Filipino-American Friendship Day is observed in the Philippines every July 4. This holiday, originally known as Philippine Republic Day, commemorates the historical ties between the Philippines and the United States. It was initially celebrated as the country's Independence Day until 1964, when President Diosdado Macapagal moved the independence celebration to June 12. The holiday was later renamed by President Ferdinand Marcos in the 1960s. Following the end of the Second World War, the Philippines gained recognition as an independent state, and on July 4, 1946, a Treaty of General Relation was signed, ending American sovereignty over the archipelago. In 1984, Filipino-American Friendship Day became a working holiday, no longer referred to as Republic Day. The observance highlights the cultural and historical connections between the two nations.