National Heroes Day 2014

Today, 25 August 2014, Monday is a regular holiday to commemorate the National Heroes Day.

1. It is a national public holiday in the Philippines to honor the country’s heroes (unspecified), both known and unknown heroes.
2. It was celebrated previously on 30th of November as it was the birthday of Andres Bonifacio, founder of the Katipunan.
3. It marks the anniversary of the Cry of Pugad Lawin, the beginning of the Philippine Revolution by the Katipunan and its Supremo Andrés Bonifacio in 1896.
4. A National Heroes Committee established in 1995 (prior Revolution's centennial) proposed a list of "National Heroes".
5. Before our independence from the United States, it was already celebrated as a holiday when the Philippine Legislature enacted Legislature Act 3827 in 1931.
6. After 76 years, the observance of National Heroes Day was moved from Sunday to Monday due the issuance in 2007 Republic Act 9492 of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo which mandated that if a holiday falls on a Sunday, then the holiday shall be observed on the Monday of the following week.
7. Part of the reason for having a National Heroes Day is to commemorate Filipino heroes who didn't have their own national holidays. So far, only 2 Filipino heroes have special holidays that are officially commemorated: Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio.
8. 1996 was the centennial year of the 1896 Philippine Revolution against Spain and remembrance of the revolution, and to project all Filipinos – whether folk, local, or regional – as national heroes, former president Fidel Ramos issued Proclamation 510 in 1994, declaring 1996 as the Year of Filipino Heroes. It was dedicated to all Filipinos who directly or indirectly gave meaning and contributed to freedom, justice, and nationhood in the Philippines.
9. As it was the general consensus that the Cry took place in the latter days of August, and with the commemoration of the Cry slowly evolving over the years into the commemoration of all Filipino heroes, the National Heroes Day was set in the last week of August. The events that involved the Cry of Pugad Lawin/Balintawak ranged from as early as August 17 to as late as August 26 but the date and location of the Cry, however, has been a longstanding dispute among historians which was initially celebrated on 26 August from 1911 to 1962, calling the event “The Cry of Balintawak.” Come 1963, following the recommendations of historian Teodoro Agoncillo, the date was changed to August 23 and the location to Pugad Lawin.
10. There are no official policies or laws for nominating individuals to the status of national hero and today's policies on proclaiming national heroes are largely abandoned and according to the National Historical Commission, individuals become heroes via an organic process in which the individual has enough acclamation and acknowledgement from the masses that their life and works were indeed heroic, thus enshrining them in the cultural consciousness of a people as a hero.
11. 25 August 2014 was declared under Proclamation 655 Series of 2013 signed by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III as one of the country’s national Regular Holiday and it is also the second non-working holiday for the month of August this year following Ninoy Aquino Day which was declared by the National government as a Special Non-Working Holiday throughout the country which was already celebrated last 21 August 2014.
12. In 1995, after adopting criteria for the nomination of national heroes, the NHC recommended 9 Filipino figures to be proclaimed as national heroes:
    
    •     Jose Rizal
    •     Andres Bonifacio
    •     Emilio Aguinaldo
    •     Apolinario Mabini
    •     Marcelo H. Del Pilar
    •     Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat
    •     Juan Luna
    •     Melchora Aquino
    •     Gabriela Silang.

References:

Quick Facts : National Heroes Day
National Heroes Holiday 2014 Pay Rules Released by DOLE (August 25)
National Heroes Day in Philippines
Heroes' Day
Fast Facts: National Heroes Day