On June 22, 1920, Jovito Salonga, a lawyer and legal scholar, educator and a distinguesed senator, was born in poverty in the present day Pasig City to a Presbyterian pastor, Esteban Salonga and Bernardita Reyes a market vendor. Jovito Salonga, the youngest of five brothers, worked his way through college and law school as a proofreader in the publishing firm of his eldest brother, Isayas.
Senator Jovito Salonga (right) confers with Senator Lorenzo Tañada at the senate in 1966 (Photo credit:Esteban Salonga flickr account).
Salonga's long life began after the onset of American rule in the Philippines. His youth was a time of national hope and longing for independence. These things shaped him, alongside his family's deep Christian convictions and the hardships of their daily life. When he was twelve, a speech by the then House Speaker Manuel Roxas in his hometown stirred him to dream of a life in law and in public life.
Seizing on this ambition, he rose through public schools to the College of Law at the University of the Philippines. When war overtook his studies, Salonga quickly ran afoul of the new Japanese authorities. He was tortured and jailed and released after nearly a year. Amid dearth and uncertainty, he crammed for the bar examinations and, in 1944, earned the highest score.
At war's end, Salonga embraced Philippine independence but denounced "parity rights" and other compromising ties to the United States. He topped off his legal education with graduate degrees from Harvard and Yale universities and then plunged headlong into the life of his new nation.
Salonga established himself as a sought-after lawyer and an influential legal scholar and educator. In 1961, the Liberal Party tapped him for a successful run for Congress in his home province of Rizal. Four years later, he outpolled all other candidates for the Senate, a feat he repeated twice. He built his reputation as a crusader for clean government and public education. As a staunch nationalist, he opposed Philippine complicity in the Vietnam War and other acts of "puppetry." And he so persistently exposed the troubling anomalies of President Ferdinand Marcos that the Philippines Free Press named him the "Nation's Fiscalizer."
The bomb that crippled him at a political rally in 1971, Salonga says, led him to a second, "borrowed life". He opposed martial law from the start, defending opponents of the Marcos dictatorship and working tirelessly for the succor and release of political prisoners and for the democratic opposition. In 1980, he himself was jailed without charges and then released. Four years in exile followed.
Yet Salonga never lost hope. In 1985, he returned home to revitalize his political party and confront the dictatorship. Putting aside personal ambition, he withdrew his candidacy for vice president in the snap elections of February 1986 and threw himself heart-and-soul into Corazon Aquino's presidential campaign and the People Power Revolution.
Afterwards, Salonga initiated the new government's legal efforts to reclaim wealth allegedly stolen by the Marcoses as chairman of the Presidential Commission on Good Government. In 1987, voters returned him to the Senate. There, he authored new laws protecting the state from plunder, military coups, and corrupt officials and, in 1991 as Senate president, triumphantly led his colleagues in ejecting American military bases from the Philippines.
Salonga returned to private life the following year, having made a hotly contested but disappointing bid for the presidency. But through his NGOs, Bantay Katarungan (Sentinel of Justice) and Kilos Bayan (People's Action), he has sustained his principled interventions in the affairs of the nation.
Jovito Salonga was awarded the 2007 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service for his exemplary integrity and substance of his long public career in service to democracy and good government in the Philippines.
Senator Salonga died on Thursday, March 10, 2016. He was 95 years old.
On This Day - June 21, 1884 - Jose P. Rizal completed his medical course in Madrid, Spain, with the rating “Fair”
He was awarded the degree of Licentiate in Medicine by the Universidad Central de Madrid. The next academic year (1884–1885) he studied and passed all subjects leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine. “Due to the fact, however, that he did not pay the corresponding fees, he was not awarded his Doctor’s diploma”*
Rizal also finished his studies in Philosophy and Letters, with higher grades. He was awarded the degree of Licentiate in Philosophy and Letters by the Universidad Central de Madrid on June 19, 1885 (his 24th birthday), with the rating of “Excellent with a scholarship.” At long last, Rizal completed his studies in both Medicine and Philosophy and Letters. He was ready then to face the world and lead the fight for his country’s redemption. He was determined to see more of Europe before returning home, and acquire more medical lore in the clinics of Europe’s eminent physicians.
As to recall, Rizal, found the atmosphere at the University of Santo Tomas suffocating to his sensitive spirit. He was unhappy at this Dominican institution of high learning because (1) the Dominican professors were hostile to him, (2) the Filipino students were racially discriminated, and (3) the method of instruction was obsolete and repressive.
In his novel, El Filibusterismo, he described how the Filipino students were humiliated and insulted by their Dominican professors and how backward was the method of instruction, especially in the teaching of natural sciences. He related in Chapter XIII of this novel, entitled “The Class in Physics,” that this science subject was taught without laboratory experiments. The microscope and other laboratory apparatus were kept inside the showcases to be seen by visitors, but the students could not even touch them.
After finishing the fourth year of his medical course at the University of Santo Tomas, Rizal decided to study in Spain. At that time, he could no longer endure the rampant bigotry, discrimination, and hostility in that school. His uncle, Antonio Rivera, Leonor Rivera’s father, encouraged him to go abroad. Both Paciano and Saturnina, whom he contacted secretly, were of similar opinion.
For the first time, Rizal did not seek his parents’ permission to go abroad, because he knew that they, especially his mother, would disapprove his plan. Thus, the Spanish authorities knew nothing of his decision to go abroad in order to finish his medical studies in Spain, where the professors were more tolerant and understanding than those of the University of Santo Tomas. Later on, Rizal then asked his parents’ blessings and unknown to the Spanish authorities, Rizal left Manila on May 3, 1882. Rizal’s departure for Spain was kept secret in order to avoid detection by the colonial officials and the friars. Only Uncle Antonio Rivera, Paciano, and his sisters, and some close friends knew that Rizal would leave for Spain. Paciano gave him 700 pesos. Saturnina later gave him a diamond ring, which helped him very much during his days of poverty in Europe.
He went to Spain where he completed his university studies, improved his knowledge of languages and arts, and further developed his God-given talents for greater service to the fatherland. At that time, the government in Spain was a constitutional monarchy, under which the Spanish people enjoyed individual liberties, including freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
On November 3, 1882, Rizal enrolled in the Universidad Central de Madrid in two courses – Medicine and Philosophy and Letters. Aside from his heavy studies in the university, he studied painting and sculpture in the Academy of San Carlos, took lessons in French, German, and English under a private instructor and assiduously practiced fencing and shooting in the Hall of Arms of Sanz y Carbonell. His thirst for knowledge was unlimited. He attended operas and concerts to improve his knowledge of music; he visited the art galleries and museums and read books on all subjects under the sun, including military engineering, in order to broaden his cultural background.
He strictly budgeted his money and time. He lived frugally and never wasted time. His spare hours were devoted to attending lectures, operas, religious fiestas; and reading at home or at the libraries. A favorite pastime of Rizal in Madrid was reading. He stayed at home and read voraciously until midnight. Since early childhood, he liked to read. Due to lack of funds, several times Rizal earned little money by working as a private tutor to rich students.
After completing his studies in Madrid, Rizal went to Paris and Germany in order to specialize in ophthalmology. He particularly chose this branch of medicine because he wanted to cure his mother’s eye. When Rizal returned to the Philippines, he established a medical clinic in Calamba. His first exploit as a physician in his land was the successful operation on his mother’s sightless eyes. With surgical skill acquired in the best eye clinics in Europe, he removed a double cataract from Doña Teodora’s eyes. News of the successful operation spread far and wide. To the masses, the restoration of the sight of Rizal’s mother was a miracle. Patients from Manila and the provinces flocked to Calamba. Rizal, who came to be called “Doctor Uliman” because he came from Germany, was busy attending to his lucrative medical practice. His professional fees were reasonable, even gratis to the poor.
Sources and References: 1. Gregorio F. Zaide, Jose Rizal, Life, Works, and Writings, Far Eastern University, Department of History, 1957, pp. 53–54, 66–67, 102 2. Gregorio F. Zaide, Sonia M. Zaide, History of the Republic of the Philippines, Metro Manila, 1983, 1987, p. 219 *Dr. Jose F. Bantug, “Rizal, The Physician,” The Journal of History, Manila Vol. V, Nos. 1–3, p. 49
On June 20, 1899, the Japanese vessel Nonubiki Maru left
Nagasaki for the Philippines loaded with 10,000 rifles, 6,000,000 rounds
of ammunition, and other war supplies purchased by Mariano Ponce.
(Mariano Ponce)
Ponce with the aid of the Chinese revolutionary leader Dr. Sun Yat-sen,
in his mission to Japan, obtained sufficient support from the Japanese
military and a few Japanese politicians to enter into agreement to
purchase arms and ammunition in the Spring of 1899. At the same time,
arrangements were made for "retired" Japanese officers to go to the
Philippines as advisors to the Filipino army against the Americans.
These officers actually served with the Filipino forces but the attempt
to ship arms to the islands was a complete failure.
The Nunobiki Maru carrying the rifles and ammunition, and other
military supplies was sunk in a typhoon, and a second attempt was
stymied by the threat of the effective American blockade.
After the second shipment attempt failed, Ponce gave the arms to Sun who
believed that if his revolution in China was to succeed, aiding the
Philippines in return would be made easier. Sun would later be credited
with the founding of Republic of China and the collapse of dynastic
China.
The Japanese contributed little to the Filipinos in its war against the
Americans. The Japanese officers arrived at a time when regular warfare
was proving impossible, and no substantial shipments of weapons ever
arrived. The Japanese government, not willing to alienate the Americans,
gave no formal support to Aguinaldo's government or the nationalist
cause.
References:
The United States Army in the Philippines, 1898-1902,
John Morgan Gates, 1937
Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan
Research School for Southeast Asian Studies, Xiamen University
On This Day - June 19, 1861 - Dr. Jose P. Rizal, was born in Calamba, Laguna
On June 19, 1861, Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda,
Philippines National Hero, was born in Calamba, Laguna to Francisco
Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandro and Teodora Morales Alonzo Realonda y
Quintos both of Chinese descent. Jose was the seventh of eleven
children, Jose was baptized by Father Rufino Collantes on June 22, 1861,
with Father Pedro Casanas as his godfather. Jose’s siblings were:
Saturnina, Paciano, Narcisa, Olimpia, Lucia, Maria, Concepcion, Josefa,
Trinidad and Soledad.
(Dr. Jose P. Rizal)
Early on, Jose manifested exceptional intelligence. He learned the
alphabet at the age of three from his mother and was trained to do
outdoor
activities like riding horses. Father Leoncio Lopez influenced him to
exude character that held high respect for the rights of others. At the
age of
nine, his parents sent him to study Biñan in the school of Don
Justiniano Aquino Cruz, who, after a few months, reported to his parents
that he had
nothing more to learn in school. Jose excelled in academics and in
physical activities.
Jose was allowed to study in Manila at the prodding of his brother,
Paciano. By this time, he was already using the second family name,
Rizal, in
order to avoid complications in his studies, which the Mercado family
name used by his brother Paciano could bring on him. His brother Paciano
had
earned the ire of the Spanish friars because of his relationship with
Father Jose Burgos. Jose passed the entrance examinations at Colegio de
San
Juan de Letran owned by the Dominicans but he chose to study at Ateneo
Municipal after learning that Dominican friars in Calamba were pursuing a
court case against his mother. In 1872, he was admitted at the Ateneo
through the help of Dr. Manuel Xeres Burgos, a nephew of Fr. Jose
Burgos, and
a close friend of Paciano. Burgos was able to convince Father Magin
Fernando to admit Rizal at Ateneo.
On March 14, 1877, Jose obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree at Ateneo
Municipal with high honors for excelling in academics. It was during his
student days in Ateneo that his extreme giftedness in poetry, writing,
painting and sculpture became known. One of the masterpieces he did at
Ateneo
was a sculpture of the statue of the sacred heart of Jesus and some of
his literary works have won prizes like: Felicitacion, Por La Educacion
Recibe Lustre la Patria, Un Recuerdo a mi pueblo, and El heroismo de colon.
In 1878, Jose studied Medicine, and Philosophy and Letters at the
University of Santo Tomas and at the same time pursued a course in
surveying at
the Ateneo. Alongside with his academic studies at UST, Rizal actively
participated in literary activities. He won first prize for his poem "A La
Juventud Filipina" (To the Filipino Youth) in the literary contest sponsored by the Liceo Literario Artistico. Because he was a native, he
experienced discrimination like when his entry "The Council of the Gods" which many spectators adjudged winner was awarded second to a work
of a Spaniard.
In 1882, Jose sailed to Spain where he hoped to have better education
and training, with the help of Paciano, his uncle Antonio Rivera and his
friend Chenggoy (Jose Cecilio). It was Antonio Rivera who helped secure
passage ticket for him to board the ship that would bring him to
Singapore
where he would take another ship to Spain.
(Left to right: Jose Rizal, Marcel del Pilar, and Mariano Ponce)
In 1884, he finished his licentiate in Medicine and his licentiate
in Philosophy and Letters, also at the Central University of Madrid on
June 19, 1885. By then, he was already deeply involved in the propaganda
movement, together with Mariano Ponce, Graciano Lopez Jaena, Marcelo
del Pilar among other patriotic Filipino students in Europe. He wrote
articles for reforms in the La Solidaridad newspaper.
One who had wielded influence among his countrymen abroad; Rizal’s
speeches in gatherings of Filipino students were considered a gem. His
speech,
honoring Juan Luna and Felix R. Hidalgo, who both won the top prizes for
their respective paintings during the Art Exposicion in Madrid in June
1884, saying: "Juan Luna and Felix R. Hidalgo are glories of Spain in the Philippines ..." was published in La Solidaridad.
Wanting to become an expert in the medical field, he trained under known
specialists in Europe, like under Dr. Louis de Wecker, a famous
ophthalmologist in Paris. He acquainted himself with other doctors like
Otto Bayer, and Hans Meyer in Heidelberg, Germany. Alongside with his
trainings and busy activities in the campaign for reforms was his
pursuit in literature. He translated Schiller’s William Tell and
Andersen’s Fairy
Tales to Tagalog. He joined prestigious scientific societies in Europe.
Rizal’s committed campaign for reforms in the Philippines led him to write his two novels: the Noli Me Tangere, and El Filibusterismo.
His first novel, partly written while he was staying in the home of a
Protestant Minister, Pastor Karl Ullmer, in Wilhelmsfeld town in
Heidelberg,
Germany, was published in March 1887 through the financial assistance of
his friend, Dr. Maximo Viola. His friend loaned him P300 to print the
first 2000 copies. Both of his novels portrayed the pathetic situation
of the Filipinos in the hands of the Spanish authorities and the
influential
Religious corporations. Copies of the novels were smuggled into the
country since the Spanish authorities banned them.
(Maximo Viola)
In May 1887, Rizal and Viola toured several cities in Europe before they
separated. Viola returned to Spain and Rizal passed by Italy on his way
back to the Philippines. He arrived in Manila on August 5, 1887. Several
days later, Rizal performed an operation on the eyes of her mother.
Word
spread about his expertise that patients started coming in but Rizal did
not only concentrate in treating his patients. He initiated sports like
sipa, arnis, and fencing in the hope of weaning his townspeople, who
dubbed him as Dr. Uleman (German) since he came from Germany, from
gambling and
other vices. Used to having outdoor activities, he explored the fields,
hills, and mountains. He hoisted a banner on Mt. Makiling.
Since the publication of his first novel, Rizal's life in the Philippines became different. The Spanish friars who declared Noli me Tangere,
impious, heretic, scandalous to the Catholic Church and injurious to
the government, hated him. Thus, the liberal-minded Spanish
Governor-General
Emilio Terrero, concerned for his safety advised him to leave.
On February 3, 1888, Rizal left Manila. He sailed to Hong Kong, where he
met Jose Ma. Basa. From Macao, he sailed to Japan, the United States,
and
in England. In Japan, the Spanish government offered Rizal a job as
interpreter but he chose to be on his own. After staying for almost two
months
in Japan where he learned about Japanese arts, language and culture, he
sailed to America. He left Japan on February 28, 1888 aboard the SS
Belgic.
He arrived in San Francisco on April 18, 1888, lodged at the Palace
Hotel and then took a transcontinental train to the US East Coast via
Chicago
and the Niagara Falls in Lake Ontario. He stayed at the Fifth Avenue
Hotel in New York for a while and sailed for England aboard the SS City
of
Rome, arriving at the Liverpool on May 24, 1888.
(Leonor Rivera)
(Beautiful Japanese, O-sei-san)
(Frenchwoman Nellie Bousted one of Rizal's love)
During his travels in different countries, Rizal was romantically linked
with different women. Among these ladies were: O-sei-san, a beautiful
Japanese girl of noble descent, who became his faithful guide and
interpreter; Gertrude “Tottie” Beckett, daughter of his landlord in
England; and
Nellie Bousted, a French whom he met in Paris; Susanne Jacoby of Belgium
and Consuelo Ortiga of Madrid. Among the Filipinas he was romantically
involved with were: Leonora Valenzuela of Intramuros, Leonor Rivera of
Tarlac and Segunda Katigbak of Batangas.
He Spoke Spanish, French, German, English, Dutch, Greek, Latin and
Tagalog. He had knowledge of Ilocano, Visayan, Russian, Sanskrit,
Arabic,
Swedish, Hebrew, Malayan, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese and Italian.
While in London, Rizal copied Antonio Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas
Filipina, published in 1609, which he planned to annotate. It was during
this
work that he became acquainted with Dr. Reinhold Rost, a librarian and
editor of Trubner’s Record. Rizal busied himself with other works while
in
England, he wrote the "Vision of Father Rodriguez" and "Letter to the Young Women of Malolos", both published in 1889.
In 1889, Rizal was in Paris where he published Morga's book with his
annotations, founded Indios Bravos and witnessed the International
Exposition.
On January 18, 1890, he moved to Belgium where he became close with Jose
Albert and Jose Alejandrino. Later, Albert would receive honor for his
contributions in the medical field while Alejandrino would be remembered
for fighting during the revolution against Spain and America. In
Belgium,
Rizal lived in poverty. The printing of his second novel, El
Filibusterismo, a sequel of Noli Me Tangere, was stopped because of
financial
constraints until Valentin Ventura, a rich compatriot, came to his aid.
Thus the book came out of the press on September 18, 1891.
Depressing news reached him from home. His sweetheart Leonor Rivera
married Engineer Kipping; his folks were ejected en masse from Calamba;
and the
Spanish officials who were sympathetic to the reform movement turned
hostile. He took his vacation at Biarritz at the invitation of the
Bousteds.
While there, Nellie Bousted proved to be a balm for his wounded
feelings. Later, he left for Paris then went to Marseilles and boarded
the SS
Melbourne for Hong Kong. With his dwindling funds, he received money for
his passage ticket sent to him by Jose Ma. Basa, a rich Filipino
merchant
who was living in exile in the British colony.
He arrived in Hong Kong on November 20, 1891. There, his family, ejected
from their lands in Calamba, joined him through the financial help
extended
by his compatriots led by Jose Anacleto Ramos (Ishikawa). He practiced
medicine to earn a living and at the same time, continued to support the
campaign for reforms and to look for ways that could better the lives of
the Filipinos. He proposed that a Filipino colony to accommodate
Filipinos
ousted from their lands in the Philippines be established. With funding
from his friends, he went to Borneo aboard the SS Memnon. The British
authorities were already agreeable to a 950-year lease of the proposed
colony in Borneo but the Spanish Governor General Emilio Despujol
refused to
allow the Filipinos to migrate in North Borneo.
On June 26, 1892, he arrived in Manila with his sister Lucia aboard the SS Don Juan. Few days after, on July 3, he founded the Liga Filipina
in the house of Doroteo Ongjunco on Ilaya Street in Tondo, Manila. The
association was aimed to unite the Filipinos and for them to help each
other in
times of need, and to encourage them to be educated and trained in
agriculture. The association was, however, short lived for after a few
days of
its founding, Rizal was arrested on flimsy charges. One of which was the
leaflet entitled Pobres Frailes, a sarcastic allusion to the friars
found
on his baggage when he arrived from Hong Kong.
(Eulogio Despujol)
Governor General Despujol published in the Gazette the reasons for his
arrest and copies were forwarded to the Spanish Embassy in Hong Kong for
circulation. The British Consul commented on the strange reasons for his
arrest. The editor of the Hong Kong Telegraph devoted an entire column
of
the newspaper on the sad news of his detention.
On July 17, 1892, Rizal was deported to Dapitan under the watchful eye
of Ricardo Carnicero, the
military commandant of Dapitan. One who never allowed time to be spent
idly, Rizal busied himself with activities that were also beneficial to
others. He established a clinic, a school, and constructed a water
system. He bought tracts of land from his lottery winning and developed
it into a
farm. Loneliness impelled him to write Mi Retiro but reflected the
strength of his spirit when he composed the hymn "Talisay".
He corresponded unceasingly with Ferdinand Blumentritt and other
scientists he met abroad. He gathered specimens of plants and insects
and sent them
to his scientists friends abroad. His fame as an eye specialist lured
patients to visit him in Dapitan. Among the most important was Engineer
George
Tauffer, who arrived with his foster daughter, Josephine Bracken. Soon,
Josephine became his wife. Having inspired the revolutionary spirit of
the
Filipinos, Rizal was visited by Pio Valenzuela, an aid of Bonifacio to
get his word about an armed uprising against the Spaniards. He was also
offered help for his escape but he refused.
On July 31, 1896, Rizal sailed to Manila with Josephine, his sister
Narcisa and other relatives after the Spanish government took his offer
as
doctor for the Spanish soldiers fighting against the rebel forces of
Jose Marti in Cuba. Upon reaching Manila, Rizal was informed that his
boat to
Cuba had already sailed, thus, he was transferred to the Castilla then
anchored in Cavite until another boat, the Isla de Panay took him to
Singapore. There, Pedro Roxas urged him to leave the boat, assuring him
his safety in the British Territory but he refused.
On September 30, 1896, while the Isla de Panay was sailing
through the Middle East, the ship captain received orders of Rizal’s
arrest on charges that he had a hand in the revolution that was already
raging in the Philippines. Thus, Rizal arrived in Barcelona as a
prisoner and was briefly detained at the Montjuich Penitentiary. The
following day, he was shipped back to the Philippines on the boat Colon.
His friends tried to rescue him by court proceedings. While the boat
was in Singapore, Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor and some British lawyers who,
through Lord Hugh Fort, filed writ of habeas corpus in the Supreme Court
of the Straits Settlements for his release on the ground that he was
illegally detained. But Judge Lionel Cox ruled that the Colon was a
troopship flying the Spanish Flag and that he was a Spanish subject.
Therefore his case was not under British
jurisdiction.
On November 3, 1896, the famous prisoner arrived in Manila and was
imprisoned at Fort Santiago. On November 26, he was tried by the
military court
on the charges of rebellion, sedition and illegal organization of
societies presided by Judge Advocate Enrique Alcocer at the Cuartel de
España.
Rizal’s defense counsel was Lieutenant Luis Taviel de Andrade, whose
efforts to save him failed. He was meted the death penalty.
(Execution of Dr. Jose Rizal at Bagumbayan (A reproduction of an original photo taken during the execution of Dr. Jose Rizal))
On the eve prior to his execution, Rizal wrote the poem, Mi Ultimo Adios,
which he hid in the alcohol burner. Hours before his execution, he gave
to his sister, Trinidad, the alcohol burner and the book of Thomas
Kempis, Imitation of Christ, to his wife. Presumably he retracted
masonry; married Josephine Bracken before a priest, with guards as
witnesses, and wrote letters to Professor Blumentritt, to his brother
Paciano; and to his beloved parents.
On December 30, 1896, he was marched out of Fort Santiago toward
Bagumbayan Field. With him were Fathers March and Villaclara and his
legal counsel,
Luis Taviel de Andrade. Before he was shot, he handed his belt to his
nephew, Mauricio. The Spanish doctor, Ruiz y Castillo, felt his pulse
and
found it normal. Rizal faced the Filipino soldiers of the firing squad
guarded by the Spanish soldiers. Volleys were fired. He fell but with a
great
effort, he turned his back and fell facing his executioners.
Two years after, on August 17, 1898, his sisters exhumed his remains
buried at the Paco Cemetery and kept it at their residence in Binondo
before it
was finally rested at the monument in his honor at Luneta, now Rizal
Park.
References:
(Bantug, Asuncion Lopez. Lolo Jose An Intimate Portrait of Rizal. 1982.
Coates, Austin. Rizal Philippine Nationalist and Martyr. Manila:
Solidaridad
Pub. House, 1992.
Eminent Filipinos. Manila: National Historical Commission. 1970
Fernandez, Jose Baron. Jose Rizal Filipino Doctor and Patriot. Manila: Rex Printing Co.,
1980.
Zaide, Gregorio. Great Filipinos in History. Manila: Verde Bookstore, 1970.) all via The Philippine Historical Commission
On This Day - June 18, 1898 - Aguinaldo signed the decree establishing the Dictatorial Government
SA BAYANG PILIPINAS:
Tinalaga ng Dios na malagay aco sa isang luclucang naquiquilala cong di matatabanan ng catutubo cong lacas, nguni, yayamang di aco macalabag sa calooban ng Dios at di macaiuas sa manga catungculang ipinapapasan ng sariling puri at pag-ibig sa bayan, mula sa luclucang ito'y binabati quita iniirog cong bayan.
Ipinatanghal co sa sangcalibutan na ang pinagtutuyo nang boo cong buhay, ang hilagang tinutungo ng lahat cong nasa at pagsisicap ay di iba cundi ang iyong casarinlan, pagea't binubuo nang aquing isip na iya'y siya mong laguing hinahangad, palibhasa'y ang casarinla'y siya nating tunay na pagcatubos sa caalipnan at capusungan, ang lubos na pagcasauli ng naualay na Kalayaan at siya ring paquiquihalobilo sa cabilugan ng mga bayang timaua.
Di nalilingid sa aquin na ang unang catunculan ng isang mamamahala ay ang mamulot at magtipon ng lahat na hinahangad ng bayan; dahil dito'y baga ma't sa pagalinsunod co sa di caraniuang gaui ng digma ay napilitan acong magcana ng Gobierno Dictatorial na nacalilicom ng boong capangyarihan sa tauong bayan at sandatahan, ay uala acong laguing pinapacay cundi ang agapayanan at saclolohan ng mga tauong lalong quinaaalang-alanganan sa baua't cabayanan (provincia) at napagquilalang mapagcacatiualaan ayon sa ugaling ipinaquita, upan ding, cung maquilala co na ang tunay na quinacailangan ng baua't isa ay macapaglathala ng mga lalong mabisang paraan ng yao'y matacpan at malagyan ng tapal alinsunod sa hinahangad ng calahatan.
Napag-aaninao co rin ang mahigpit na pagcacailangang magtayo sa baua't bayan ng matibay at matatag na cahusayan, mistulang cuta ng capanatagan ng bayan at nacaisaisang paraan upang mapagtibay ang pag-cacaisang loob na quinacailangan sa pagbabangon ng Repuiblica ng pamamahalang sarili ng bayan at paghuhusay ng ano mang sigalot na mangyari tungcol sa mga taga ibang bayan.
Alang-alang sa mga pasubaling ito ay ipinag-uutos co itong mga susunod:
Unang Pangcat. Pag-totoosin at pagcacayamcayaman ng mga naninira sa baua't bayang quinalalaguian ng mga sandatahang castila ang lalong mabuting gauing paraan upang malusob at malipol sila alinsunod sa lacas at cayang magagamit, at ang mga mabihag sa laban ay bibiguian ng pitagan at asal na lalong naaayos sa pag-ibig sa capua tauo at sa inuugali ng mga bayang may pinagaralan.
Icalaua. Pag-naagao ang bayan sa cuco ng mga castila, ay ang mga mamamayang matangi, dahil sa liuanag ng caisipan, pagcatao at cabaitan maguing sa loob ng bayan maguing sa mga nayon ay magpipisan sa isang daquilang Kapulungan at dito pipiliin at ihahalal ang pagcaisahan ng marami na maguing Puno sa bayan at maguing Pangulo, sa baua't nayon, at dito sa ngalang nayo'y cabilang ang loob ng bayan. Macahaharap sa Kapulungang ito at maihahalal naman ang sino mang magtaglay ng mga casangcapang nasasabi sa itaas, cun mapagquilalang may pag-ibig sa casarinlan ng Pilipinas at may dalauang pu at isang taong singcad.
Icat-lo. Sa naturang Kapulunga'y maghahalal din ng pagcaisahan ng marami na tat-long catiuala: isa ang sa pangangalaga at cahusayan sa loob, isa ang sa catuiran at tandaang bayan at isa ang sa yaman at pag-aari. Ang catiuala sa pangangalaga at cahusayan sa loob ay siyang tutulong sa Puno sa paglalagay ng sandatahang sa dapat palaguiin baua't bayan sa bilang na nababagay sa pinagcucunan ng isa't isa, upang mapanatag sa catahimican at cahusayan at mailaya ang mga capoocan sa ano mang icasisira ng lacas ng catauan.
Ang catiuala sa catuiran at tandaang bayan ang tutulong sa Puno sa pag-babangon ng mga sulat-usap o hatulan, sa pagdadala ng mga librong tandaan ng mga iniaanac, namamatay at casundo sa pag-aasaua, pati ng talaan ng lahat na namamayan.
At ang catiuala sa Yaman at Pag-aari nang tutulong sa Puno sa paniningil ng ambagan, pangangasiua ng salapi ng bayan, pag-dadala ng mga librong tandaan ng mga hayop, bahay at lupain at sa lahat na dapat gawin upang mapasulong ang lahat na hanapbuhay ng tauo.
Icapat. Ang Punong Presidente pati nang mga Pangulo at ng mga nasabing catiuala ang magbubuo sa mga Kapulungang bayan na mangangalaga sa ganap na catuparan ng mga cautusaing umiiral at sa mga sariling pag-aari ng baua't bayan. Ang Pangulo sa baua't bayan ang siyang pangalauang Presidente ng Kapulungan at ang cagauad nito ay ang catiuala sa catuiran.
Ang mga Pangulo ang catiuala ng Puno sa pamamahala sa loob ng canicanilang nasasacop.
Icalima. Pag naitanong ng mga Punong bayan ang caisipan ng canicanilang Kapulungan ay mangagcacatipon at maghahalal ng pagcaisahan nang maraming maguing Punong cabayanan at tatlong casanguni ucol sa tatlong tungcol na nasabi na.
Ang Punong Kabayanan na siyang Presidente, ang Punong bayan sa loob ng cabayanan na pangalauang Presidente at ang manga naturang casanguni ang mag bubuo ng Sanguniang cabayanan na mangangalaga sa catuparan ng manga pacana nitong Gobierno o Pamunuan sa boong nasasacop niya at sa manga pag aari ng boong cabayanan, at tuloy maghahamong dito rin sa Pamunuan ng manga pacanang nauucol sa cagalingan ng lahat.
Icaanim. Ang manga naturang Puno'y mag hahalal din nang pagcaisahan ng maraming tatlong Tagatayo sa baua't cabayanan ng Maynila at Kavite; dalaua sa baua't cabayanang cun tauagui'y de termino o pinaca-malaqui sa cautusang castila; at isa sa iba't iba pang cabayanan nitong Sangcapuloan.
Ang manga naturang Tagatayo ang mangangalaga sa mga pag-aaring ucol sa lahat nitong Kapuluan, at sa sariling pag aari nang canicanilang cabayanan at siyang mag bubuo ng Kapisanang taga pagbangon (Congreso Revolucionario) na cusang maghahamong dito sa Pamunuan ng manga pacanang dapat, upang manatili ang cahusayan sa loob at ang capanatagan sa labas nitong Kapuluan, at didinguin sa lahat ng usap na mabigat at ucol sa calahatan, cun ang pasiyang dapat ay mangyayaring ipagtiguiltiguil.
Icapito. Ang sino mang ma-atangan nang catungculan sa paraang nabibilin sa manga nangungunang Pangkat ay di macagagamit ng capangyarihan cundi mapagtibay muna nitong Pamunuan, na cusang mag gagauad ng catibayan cung maquita ang mga casulatan sa paghahalal.
Quiquilalanin ang calagayan ng mga Tagatayo cun maiharap nila ang casulatan sa paghahalal.
Icaualo. Ang manga Punong sandatahan na ihalal nitong Pamunuan sa baua't cabayanan ay di macapaquiquialam sa pamamahala sa loob nito, at ualang ibang magagaua cundi ang huminging tulong sa lahat nilang cailangan sa manga Punong cabayanan at Punong bayan na di macapagcacait cun may tunay na cadahilanan.
Gayon ma'y cun ang cabayana'y pagbalaang sirain o mapasoc ng manga caauay ay malilicom ng lalong Punong sandatahan ang boong capangyarihan ng Punong cabayanan, hangang macaraan ang panganib.
Icasiam. Maghahalal ang Pamunuan sa baua't cabayanan ng isang tanging sugo na may capangyarihang macapagtayo ng cahusayang nabibilin sa cautusang ito alinsunod sa manga tagobiling ipadala sa caniya nito ring Pamunoan. Talagang sugo na may sariling capangyarihan ang manga Punong sandatahan na macapagligtas sa manga bayan sa sacupan nang castila.
Ang nasabing sugo ang mangunguna at mangangasiua sa unang Kapulungang dapat gauin sa baua't bayan at cabayanan.
Icasampu. Pagcatayo nang cahusayang nabibilin sa cautusang ito ay mauaualang bagsic ang manga naunang paghahalal sa ano mang catungculang bayan, cahit saan nagbuhat at ano man ang dahilan, at gayon din ang mga pacanang masalansang dito.
Lagda sa Kavite ng 18 ng Junio ng taong 1898. EMILIO AGUINALDO
Source: The laws of the first Philippine Republic (the laws of Malolos) 1898-1899. Compiled & edited by Sulpicio Guevara, Manila : National Historical Commission, 1972.
GENERAL MANUEL TINIO - YOUNGEST GENERAL IN THE KATIPUNAN
Manuel Tinio was born to Silveria on June 17, 1877 in Licab, a barrio of Aliaga that became an independent municipality in 1890. He was the only son and had two sisters, the eldest, Maximiana, married Valentin de Castro of Licab and Catalina, the youngest, married Clemente Gatchalian Hernandez of Malolos, Bulacan. Manuel was his mother's favorite, his father having died when Manuel was twelve.
When the Philippine-American War broke out on Feb. 4, 1899, General Manuel Tinio, military governor of the Ilocos provinces and commanding general of all Filipino forces in Northern Luzon, had 1,904 men (the "Tinio Brigade" ), consisting of 68 officers, 1,106 riflemen, 200 sandatahanes or bolomen, 284 armorers, 37 medics, 22 telegraphers, 80 cavalrymen, 105 artillerymen and 2 Spanish engineers.
He distributed them along the more than 270-kilometer coast from Tagudin, Ilocos Sur Province to Bangui, Ilocos Norte Province.
Two American reporters, Sargent and Wilcox, described the coastal trenches in Cabugao, Ilocos Sur Province: "On the shore at Salomague, there is a fortification about five feet high and one hundred fifty feet long. This barricade is built of sticks arranged in two rows and filled in between with sand and coral stones. Its walls are about four feet thick, and it is built in the form of a crescent with the concave part toward the sea.
By April 1899, Tinio had built 640 defensive trenches from La Union Province to Ilocos Norte Province. They were designed by Gen. Jose "Pepe" Alejandrino, a Belgian-educated engineer from Pampanga Province.
In November 1899, General Tinio, who was based in Vigan, Ilocos Sur Province, was ordered to go down south to Pangasinan Province to block the Americans pursuing Aguinaldo and his party who were retreating northward. His deputy, Gen. Benito Natividad, stayed on as post commander in Vigan with a few officers and 50 riflemen.
After losing to the Americans at San Jacinto (November 11) and Pozorrubio (November 15), General Tinio withdrew to La Union Province to continue protecting Aguinaldo's retreat. He engaged and delayed the Americans in Rosario, Sto. Tomas , and Aringay. This gave Aguinaldo's retreating party enough time to reach Candon, Ilocos Sur Province, on November 21, from where Aguinaldo decided to move east to the mountains in the interior.
On November 23, Aguinaldo reached the highland town of Angaki (now Quirino), Ilocos Sur Province, and stayed there until the end of the month. Tinio withdrew his forces to Tagudin, Ilocos Sur Province, and later moved on to San Quintin, Abra Province.
On November 26, the warships U.S.S. Oregon, U.S.S. Samar, and U.S.S. Callao bombarded Caoayan, Ilocos Sur Provinceand, unopposed, landed 201 volunteer infantrymen and marines led by Lt. Col. James Parker.
The Americans proceeded to occupy the adjacent town of Vigan, the provincial capital. The post commander, Gen. Benito Natividad, and his men, had evacuated the town at the onset of the shelling of Caoayan.
Brig. Gen. Samuel BM Young, who was chasing Aguinaldo and Tinio relentlessly; reached Candon on November 28. He learned that Aguinaldo was at Angaki, 25 kms. away to the southeast, while Tinio was up north some 40 kms. away. Young realized immediately that General Tinio's purpose in taking his forces to the north was to lead the Americans away from following Aguinaldo. Forthwith, he sent Lt. Col. Robert Howze's battalion to Concepcion, Ilocos Sur Province, to resume the pursuit of Aguinaldo, while the bigger part of his force marched towards the north in an attempt to destroy the Tinio Brigade, the last remaining army of the Republic.
On November 29, Tinio was positioned about 20 kilometers south of Vigan at Tangadan Pass, located between Narvacan, Ilocos Sur Province, and San Quintin, Abra Province.
Not too far south of Tinio was Tirad Pass, Concepcion, where General Gregorio del Pilar was killed a few days later on December 2 while trying to block the American pursuit of Aguinaldo.
On November 30, Aguinaldo and his party left Angaki for Cervantes, Ilocos Sur Province. As the latter offered good conditions for defense and an abundance of food, Aguinaldo planned to stay there for a long time and defend himself.
On December 2, on the same day that Del Pilar died at Tirad Pass, Aguinaldo fled from Cervantes. He and his entourage endured the long, difficult trek over the Cordillera mountain range, until they descended on the Cagayan Valley on May 28,1900. Aguinaldo finally established himself at Palanan, Isabela Province, on September 6, 1900.
On December 4, at 2:00 a.m., Tinio's men, estimated to number 800, sneaked into Vigan under cover of darkness and attacked Company B, 33rd Infantry Regiment of US Volunteers (USV), which consisted of 153 soldiers. Severe street fighting ensued and continued for four hours until the Filipinos were driven out.
The Annual Reports of the United States War Department 1903, in its summary of major engagements in the Philippines, listed 8 Americans killed and 3 wounded, and 100 Filipinos killed at Vigan. A separate report added that 32 Filipinos and 84 rifles were captured.
Four US soldiers earned the Medal of Honor for heroism at Vigan. They were: Lt. Col. Webb Cook Hayes (son of former US Pres. Rutherford Hayes), Lt. Col. James Parker, Pvt. James McConnell and Pvt. Joseph Epps. General Young ordered a general assault upon Tangadan Pass in the afternoon of the same day of the Vigan attack. Companies F, G and H of the 34th Infantry Regiment, USV, engaged the Filipinos for 3 hours. In the dark of night, they were able to climb an adjacent hill without being noticed. Realizing that their position had now become indefensible, the Filipinos withdrew, leaving 35 dead. Thirteen Americans were wounded.
General Tinio and his men returned to San Quintin, Abra Province.
The following day, December 5, the Americans attacked San Quintin and Bangued in succession. Tinio withdrew to Dingras, Ilocos Norte Province then proceeded to Solsona, Ilocos Norte Province. He spent the next couple of months in the mountains of Solsona, where he began fortifying the peak of Mt. Bimmauya, northwest of Cabugao, Ilocos Sur Province.
The Americans at Vigan were soon reinforced by 160 men shipped from San Fabian, Pangasinan Province.
Lt. Col. James Parker (LEFT) proceeded north from Vigan past Cabugao and reached Batac, Ilocos Norte Province on December 7. The U.S.S. Wheeling landed more marines and army troops farther north in Laoag and Bangui on December 10. On December 17, United States troops captured the Cabugao and Sinait trenches and had Tinio's men, under Capt. Francisco Celedonio, on the run.
In the middle of the night on December 20, Celedonio sneaked back into Cabugao with a commando unit, abducted and bayoneted to death Presidente Municipal Basilio Noriega and his son-in-law, Benigno Sison y Suller, an innocent bystander. Noriega had been falsely accused as being a pro-American sajonista (Saxonist or pro-Anglo-Saxon). He was in fact condemned without trial by tiktiks (informers) who held personal grudges against him. His son-in-law unfortunately happened to be there and was a witness to the kaut (abduction).
Their bodies were found the following morning in the wooded area north of the church, each marked on the forehead "traidor de la patria" (traitor to the country). Ironically, Benigno's family of Sisons and Sullers and their Azcueta-Serrano wives and in-laws were the wealthiest and biggest contributors to the revolutionary movement in Cabugao.
Today in Philippine history, June 16, 2020, Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco Jr, died of heart failure and pneumonia
On Tuesday, June 16, 2020, Beer Tycoon Eduardo "Danding"
Cojuangco Jr., who led San Miguel Corporation (SMC), a food and beverage
empire that produced San Miguel beer, died of heart failure and
pneumonia at the St. Luke's Medical Center. Cojuangco served as chairman
and chief executive officer of SMC for decades. He was 85.
(Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco Jr. with Former First Lady Imelda Marcos on June 19, 2011)
Cojuangco had a net worth of $1.1 billion, according to Forbes' list of
the world's billionaires, with interests in cement-manufacturing,
orchards, a stud farm and Australian wineries, aside from SMC. SMC, one
of Southeast Asia's largest conglomerates, with a workforce of more than
28,000 people, has ventured into fuel and oil, power and
infrastructure.
Aside from business, Cojuangco delved into politics and sports, and
owned three teams in the Philippine Basketball Association namely: San
Miguel Beermen, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, and Magnolia Hotshots.
But Cojuangco had also been mired in controversy.
He fled from the Philippines when President Ferdinand Marcos was
overthrown by an army-backed "people power" revolt in 1986. During his
years in exile, he was known to have traveled to the United States and
Australia, where he bred thoroughbred racehorses.
Cojuangco had been linked to the 1983 assassination of former Sen.
Benigno Aquino Jr., but the allegation has never been proven and
Aquino's family later said he was not involved. The killing of Aquino
while in military custody at Manila's international airport sparked
street protests that culminated in a failed coup and the 1986 uprising
that toppled Marcos.
Cojuangco had also been accused of involvement in the misuse of large
amounts of coconut levy funds during the Marcos years that were intended
to develop the country's coconut industry. He has denied any wrongdoing
and has never been convicted amid allegations of illegally amassing
wealth during the Marcos era.
In the 1960s, Cojuangco served as governor of Tarlac, the base of the
Cojuangco clan, which has interests in sugarcane plantations. After
returning to the Philippines following Marcos's downfall, he ran for
president in 1992 under the Nationalist People's Coalition but lost,
although the political party he founded has remained an influential
political bloc.
Cojuangco backed the successful presidential bid of Joseph Estrada in 1998, the year he regained the chairmanship of San Miguel.
Cojuanco was born on June 10, 1935 in Paniqui, Tarlac. He was the eldest
child of Eduardo C. Cojuangco Sr. and Josephine B. Murphy. His mother,
the daughter of an Irish-Canadian U.S. Army volunteer who married a
Filipina woman, was born and raised in Baguio. His father Eduardo Sr.,
the son of Melecio Cojuangco, was of Chinese descent.
Cojuangco was educated at Lafayette College in Pennsylvaia. Besides
English and standard Tagalog, he also spoke the Filipino regional
dialects of Ilocano and Kapampangan, which are the native languages of
Tarlac province.
He was married to Soledad "Gretchen" Oppen-Cojuangco of Negros
Occidental. They had four children: Margarita "Tina" Cojuangco Barrera,
Luisa "Lisa" Cojuangco-Cruz, Carlos "Charlie" Cojuangco and Marcos
"Mark" Cojuangco.
Charlie is the current Representative of Tarlac's 1st District, while Mark once served as Pangasinan Congressman.
As of 2018, he lived with his partner, 1996 Binibining Pilipinas Universe winner Aileen "Leng" Damiles. They had two daughters.
