Aquino: March 22 nonworking holiday in Cavite

President Benigno Aquino III has declared March 22 a nonworking holiday in Cavite province to mark the 143rd birth anniversary of General Emilio Aguinaldo. In Proclamation 351 signed by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., Aquino said this will give Cavite residents a chance to pay tribute to Aguinaldo. A Malacañang statement described Aguinaldo as "a major figure in the country’s history," being the first president of the Philippine Republic. Aguinaldo was born on March 22, 1869 in Kawit, Cavite. He led a Filipino insurrection against Spanish rule in 1896, and became active during the Spanish-American War. When the Philippines declared independence from Spanish rule in 1898, Aguinaldo was nominated president of the new republic. He eventually became the head of the Filipino provisional government in 1899 and resisted American occupation. Aguinaldo was captured in March 1901 and took an oath of allegiance to the United States and retired to private life in April. When the commonwealth government of the Philippines was established in 1935 in preparation for its independence, Aguinaldo ran for president but lost. "In the later years of his life, Aguinaldo devoted his attention to improving veterans' affairs, promoting nationalism and democracy in the Philippines, as well as strengthening the Philippine-US relations," the Palace said. He died in Manila on February 6, 1964. — LBG, GMA News