On This Day - July 13, 1905 - General Alfredo M. Santos was born in Manila

 

 

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.

Santos died on February 7, 1990.

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)

 

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.

On This Day - July 11, 1860 - Pío del Pilar, a revolutionary general was born in Culi-culi, San Pedro de Macati

 

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:

1. Pio del Pilar, Wikipedia
2. Makati's hero, Arts and Culture, Carmen Guerrero Nakpil, Philstar Global, November 9, 2009

On This Day - July 10, 1934 - the Filipino voters elected delegates to a constitutional convention

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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.

Reference:
Philippine News Agency archives

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On This Day - July 9, 1985 - Arturo Pineda Alcaraz, father of geothermal energy won the IBM Science and Technology Award

 

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

A baby - viral tiktok video in LEGO 😆

 

A baby - viral tiktok video in LEGO 😆

Recreating in LEGO! A baby - viral tiktok video in LEGO 😆 😆😆😆😆 #bridgertonscandal #HaloSilverTeam #LizzosBigGrrrls #ababy #OscarsAtHome #fyp #agegap #ohbaby #baby Say it - Monty.

On This Day - July 8, 1929 - Dwight F. Davis became the 9th American Governor-General of the Philippines

 

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:

1. Philippine Magazine, Volume 26, Number 1, August 1929
2. Herbert Hoover - Statements on the Governor Generalship of the Philippines, (http://goo.gl/qczqXp)
3. Presidential Museum and Library of the Philippines
4. Photo credit: Getty Images