Today in Philippine History, July 21, 1871, Praxedes Julia Fernandez was born in Sta. Cruz, Manila
On July 21, 1871, Praxedes Julia Fernandez, the so-called
singing sweetheart of Manila, a performer who is considered Queen of
Philippine Drama, was born in Sta. Cruz, Manila. She was one of the
three children of Mariano Fernandez and Josefa Quizon.
(Praxedes Julia Fernandez on her wedding day)
Yeyeng as she was popularly known, was one of the founders of Fersuta
company, the name framed from the names of the principal lady players, Fernandez, Suzara,and Tagorona. Her group presented many benefit shows for the widows and orphans of the soldiers of the Spanish army.
On September 30, 1891, in grateful acknowledgement of Miss Fernandez's
performances for charity, the Spanish army honored her with a gala
affair. As a memento of the occasion, she was presented with a silver
crown.
Yeyeng ended her stage career with a farewell presentation of the opera La Viuda Alegre at the Manila Grand Opera House on November 14, 1911.
On August 18, 1892, she was married to Ricardo Penalos Pastor, a professor in the Escuela de Artes y Oficios in Iloilo. Their marriage was not blessed with any children.
Today in Philippine History, July 20, 1826, Margarita Roxas de Ayala was born in San Miguel, Manila
On July 20, 1826, Margarita Roxas de Ayala, one of the Philippines' greatest businesswomen, and founder of La Concordia College, was born in San Miguel, Manila.
(Margarita Roxas de Ayala)
She was the eldest child of Domingo Roxas founder of Casa Roxas, and
Maria Saturnina Ubaldo, a Spaniard. During her early life she suffered
great indignity and injustice when her father was incarcerated three
times. The Spanish colonial authorities suspected that her father was a
sympathizer of the Filipino cause.
Don Domingo one of the earliest industrialists of the Philippines, was
an advocate for liberal reforms. He died in prison in 1843.
Assuming control of her father's company, Margarita acquired her vast
wealth as she diversified into real estate, mining, and alcohol
production.
She was married to her father's partner Don Antonio de Ayala, a
Spaniard from the Basque region of Alava de Ayala, Spain. Don Antonio
de Ayala was one of the first directors of Banco Español-Filipino de
Isabel II currently known as Bank of the Philippine Islands.
Margarita Roxas de Ayala became the foremost philanthropist of her
time, donating her own summer residence called La Concordia in Santa
Ana, Manila in 1868 to the Colegio de la Concordia which survives to
this day as La Concordia College.
The school upon her instruction was staffed by a Spanish order of nuns,
the Sisters of Charity, and dedicated to educating and giving
scholarships to marginalized women.
She died on November 1, 1869 at age 43 leaving Don Antonio to run the
company until his death in 1876.
They had three daughters. The first daughter Carmen Roxas de Ayala would
marry her cousin Don Pedro Pablo Roxas and their daughter Margarita
Roxas de Ayala y Roxas would later marry Eduardo Soriano. They would
become the parents of San Miguel Corporation industrialist Andres
Soriano.
References:
Philippines News Agency
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
"The United States conquered the moon but the Philippines has conquered the Universe."
Ms. Gloria Diaz won Miss Universe pageant on July 19, 1969, held in
Miami Beach, Florida, the same day the first man, astronaut Neil
Armstrong, landed on the moon.
Díaz was 18 when she was crowned Miss Universe after outshining and
outsmarting other candidates on the question on how to welcome the first
men that had just landed on the moon, Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin and
Michael Collins, as soon as they return to planet Earth.
The final question was:
"If the man from the moon should come down to earth and visit your hometown, what would you do to entertain him?"
Gloria’s winning answer was:
"Why, I guess I would do for him what I always do. Since he has been on the moon for so long, he would want a change."
Today in Philippine history, July 18, 1886, Federico
B. Sarabia, the first optometrist in the country, was born in Kalibo,
Aklan
On July 18, 1886, Federico B. Sarabia was born to Benigno Sarabia
and Inocenta Jimenez in Kalibo, Aklan. He was the first optometrist in
the country being the holder of Professional Regulatory Commission of
Optometry Certificate No. 1 issued in 1905.
(Dr. Federico B. Sarabia)
After graduating in Doctor of Optometry in 1905 from the University of
Northern Illinois College of Optometry, he had a brief practice of
optometry at Eye Infirmary in New York City. Then he returned to the
Philippines and established a clinic in Iloilo. He would later move to
Escolta and establish his clinic there, marking the first Sarabia
Optical in Manila.
This became the first of his chain of 38 clinics now dotting the
different cities in the entire country among them Metro Manila, Iloilo,
Bacolod, Davao, Cebu, Dumaguete,Roxas and Iligan.
Sarabia Optical is the biggest and most modern optical firm in the country today.
Among his early prominent clients at the Escolta clinic were Presidents
Manuel L. Quezon, Sergio Osmeña, Manuel Roxas, and Elpidio Quirino and Doña Trinidad Rizal
- sister of Dr. Jose Rizal. Doña Trinidad's glasses can be found in
Fort Santiago as part of the Rizal Memorabilia, and are labeled
"anteojos de Federico Sarabia."
(The Sabaria Opitical in Escolta Manila)
In 1928, President Quezon appointed Dr. Sarabia as Chairman of the Board
of Examiners in Optometry. Dr. Sarabia also became the first President
of the Philippine College of Optometry.
Aside from Sarabia Optical, Dr. Sarabia also founded Aklan Academy in
Kalibo, Aklan and had organized the First National Congress of Coconut
Planters in the 1930's.
Today, Sarabia Optical has grown into a trusted and recognized retail
clinic operation. Although Dr. Federico Sarabia passed away on September
14, 1954, his legacy lives on. Five of his children have followed his
path as eye care professionals. Four of them are optometrists and one is
an ophthalmologist.
Source:
Dr. Federico B. Sarabia, Atty. Rex S. Salvilla, News Today, July 24, 2006
Today in Philippine History, July 17, 1948,
President Quirino signed RA No. 333 making Quezon City the capital of
the Philippines
On July 17, 1948, President Elpidio Quirino signed Republic Act No. 333
making Quezon City the capital of the Philippines. RA 333 also
redefined the Caloocan-Quezon City boundary and specified the city's
area to be 156.60 square kilometers.
(President Elpidio Quirino delivers his 2nd State of the Nation Address
from his hospital bed in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, January 23, 1950.)
Baesa, Talipapa, San Bartolome, Pasong Tamo, Novaliches Poblacion,
Banlat, Kabuyao, Pugad Lawin, Bagbag, Pasong Putik which formerly
belonged to Novaliches and had an area of about 8,100 hectares, were
taken from Caloocan and ceded to Quezon City.
On June 16, 1950, the Quezon City Charter was revised by Republic Act No. 537, changing the city's boundaries to an area of 153.59 square kilometers.
Exactly six years after on June 16, 1956, more revisions to the city's
land area were made by Republic Act No. 1575, which defined its area as
151.06 km2 (58 sq mi).
On November 7, 1975 the promulgation of Presidential Decree No. 824 of President Ferdinand Marcos established Metro Manila.
Quezon City became one of Metro Manila's 17 cities and municipalities.
On February 23, 1998, Republic Act. No. 8535 was signed by President
Fidel V. Ramos. The Act provided for the creation of the City of
Novaliches comprising the 15 northernmost barangays of Quezon city.
However, in the succeeding plebiscite on October 23, 1999, an
overwhelming majority of Quezon City residents rejected the secession of
Novaliches.
Quezon City is the first local government in the Philippines with a computerized real estate assessment and payment system.
Cosmic cliffs & a sea of stars. The James Webb Space Telescope reveals baby stars in the Carina Nebula, where ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds shape colossal walls of dust and gas.
This landscape of “mountains” and “valleys” speckled with glittering stars is actually the edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula. Captured in infrared light by NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope, this image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth.
Called the Cosmic Cliffs, Webb’s seemingly three-dimensional picture looks like craggy mountains on a moonlit evening. In reality, it is the edge of the giant, gaseous cavity within NGC 3324, and the tallest “peaks” in this image are about 7 light-years high. The cavernous area has been carved from the nebula by the intense ultraviolet radiation and stellar winds from extremely massive, hot, young stars located in the center of the bubble, above the area shown in this image.
On This Day - July 16, 1844 - Narciso Claveria y Zaldua, a native of Gerona of Biscayan origin, became Governor-general of the Philippines
On July 16, 1844 Narciso
Claveria y Zaldua, a native of Gerona of Biscayan
origin, became Governor-general. His term was marked
with several reforms and accomplishments.
He corrected the calendar of the Philippine in 1844, established
military library in February 15, 1846, the first steam war vessels was
brought to the Philippines from London in 1848. It was also during his
term when the Manila paper La Esperanza ( December 1, 1846) and Diario de Manila (1848) were printed. Claveria also founded a casino called Sociedad de Recreo in October 31, 1844.
Regular clergy were forbidden to alienate property on November 11, 1849.
Most notably, surnames were given to native Filipinos on November 21,
1849 (some accounts say November 11, 1849) during his term.
Claveria returned to Spain and was succeeded by Antonio Maria Blanco who served on a temporary capacity.
Reference:
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803, Volume 1, number 17, Blair, Emma Helen, ed. d.1911.
On
July 15, 1903, Simeon Ola surprise the 31st Philippine Scout Garrison
under the command of Sergeant Nicolas Napoli in Joveliar, Albay.
The
persistent effort of the peace panel and his battle weary men made Ola
realized that he could never win the war. He became open to the
agreement set by Colonel Harry H. Bandholtz, the Assistant Commander of
the Constabulary in Lucena, Tayabas, for his surrender. The agreement
included general amnesty, fair treatment and justice to his comrades in
arms. On September 25, 1903, the negotiating panel composed of Ramon
Santos, Eligio Arboleda, Epifanio Orozco, Frank L. Pyle, John Paegelow,
J.B. Allison and Joseph Rogers went to his camp in Malagnaton, Mapaco,
Guinobatan. Eventually, Ola surrendered to Governor Bette and Colonel
Bandholtz.
Charged
with sedition, Judges Adam Carson and James Blount presided over his
case. He was sentenced of 30 years imprisonment on November 10. 1903.
Fortunately, he was granted executive clemency so he was released from
prison on October 8, 1904.
In
1910, he entered politics and won as town mayor of Guinobatan, which he
served until 1913. He was again elected to the same position in 1916.
He served the term until 1919.
Simeon Ola died on February 14, 1952 and was interred at the Roman Catholic Cemetery of Guinobatan.
References: (All via the National Historical Commission of the Philippines)
Agoncillo, Teodoro A. History of the Filipino People. 8th ed. Quezon City: Garotech, 1990.
Eminent Filipinos. Manila: National Historical Commission, 1970.
Quirino, Carlos. Who’s who in Philippine History. Manila: Tahanan Books, 1995.
On July 15, 1903, Simeon Ola surprise the 31st Philippine Scout Garrison under the command of Sergeant Nicolas Napoli in Joveliar, Albay.
The persistent effort of the peace panel and his battle weary men made Ola realized that he could never win the war. He became open to the agreement set by Colonel Harry H. Bandholtz, the Assistant Commander of the Constabulary in Lucena, Tayabas, for his surrender. The agreement included general amnesty, fair treatment and justice to his comrades in arms. On September 25, 1903, the negotiating panel composed of Ramon Santos, Eligio Arboleda, Epifanio Orozco, Frank L. Pyle, John Paegelow, J.B. Allison and Joseph Rogers went to his camp in Malagnaton, Mapaco, Guinobatan. Eventually, Ola surrendered to Governor Bette and Colonel Bandholtz.
Charged with sedition, Judges Adam Carson and James Blount presided over his case. He was sentenced of 30 years imprisonment on November 10. 1903. Fortunately, he was granted executive clemency so he was released from prison on October 8, 1904.
In 1910, he entered politics and won as town mayor of Guinobatan, which he served until 1913. He was again elected to the same position in 1916. He served the term until 1919.
Simeon Ola died on February 14, 1952 and was interred at the Roman Catholic Cemetery of Guinobatan.
References: (All via the National Historical Commission of the Philippines)
Agoncillo, Teodoro A. History of the Filipino People. 8th ed. Quezon City: Garotech, 1990.
Eminent Filipinos. Manila: National Historical Commission, 1970.
Quirino, Carlos. Who’s who in Philippine History. Manila: Tahanan Books, 1995.
On July 14, 1906, General Macario Sakay surrendered to the United States. He would be among the last of the Filipino generals fighting since the Philippine Revolution to lay down their arms. The Tondo-born revolutionary entered various jobs in his early years, including being a barber, a tailor, a kalesa (cart) manufacturing apprentice, and even a stage actor. He joined the Katipunan in 1894 with the codename Tagausig (Prosecutor).
Organizing for the Revolution in the Manila area, he would later be imprisoned by the time of the Filipino-American War. During the advent of American rule in the Philippines, Sakay was granted amnesty and became a founding member of the Partido Nacionalista in 1901, which campaigned for Philippine independence through legal means. The 1901 Sedition Law (Act No. 292), however, prohibited advocating for independence, whether through "peaceable or forcible means." Disenchanted with the new setup provided by the United States, Sakay took up arms once more, assuming the presidency of the Republika ng Katagalugan (Tagalog Republic) in May 1902.
Establishing his center of operations in Morong (now Rizal Province, Dimasalang in Sakay's documents), Sakay organized his forces and awarded ranks to integrees who would be able to contribute weapons to the republic. It was also by this time when Sakay decided to keep his hair long, which became an iconic theme for the revolutionary leader. It was said that Sakay was once ambushed while taking a bath. While he survived the incident, he was convinced that personal care would be detrimental to the cause of attaining freedom. He would maintain a long hair until his death. The American government, meanwhile, took every opportunity to put Sakay in bad light, designating him as a bandit, among others.
In 1905, union leader Dominador Gomez was tasked to negotiate with Sakay in exchange for his freedom. Gomez's organization, the Union Obrera Democratica Filipina (UOD), was known to have conducted the first May Day commemoration in the Philippines for labor. The union, however, was also accused of supporting Sakay's activities, leading to arrests which forced members to dissolve the union.
Upon meeting with Sakay, Gomez argued that continued resistance was blocking the way towards the creation of a Filipino national assembly, the next legal step towards independence. Persuaded that a constitutional means was now available for Filipinos, Sakay agreed to end his struggle on the condition that amnesty was granted for all of his troops. Warm reception for Sakay in Manila, however, proved to be a conveniently concealed trap.
On July 17 of the same year (1906), a party supposedly hosted by Cavite Governor Louis J. Van Shaick (a Medal of Honor recipient) led to the disarming and the arrest of Sakay and the revolutionary leaders with him. While the Philippine Assembly was indeed organized and inaugurated in 1907, as provided for by the Philippine Organic Act, Sakay would have no opportunity to participate in the new body.
On September 13, 1907, Sakay was executed by American authorities. His recorded last words would be as follows: "Death comes to all of us sooner or later, so I will face the LORD Almighty calmly. But I want to tell you that we are not bandits and robbers, as the Americans have accused us, but members of the revolutionary force that defended our mother country, the Philippines! Farewell! Long live the Republic and may our independence be born in the future! Long live the Philippines!"
On July 13, 1905, General Alfredo M. Santos was born in Manila. Regarded as the first Filipino to achieve the rank of four star general under the modern organization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Santos took a bachelor's degree in engineering at Mapúa University and served as corps commander at the University of the Philippines Reserve Officers' Training Corps (UP ROTC). This background also made Santos the first UP Vanguard to become Chief of Staff of the AFP.
In 1936, he entered the armed forces as a probationary lieutenant. During the Second World War, Santos became part of the guerrilla group Filipino-American Irregular Troops (FAIT) after the defeat of Allied forces in Bataan.
After the war, Santos was sent to study in the United States. Upon his return, he was given the command of the 15th Battalion Combat Team (BCT) and attached units forming the Panay Task Force. Among the highlights of their campaign, codenamed "Operation Knockout", was the capture of Guillermo Capadocia, founding member of the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP-1930) and later Commander of the Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan (HMB) Regional Command No. 6 in the Visayas. Although Capadocia was able to escape, he would lose his life during the chase.
Also killed at this time would be Paterno Patrimonio (Kulafu), while other leaders such as Teodoro Tejada (Paking) and Simplicio Casas (Stalin) were captured and sentenced. This hastened the collapse of the HMB rebellion in Panay Island. In recognition of his military feats, President Ramon Magsaysay would thereafter confer Santos the rank of brigadier general in 1954. In the same year, Magsaysay appointed Jesus Vargas as the first three star general (lieutenant general) of the modern AFP, although it was a temporary rank.
On September 1, 1962, President Diosdado Macapagal appointed Santos as Chief of Staff, and granted him the rank of four star general. After his tenure, the United States government awarded him the Legion of Merit in December 1965 for his service during the Vietnam War. To recall, the first Filipino contingent (PHILCONV) for the aid of Vietnam was sent August 1964.
On This Day - July 12, 1980, President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. signed Executive Order No. 603, s. 1980 to create the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA). The EO empowered the Authority to acquire foreign loans not exceeding USD 300 million (equivalent to PHP 2.33 billion in 1980 rates), exclusive of interest, to pursue its purposes.
Initial assistance to start the LRT project was provided for by the Belgian government (PHP 300 million) and a Belgian consortium (PHP 700 million) composed of ACEC (Ateliers de Constructions Electriques de Charleroi), BN (Constructions Ferroviaires et Metalliques, formerly Brugeoise et Nivelles), TEI (Tractionnel Engineering International) and TC (Transurb Consult). Construction began by October 1981, with the first half of what is now LRT Line 1 opening on December 1, 1984. This first half ran between Central and Baclaran. By the time the Marcos administration ended in 1986, the line operated between Monumento in the north and Baclaran in the south. The architectural design of the LRT Line 1 stations, which resembled the Filipino bahay kubo (nipa hut), was attributed to the National Artist Francisco "Bobby" Mañosa.
Of the five proposed light rail lines outlined in the 1977 World Bank-sponsored Metro Manila Transport and Land Use Plan (MMETROPLAN), only the LRT Line 1 had been realized, and was the only operating light rail system in the Philippines until the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 was opened in 1999, during the administration of President Joseph Estrada.
This would be followed by the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 2, which was opened in 2003, during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. When the eastern extension of LRT Line 2 to Rizal began operations in July 2021, it became the first light rail system to serve passengers outside Metro Manila.
Meanwhile, there would be no extension to LRT Line 1 until the Balintawak and Roosevelt stations further north were completed in 2010. The LRT Line 1 southern extension to Cavite remains unfinished. The Cavite extension is expected to be fully operational by 2027.
In September 2015, the maintenance and operations of LRT Line 1 were transferred from the Light Rail Transit Authority - LRT2 to the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC). Since starting rail operations in 1984, the LRTA has claimed to have served over 5.6 billion passengers during its lifetime as of 2022.
Today in Philippine history, July 11, 1860, Pío del Pilar, a revolutionary general was born in Culi-culi, San Pedro de Macati
On July 11, 1860, Pío del Pilar was born Pío Isidro y Castañeda
in Barrio Culi-culi (present day Pio del Pilar), San Pedro de Macati
(now Makati City) to Isaac del Pilar, a farmer from Pasay, and Antonia
Castaňeda, an embroider from Mandaluyong.
(General Pio del Pilar)
As a child, his parents had him study for two years in the school of
Pascual Rodriguez, and for four months under Ramon Renaldo, until he was
forced to stop to work in the family farm. Typical of other Filipinos
at the time, del Pilar knew little or no Spanish, but was fluent in
Tagalog.
Pio married his childhood friend, Juliana Valeriano, at the age of 17,
the same year he was forcibly conscripted into the Spanish army. He was
assigned in Mindanao for a year but was cut to four months by the
intervention of a family friend. To avoid further grief from the
Spaniards, his father changed the family name to del Pilar, an unwise
choice since that name would soon sow trouble from the famous dissident Marcelo H. del Pilar and General Gregorio del Pilar.
In 1890, del Pilar was appointed cabeza de barangay and later on, became
teniente del barrio in Makati. During this time, he had a chance
meeting with Jose Rizal, and was inspired to distribute copies of his
novel, Noli Me Tangere.
In May 1896, he joined the Katipunan and formed a chapter called
Matagumpay, taking the symbolic name Pang-una. His chapter also adopted a
flag, a white triangle with a K at each corner, at the hoist of a red
field, in the center of which was a mountain with a rising sun on it.
This flag was known as the Bandila ng Matagumpay (Flag of the
Triumphant) and was del Pilar's personal standard during the revolution.
At the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution, del Pilar was arrested by
Spanish authorities for suspected membership in the Katipunan. Although
tortured, he did not reveal any secrets about the Katipunan until he was
released.
Del Pilar participated in his first battle in Mandaluyong on August 29,
1896. He also led a group of rebels in the Battle of Binakayan on
November 9, 1896, capturing the town from Spanish authorities.
On February 16, 1897, bearing the rank of colonel, del Pilar defended
Bacoor and Las Piñas. Subsequently, he was promoted to
brigadier-general.
(Flag of Pio del Pilar)
Del Pilar was present in the Tejeros Convention on March 22, 1897, which
marked the split between the Magdiwang and Magdalo factions of the
Katipunan. Because of the events of the Convention, he aligned himself
with Bonifacio, eventually signing the Naic Military Agreement declaring
the results of the convention to be null and void. In time, however,
he switched sides, aligning himself with the Magdalo faction and
becoming one of Emilio Aguinaldo's trusted generals. It was del Pilar
along with General Mariano Noriel, that advised Aguinaldo to change the
commutation (banishment) to execution of Andres and Procopio Bonifacio.
In September 1898, the Philippine Republic moved its headquarters to
Malolos, inaugurated its congress and republican government under a
Constitution. It also made General Pio del Pilar a member, the only
former farmboy among the ilustrados, scientists, scholars, land-owners.
He was the only representative of the emerging "masa."
After February 4, 1899 when the first battle of the Filipino-American
War broke out, Pio and his men were considered by the Americans as "the
most arrogant and the most hated." Pio was everywhere; skirmishes
flared at Manila, at Bulacan, Morong, Antipolo, Malapad na Bato (Fort
Bonifacio City) at Guadalupe in Makati, Pasig, Pateros, Cainta, and
Bulacan.
His last battle with the Americans was in the town of Morong. He fought bravely but he and his men were defeated and captured.
Del Pilar was exiled to Guam along with Apolinario Mabini, Artemio Ricarte, and other Filipino patriots.
He returned to the Philippines after Governor William Howard Taft extended pardons to the revolutionaries.
He continued to fight for the cause of the Filipino people by supporting
the Jones Bill for Filipinos' preparation for self governance.
He died on June 21, 1931 due to lingering illness.
Source:
Pio del Pilar, Wikipedia
Makati's hero, Arts and Culture, Carmen Guerrero Nakpil, Philstar Global, November 9, 2009
Today in Philippine History, July 10, 1934, the Filipino voters elected delegates to a constitutional convention
On July 10, 1934, the Filipino voters elected 202 delegates to a constitutional convention which drafted the Philippine Constitution of 1935.
(The opening of the Constitutional Convention in the House session hall of the Legislative Building in 1934.)
Headed by Claro M. Recto, the Constitutional Convention of 1934 was
responsible for framing the 1935 Commonwealth Constitution which was
approved by the United States on March 23, 1935.
The so-called "Seven Wise Men" -- Filemon Sotto, chairman, and Norberto
Romualdez, Manuel Roxas, Vicente Singson Encarnacion, Manuel C. Briones,
Miguel Cuaderno, and Conrado Benitez (who replaced Jose P. Laurel) --
prepared the draft of the Constitution.
The 1935 Constitution provided for unicameral National Assembly and the
President was elected to a six-year term without re-election.
The Constitution was amended in 1940 to have a bicameral Congress
composed of a Senate and House of Representatives, as well the creation
of an independent electoral commission. The amendment also granted the
President a four-year term with a maximum of two consecutive terms in
office.
Today in Philippine History, July 9, 1985, Arturo Alcaraz won the IBM Science and Technology Award
On July 9, 1985, Arturo Pineda Alcaraz, a volcanologist and acknowledged “father of geothermal energy” won the IBM Science and
Technology Award.
(Arturo Pineda Alcaraz)
Alcaraz, who earned his Masters of Science degree in Geology at the
University of Wisconsin in the United States as a government scholar,
pioneered in generating electricity by means of geothermal steam among
areas proximate to volcanoes.
With a vast and extensive knowledge on volcanoes in the Philippines,
Alcaraz explored the possibility of harnessing geothermal steam to
produce
energy. He succeeded in 1967 when the country's first geothermal plant
produced much needed electricity, ushering the era of geothermal-based
energy to power up homes and industries.
In 1951 when the Commission on Volcanology was officially created under
the National Research Council, Alcaraz was appointed Chief
Volcanologist, a post he held until 1974.
Along with his colleagues, he was able to set up a working model in
Tiwi, Albay. He was also able to prove that energy can be generated by
geothermal energy.
A steam from a one inch hole drilled 400 feet to the ground powered a
turbo generator which lighted up a light bulb. It was a milestone in the
Philippines' quest for energy self-sufficiency. Thus, Alcaraz carved his
name in the global field of Geothermal Energy and Mining.
Alcaraz was the 1982 Ramon Magsaysay Award recipient for government
service for his scientific insight and selfless perseverance in guiding
Filipinos to understand and use one of their greatest natural resources.
Reference:
Philippine News Agency archives
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation
Today in Philippine history, July 8, 1929, Dwight F. Davis became the 9th American Governor-General of the Philippines
(Governor-General Dwight Filley Davis)
On July 8, 1929, Dwight Filley Davis arrived in Manila to assume
the post of Governor-General of the Philippines. He was appointed by
U.S. President Herbert Hoover to succeed Henry L. Stimson. He was
accompanied by his daughter, Alice, in the place of her mother who was
unable to accompany him for reasons of health.
In his inaugural address, on the day of his arrival, Davis stated that
"close, cordial, and constructive cooperation under the Jones Law" will
be the keynote of his administration. He stated that "towards the
Philippine people, the people of the United States have but one desire -
to extend to them their friendly aid in the solution of the problems of
the future."
His appointment has on the whole been well received both in the
Philippines and in the United States, although there was an
understandable regret in many quarters that the appointment did not go
to Acting Governor-General Eugene A. Gilmore, whose long, faithful, and
able service in the Philippines fairly entitled him to the position.
Davis conducted one of the most extensive reconstructions of Malacañang
Palace, essentially transforming it from a wooden Spanish-era colonial
house, to a 1930s era large concrete mansion.
He resigned on January 9, 1932 for personal and family reasons.
In connection with the Davis' resignation, U.S. President Hoover stated:
"Governor General Davis accepted the appointment to the Philippine
Islands at great personal sacrifice. His resignation is based upon
personal and family reasons, the force of which must, I feel, receive
every consideration, particularly in view of the very generous
sacrifices which he has already made in consenting to remain in the
Philippine Islands much longer than his personal interests warranted. I
have accepted his resignation with the greatest reluctance. His
administration of the affairs of the Philippine Islands has been
eminently able and successful and constitutes a fitting continuation of
the distinguished service he previously rendered as Secretary of War.
The 2 years during which he served in the Philippine Islands have been
marked by exceptionally cordial and satisfactory relations between the
American chief executive and the legislative and other local
authorities. Governor General Davis relinquishes office with the deep
regret of all concerned, and with a further claim upon the gratitude and
affection of both the American and Filipino people."
Davis was born in St. Louis, Missouri on July 5, 1879, a Baptist,
married with four children, Harvard graduate, lawyer, athlete, decorated
for heroism during World War I, and Secretary of War in the Coolidge
Cabinet.
He is best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup international tennis competition.
He died in Washington, D.C. on November 28, 1945, and was buried in the Arlington National Cemetery.
Sources:
Philippine Magazine, Volume 26, Number 1, August 1929
Herbert Hoover - Statements on the Governor Generalship of the Philippines, (http://goo.gl/qczqXp)
Presidential Museum and Library of the Philippines
On This Day - July 7, 1892, the
deportation of Dr. Jose Rizal to Dapitan was made public; the Katipunan
was founded
On July 7, 1892, Governor-General Eulogio Despujol made
public the order of the deportation of Dr. Jose Rizal to Dapitan,
through a decree published in the Gaceta, to the remote town in
Zamboanga.
Rizal lived in exile in far-away Dapitan from 1892 to 1896. Under the
missionary jurisdiction of the Jesuits, he practiced medicine, pursued
scientific studies, continued his artistic and literary works, widened
his knowledge of languages, established a school for boys, promoted
community development projects, invented a wooden machine for making
bricks, and engaged in farming and commerce.
Meanwhile, on this day, in Tondo, Manila, a group of Filipino patriots,
led by Andres Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata, Ladislao Diwa, and Deodato
Arellano, among others, formally founded the Katipunan (Kataas-taasang, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mgá Anak ng Bayan), an anti-Spanish society with the goal of gaining Philippine independence.
The Katipunan, initially a secret organzation, had three principal
aims: political, moral and civic. The political aim was to fight for the
independence of the Philippines from Spain. The moral aim was to teach
Filipinos right conduct, cleanliness, and to fight against blind
obedience to religion and to overcome weakness of character. The civic
aim was to help one's self and to defend the poor and the oppressed.
During the next four years, the organization recruited members from
various parts of Manila and nearby provinces. Its discovery in August
1896 eventually led to the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution.
Reference:
Andres Bonifacio by Epifanio delos Santos, The Philippine Review, January/February 1918, Volume 1, Number 1/2
Philippine News Agency archives
Today in Philippine history, July 6, 1765, Jose Raon arrived in Manila to become Governor General
On July 6, 1765, Jose Raon (Jose Antonio Raon y Gutierrez) a native of Navarra,
military officer of high rank, arrived in Manila to assume the
position of Governor-General. He relieved Francisco Javier de la Torre.
(An artist concept of Jesuit priests)
He is remembered as very able but unscrupulous.
He is most conspicuous for his revision of the "Ordinances of Good
Government" drawn up by one of his predecessors Pedro Manuel de Arandia,
the revision being dated February 26, 1768; and the expulsion of the
Jesuits from the islands (1768), in pursuance of the orders received
from Madrid dated March 1, 1767. In 1769 he decreed the expulsion of
the Chinese from Filipinas, although this was not fully enforced.
Early in October, 1766, French astronomer Le Gentil, whose Voyage was
valuable contribution to science and to the history of Filipinas at that
time, arrived at Manila, commissioned by the French government to make
observations on the approaching transit of Venus. Le Gentil noted (in Le
Gentil, Voyage, II) that, Raon was one of the most shrewd of the
governors of Manila in enriching himself without causing any one to
complain. Raon even displayed to him (Le Gentil) the magnificent
"presents" which he had received from the officers of a French ship
which came to Manila in evasion of the standing prohibition of foreign
trade there.
Raon was condemned for having revealed to the Jesuits, beforehand, in
exchange for a large sum of money, the news that their expulsion had
been decreed, and for other acts of disobedience to the royal commands
regarding that expulsion.
The faithlessness of Raon eventually reached the Royal court which sent
Don Simon de Anda (second term) to relieve him and ordered Anda to
immediately commence legal proceedings against Raon. Many charges were
brought against him and three others; these were Francisco Henriquez de
Villacorta and Domingo Blas de Basaraz, members of the Audiencia, and
Juan Antonio Cosio, the governor's secretary.
In most of these charges, Raon tried to make excuses for his conduct, or
to throw the blame on Galvan or Villacorta; but Anda declares that they
were all partly or wholly proved, and that Raon neglected everything in
his official position. His secretary Cosio, was especially denounced
for having drawn up and attested the false declaration that Raon had
obeyed his instructions and performed his duty faithfully in the
expulsion of the Jesuits.
Raon was found guilty on the charge of having given information to the Jesuits of the measures to be taken against them.
Cosio was banished to Africa. Raon died in Manila.
Raon street in Quiapo, Manila was named after him.
Sources:
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803; explorations by early navigators,
descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records
of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and
manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commericial and religious
conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European
nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century; (Volume 50,
1764-1800), Emma Helen Blair, et., al.
Today in Philippine History, July 5, 1992, President Ramos opened two Malacañang extension offices
(Malacañang sa Sugbo, the Malacanang in the Visayas is located in Cebu City along Morga Street across from Plaza Independencia)
On July 5, 1992, President Fidel Ramos opened two Malacañang extension offices, one in Cebu and the other in Davao, as part of his
campaign promise to make the seat of power accessible in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Malacañang Palace is the official residence of the President of the
Philippines. It also houses some national government offices such as the
Malacañang Museum and the Presidential Museum.
The palace is an 18th century villa along the Pasig River located in the
center of Manila. Originally a summer house built by Spanish
aristocrat
Don Luis Rocha, the structure was sold to Colonel Jose Miguel Formente,
and was later purchased by the state in 1825. It has been renovated and
expanded through the decades.
In 1937, it became the official residence of the Philippine President.
Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon was the first Filipino chief
executive to live in Malacañang Palace.
The late President Ferdinand E. Marcos and former First Lady Imelda R.
Marcos were the longest residents of Malacanang from 1965 to 1986.
Across the Pasig River is Malacañang Park, which contains a golf course,
park, billets for the presidential guards, as well as a
Commonwealth-era
presidential rest house, called Bahay Pangarap, and a recreation hall.
The Malacanang in the Visayas is located in Cebu City. It
is a building originally built in 1910 which previously housed the
Bureau of Customs office in the Port of Cebu City. The building was
restored in 2004 during the administration of Gloria Arroyo.
Today in Philippine history, July 4, 1570, Filipe II legalized the taking of slaves in Mindanao by the Spaniards
(Filipe II of Spain)
On July 4, 1570, King Filipe II promulgated a law legalizing the
taking of slaves in Mindanao by the Spaniards, which had often been
urged, by authorities in Manila, as one of the best methods of subduing
"fierce" people.
The law states (Recopilacion, lib. vi, tit. ii, ley xii):
"The islands of Mindanao are adjacent to those of the district of the
Filipinas. Their natives, who have adopted the religion of Mahomet, have
rebelled; and since then, in alliance with the enemies of this crown,
they have done great harm to our vassals. In order to facilitate their
punishment, it has been deemed an efficacious corrective to declare that
those who should be captured in war be made slaves.
"We order that such be done; but that this distinction be observed,
namely, that if the said Mindanaos be simply heathen, they be not
regarded as slaves; but if they be Moors by nation and birth, and shall
go to other islands to introduce their dogmas or teach their Mahometan
religion, or make war on the Spaniards or Indians who are subject to us,
or hinder our royal service, then in that case they may be made slaves.
But those who are Indians and shall have become Mahometans shall not be
made slaves. Such will be persuaded by lawful and kind methods to be
converted to our holy Catholic faith."
A general law that prohibited slavery of Filipino natives, which was
extended expressly to the Moluccas by a special law, was promulgated by
Felipe III, in Madrid, on October 10, 1618.
Sources:
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803; explorations by early navigators,
descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records
of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and
manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commericial and religious
conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European
nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century; (Volume 35), Emma
Helen Blair, et., al.
Today in Philippine history, July 3, 1892, Dr. Jose Rizal founded the La Liga Filipina
In the night of July 3, 1892, Dr. Jose Rizal founded and
inaugurated the La Liga Filipina at house No. 176 Ilaya St., Tondo. It
was formed not for the purpose of independence, but for mutual aid and
protection of its members, and the fostering of a more united spirit
among Filipinos. Its constitution declared the ends, form, duties of
members and officials, rights of members and officials, the investment
of funds, and general rules.
(An artist concept of Dr. Jose Rizal and other Liga members)
CONSTITUTION OF THE LIGA FILIPINA
Ends:
To unite the whole archipelago into one compact, vigorous, and homogeneous body.
Mutual protection in every want and necessity.
Defense against all violence and injustice.
Encouragement of instruction, agriculture, and commerce.
Study and application of reforms.
Motto: Unus instar omnium [i.e., one like all.]
Countersign:.
Form:
To set these ends in operation, a Popular Council, a Provincial Council, and a Supreme Council shall be created.
Each Council shall consist of a Chief, a Fiscal, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and members.
The Supreme Council shall consist of the Provincial Chiefs, just as the
Provincial Council shall be composed of the Popular Chiefs.
The Supreme Council shall have command of the Liga Filipina, and shall
deal directly with the Provincial Chiefs and Popular Chiefs.
The Provincial Council shall have command of the Popular Chiefs.
The Popular Council only shall have command of the members.
Each Provincial Council and Popular Council shall adopt a name different from that of their locality or region.
Duties of the Members:
They shall pay monthly dues of ten centimos.
They shall obey blindly and promptly every order emanating from a Council or a Chief.
They shall inform the Fiscal of their Council of whatever they note or hear that has reference to the Liga Filipina.
They shall preserve the most absolute secrecy in regard to the decisions of the Council.
In all walks of life, preference shall be given to the members. Nothing
shall be bought except in the shop of a member, or whenever anything is
sold to a member, he shall have a rebate. Circumstances being equal, the
member shall always be favored. Every infraction of this article shall
be severely punished.
The member who does not help another member in the case of need or
danger, although able to do so, shall be punished, and at least the same
penalty suffered by the other shall be imposed on him.
Each member, on affiliation, shall adopt a new name of his own choice,
and shall not be able to change the same unless he become a Provincial
Chief.
He shall bring to each Council a service [trabajo; evidently a service
done for the organization], an observation, a study, or a new candidate.
He shall not submit to any humiliation or treat anyone with contempt.
Duties of the Chief:
He shall continually watch over the life of his Council. He shall
memorize the new and real names of all the Councils if he is the Supreme
Chief, and if only a Popular Chief those of all his affiliated members.
He shall constantly study means to unite his subordinates and place them in quick communication.
He shall study and remedy the necessities of the Liga Filipina, of the
Provincial Council, or of the Popular Council, according as he is
Supreme Chief, Provincial Chief, or Popular Chief.
He shall heed all the observations, communications, and petitions which
are made to him, and shall immediately communicate them to the proper
person.
In danger, he shall be the first, and he shall be the first to be held responsible for whatever occurs within a Council.
He shall furnish an example by his subordination to his superior chiefs, so that he may be obeyed in his turn.
He shall see to the very last member, the personification of the entire Liga Filipina.
The omissions of the authorities shall be punished with greater severity than those of the simple members.
Duties of the Fiscal:
The Fiscal shall see to it that all comply with their duty.
He shall accuse in the presence of the Council every infraction or failure to perform his duty in any member of the Council.
He shall inform the Council of every danger or persecution.
He shall investigate the condition of the funds of the Council.
Duties of the Treasurer:
He shall enter in a ledger the new names of the members forming the Council.
He shall render strict monthly account of the dues received, noted by the members themselves, with their special countermarks.
He shall give a receipt and shall have a note of it made in the ledger
in the hand of the donor, for every gift in excess of one peso and not
over fifty.
The Popular Treasurer shall keep in the treasury of the Popular Council,
the third part of the dues collected, for the necessities of the same.
The remainder, whenever it exceeds the sum of ten pesos, shall be
delivered to the Provincial Treasurer, to whom he shall show his ledger,
and himself writing in the ledger of the Provincial Treasurer the
amount delivered. The Provincial Treasurer shall then give a receipt,
and if it is in accordance with the accounts, shall place his 0. K. in
the ledger of the other. Like proceedings shall follow when the
Provincial Treasurer delivers funds in excess of ten pesos to the
Supreme Treasurer.
The Provincial Treasurer shall retain from the sums handed to him by the
Popular Treasurer one-tenth part for the expenses of the Provincial
Council.
Whenever any member desires to give the Liga Filipina a sum in excess of
fifty pesos, he shall deposit the sum in a safe bank, under his vulgar
name and then shall deliver the receipt to the Treasurer of his choice.
Duties of the Secretary:
At each meeting he shall keep a record of proceedings, and shall announce what is to be done.
He shall have charge of the correspondence of the Council. In case of
absence or incapacity, every authority shall name a substitute, until
the Council name one to fill his place.
Rights of the members:
Every member has a right to the moral, material, and pecuniary aid of his Council and of the Liga Filipina.
He may demand that all the members favor him in his trade or profession
whenever he offers as many guaranties as others. For this protection, he
shall transmit to his Popular Chief his real name and his footing, so
that the latter may hand it to the Supreme Chief who shall inform all
the members of the Liga Filipina of it by the proper means.
In any want, injury, or injustice, the member may invoke the whole aid of the Liga Filipina.
He may request capital for an enterprise whenever there are funds in the treasury.
He may demand a rebate of all the institutions or members sustained
directly by the Liga Filipina, for all articles [sold him] or services
rendered him.
No member shall be judged without first being allowed his defense.
Rights of the Secretary [sic; Chief?]
He shall not be discussed unless an accusation of the Fiscal precede.
For want of time and opportunity, he may act by and with himself, as he
has the obligation to perform the charges which may be laid on him.
Within the Council he shall be the judge of every question or dispute.
He shall be the only one who shall be empowered to know the real names of his members or subordinates.
He shall have ample power to organize the details of the meetings,
communications, and undertakings, for their efficacity, security, and
rapid despatch.
Whenever a Popular Council is sufficiently numerous, the Provincial
Chief may create other subordinate Councils after first appointing the
authorities. Once constituted, he shall allow them to elect their
authorities according to the regulations.
Every Chief shall be empowered to establish a Council in a village where
none exists, after which he shall inform the Supreme Council or
Provincial Council.
The Chief shall appoint the Secretary.
Rights of the Fiscal:
He shall cause every accused person to go out or appear while his case is being discussed in the Council.
He shall be able to examine the ledgers at any time.
Rights of the Treasurer:
He shall dispose of the funds in an urgent and imperious necessity of
any member or of the Council, with the obligation of giving account and
answering before the tribunal of the Liga Filipina.
Rights of the Secretary:
He may convoke extra meetings or assemblies in addition to the monthly meetings.
Investment of the funds:
The member or his son, who while not having
means, shall show application and great capacities shall be sustained.
The poor shall be supported in his right against any powerful person.
The member who shall have suffered loss shall be aided.
Capital shall be loaned to the member who shall need it for an industry or for agriculture.
The introduction of machines and industries, new or necessary in the country, shall be favored.
Shops, stores, and establishments shall be opened, where the members may be accommodated more economically than elsewhere.
The Supreme Chief shall have power to dispose of the funds in needy
cases, whenever he later renders an account to the Supreme Council.
General Rules:
No one shall be admitted without a previous and unanimous vote of the
Council of his village, and without satisfying the tests to which he
must submit.
Offices shall end every two years, except when there is an accusation by the Fiscal.
In order to obtain the posts, three-fourths of all the votes present shall be required.
The members shall elect the Popular Chief, the Popular Fiscal, and the
Popular Treasurer. The Popular authorities shall elect the Provincial
authorities; and the Provincial authorities shall elect the Supreme
authorities.
Every time that a member becomes the Popular Chief, that fact shall be
communicated to the Supreme Chief, together with his new and old names;
and the same shall be done whenever a new Council shall be founded.
Communications in ordinary times, shall bear only the symbolical names
both of the writer and of the persons for whom they are intended, and
the course to be pursued shall be from the member to the Popular Chief,
from the latter to the Provincial Chief or the Supreme Chief, and vice
versa. In extraordinary cases alone shall these formalities be omitted.
However, in any time or place, the Supreme Chief may address anyone
directly.
It is not necessary for all the members of a Council to be present to
render decisions valid. It shall be sufficient if one-half the members
are present and one of the authorities.
In critical moments, each Council shall be considered as the safeguard
of the Liga Filipina, and if for any cause or other the other Councils
are dissolved or disappear, each Council, each Chief, each member, shall
take upon himself the mission of reorganizing and reestablishing them.
This constitution was partly printed at London, at the London Printing
Press, No. 25 Khulug St., in both Spanish and Tagalog. Those parts
printed (the ends, duties of the members, and the general rules) contain
some changes from Rizal's MS. Preceding the constitution proper is the
membership pledge to the Liga. It is as follows: "Number. i.. To.. of..
I.. of.. years of age, of.. state, profession., as a chosen son of
Filipinas, declare under formal oath that I know and entirely understand
the ends aimed at by the Liga Filipina, whose text appears on the back
of the present. Therefore, I submit myself, and of my own accord
petition the chief.. of this province, to admit me as a member and
coworker in the same, and for that purpose I am ready to unconditionally
lend the necessary proofs that may be demanded of me, in testimony of
my sincere adhesion! " The ends of this printed text are the same as
those of the MS. The motto is the same, and there is also a place for a
countersign.
The duties of the members are somewhat changed, the changes being as follows:
1. He shall pay two pesos for one single time, as an entrance fee, and
fifty centimos as monthly fee, from the month of his entrance.
2. With the consciousness of what he owes to his fatherland, for whose
prosperity and through the welfare that he ought to covet for his
parents, children, brothers and sisters, and the beloved beings who
surround him, he must sacrifice every personal interest, and blindly and
promptly obey every command, every order, verbal or written, which
emanates from his Council or from the Provincial Chief.
3. He shall immediately inform, and without the loss of a moment, the
authorities of his Council of whatever he sees, notes, or hears that
constitutes danger for the tranquillity of the Liga Filipina or anything
touching it. He shall earnestly endeavor to be sincere, truthful, and
minute in all that he shall have to communicate.
4. He shall observe the utmost secrecy in regard to the deeds, acts, and
decisions of his Council and of the Liga Filipina in general from the
profane, even though they be his parents, brothers and sisters,
children, etc., at the cost of his own life, for this is the means by
which the member will obtain what he most desires in life." Articles 5,
6, 7, 8, and 9 are the same.
The general rules of the printed version are as follows:
"In order that the candidate may be admitted as a member to the Liga
Filipina, he must possess morality, good habits, not have been proceeded
against justifiably as a robber, shall not be a gambler, drunkard, or
libertine. The candidate must solicit and petition his entrance from a
member; and the latter shall communicate it to his Fiscal, for the
investigations that must be made in regard to his conduct."
On Dec. 30, 1903, a monument was erected to Rizal, to his companions,
and to other founders of the Liga Filipina by the village of Tondo, on a
site given by Timoteo Paez, one of the members of the Liga. On the
monument is the following inscription: "Remember [this word in English,
the rest in Spanish]. Facing this site and at house No. 176 Ilaya St.,
Dr. Rizal founded and inaugurated on the night of July 3, I892, the Liga
Filipina, a national secret society, with the assistance and approval
of the following gentlemen:
Founder, Dr. Rizal; shot.
Board of directors- president, Ambrosio Salvador; arrested.
Fiscal, Agustin de la Rosa; arrested.
Treasurer, Bonifacio Arevalo; arrested.
Secretary, Deodato Arellano; first president of the national war Katipunan society; arrested.
Members
Andres Bonifacio; supreme head of the Katipunan, who uttered the first warcry against tyranny, August 24, 1896.
Mamerto Natividad; seconded, in Nueva Ecija, the movement of Andres Bonifacio, August 28, 1896; shot.
Domingo Franco; supreme head of the Liga Filipina; shot.
Moises Salvador; venerable master of the respected lodge, Balagtas; shot.
Numeriano Adriano; first guard of the respected lodge, Balagtas; shot.
Jose A. Dizon; venerable master of the respected lodge, Taliba; shot.
Apolinario Mabini; legislator; arrested.
Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista; first patriot of '68; arrested.
Timoteo Lanuza; initiator of the manifestation for the expulsion of the friars in I888; arrested.
Marcelino de Santos; arbitrator and protector of La Solidaridad, the Filipino organ in Madrid; arrested.
Paulino Zamora; venerable master of the respected lodge, Lusong; deported.
Juan Zulueta; member of the respected lodge, Lusong; died.
Doroteo Ongjunco; member of the respected lodge, Lusong; owner of the house.
Arcadio del Rosario; orator of the respected lodge, Balagtas; arrested.
Timoteo Paez; arrested.
Sources:
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803; explorations by early navigators,
descriptions of the islands and their peoples, their history and records
of the Catholic missions, as related in contemporaneous books and
manuscripts, showing the political, economic, commericial and religious
conditions of those islands from their earliest relations with European
nations to the beginning of the nineteenth century; (Vol. 1, no. 52),
Emma Helen Blair, MCMVII
On the rainy evening of July 2, 1650, Francisco Macombo lead the assault on the fortification of Palapag Mesa, which eventually ended the Sumuroy rebellion.
The victorious Don Gines de Rojas ascended the hill with his whole army, and destroyed the insurgent quarters by setting fire to them. Having published a general pardon, those who had been insurgents before, presented themselves in peace including Don Pedro Caamug.
Sumuroy and his father survived the battle but refused to give up.
The Dutch who were headquartered in Formosa (present day Taiwan) never came.
Sumuroy was beheaded by his own men as demanded by Don Gines de Roxas. At first this demand was not taken seriously by the men of Sumuroy who would send a pig's head instead Sumuroy's head.
Later as a token of obedience, his head was presented by his men, without anyone asking for it.
Sources:
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803, Emma Helen Blair, Volume 38 Gems of Philippine oratory; selections representing fourteen centuries of Philippine thought, carefully compiled from credible sources in substitution for the pre-Spanish writings destroyed by missionary zeal, to supplement the later literature stunted by intolerant religious and political censorship, and as specimens of the untrammeled present-day utterances, by Austin Craig
Today in Philippine History, July 1, 1788, de Marquina arrived in Manila as Governor-general
On July 1, 1788, Felix Berenguer de Marquina arrived in Manila and assumed his post as governor-general of the Philippines. De Marquina
made Manila an open port to all foreign commerce. Manila and Cavite were fortified and the Spanish military force increased.
(Felix Berenguer de Marquina)
Marquina took much pains to have the obras pias honestly
administered. He ordered that the nipa houses which still existed
within the walls of
Manila should be torn down, as being both a disfigurement and a danger
to the city. During his term of office, a severe epidemic of smallpox
was
experienced in the Islands; he gave large sums to the parish priests to
relieve the poverty caused by the pestilence.
The islands during his time, were ravaged by the Moros year after year,
the naval force of the Spaniards doing little more than to remain on the
defensive. He wrote the King in 1789 saying that "the continual warfare of the Moros was an evil without remedy".
It is recorded that the terms of Basco (his predecessor) and
Marquina's (in all, fifteen years), spent over 1,500,000 pesos fuertes
in building and arming vessels to chastise the pirates.
Marquina proposed that Filipinas should be made a viceroyalty, and the
viceroy be rendered independent of the Audiencia and of the religious
orders. Among many other reforms he proposed were:
The reform of the chief accountancy by limiting its exorbitant powers;
The establishment of an acordado, or a sort of police, in the
provinces, directed rather to intimidating and restraining criminals by
means of vigilance than to punishing them with harshness and violence;
Allowance of fixed and decent salaries to the alcaldes-mayor, and
putting a stop to their trading (which absorbed all their time, with
great risks to impartial conduct and justice);
The desirability of abolishing the odious monopolies on playing-cards and gunpowder;
The transfer of the natives from the Batanes Islands to Cagayan, on
account of the wretched condition of the former; and the advantage of
occupying, in preference to the Batanes, the island of Mindoro - which
was richer, and nearer to Manila, and at the time reduced to the utmost
indigence by having been abandoned (by its inhabitants) and by the
incursions of the Moros.
Taking advantage of the eluvial gold deposit, so abundant in the
country, from which was obtained no less than 200,000 pesos worth of
gold a year;
The establishment of a mint, with which the exportation of gold from the country would be avoided.
However Marquina was met with much trouble in his government, from
"class interests" and from the ingratitude of those whom he had helped.
He resigned his office in 1793 and returned to España "poor and
disheartened".
Felix Berenguer de Marquina was accused of selling offices through the
agency of a woman. He suffered a hard residencia, and was not permitted
to depart for España except by leaving a deposit of 50,000 pesos
fuertes, with which to be responsible for the charges made against him.
At Madrid, he was sentenced to pay 40,000 pesos.
Marquina's successor was a military officer, Rafael Maria de Aguilar y
Ponce de Leon who began his duties as Governor-general on September 1,
1793.
References
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1803, volume 1, number 50, Emma Helen
Blair, James Alexander Robertson, Edward Gaylord Bourne. University of
Michigan
Library, 2005.
