18 SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN OCTOBER IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY
Researched and compiled by Tony A. San Juan, OCT-Retired
Toronto-Canada
November 1, 2020
October 1, 1975. The "Thrilla in Manila" or so-called "Boxing of the Century" between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier for the Heavyweight Boxing Championship of the World took place at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City. Ali won via technical knockout in the 14th round. Carlos Padilla, a Filipino movie actor, was the ring referee. In tribute to Ali's victory, the first multi-level commercial shopping mall located at the Araneta Center was named "Ali Mall" in honour of the "The Greatest" champion. Ali, at age 74, passed away on June 3, 2016, after a more than 30-year battle with Parkinson's disease.
October 2, 1944. Julian Felipe, the noted composer of the Philippine National Anthem, died in Manila. Felipe composed "Lupang Hinirang" upon the special request of General Emilio Aguinaldo to make a composition that would inspire his compatriots to continue fighting against the Spaniards. The youngest of 12 children, Felipe was born of poor parents in San Roque, Cavite, on January 28, 1861, Felipe, who was musically-inclined from boyhood, studied music under local music teachers. The stirring anthem, a soul-inspiring masterpiece without lyrics, was played on June 12, 1898, as the Hong Kong-made Filipino flag was being hoisted outside the window of the Aguinaldo ancestral home in Kawit while the music band of San Francisco de Malabon, now General Trias City.October 4, 1603. The "Sangley Insurrection" broke out when the Chinese residents, numbering more than 10,000 in the Parian district in Manila revolted. Led by a certain Sangley Christian, Juan Untae, and in the name of the Sangley governor Juan Baptista. The rebellion, though unclear, "seemed to have originated in the suspicions of the Archbishop of Manila Miguel de Benavides, that the Chinese had ambitions to control the Philippines". The fighting happened in the Binondo district and the villages of Quiapo and Tondo where they burned houses and "killed Spaniards, native children, and women". The rebellion was then quelled by the Spaniards, together with the support of Filipinos and the Japanese in the settlement of Dilao. Altogether 20,000 Chinese were killed. The natives of the provinces of Pampanga, Laguna, and Bulacan helped to quell the Sangley rebellion as reported from the letter of the Audiencia to the king on December 12, 1603.
October 6, 1896. Dr. Jose Rizal was taken from Montjuich Castle (Castell de Montjuïc) in Montjuich, Barcelona, Spain, to sail back "incommunicado" in the ship "Colon" to the Philippines where he faced trial and his eventual execution. Rizal had been arrested while on his way to Cuba volunteering for a medical mission. The Montjuic Castle is a fortress atop a hill in Montjuich and served as a military prison where important dissident-free thinkers were detained and executed. In April 2011, Rizal was honoured with the inauguration of the “Sala José Rizal” room at the Montjuich Castle and to highlight and honour other freedom fighters and free thinkers who had a connection with the infamous prison,
October 8, 1897 . Emilio Jacinto, known as the "Brains of the Katipunan", wrote, "A La Patria" (To The Fatherland), a patriotic piece inspired by Rizal's "Mi Ultimo Adios" (My Last Farewell). Jacinto wrote the poem under the nom de plume "Dimas Ilaw", whose pieces essentially exhorted the Filipino masses to join the revolution against Spain. Jacinto was born on December 15, 1875, in Trozo, Manila. At the age of 18, he gave up his academic pursuits to join the Katipunan and was the youngest member of the Katipunan. He wrote the "Kartilla", the primer of the Katipunan on how Katipuneros should conduct themselves in the fight for freedom against the Spanish colonizers. He edited the newspaper "Kalayaan" (Freedom), the secret society's organ before the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution in August 1896. His other writings include: "Liwanag at Dilim" (Light and Darkness), "Pahayag" (Manifesto), "Sa Mga Kababayan Ko" (To My Countrymen) that all of containing his socio-political ideas. He died of malaria on April 16, 1899, in Majayjay, Laguna, at the age of 23.
October 9, 1934. A Committee of Seven, known now as the "Seven Wise Men", consisting of Conrado Benitez, Manuel C. Briones, Miguel Cuadermo, Vicente Singson Encarnacion, Norberto Romualdez, Manuel Acuna Roxas, and Filemon Sotto, were appointed to draft the 1935 Philippine Constitution. The said Constitution was ratified in a plebiscite on May 14, 1935, by a large majority of the Filipino people. The Charter was written with "an eye to meeting the approval of the United States Government as well, so as to ensure that the U.S. would live up to its promise to grant independence to the Philippines."
October 10, 1915. Francisco “Koko” Trinidad, "father of Philippine Radio", who greatly contributed to the education and professional life of media practitioners, was born. Trinidad was the general manager of the Philippine Broadcasting Service (PBS) from 1947 to 1970. He focused on public service and educational shows and pioneered the distance learning method or the use of radio broadcasts for educational purposes airing instructional programs in cooperation with the Bureau of Public Schools; aired farm programs and the proceedings of Congress and the Senate. Trinidad joined the faculty of the University of the Philippines, between 1970 to 1980 where he helped develop a new breed of broadcasters; also held key positions as Secretary-General of the UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines and program director of Radio Veritas Asia (International Service). Koko Trinidad who died on January 21, 2001, was married to Carolina Flores (popularly known as Lina Flor), the writer of the hit radio drama "Gulong ng Palad".
October 12, 1868 . Mariano Trias, considered as the first de facto vice president of the Philippine Revolutionary Government, was born in Cavite. One of the bravest generals of the Katipunan, Trias was also among the leading patriots and defenders of Cavite against the oppressive Spanish regime in the Philippines and was an active propagandist of the revolutionary society in Silang and Kawit. He was chosen as vice president on March 22, 1897, during the Tejeros Convention, an assembly of Philippine revolutionary leaders. the American rule, Trias also figured in a series of battles against American forces, but he voluntarily surrendered after the capture of Aguinaldo on March 23, 1901. During the American civil government, Governor William Howard Taft appointed him the first civil governor of Cavite on June 11, 1901, in accordance with Act No. 139. He died of an appendectomy at the Philippine General Hospital on February 22, 1914. The town of General Trias, formerly San Francisco de Malabon, was renamed after him by virtue of Act No. 2880.
October 17, 1857. Maximo Viola, a physician and a municipal councilor, who financed the printing of Dr. Jose Rizal's novel "Noli Me Tangere", was born in San Miguel, Bulacan. Viola, a supporter of the Propaganda Movement, met Rizal and became his close friend while he was finishing his degree from the University of Barcelona in 1886. It was while traveling with Rizal in Europe that he learned Rizal needed money to publish the "Noli Me Tangere". and offered to help Rizal and 2,000 copies were printed in 1887. Viola was also supportive of other propagandists, such as Marcelo H. Del Pilar, whom he aided financially. When the Filipino-American War broke out, Viola was imprisoned by the Americans, for his refusal to cooperate with the Americans. Viola continued practicing medicine even as a political prisoner and was released from prison on the condition that he treat American soldiers afflicted with illnesses previously unknown to America. He died on September 3, 1933.
October 20, 1944. General Douglas MacArthur as the head of the largest US Pacific War fleet, accompanied by Commonwealth President Sergio Osmeña and Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, landed in Palo, Leyte to reclaim the Philippines from the Japanese. Gen. MacArthur made true his famous vow "I shall return" following his escape from Corregidor on March 11, 1942, for Australia, on orders of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to avoid being overrun by Japanese Forces. The historic "Battle of the Leyte Gulf" occurred. Other sea landings were made in Mindoro, Batangas, and Lingayen in subsequent months. On February 3, 1945, the bloody Battle of Manila begun. MacArthur, who had taken over the government as Military Administrator, turned over the reins of the civil government to President Sergio Osmeña. On July 4, 1945, MacArthur proclaimed the liberation of the entire Philippines from the Japanese invasion. General Douglas MacArthur, dubbed as the "American Caesar", was one of the best-known American military leaders of World War II.
October 19, 1886 . Jorge Bocobo, who translated Dr. Jose Rizal's "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo" into English, was born in Gerona, Tarlac. Bocobo also translated the "Code of Kalantiaw", "Lupang Hinirang" and the "Decalogue of Andres Bonifacio" into English including Dr. Rizal's preface to Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt's book, "Filipinas". He helped President Manuel L. Quezon in drafting speeches and statements in connection with the campaign for Philippine independence from 1919 to 1924. and wrote outlines of the laws on property, obligations, and court decisions from 1924 to 1944. He became the fifth president of the University of the Philippines from 1934 to 1939 and was influential in the development of education in the Philippines. He held several other positions, including justice of the Supreme Court from 1942 to 1944 and chairman of the Code Commission, and was the principal author of the Civil Code of the Philippines in 1949. He died on July 23, 1965.
October 23, 1857. Juan Luna y Novicio, one of the first internationally-recognized Filipino painters, was born to rich parents in Badoc, Ilocos Norte. As a young man with natural talent, his parents sent him to Spain in 1877 for advanced painting lessons. Luna widened his knowledge of the art and he was exposed to the immortal works of the Renaissance masters. His artistic talents were established in 1878 with the opening of the first art exposition in Madrid, which was called the "Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes" (National Demonstration of Beautiful Arts) and became engrossed in painting and produced a collection of paintings that he exhibited in the 1881 Exposition. Juan Luna's famous masterpieces include "Spoliarium", where it won a gold medal in Madrid in 1884; "La Batalla de Lepanto" (The Battle of Lepanto); "El Pacto de Sangre" (The Blood Compact) between the native chieftain Datu Sikatuna and the Spanish conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi; "Don Miguel de Legazpi"; "Governor Ramon Blanco"; and "Odalisque". His sentiments for the Philippines and the Filipinos made him decide to travel back to the Philippines in December 1899. He suffered a severe heart attack and died on December 7, 1899.
El Pacto de Sangre( Blood Compact) by Juan Luna
October 25, 1898. The Academia Militar, the first Philippine military school, was established in Malolos, Bulacan by General Emilio Aguinaldo upon the recommendation of General Antonio Luna. It was the forerunner of the present Philippine Military Academy( PMA) and was housed in the convent of the Barasoain church with Colonel Manuel Bernal Sityar, a Spanish mestizo, as Director. The Academia Militar served as a training ground for future officers of the revolutionary armed forces. The Academy formally opened its classes on November 1, 1898. It was deactivated on January 20, 1899, during the Philippine-American revolution. On February 17, 1905, the academy was revived with the establishment of the Officer's School of the Philippine Constabulary in Intramuros, Manila, which was relocated to Baguio City on September 1, 1908. The present Philippine Military Academy was established in 1935.
October 26, 1941. Raul Roco, a prominent lawyer and political figure known as the "Father of Bangko Sentral", was born in Naga City, Camarines Sur. Roco served as an outstanding senator from 1992 to 2000 and introduced major changes in the country's banking system which liberalized the banking industry. He also wrote the Intellectual Property Code and the Securities Regulation Code and was a prime mover in the creation of the teachers’ cooperatives as well as the increment mandated by the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers for retiring teachers. He also worked to protect the welfare and interests of Filipino workers abroad which led to the abolition of double taxation imposed on overseas workers. In 2001, he served as the Department of Education Secretary. Roco ran and lost his presidential bid in 1998 under the Aksyon Demokratiko. In his second presidential bid in 2005, he left the campaign as he battled with bone cancer to seek medical attention in the United States. Roco died of cardiac arrest brought about by prostate cancer on August 5, 2005.
October 29, 1866. General Antonio Luna y Novicio, the doctor of pharmacy, writer, patriot, and the greatest Filipino strategist during the Filipino-American War was born in Binondo, Manila. Gen. A. Luna studied at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1881. He went on to study literature and chemistry at the University of Santo Tomas and also studied pharmacy, swordsmanship, fencing, and military tactics and became a sharpshooter. In 1890, Antonio was sent by his parents to Spain, to acquire a licentiate at the Universidad de Barcelona and doctorate at the Universidad Central de Madrid in Pharmacy. In Spain, he became one of the Filipino expatriates who mounted the Propaganda Movement and wrote for the La Solidaridad. He wrote a piece titled Impressions which dealt with Spanish customs and idiosyncrasies under the pen-name "Taga-ilog". Luna was in favor of reform rather than revolution as the way towards independence.
During the Filipino-American war, Luna was regarded as the most brilliant of the Filipino military officers. On June 5, 1899, he went to Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija for a conference with Gen. E. Aguinaldo but was not told that it was canceled. Upset, he left but was treacherously killed by members of the Kawit army battalion led by Captain Pedro Janolino. Luna, with his last breath, blood gushing from his multiple wounds, uttered his last imprecation, "Cobardes, asesinos"! (Cowards, assassins). General Antonio Luna died at 33 years old.
October 31, 1988 . Gregorio F. Zaide, an internationally known Filipino historian who authored some 67 books which were later adopted as textbooks for high schools and colleges, died at the age of 81. Zaide was one of the most traveled Filipino historians and authored more than 500 articles in history published in both national and international newspapers and academic journals. Among his contributions to Philippine history are the books "A Documentary History of the Katipunan", "History of the Katipunan", "Philippine Political and Cultural History", "Great Events in Philippine History", "History of the Filipino People", "Jose Rizal: Life, Works, and Writings", "The Philippine Revolution", "Riquezas Filipinas en los Archivos de Mexico", "Great Filipinos in History", and "The Pageant of Philippine History".
Zaide took up his Master in Arts class in 1931 at the University of the Philippines and A.B. and Ph.D. degrees in 1934 at the University of Santo Tomas. Notably, Dr. Zaide was the first Asian to win the "United Nations Study Award" (1957). He was the President of the Philippine Historical Association for three terms and was given the prestigious "Republic Cultural Heritage Award" in 1968 by the Philippine Republic. He retired on May 25, 1964, and became the first Professor Emeritus of History at the Far Eastern University. He served as Mayor of his hometown of Pagsanjan (1971-1975).
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RESEARCHED AND COMPILED BY TONY A. SAN JUAN, OCT-RETIRED.
Source References: Teodoro A. Agoncillo. History of the Filipino People. 8th edition,1990; Horacio de la Costa, SJ. Readings In Philippine History , 1992; Sonia M. Zaide. Philippine History and Government. Third edition,1994; Sonia M. Zaide. The Philippines: A Unique Nation. Second edition,1999. Philippines News Agency; National Historical Society; Wikipedia; Google.