The first 10 years of the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day every June 30 have paved the way for nine bilateral economic and cultural agreements, P9.2 billion worth of investments and grants, and numerous educational opportunities.

“The first decade of reawakening ties with Spain has been productive and immensely beneficial to both our countries,” said Sen. Edgardo J. Angara, author of the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day Act (Republic Act No. 9187) and chair of the Philippines-Spain Parliamentary Friendship Group.

“We signed numerous economic and cultural agreements and investments, including grants on energy, IT, agriculture and fisheries,” said Angara. “The Philippine Senate also ratified the Treaty on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons, which allows for the physical transfer of Filipinos incarcerated in Spanish prisons back to the Philippines, and vice versa.

“Also momentous was the institutional declaration passed last year by Spain’s Congreso de los Diputados, expressing their gratitude and affirming more future partnerships between our countries.”

Act of benevolence

The veteran lawmaker authored the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day Act to commemorate the shared friendship and to preserve the strong historical and cultural links between the Philippines and Spain.

The feast is celebrated every year to mark that act of benevolence in 1899 when President Emilio Aguinaldo issued a decree stating the Spanish soldiers who survived the Siege of Baler be treated not as prisoners but as friends.

Renewed Philippine-Spanish relations have also yielded significant successes in education and sports.

Almost 100 public-school teachers studied intensive Spanish-language training at Instituto Cervantes following the reintroduction of the Spanish language as an elective in high school in 2009. This was made possible by the agreement between the Department of Education and University of Alcala in Spain.

An academic-exchange agreement with universities in Madrid and the Basque Country was also put in place.

In sports, elementary and high-school students from Aurora and Negros Occidental got the chance to be trained in football camps run by Andalusia-based Centro de Estudios, Desarrollo e Investigación del Fútbol Andaluz.

The Philippines and the Spanish Ministry of Sports had also worked to raise interest in football even before the Philippine Azkals made it big.

Commemorative programs

“To mark this 10-year milestone, we will take the commemoration of Ora de la Amistad Hispano-Filipina a notch higher and showcase how far our relations with Spain have advanced,” said Angara.

Commemorative programs will be jointly held in Baler, Aurora, and in Spain this June, led by the Philippine-Spanish Friendship Committee, and in cooperation with the Philippine Embassy in Spain, as well as cultural agencies such as the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

National Artist Virgilio Almario will launch his book “Komedya de Baler,” Spanish historian Carlos Madrid will open the exhibit “Franciscano 1609-1899.”

“All these activities will highlight how intertwined the histories of our two countries are,” Angara said. “Fast forward to the present, we see a reawakening of Philippine-Spanish relations, with key initiatives in the area of legislation, culture, education, language, sports, and labor and migration.

“The Philippines will serve as Spain’s gateway to Asia, while Spain will be our launching pad to Europe and Latin America. Philippine-Spanish relations will only become more dynamic than ever.”