On August 3, 1902, Isabelo de los Reyes, patriot and revolutionary hero, led the establishment of the Philippine Independent Church, officially the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI), at the Zorilla Theater.

The IFI steadily gained ground and stability with the membership of 60 leading citizens of Navotas, led by Doña Saturnina Bunda, and 14 influential Filipino priests from various parishes in the country.

Among the factors that led to the founding of the IFI were the centuries-old issue on the secularization of Philippine parishes, the growth in the number of Filipino clergy, the violation of Council of Trent decisions stipulating that only members of the clergy should administer parishes, the clamor for the Filipinization of parishes, and the 1896 Philippine Revolution that ended friar dominance in the country. Complementing these development were the American efforts to quell Filipino armed resistance.

Historians recognize the Philippine Independent Church as a milestone in the history of the Filipino libertarian struggle. The Philippine Independent Church continues to be a Filipino people’s church, preserving the moral purity and sacredness of Christian doctrines, eliminating deceptions and misinterpretations, and selecting its own clergymen. Msgr. Gregorio Aglipay became the Philippine Independent Church’s first chosen Obispo Maximo or Supreme Head.

The Philippine Independent Church has become part of the Old Catholic Utrecht Union/Union of Utrecht Association of Churches and constitutes the second largest Christian denomination in the Philippines with approximately two to six million members nationwide and with large congregations as well in the United States and parts of Asia.

We congratulate the Philippine Independent Church headed by its Supreme Head, the Most Reverend Godofredo J. David, and its other officials and flock, on the occasion of its 107th founding anniversary and wish them success in all their endeavors.