On This Day - July 18, 1886 - The first optometrist in the country, Federico B. Sarabia was born

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
History, About Sabaria Optical, https://www.sarabiaoptical.com.ph
Wikipedia (Tagalog)
Phto credit: Facebook page of Vivian Sarabia Optical

On This Day - July 17, 1948 - President Quirino signed RA No. 333 making Quezon City the capital of the Philippines

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 June 24, 1976, Presidential Decree No. 940 transferred the capital back to Manila.

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.

Reference:
Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan

Latest photo from NASA of Carina Nebula (360 Composite) VR 360

Carina Nebula (360 Composite)

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.

Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA

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 This Day - July 15, 1903 - Simeon Ola surprise the 31st Philippine Scout Garrison in Albay

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 This Day - July 15, 1903 - Simeon Ola surprise the 31st Philippine Scout Garrison in Albay

On July 15, 1903, Simeon Ola surprise the 31st Philippine Scout Garrison under the command of Sergeant Nicolas Napoli in Joveliar, Albay.

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)

On This Day - July 14, 1906 - General Macario Sakay surrendered to the United States

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!"