Today in History : March 23rd

On this date in...

1575: An expedition is sent to Pangasinan under Juan de Salcedo to attack Limahong and his men. In the encounter, the Spaniards are victorious; but, failing to follow up their success, they allow Limahong to sail from Luzon. Lim Hong, also called Lin Feng, was a notorious Chinese pirate.

1863: Birth of Victorino Luciano, pharmacist and one of the 13 martyrs of Cavite. The Thirteen Martyrs of Cavite were patriots in Cavite, Philippines who were executed by mustketry on September 11, 1896, for cooperating with the Katipunan during the Philippine Revolution against Spain. The city of Trece Martires in Cavite is named after them.

1877: Jose Rizal obtains the degree of Bachelor of Arts from the Ateneo Municipal de Manila with highest honors. He graduated as one of the nine students in his class declared sobresaliente or outstanding. He continued his education at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila to obtain a land surveyor and assessor's degree, and at the same time at the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters where he studied Philosophy and Letters.

1897: Execution of the “Nineteen Martyrs of Aklan.” They are Ramon Aguirre, Tomas Briones, Domingo de la Cruz, Valeriano Dalida, Claro Delgado, Angelo Fernandez, Benito Iban, Candido Iban, Simeon Inocencio, Isidro Jimenez, Gabino Yonsul, Catalino Mangat, Lamberto Mangat, Valeriano Malinda, Maximo Mation, Simplicio Reyes, Canuto Segovia, Gabino Sucgang, Francisco Villorente. The XIX Martyrs of Aklan is annually celebrated as act of commemoration to the heroism of the 19 Martyrs of Aklan who consecrated their lives in the cause of freedom against the colonizers. Under the Republic Act No. 7806, the commemoration of the XIX Martyrs of Aklan is a Special Public Holiday for the whole province.

1901: Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo is captured by General Frederick Funston and his troops and Macabebes in Palanan, Isabela. The Americans pretended to be prisoners of some Filipino mercenaries and thus gained access to the Filipino camp. Once Funston and his “captors” entered Aguinaldo's camp, they immediately fell upon the guards and quickly overwhelmed them and the weary Aguinaldo. However, sporadic insurgent resistance continued in various parts of the Philippines, especially in the Muslim south, until 1913.

Today in History : March 22nd

On this date in...

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.