Aguinaldo Shrine

The Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit is the birthplace of Philippine independence. The house where General Emilio Aguinaldo declared independence from Spain on 12 June 1898 still stands and is now a national shrine and museum administered by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

The house itself is remarkable — a large ancestral home filled with period furniture, revolutionary-era documents, photographs, and memorabilia from Aguinaldo's long life. Secret passages and trapdoors built into the structure were used to hide the general and his associates during different phases of the revolution. The independence window on the upper floor, from which the proclamation was made, looks out over the town square.

Kawit is about 12 km south of Cavite City. The shrine is open Tuesday to Sunday; admission is free. The visit takes about an hour with a guide.

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A story
On 12 June 1898, Emilio Aguinaldo stood on the balcony of this house and proclaimed Philippine independence from Spanish rule — the first declaration of independence in Asia. The flag that was waved and the bugle that was blown that day are kept inside the museum. Aguinaldo lived in this house until his death in 1964, aged 94.