Philippine–American War
In 1902, the United States Congress passed the Philippine Organic Act, which provided for the creation of the Philippine Assembly, with members to be elected by Filipino males. (Women did not have suffrage in the US or the Philippines.) This act was superseded by the 1916 Philippine Autonomy Act, which contained the first formal and official declaration of the United States government's commitment to eventually grant independence to the Philippines. The 1934 Philippine Independence Act created the Commonwealth of the Philippines the following year, a limited form of independence, and established a process ending in Philippine independence (originally scheduled for 1944, but interrupted and delayed by World War II). The United States granted independence in 1946, following World War II and the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, through the Treaty of Manila.
Gabriel Fabella
Gabriel Fabrero Fabella (March 18, 1898 – January 29, 1982) was a prominent Filipino historian during the 20th century. He is primarily known as the historian behind Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal's decision to issue Proclamation No. 28 on May 12, 1962, which changed the date of Philippine independence from July 4, 1946 to June 12, 1898 — the date when Philippine President Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the country's independence from Spain in Kawit, Cavite. For this achievement, Fabella became known as the "Father of June 12 Independence Day."