Today in History : February 19th

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 13th

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1565: López de Legazpi's troops arrived in the Philippines and landed in the shores of Cebu. After a brief struggle with hostile natives, they left the island in search of food, water, supplies and other resources.

1897: Patriotic Filipino journalist Isabelo de los Reyes, known for his stirring and pungent articles critical of the Spanish colonial friars, is jailed at the Bilibid Prison for supposed complicity in the Philippine Revolution that broke out in 1896; while in prison, he will write his Sensecional Memoria addressed to the Governor and wherein he points out that the friars are the ones responsible for sowing the seeds of discontent and revolution in the Philippines.

1917: Bagong Buhay Lodge was formally constituted and started to be referred as Lodge No. 17 under the unified Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands (fusion of the Filipino-dominated Grand Regional Lodge of the Philippines, and the American-dominated Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands, and other small jurisdictions) and became under the direct jurisdiction of American Masons with Bro. Emilio Basa as the Worshipful Master, Bro. Emilio Espinosa, and Bro. Ceferino Lorenzana as the Senior and Junior Warden, respectively.

1953: Enrico de Jesus Puno, better known as Rico J. Puno, was born. Rico Puno is a popular Filipino pop singing artist who is credited as a pioneer-promoter of original Filipino music. He started the trend of incorporating Tagalog lyrics in his rendition of the American song The Way We Were and other foreign songs. Also known as Rico J. and as The Total Entertainer, Puno is a singer who regularly infused his on-stage performance with comedy and jokes.