Today in History : February 28th

On this date in...

2007: A division of ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation launched myx North America on DirecTV channel 2067. myx North America is the only counterpart of myx Philippines, a popular music channel in the Philippines. ABS-CBN Global Ltd. It is also available on some cable systems such as Cox Communications. It is programmed and operated independently from its Philippine counterpart, catering to the Asian American youth community. After a competing channel, AZN Television, ceased operations in April 2008, myx became the only nationwide channel with a primary focus on Asian Americans in the U.S.

Today in History : February 27th

On this date in...

1870: Filipino patriot and revolutionary Daniel B. Maramba is born in Santa Barbara, Pangasinan; he was inducted into the secret revolutionary society Katipunan in 1893 and in 1897, began protecting his town from from the Katipongos, a group that masqueraded as Katipuneros and engaged in looting during the interim between the revolution of 1896 and its renewal in 1898.

1899: Pedro Tamesis Orata was born in Bangar, a remote sitio (section) of Barrio (village) Bactad, Urdaneta, in northern Pangasinan Province of the Philippines. Like many of their neighbors, both his father, Candido Arata, and his mother, Numeriana Tamesis, were immigrants from the arid, crowded Ilocos coast. He had a younger sister, Victoriana; an older and a younger brother both died young. Pedro Tamesis Orata is known as the "Father of Barangay High Schools." He made high school education accessible for Filipinos through his efforts in building public high schools in every barangay in the Philippines. In 1971, Orata received the Ramon Magsaysay Award.

2004: The PMMA formally laid the foundation for the construction of the PMMA Safety Training Center. This activity was considered a significant milestone as the PMMA enters into the modern era of maritime education and training. The following year, the upgrading project came into fruition with the delivery and installation of the full-mission Bridge and Engine Room simulator and other equipment manufactured by Rheinmetall Defence Electronics, and the delivery of the laboratory ship, RPLS Juan Luna, which is now berthed at the PMMA Safety Training Center’s own pier.

2004: The SuperFerry 14 bombing was an Islamic terrorist attack that resulted in the sinking of the ferry SuperFerry 14 and the deaths of 116 people in the Philippines' deadliest terrorist attack and the world's deadliest terrorist attack at sea.

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 20th

On this date in...

1862: Francisco Baltazar died. Balagtas is considered the equivalent of William Shakespeare and the "Prince of Tagalog Poets" for his impact on Filipino literature with Florante at Laura regarded as his defining work. In fact, he is so greatly revered in the Philippines that a tradition held for debating in extemporaneous verse is known as 'Balagtasan'.

1899: The town of Manduriao, Iloilo, in the Philippines falls to the colonizing American forces despite the valiant resistance of Ilongo soldiers under General Martin Delgado; following the occupation of Iloilo by the imperialist forces, Delgado as politico-military governor of the province and army's general-in-chief will engage in efforts aimed at harassing the invaders with the support of combatants and non-combatants alike.

1960: Pierre Patricio Farum y Castro was born in Dumalag, Capiz -- the second son of Emerson Patricio Bereber, a sugar technologist, and Teresita Farum Castro, a public school teacher. As a toddler, he moved with his family to a neighboring town, in Pilar, Capiz. He already took an interest in art at the tender age of five. Teachers discovered his talent during the second grade where he would win an on-the-spot art contest. Later in high school, he would win second place in another art contest sponsored by the Boy Scouts of the Philippines-Region VI. Pierre Patricio Farum is a self-taught Filipino artist

1963: Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation was established. It is located along Ortigas Avenue Extention, Cainta, Rizal, Philippines. The company is currently headed by Mr. Kengo Takase.

Today in History : February 19th

On this date in...

1888: Aurora Antonia Aragón de Quezon was born to Pedro Aragón and Zeneida Molina, in the town of Baler in Tayabas province. Aurora Antonia Aragón de Quezon , usually known simply as Aurora Quezon, and sometimes as Aurora Aragón-Quezon, was the wife of Philippine President Manuel Luis Quezon and the First Lady of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. Though she is recognized as the second First Lady of the Philippines, she was actually the first spouse of a Philippine president to be called as such, the honorific being unknown during the presidency of Emilio Aguinaldo, and thus not applied at that time to his wife Hilaria.

1898: Filipina revolutionary and patriot Delfina Herbosa marries fellow Katipunero Jose Salvador Natividad; she is the niece of national hero Jose Rizal and, together with her future revolutionary general husband, fought various battles against the Spaniards during the Philippine Revolution. Delfina Herbosa helped Marcela Mariño Agoncillo in making the filipino flag in hongkong.

2006: A massive rock slide-debris avalanche occurred in the Philippine province of Southern Leyte that caused widespread damage and loss of life. The deadly landslide followed a ten-day period of heavy rains and a minor earthquake of magnitude 2.6 on the Richter scale. The official death toll stands at 1,126.

Today in History : February 18th

On this date in...

1903: Tiburcio T. Hilario, patriot during the Philippine Revolution and the Filipino-American War, dies from scarlet fever, a rare disease in the Southeast Asian country; elected revolutionary governor of his province and known as the "Brains of the Revolution in Pampanga," Hilario is a cousin of the "Great Propagandist," Marcelo H. del Pilar.

1912: Concepcion Cuenco Manguerra was born on February 18, 1912 in Cebu City, Philippines, the fourth child of Mariano Jesus Cuenco and Filomena Alesna Cuenco. The Cuenco family is a well-known political family in Cebu, Philippines. Since the 1800s, the Cuenco name has been part the colorful history and lore of this island in Southern Philippines. Members of the Cuenco family have been involved in Philippine politics, literature, journalism, as well as the Catholic religion.

1962: Pedro Adigue, Jr became a professional boxer. Adigue was a world champion boxer from the small town of Bontod in Palanas, Masbate, the Philippines. After 14 bouts (11 wins, 1 loss and 2 draws), he fought Carl Peñalosa for the Philippine lightweight title but lost on points.

1981: Pope John Paul II beatified Lorenzo Ruiz on February 18, 1981, in the first beatification to occur outside of the Vatican. Lorenzo Ruiz was canonized on October 18, 1987, and was the first Filipino saint. St. Lorenzo Ruiz was the son of a Chinese father and Filipina mother; both were Catholic.

Today in History : February 17th

On this date in...

1905: While the Philippines was under American colonial rule, an officer's school of the Philippine Constabulary was established at the Walled City of Intramuros in Manila on February 17, 1905.

1945: The eastern side of the Spanish wall of Intramuros in Manila, Philippines is bombed as the American forces continue to take over the Japanese positions in the Battle for Manila during World War II; the battle will end by March 3, with the American forces routing the Japanese and reclaiming the capital city of its Southeast Asian colony.

1985: Anne Ojales Curtis-Smith, also known as Anne Curtis was born in Yarrawonga, Victoria, Australia. Anne Curtis is the eldest daughter of Carmen Ojales, a Filipina and James Curtis-Smith, an Australian lawyer. She has 2 siblings, a sister (Jasmine) and a brother (Thomas), who are currently living in Australia with her mother. At age 13, they had their vacation in the Philippines but it later became permanent through Anne's discovery by a talent manager while eating at a fast food chain with her dad and her mom in 1997. Anne is a Filipino-Australian actress, model, television host, and VJ.

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 15th

On this date in...

1872: The "GOMBURZA" Filipino priest-martyrs are tried by the colonial Spanish military tribunal at the Fort Santiago on charges of instigating the Cavite Mutiny; Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Apolonio Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, who have advocated the secularization of the clergy in the Philippines, will be found guilty and sentenced to death.

1954: During World War II, Headquarters Squadron 11 participated in campaigns in the Solomon Islands, New Britain, Peleliu, Central Pacific, and Philippines Islands campaign. On February 15, 1954, Headquarters and Service Battalion 11 was redesignated Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron 11 (H&MS-11).

1998: During the American occupation of the Philippines, Parañaque became one of the first municipalities in the Metro Manila region. It was converted into a chartered city.

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.