Today in History : March 25th

On this date in...

1986: President Aquino organizes a revolutionary government and issues the Freedom Constitution to replace the one tailored in 1973 for Marcos. The Freedom Constitution is to remain in effect until a new constitution can be written and ratified.

1901: General Aguinaldo says farewell to his men, through his nephew, Tomas Magsarili, “This afternoon we will board the American cruiser Vicksburg, which will cast anchor here at Sabang. Villa is wounded; Santos and I are not … What happened to me, though somewhat bad, will be transformed into something that will redound to the welfare of the Motherland…”

1990: The International Airport at Laoag, Ilocos Norte, reopens. It had been closed after the EDSA revolution to bar Marcos' return.

Today in History : March 3rd

On this date in...

1938: The Philippine National Assembly by a vote of 54 to 1 passed a bill approving the Luzon conference sugar pact. Assemblyman Fellipe Buencamino Philippine delegate to the conference told the legislators that the Philippines was the last interested country to ratify the pact. He said it was expected sugar prices would be stabilized, probably with a movement upward.

1948: Diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea were established. Many South Koreans still harbor a deep sense of gratitude to the Philippines for being one of the first countries to send troops to defend South Korea from invasion in the 1950s. Last year, the Philippine Embassy in Korea commemorated the 56th anniversary of the participation of the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) at a wreath-laying ceremony at the Philippine Memorial in Goyang City.

1949: Pres. Elpidio Quirino sold, transferred and conveyed eight parcels of land registered under the Commonwealth of the Philippines (TCT No. 36048) in favor of U.P.. Later on, this title was cancelled and after a sub-division survey (PSD 174313), TCT No. 192690 was issued which now included lots 40 and 41, covering some 43 hectares of the present Krus Na Ligas.

1986: NPA rebels kill 14 policemen and 1 trooper in an ambush in Banugsakan, Guinobatan, Albay. The incident indicates that the NPA will not give up armed struggle after the fall of Marcos.

Today in History : March 1st

On this date in...

1986: Horacio Morales is released from detention. Hotacio is the Agrarian Reform Secretary of Joseph Estrada.

1989: President Cory Aquino vows a far reaching deregulation of the Philippine economy. In a speech on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Asian Institute of Management in Manila she says: "We must not only loosen, we must release completely the stranglehold of regulation that is choking private initiative and turning off local and foreign investments and discouraging development assistance." But not much happens thereafter.

Today in History : February 25th

On this date in...

1889: Rizal's friend, Graciano Lopez Jaena wrote on the La Solaridad about the Filipino sailors near Barcelona. He also noted that there are many Filipino seamen in almost all the ports of England, France, and America in cities like New York and Philadelphia.

1986: On the morning of Tuesday, February 25, at around 7 a.m., a minor clash occurred between loyal government troops and the reformists. Snipers stationed atop the government-owned Channel 9 tower, near Channel 4, began shooting at the reformists. Many rebel soldiers surged to the station. Later in the morning, Corazon Aquino was inaugurated as President of the Philippines in a simple ceremony at Club Filipino in Greenhills, about a kilometer from Camp Crame. She was sworn in as President by Senior Associate Justice Claudio Teehankee, and Laurel as Vice-President by Justice Vicente Abad Santos. The Bible on which Aquino swore her oath was held by Aurora Aquino, the mother of Ninoy Aquino. Attending the ceremonies were Ramos, who was then promoted to General, Enrile, and many politicians. Outside Club Filipino, all the way to EDSA, hundreds of people cheered and celebrated. Bayan Ko (My Country, a popular folk song and the unofficial National Anthem of protest) was sung after Aquino's oath-taking. Many people wore yellow, the color of Aquino's campaign for presidency.

Today in History : February 24th

On this date in...

1862: Filipino revolutionary General Edilberto T. Evangelista, is born in Santa Cruz, Manila; a civil engineering graduate from Belgium's University of Ghent, he was responsible for ably directing all the entrenchment and defense works of the revolutionaries, thus giving the Spanish colonial forces considerable trouble in the many battles during the Philippine Revolution of 1896.

1986: At dawn on Monday, the first serious encounter with government troops occurred. Marines marching from Libis, in the east, lobbed tear gas at the demonstrators, who quickly dispersed. Some 3,000 Marines then entered and held the east side of Camp Aguinaldo. Later, helicopters manned by the 15th Strike Wing of the Philippine Air Force, led by Colonel Antonio Sotelo, were ordered from Sangley Point in Cavite (South of Manila) to head to Camp Crame. Secretly, the squadron had already defected and instead of attacking Camp Crame, landed in it, with the crowds cheering and hugging the pilots and crew members. A Bell 214 helicopter piloted by Major Deo Cruz of the 205th Helicopter Wing joined the rebel squadron earlier in the air. The presence of the helicopters boosted the morale of Enrile and Ramos who had been continually encouraging their fellow soldiers to join the opposition movement. In the afternoon, Aquino arrived at the base where Enrile, Ramos, RAM officers and a throng were waiting.

1986: At around that time, June Keithley received reports that Marcos had left Malacañang Palace and broadcasted this to the people at EDSA. The crowd celebrated and even Ramos and Enrile came out from Crame to appear to the crowds. The jubilation was however short-lived as Marcos later appeared on television on the government-controlled Channel 4, (using the forclosed ABS-CBN facilites, transmitter and compound) declaring that he would not step down. It was thereafter speculated that the false report was a calculated move against Marcos to encourage more defections. During this broadcast, Channel 4 suddenly went off the air. A contingent of rebels, under Colonel Mariano Santiago, had captured the station. Channel 4 was put back on line shortly after noon, with a voice declaring, "This is Channel 4. Serving the people again." By this time, the crowds at EDSA had swollen to over a million. (Some estimates placed them at two million.) This broadcast was considered the "return" of ABS-CBN on air because this was the time when former employees of ABS-CBN were inside the complex after 14 years of closure since Marcos took it over during the Martial law of 1972. The people who were manning this broadcast were the likes of June Keithley, Fr. Aris Sison, Fr. Efren Datu, Fr. Bong Bongayan, Jose Mari Velez, Orly Punzalan and were directed by Johnny Manahan with former ABS employees. Also this was the first time when the late Eugenio "Geny" Lopez Jr.'s cousin Augusto "Jake" Lopez stepped into ABS-CBN after it had been closed. In the late afternoon, rebel helicopters attacked Villamor Airbase, destroying presidential air assets. Another helicopter went to Malacañang, fired a rocket and caused minor damage. Later, most of the officers who had graduated from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) defected. The majority of the Armed Forces had already changed sides.

2000: Mount Mayon, one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines, erupted after lying dormant for eight months. The active volcano spewed lava, rocks, and ash repeatedly over the next three days. Volcanologists at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology have warned of the likely possibility of bigger eruptions in the near future, with the greatest effects on the southeast and southwest sectors of the volcano. The volcano has already hurled molten boulders and 3,000-meter columns of ash into the air forcing an evacuation of some 50,000 people in a eight-kilometer radius around the crater. Volcanic debris estimated at 60 million metric tons are now lodged into the volcano's gullies. Heavy rainfall could cause more calamity in the form of mudflows. This week's In the News takes a closer look at the volcanic activity at Mount Mayon.

Today in History : February 23rd

On this date in...

1947: Philippine President Manuel A. Roxas and Archbishop Michael O’Doherty formally agree to the government's acquisition of eight estates owned by the Church for the price of P5,630,000, such estates to be sold later in small lots and at reasonable prices to the tenants.

1986: Shortly after lunch, Enrile and Ramos decided to consolidate their positions. Enrile crossed EDSA from Camp Aguinaldo to Camp Crame amidst cheers from the crowd. In the mid-afternoon, Radio Veritas relayed reports of Marines massing near the camps in the east and tanks approaching from the north and south. A contingent of Marines with tanks and armored vans, led by Brigadier General Artemio Tadiar, was stopped along Ortigas Avenue, about two kilometers from the camps, by tens of thousands of people. Nuns holding rosaries knelt in front of the tanks and men and women linked arms together to block the troops. Tadiar asked the crowds to make a clearing for them, but they did not budge. In the end, the troops retreated with no shots fired. By evening, the standby transmitter of Radio Veritas failed. Shortly after midnight, the staff were able to go to another station to begin broadcasting from a secret location under the moniker "Radyo Bandido" (Bandit Radio). June Keithley, with Angelo Castro, was the radio broadcaster who continued Radio Veritas' program throughout the night and in the remaining days.

1995: UPOU was established by the UP Board of Regents through a board resolution during its 1084th meeting. The Board of Regents recognized the "perennial challenge of providing quality higher education to a growing population" in the Philippines. However, because of limited resources, the residential colleges cannot accept all students who apply for admission to UP and qualify.

Today in History : February 22nd

On this date in...

1942: World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders General Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines as American defenses collapses.

1971: Lea Salonga was born in Manila to Feliciano Salonga and Ligaya Imutan. She spent the first six years of her childhood in Angeles City, Pampanga before moving back to Manila. Lea is a Filipina singer and actress best known for her musical role in Miss Saigon, for which she won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, and Theatre World Awards, the first to win various international awards for a single role. She was the first Asian to play Eponine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway and was the singing voice of Princess Jasmine from Aladdin in 1992 and Mulan for Mulan and Mulan II in 1998 and in 2004, respectively.

1986: Start of the People Power Revolution in the Philippines. Filipinos launched the so-called People Power revolution that led to the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos. At about 15:00, Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile barricades himself together with some followers, many of them young colonels, in the Ministry of National Defense in Camp Aguinaldo. The Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Force of the Philippines, General Fidel Ramos, joins the forces of Enrile at about 17:00. The event is aired to the public at approximately 18:45. At 21:00, the archbishop of Manila, Jaime Cardinal Sin, through Radio Veritas gives support to the Enrile rebellion. Simultaneously, Agapito Aquino, the brother of the slain opposition leader, forms a people power group that barricades Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo, to protect the rebellious military from an attack by Marcos forces. The barricade begins with not more than 20 persons at about 21:30 but soon grows bigger and bigger.

1999: a fire broke outin the University of Bohol or UB. One half of the structures in the University were burned. The three-storey Founders' Hall was built six months after and another three-storey Achievers' Hall was completed one year after the fire.

Today in History : February 21st

On this date in...

1896: The Supreme Council of the revolutionary organization, Kataastaasang Kagalanggalang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK), holds elections for the various positions of secretary, warden, guard and patroller, writer or recorder, and assistant writers or recorders; the KKK was founded by Andres Bonifacio in 1892 with the aim of liberating the Philippines from the yoke of Spanish colonial rule, and within around six months after this meeting, the Revolution against colonial Spain will break out in Manila.

1960: Edgardo Migriño Chatto, nicknamed Edgar or Eddie, was born in Malate, Manila, Philippines. He is the son of the late Eladio Chatto and incumbent Balilihan, Bohol Mayor Victoria Migriño Chatto. Representative Edgardo Migriño Chatto, also known as Edgardo Chatto and Edgar Chatto, is a Filipino politician. A lawyer by profession, he is currently a member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. He is on his third (and by law final) term as representative of the first legislative district of Bohol, Philippines, being elected congressman in the 2001 elections.

1986: Millions of Filipinos started to gather in Ortigas Avenue intersection of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Metro Manila to overthrow their dictator of more than 20 years, Ferdinand Marcos, who had held power of the Philippines under martial law.

Today in History : February 16th

On this date in...

1945: United States troops land on the Bataan Peninsula, Philippines in the bid to recapture the former American colony during World War II; the Southeast Asian country, colonized by America at the turn of the 19th century, was invaded by Japan in 1941.

1986: Arturo Modesto Tolentino became the Vice President of the Philippines. His, however, was a short-lived tenure and without actual exercise of power and authority. The allegedly fraudulent outcome would eventually lead to the People Power Revolution which ousted Marcos and installed Aquino as president.

Today in History : February 14th

On this date in...

1935: Upsilon Phi Sigma (YΦΣ, commonly known as UPS) is Founded at the University of the Philippines Los Baños. UPS is a National Inter-University and Collegiate Fraternity and Sorority with 164 active chapters. It is one of the oldest fraternities and sororities in the Philippines.

1939: Philippine president Manuel L. Quezon proclaimed his social justice program before a gathering of farmers in front of the Municipal Government building of San Fernando.

1946: PAL resumed operations after a five-year hiatus with service to 15 domestic points with five Douglas DC-3s and a payroll of 108 names. Philippine Airlines returned to its original home, the Nielson Airport in Makati. The airport, heavily damaged during the war, was refurbished and modernized by PAL at a hefty cost of over one million pesos, quickly becoming the official port of entry for air
passengers into the Philippines.

The airport was operated by Manila International Air Terminal, Inc., a wholly-owned PAL subsidiary.

1952: Filipino revolutionary leader from Albay, Simeon A. Ola, dies at a ripe old age of 86; Ola was a fervent revolutionary leader who persisted in fighting despite the imperialists' superior firepower and combat training--thus inspiring more patriots to join his army during the Filipino-American War for several years

1970: John Carlos G. De los Reyes, better known as JC De los Reyes was born. JC is a councilor in Olongapo City, Philippines and standard-bearer of the Ang Kapatiran Party (AKP) in the 2010 Philippine presidential elections.

1986: Parties of the opposition, the UNIDO and LABAN, begin protest rallies against the election results as they are convinced that massive fraud has been committed. Corazon Aquino calls for a boycott of all establishments closely associated with the administration.

1998: President Fidel Ramos signed Republic Act No. 8526, converting the Municipality of Valenzuela under the administration of Mayor Bobbit L. Carlos into a highly urbanized city, making Valenzuela the 12th city in Metro Manila and the 83rd in the Philippines.

Today in History : February 7th

On this date in...

1980: Adrian Louis Alandy, better known as Luis Alandy was born in Manila, Philippines. Standing 5'8", and 150 lbs. has a 31-inch waistline and wears medium-sized shirt and size 9 shoes. Filipino actor and model.

1986: A presidential election is held with Corazon Aquino , the widow of the assassinated opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr, running against Marcos. Salvador Laurel is her candidate for Vice-President. During the official counting of votes, Marcos retains a lead. However, this lead lacks credibility as widespread cheating is reported. Marcos is not believed to be more popular with the Philippine electorate than Cory.

1990: General Alfredo M. Santos died. Alfred was Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in 1962 to 1965, making him the first four-star general of the Philippines' armed forces. Engineer turned soldier, General Alfredo M. Santos is one of the most notable "Freedom Fighters" of the Philippines with a heroic war record. His outstanding achievements proved his selfless dedication to the service of his country and people, thereby bringing distinct honor to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.