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.
"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."