Between 1941 and 1945 during the Second World War, the Empire of Japan occupied the Islands; the Commonwealth government-in-exile headed by President Manuel Luis Quezon was based in Australia and later in the United States.

[3] A campaign to retake the country began in October 1944, when General Douglas MacArthur landed in Leyte along with Sergio Osmeña, who had succeeded to the presidency after Quezon's death on August 1, 1944.

President Diosdado Macapagal moved it to June 12, the date in 1898 on which Emilio Aguinaldo issued the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spain.

[9] Section 26 of the Administrative Code of 1987 specified a list of regular holidays and nationwide special days that did not include July 4.

11014, declaring January 23 of every year as "First Philippine Republic Day," making it a special working holiday nationwide.