. Its fuller verified scope is: Philippines / nationwide special working holiday.

How is this page verified?

The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-10-01.

When is First Philippine Republic Day?

It is observed every January 23.

Is it a holiday throughout the Philippines?

Yes. Republic Act No. 11014 declares it a special working holiday in the entire country.

What does January 23 commemorate?

It commemorates the declaration of the First Philippine Republic on January 23, 1899 at Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan.

Who is tasked with commemorative activities?

The law directs the National Historical Commission, in coordination with the Department of Education, to plan and implement activities.

Explore further

Related observances with useful context

More in this topic →

Related observances are selected from shared topics, scope and documented connections. Where an important difference is known, it is labeled separately so “related” is not mistaken for “the same observance.”

Same date

Other observances on January 23

Date guide →

These observances are also listed on January 23, 2027.

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A creator-provided Hesch Firm release identifies January 23 as National Report Pharmaceutical Fraud Day and says Joel D. Hesch formed the observance, with the campaign beginning in 2017.

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Government of India announced on January 19, 2021 that January 23 would be celebrated every year as Parakram Diwas, stated that a Gazette notification had been published, began the 125th-an…