Today in History : March 22nd

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1521: The Filipinos return to Homonhon, an island in the province of Eastern Samar on the west side of Leyte Gulf witch is about 20 km long. bringing with them two boats heavily laden with coconuts, oranges, palm wine, and a rooster. Accompanying the Filipinos is their chieftain. His face is tattooed and he wears gold earrings and bracelets and a cotton skirt hemmed with silk tassels. His weapons are made of bronze generously mixed with tin alloys. His shield, javelin, and dagger are laid with gold. His appearance convinces the Spaniards that the Filipinos have attained a considerable degree of civilization and much wealth.

1863: Birth of Mariano Ponce in Baliwag, Bulacan where he completed his primary education. He later enrolled at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran and took up medicine at the University of Santo Tomas. In 1881, he traveled to Spain to continue his medical studies at the Unversidad Central de Madrid. Mariano Ponce was a Filipino physician who was one of the leaders of the Propaganda Movement, that founded the Philippine Revolution. He died on May 23, 1918.

1869: Birth of Emilio Aguinaldo. Emilio was a Filipino general, politician, and independence leader of Chinese and Spanish descent. He played an instrumental role in Philippine independence during the Philippine Revolution against Spain and the Philippine-American War that resisted American occupation. He eventually pledged his allegiance to the US government. Aguinaldo is considered to be the country's first and the youngest Philippine President and also the longest living Philippine President. Died on February 6, 1964.

1897: The Tejeros Convention proclaims the Republic of the Philippines. The newly elected officials are Emilio Aguinaldo, President; Mariano Trias, Vice-President; Artemio Ricarte, Captain-General; Emilio Riego de Dios, Director of War; and Andres Bonifacio, Director of the Interior.

1901: General Leandro Fullon surrenders to Major Scott of the United States Army, through the mediation of General Delgado, Cornelio Meliza, and others.

1915: Frank W. Carpenter, governor of Mindanao, negotiates a formal agreement with Jamalul Kiram II, Sultan of Jolo, whereby the latter gives up his political right as ruler and retains only his position as spiritual head of the Muslims. In return, the Sultan is granted an annual pension of P12,000 and some lands in Jolo. The abolition of the Sultanate does not do away with Sultan’s line of succession.

Today in History : March 17th

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1521: Magellan lands in Limasawa. Limasawa is a 6th class municipality and an island of the same name in the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 5,157 people in 1,108 households, it lies south of Leyte, in the Mindanao Sea and is about 10 km from north to south.

1761: Francisco Javier de la Torre becomes ad interim governor of the Philippines. During hi term laws regulating commerce, the army, and the welfare of the islands are established.

1874: Manuel Blanco Valderama becomes ad interim governor-general of the Philippines.

1877: Birth of Patricio Mariano at Santa Cruz, Manila. Patricio was a Filipino writer, poet, journalist and translator in the early 20th century Philippines. He wrote several Tagalog novels, which include Ang mga Anak Dalita and Ang Tala sa Panghulo. Mariano died at the age of 58 on January 25, 1935.

1898: A Spanish vessel enters Batangas Bay and siezes the Santisima Trinidad owned by General Francisco del Castillo where the secret papers of the Katipunan are kept.

1898: The Naic Assembly introduces a change in the Filipino flag. The Malayan letter K is replaced by a big sun with two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. It was the first official flag of the Filipino.The flag remains in use until the signing of the Pact of Biyak-na-Bato in December, 1897.

1957: President Ramon Magsaysay dies in a plane crash in Cebu. Magsaysay left Manila for Cebu City where he spoke at three educational institutions. That same night, at about 1 a.m., he boarded the presidential plane "Mt. Pinatubo", a C-47, heading back to Manila. In the early morning hours of March 17, his plane was reported missing. It was late in the afternoon that day that newspapers reported that the airplane had crashed on Mt. Manunggal in Cebu and that 25 of the 26 passengers and crew aboard were killed. Vice-President Carlos P. Garcia assumes the presidency.

Today in History : March 16th

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1521: Ferdinand Magellan discovered the Philippines where he landed in Samar. Magellan was a Portuguese explorer and was born at Sabrosa, in northern Portugal, but later obtained Spanish nationality in order to serve king Charles I of Spain in search of a westward route to the "Spice Islands".

1705: The Sultan of Jolo, as a token of friendship, writes a letter to Governor-General Zalbálburu informing him that he has chosen to cede to the Spanish Crown his possessions on the island of Paragua, now as Palawan, including the neighboring isle of Lauag, Balabac.

1946:The remains of a number of prominent Filipinos, victims of Japanese Atrocities including Juan M. Elizalde, Enrico Pirovano, Rafael Roces, Jose Mañosa Ozamis, and Virgilio Lobregat, are found in a common grave at the Chinese cemetery.

1900: The Second Philippine Commission, aslo known as Taft Commission, was appointed by McKinley and headed by William Howard Taft, was granted legislative as well as limited executive powers

2001: Two owners of Ozone Disco, Ramon NG and Hermilo Ocampo get 4-year jail term and a fine of P20 million after they were declared guilty of “reckless imprudence” resulting to 160 deaths and 195 injuries after a fire erupted on the said disco house on 18 March 1996. The two are also ordered to pay P150, 000 in death indemnity and damages to the families of fatalities and P100, 000 to those who were injured.

Today in History : March 6th

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1521: Ferdinand Magellan sights the Islas de Velas or Ladrones, later renamed Marianas in honor of Maria Ana of Austria, Queen Regent of Spain. The Marianas and specifically the island of Guam were a stopover for Spanish galleons en route from Acapulco, Mexico to Manila, Philippines in a convoy known as the Galeon de Manila. The Marianas remained a Spanish colony under the general government of the Philippines until 1898, when, as a result of the Spanish-American War, Spain ceded Guam to the United States.

1608: Philip III tries to put a stop to the abuses of the Spanish authorities in the Islands by means of a strongly-worded cedula. He especially objects to the drafting of workers during the planting and harvesting seasons and to unjust levies.

1872: Birth of Victorino Carrion, musician, in Quiapo, Manila. Victorino Carrion was an operatic singer best known for his role as Teñong, in the Severino Reyes zarzuela, Walang Sugat. He and fellow actor Maria Carpena were among the first Filipino recording artists. His father was Balbino Carrion, a tenor and the lead singer of the Quiapo Church choir during the 1800s. Died on May 9, 1935.

1899: A force of Filipinos, said to be the largest body yet encountered east of Manila, resists the advance by General Hale’s brigade on Santolan and Mariquina. Apolinario Mabini sends President Aguinaldo a complaint against the arbitrary acts committed by General Antonio Luna. Mabini writes that to be shot to death without summary trial is a punishment that cannot be enforced except among savages.

1901: Apolinario Mabini writes a letter informing the President of his conference with William H. Taft regarding the Philippine question. The latter replied that the U.S. could not recognize Philippine independence.

1921: Hilaria del Rosario de Aguinaldo dies. Hilaria was the first wife of General Emilio Aguinaldo, the first President of the Philippines (1898-1901). Emilio Aguinaldo married her on New Year's Day, 1896, the very same day he joined the Katipunan, the secret societ y that would initiate the Philippine Revolution .

1924: Act 3131 authorizes the separation of the Municipality of Conception on the Island of Maestro de Campo (Sebali) from Romblon and its annexation to Mindoro.

1947: President Roxas declares the Hukbalahap illegal, as it is alleged to have been organized and maintained to commit sedition and to overthrow the government by force. In the following months, the Huks lay low and occupy themselves with the organization of urban workers and the activation of labor unions. Labor unions are integrated into the Congress of Labor organization, headed by Jose and Jesus Lava.

1966: The Santo Tomas University Hospital is formally inaugurated. The University of Santo Tomas Hospital (simply UST Hospital or USTH) is located inside the España, Manila Campus of University of Santo Tomas. It was founded in 1577 as San Juan de Dios Hospital that became the clinical training institution of medical students of University of Santo Tomas.

2001: Exiled communist leader Jose Ma. Sison expresses his group’s willingness to reopen peace talks with the government through a letter sent to President Arroyo from Utretch, Netherlands, where the founding chair of the Communist NDF takes refuge. Exiled communist leader Jose Ma. Sison expresses his group’s willingness to reopen peace talks with the government through a letter sent to President Arroyo from Utretch, Netherlands, where the founding chair of the Communist NDF takes refuge. The Communist NDF withdrew from talks in 1999 in protest over the senate ratification of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).