Today in History : March 31st

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1884: Birth of Teodoro M. Kalaw. Teodoro was one of the most outstanding trilingual writers and historians of the Philippines. He was born on March 31, 1884 in the town of Lipa, Batangas. He was first and foremost a bibliophile and he specialized in the collection of original documents, which became the basis for much of his historical research. He was a true Renaissance man, at various times he was a journalist, publisher, government bureacrat and elected public official. Died on December 4, 1940.

1899: As Malolos is occupied by American troops under General Arthur MacArthur, Aguinaldo’s government is transferred to Tarlac. --En route from San Fernando, Pampanga, to Calumpit, General Antonio Luna writes his will: 1st –I leave whatever I own to my mother. 2nd –Should I be liked, enshroud me in a Filipino flag with the same clothes in which I died and bury me in the ground. 3rd –I confess that I would die gladly for my country and for our independence, without however seeking death."

Today in History : March 28th

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1901: General Emilio Aguinaldo arrives in Manila on the Vicksburg from Palanan, Isabela, a prisoner of Colonel Frederick Funston.

1907: Governor James F. Smith certifies that since the publication of the Philippine Census in 1905 there have been no serious disturbances of the public order save those committed by outlaws and religious fanatics and that the great mass of the Filipinos have been “law-abiding, peaceful and loyal to the United States.” The President of the United States is then formally requested to authorize the Philippine Commission to call a general election to choose delegates to the Philippine Assembly.

1946: Manuel A. Roxas is reported to have declared in Cebu that there is danger of revolution after independence if the people’s faith in the government is undermined.

Today in History : March 25th

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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 24th

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1891: Birth of Mons. Gabriel M. Reyes. Gabriel is the Archbishop of Manila from 1949 to 1952. He entered St. Vicent Ferrer Seminary in Jaro, during the time of Bishop Frederick Rooker. He was ordained a priest on March 27, 1915. He established parochial schools and published the officer newspaper, Diaro-Kanbuhi Sar Banua. In 1920 he became Chancellor of Jaro, then vicar-general, later appointed the first Filipino Archbishop of Cebu in 1934. He was installed Archbishop of Manila on October 14, 1949, the first Filipino in the post. Died on October 10, 1952, in Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C.

1901: General Aguinaldo and his two fellow prisoners, Drs. Villa and Barcelona, try to persuade the Macabebe soldiers in charge of giving them food to join them in turning the tables on Funston, but some of the Macabebes refused to cooperate and the plot failed.

1920: Act No. 2922 of the Philippine Legislature (under the Jones Law) entitled “An Act granting a life pension to General Emilio Aguinaldo,” is approved.

1934:  The Tydings-McDuffie Act (officially the Philippine Independence Act; Public Law 73-127)  was approved. Provided for self-government of the Philippines and for Filipino independence (from the United States) after a period of ten years. World War II intervened, bringing the Japanese occupation between 1941 and 1945. In 1946, the Treaty of Manila (1946) between the governments of the U.S. and the Republic of the Philippines provided for the recognition of the independence of the Republic of the Philippines and the relinquishment of American sovereignty over the Philippine Islands.

2001: Roselle Ambubuyog, a blind young lady, tops 2001 Ateneo de Manila graduates as Summa Cum Laude and class valedictorian. Ambubuyog, blinded for 15 years, proven that physical disability is not a hindrance in excelling and in learning. Roselle is the first visually-impaired Filipina to become summa cum laude at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Today in History : March 23rd

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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

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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 21st

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1568: Rajah Tupas, of Cebu, is converted to the Catholic religion. At the age of 70, he is baptized by Father Diego Herrera, Augustinian, and receives the name of Felipe, in honor of King Philip II. Rajah Tupas was the Rajah (King) of Cebu in the Philippines. He was the son of Sri Parang the Limp, and the nephew of Rajah Humabon.

1901: The Department of Public Instruction, Department of Education,  is created. It proposes the establishment of public schools in every town in the islands, a normal school and a trade school at Manila, and an agricultural school.

1942: General Jonathan Wainwright takes over the command of the U.S. forces in the Philippines. Jonathan Mayhew "Skinny" Wainwright IV was a career American army officer and the commander of Allied forces in the Philippines at the time of their surrender to the Empire of Japan during World War II. Wainwright is a recipient of the Medal of Honor.

1946: After reviewing the decision of the military commission in Manila which sentenced Lieutenant-General Masaharu Homma to death by firing squad, General Douglas MacArthur orders Lieutenant –General W.D. Styer to carry out the verdict.

1958: General Aguinaldo, as guest of an American naval officer, rides a helicopter to witness “Operations Bulwark One,” a set of naval exercises by the combined U.S. and Philippine naval units off Corregidor.

Today in History : March 20th

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1596: Felipe II grants the city of Manila a second coat-of-arms. It is more to the liking of the Spaniards than the first.

1784: Governor Jose Basco y Vargas promulgates a decree prohibiting the seizure of farmers’ lands, carabaos, and farm implements by creditors, as well as the farmer’s arrest or imprisonment while planting or harvesting their crops.

1843: Birth of General Ambrosio Flores, who succeeded General Antonio Luna as Aguinaldo’s secretary of war and revolutionary general. Ambrosio died on June 24, 1912.

1896: Andres Bonifacio decrees that all town presidents of the Katipunan districts must hand in their collections to their respective provincial presidents who, in turn, must submit them to the supreme government of the Katipunan.

1899: General Emilio Aguinaldo and 25,000 well-armed troops digs in at Marilao. His desciplined soldiers keep an impressive line of defense that stretches all the way from Marilao to Malolos.

1900: General Manuel Tinio orders the killing of all officials who fail to report to the nearest guerrilla commander the movements and plans of the American troops. Manuel Tinio y Bundoc was the youngest General of the Philippine Revolutionary Army and in 1907, elected Governor of the Province of Nueva Ecija, Republic of the Philippines.

Today in History : March 11th

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1565: Miguel López de Legazpi reaches Camiguin from Limasawa. Legaspi, also known as El Adelantado (The Governor) and El Viejo (The Elder), was a Spanish conquistador who established one of the first European settlements in the East Indies and the Pacific Islands in 1565. After obtaining peace with various indigenous tribes, López de Legazpi made the Philippines the capital of the Spanish East Indies in 1571.

1576: Juan de Salcedo, “the Hernan Cortes of the Philippines,” dies at Vigan. Juan de Salcedo was a Spanish conquistador. He was born in Mexico in 1549 and he was the grandson of Miguel López de Legazpi and brother of Felipe de Salcedo. Salcedo was one of the soldiers who accompanied the Spanish colonization of the Philippines in 1565.

1876: A protocol signed by England and Germany recognizes Spanish rights to the Tawi-Tawi group and the chain of islands stretching from Sulu to Borneo.

1876: A Supreme Court is established in the City of Cebu. Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands.

1892: A royal decree is issued creating the Superior Normal School for Women Teachers in Manila under the direction of the Augustinians. University of Wisconsin–Superior is it's name today.

1898: General Emilio Aguinaldo appoints General Ambrosio Flores as quarter master for the armed forces of the Philippine Revolutionary government.

1899: Premier Mabini sends telegrams to the municipal and military chiefs of the provinces along the coasts instructing them to admit foreign merchant ships which might want to take loads of merchandise. --Desultory firing occurs at San Pedro Makati and caloocan. Filipinos are driven from a trench they have begun to construct. A War Department order withraws permission for families of officers and enlisted of officers and enlisted men to accompany troops to Manila.

1942: General Douglas MacArthur and his family leave Corregidor for Australia.

1945: Romblon and Zamboanga are occupied by the Americans in World War II.

1946: Col. Akira Nagahama, terror of Fort Santiago and head of the kempeitai during the latter part of the Japanese occupation, is found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging by the U.S. military tribunal.

1947: The Filipino people, headed by Manuel A. Roxas, ratifies the nation-wide plebiscite on the “Parity Amendment” to the Constitution. This gives the Americans and Filipinos equal rights in the exploitation of the natural resources of the Philippines.

1988: To counteract the threat of war in Mindanao, the government creates the Regional Consultative Commission. The commission is given the task to draft a charter for an autonomous region in Mindanao. The body is composed of 55 members, 27 from electoral districts in Mindanao and 28 others chosen by President Aquino. The secretariat is based in Zamboanga City.

Today in History : March 7th

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1793: The Conciliar Seminary of Naga, Diocese of Nueva Caceres, founded by Dominican Bishop Msgr. Domingo Collantes is inaugurated. In time, the Spanish city and the native village merged into one community and became popularly known as Nueva Cáceres, to distinguish it from its namesake in Spain. It had a city government as prescribed by Spanish law, with an ayuntamiento and cabildo of its own. At the beginning of the 17th century, there were only five other ciudades in the Philippines. Nueva Cáceres remained the capital of the Ambos Camarines provinces and later of the Camarines Sur province until the formal creation of the independent chartered city of Naga under the Philippine Republic.

1820: Spanish ports are opened to Philippine trade and commerce and Philippine goods are granted preferential entry for a period of ten years.

1852: Birth of Gregorio Sanciangco y Gozon, lawyer, writer, economist. Gregorio Gozon Sanciangco wrote “El Progreso De Filipinas” which advocated reforms in the political, administrative, agrarian, revenues, property, natural resources and urban development and taxation. Died on November 27, 1897.

1867: Birth of Tomas Remigio, Katipunan leader and revolutionary hero. Tomas Remigio a secretary of "Mayon" which was a branch of La Liga Filipina and used the pseudonym "Malingap". Died on August 1, 1916.

1898: The revolutionalists of Zambales besiege the cable station at Bolinao and seize the telegraphic line between that town and Manila. Filipino rebels attack Balincaguin, Pangasinan, and dislodge the Spanish defenders from their positions. The town of Anda, Pangasinan, also takes up arms and imprisons the Spanish curate.

1899: Apolinario Mabini writes Emilio Aguinaldo that Antonio Luna has submitted his irrevocable resignation as Chief of Operations. The Philippine Republic approves a “Provisional Law on the Judiciary” and a “Pension Law for War Widows, Orphans, and Disabled Officers.” The Twentieth regular Infantry takes part in an attack led by General Hale’s brigade, on several thousand Filipinos near the Pasig River. General Hale withdraws to the positions he occupied in the morning and the Filipinos follow in force, reoccupying lost ground.

1901: In Palanan, President Emilio Aguinaldo receives a letter from Mabini in Manila dated November 22, 1900, transmitting messages from US General Arthur MacArthur and J.F. Bell to the effect that independence cannot be granted, and that Aguinaldo should return to Manila and live in Malacañang Palace with MacArthur. Mabini asks Aguinaldo whether he should plead for independence or for autonomy, now that McKinley has been re-elected.

1947: Leaders of the Nacionalista Party, such as Camilo Osias, Jose P. Laurel, Tomas Confessor, Felicisimo Serrano, Salvador Araneta, campaign for the rejection of the Parity Amendment.