Historical markers of the Philippines

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and its predecessor agencies install historical markers (; or ) in the Philippines and overseas to commemorate significant and historic events, persons, sites, structures, and institutions. The commemorative plaques are permanent signs installed by the NHCP in publicly visible locations such as buildings, monuments, or other notable sites. The NHCP also allows local municipalities and cities to install markers honoring figures and events of local significance, although these markers are prohibited from using the seal of the Republic of the Philippines.

Among private institutions and other concerned clients, the presence of markers denotes legacy and have stoked , or in cases, of individuals or of institutions.

The first markers were installed in 1934, including ones for Church of San Agustin, Fort Santiago, Plaza McKinley, Roman Catholic Cathedral of Manila, San Sebastian Church, Concordia College, Manila Railroad Company, Dr. Lorenzo Negrao, Church of Nuestra Señora de Guia, and University of Santo Tomas (Intramuros site). These markers contained the name of the committee, the Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth Government, a historical narrative written in English, and the year of the marker's installation. In 1941, the first dedication marker was installed inside the Mabini Shrine commemorating Apolinario Mabini. Issuance of markers generally stopped during the Second World War except for the marker Ang Unang Limbagan sa Pilipinas (The First Publishing House in the Philippines) which is dated 1943. The said marker was the first one in Tagalog language, probably in compliance with promoting Philippine languages, alongside Japanese, against the usage of English. Some of these pre-war markers were either lost or destroyed during the war and new markers were installed as replacements for San Agustin Church and Manila Cathedral. Throughout the years, some markers have also been reportedly missing as they were stolen and sold as scrap metal. The installation of markers was continued by the successors of the PHRMC: the Philippines Historical Committee (PHC, January 23, 1937), National Historical Commission (NHCP, June 19, 1965; May 12, 2010), and the National Historical Institute (NHI, September 24, 1972). The standard style of markers has changed throughout the years.

The Kudan, the Philippine embassy building in Tokyo, has been declared a national historical landmark by the NHCP and was granted a historical marker on March 3, 2014. It is the first overseas site to be granted such status. During the unveiling of the marker, Ambassador Manuel Lopez called the building as the crown jewel of Philippine foreign service.

In 2023, the NHCP launched a marker series Landas ng Pagkabansang Pilipino (Philippine Nationhood Trail), commemorating the 125th anniversary of the Philippine declaration of independence in 1898 including the subsequent struggles of the First Philippine Republic leading to General Emilio Aguinaldo's capture in 1901. The commission said, "The markers will highlight the struggle of Asia's first democratic constitutional republic against colonialism as it fought to survive by moving across the country where it met and was aided by Filipinos of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds." The marker locations follow the sites of the movement of the capitals of the Philippines during the revolutionary period. Many markers depict locations where Aguinaldo and his men passed through.

There have been various sentiments on historical curiosities awaiting official recognition. One book from the late '50s, published by the Department of Education, pondered how there have only been three markers back then that commemorate pre-colonial conquest items (Ifugao Rice Terraces, Code of Kalantiaw (now considered a hoax), and Lapulapu). Cited was the gravity of pre-colonial history destroyed under Spanish conquest, parallel on the experience of Mesoamericans. The book also pointed how colonial resistance figures such as Apolinario dela Cruz, Andrés Malong, and Gumapos, as well as culture heroes such as Fr. Modesto de Castro, author of Urbana at Feliza, did not have markers back then. Historical erasures and scant documentation were lamented. Other concerns include the vast concentration of markers in and around Metro Manila, language of markers, and even blatant political motivations.

• Baguio City Hall – Markers have also been used to justify the historicity of the place and help preserve the area, like in the issue of developing the City Hall site in Baguio. Despite the lack of resolutions or consultations, former NHCP Chairperson Maria Serena Diokno affirmed the historical significance of the area against alterations on the historical site under the National Cultural Heritage Act.
• Blood Contact Between Sikatuna and Legaspi – The site of the historical marker of the Sandugo, or the blood compact between Sikatuna and Legazpi became an issue because of the NHCP board resolution that the event site was located off the waters of Loay and not Tagbilaran. Despite the resolution, the marker remains in its original place.
• The Code of Kalantiaw – This historical marker in Batan, installed on December 8, 1956, remained in place even after William Henry Scott in 1968 proved that The Code of Kalantiaw and Datu Kalantiaw to be hoaxes and even after a resolution was issued by the NHI in 2004.
• Ferdinand Marcos 1917–1989 – A historical marker commemorating the centennial birth anniversary of President Ferdinand Marcos in Batac, Ilocos Norte unveiled on September 11, 2017, became controversial and became a case for historical revisionism, following the controversial burial of the late dictator. Baybayin, an Ateneo de Manila student organization, issued an alternative marker online containing atrocities under the Marcos regime, as well as his burial as a statement against historical revisionism.
• The First Congress of the Republic of the Philippines 1946 ~ 1949 – The marker concerning the first congress is the biggest marker made, measuring 52x72 inches. The 1946 marker was replaced on January 27, 2010, when governor Carlos Padilla of Nueva Vizcaya asked why his father, Constancio Padilla was missing from the list of the legislators. Luis Taruc, Jesus Lava, and Amado Yuson of the Democratic Alliance were not in the marker even though they appeared in the Congressional Records, while Luis Clarin, Carlos Fortich, and Narciso Ramos were in the 1946 marker but not in the present Congressional Records. The Lava brothers and Yuzon were dismissed from Congress, although the latter moved to the Nacionalista Party. Fortich died before completing his term and was replaced by his widow, Remedios Ozamiz Fortich. Ramos won as the congressman for the 5th district of Pangasinan, but was appointed soon after to the United Nations, and was replaced by Cipriano Allas.
• Francisco "Soc" Rodrigo 1914–1998 – There is the case of a possible relocation of a historical marker dedicated to Francisco "Soc" Rodrigo in Bulakan over ownership issues of the heritage house.
• Jose Rizal 1861–1896 Tarlak, Tarlak – The historical marker for José Rizal in Tarlac City was reported to be in a state of rot in 2011. The marker was relocated and put in a better position in front of the city plaza after 58 years of neglect.
• Labanan sa Karagatan ng Sibuyan Battle of Sibuyan Sea – Related to the discovered shipwrecks (Japanese ship Musashi) in Sibuyan Island, Romblon, a group has been pushing the transfer of the marker to the said island from the town of Alcantara.
• La Ignaciana – The historical marker (installed in 1939) of the Jesuit institution La Ignaciana in Santa Ana, Manila was stolen. A replacement marker was planned to be installed by the end of 2014, but it never took place.
• Macapagal-Macaraeg Ancestral House – The marker for the mid-century Macapagal-Macaraeg house in Iligan, issued in 2002, became an issue because President Diosdado Macapagal never lived in the said house, although it became a home for his daughter President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
• Memorare – Days before the Bonifacio Day of 2017, reports surface the demolition of the Bonifacio centennial monument in Makati, along with its historical marker. It was done by the Department of Public Works and Highways to build a bridge connecting Ortigas and Bonifacio Global City business districts without informing and seeking the approval of the NHCP. DPWH, however, stated that it informed the local government unit and temporarily removed the statue to protect it from the construction. The department also said that it has allotted ₱39 million for the restoration of the park after the project has been completed in 2020.
• Memorare – A statue and marker, named Filipina Comfort Women Statue, remembering the comfort women of World War II, installed on December 8, 2017, along Baywalk, Roxas Boulevard, Malate, Manila, caught the attention from the officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Japanese Embassy in Manila. In response, Teresita Ang-See, said that the memorial should not become an insult versus Japan. On April 27, 2018, the DPWH removed the memorial for a drainage improvement project along the Baywalk. Many individuals and groups, including Gabriela Women's Party condemned the removal, stating historical revisionism and submission to Japanese policy. They also stated that this has been an unlawful removal, since the heritage act protects markers and memorials by the NHCP. President Duterte remarked that the memorial can be placed in a private property, since the state would not want to "antagonize" other countries.
• Patricio Mariano (1877–1935) – The historical marker dedicated to Patricio Mariano in Escolta, Binondo, Manila received social media attention regarding its then derelict state. On January 28, 2015, on the occasion of Mariano's 80th death anniversary, the Escolta Revival Movement wrote to the NHCP regarding the situation of the marker. The NHCP renovated the marker the day after. Local residents were unable to notice the marker had the reporters have not pointed it out.
• Pisamban Maragul (Pisamban ning Angeles) and Mansyong Pamintuan The Large Church (Church of Angeles) and Pamintuan Mansion –The case of Angeles City markers of Santo Rosario Church and the Pamintuan Mansion became example of markers replaced by new ones bearing rectified information. The latter markers indicate that the anniversary of the Philippine independence was celebrated there in 1899; however, the former venue was discovered to have been the real place of the commemoration.
• Pook Kung Saan Sinulat ang "Filipinas", Liriko ng Pambansang Awit Bautista, Pangasinan Site Where "Filipinas", Lyrics to the National Anthem, was Written Bautista, Pangasinan – Delayed negotiations with the family that owns Casa Hacienda prompted the local government of Bautista to install the marker where Filipinas/Lupang Hinirang was composed to the town's plaza instead.
• Pook Na Kinamatayan ni Doña Aurora Aragon Quezon Death place of Aurora Aragon Quezon – A marker was rededicated on the site on April 28, 2013, after the original marker dated February 13, 1991, went missing. The marker in Bongabon stands on the site where Aurora Aragon Quezon was assassinated.
• Unang Putok sa Digmaang Filipino-Amerikano and Tulay ng San Juan First Shot in the Filipino-American War and San Juan Bridge – Following the move to relocate the marker of the first shot of the Filipino-American War from San Juan Bridge to the corner of Sociego and Silencio, Santa Mesa, Manila, former NHI Chairperson Ambeth Ocampo was declared persona non grata in San Juan. The NHI then issued a replacement marker on the bridge, indicating it as a boundary between Filipino and American soldiers during the war, instead of it being the site of the first shot. Later, a 2023 study done by Ronnie Miravite Casalmir placed the correct location of the first shot of the Philippine-American War at the corner of Sociego St. and Tomas Arguelles St., not at Sociego-Silencio where they erroneously have the marker.
• In 2004, the NHCP approved a marker for the Alberto House, Biñan for its historicity in relation to Teodora Alonso, José Rizal, and the city. However, the marker did not push through because the owner refused to follow preservation requests.
• Some markers have been worn out or have faded texts because of natural reasons. There have also been some markers that have been refused to be read by other Filipinos because the language was not in a local one.