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 19th

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1731: Birth of Gabriela Silang, heroine of the Ilocos Revolt, wife of Diego Silang in Caniogan, Ilocos Sur. María Josefa Gabriela Cariño Silang or simply known sa Gabriela Silang was the first Filipino woman to lead a revolt during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. An active member of the insurgent force of Diego Silang, her husband, she led the group for four months after his death before she was captured and executed.

1946: Catanduanes, formerly a part of Albay, is inaugurated as a separate province by virtue of Act. No. 687. Catanduanes is located in the Bicol Region in Luzon. Catanduanes' capital is Virac and the province lies to the east of Camarines Sur across Maqueda Channel. As of 2007, the population of the province is 232,757.

Today in History : March 18th

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1945: Panay is invaded by the American forces. Panay is located in the western part of the Visayas. Politically, it is divided into five provinces: Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, and Guimaras, all in the Western Visayas Region. It is located southeast of the island of Mindoro and northwest of Negros, separated by the Guimaras Strait. Between Negros and Panay Islands lie the island-province of Guimaras. To the north is the Sibuyan Sea and the islands of Romblon; to the southwest is the Sulu Sea and the Panay Gulf.

1957: Vice-President Carlos P. Garcia is sworn in as President of the Philippines. Incumbent President Carlos P. Garcia won his opportunity to get a full term as President after the untimely death of Ramon Magsaysay in a plane crash. His running mate, Senator Jose Laurel, Jr. lost to Pampanga Representative Diosdado Macapagal. This was the first time in Philippine electoral history where a president was elected by a plurality and not majority, and in which the president and vice president came from different parties.