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.
