Filipino History

Important Filipino historical events in the month of December:

December 30, 1896. Jose Rizal was executed by firing squad in Bagumbayan (now called Rizal Park) after being held captive at fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila.

December 14, 1897. Pact of Biyak-na-Bato. Signed by the Spanish government and the Filipino revolutionary leaders. This provided for the secession of hostilities between the two parties and the voluntary exile of revolutionary leaders in Hong Kong.

December 10, 1898. The Treaty of Paris. This was signed between the United States and Spain ceding Spanish colonies, including the Philippines, to America. The Americans received the right to colonize the Philippines after paying Spain $20 million.

December 2, 1900. The young general, Gregorio del Pilar died while fighting against the Americans in the Battle of Pasong Tirad (Tirad Pass).

December 29, 1930.  Inauguration of Rizal Monument.  The monument to Jose Rizal was inaugurated at the Luneta (now Rizal Park).

December 14, 1937. Law on Women’s Suffrage.  For the first time, Filipino women were given the right to vote during elections.

December 7, 1941. The Japanese bombed the Pearl Harbor, a US military base in Hawaii. The Philippines was attacked ten hours after the bombing.

December 8, 1941. Japanese invasion.  Japanese bombers attacked Clark Air Base and other American camps in Baguio City, Manila and Davao. This signaled the beginning of the Japanese Occupation in the Philippines.

December 25 1941. General Douglas MacArthur declared Manila as an “open city” but the Japanese ignored and still continued its attack.

December 30, 1941. Oath-taking at Malinta Tunnel, Corregidor.  Manuel Quezon took his second term of office as President of the Commonwealth government.

December 3, 1942.  New government under the Japanese. The Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas (Kalibapi) was established and elected Jose P. Laurel as President of the Philippines. This party, however, lasted only until 1945.

December 8, 1944.  Makabayang Kalipunan ng mga Pilipino (Makapili).  The Japanese used its members, composed of Filipinos, to inform on guerrilla sympathizers. Many of its members were prosecuted after the war for the atrocities they committed against the people.

December 26, 1968. Jose Maria Sison reestablished the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) as a Stalinist-Maoist Political Party.End of the 20th Century and Millennium Watch.

December 31, 2000. The Filipino Nation led by President Joseph Ejercito Estrada joined the whole world in welcoming the new millennium. The President called on Filipinos “to pray for global peace and brotherhood and to world as one in facing th

Important Filipino historical events in the month of November:

Cofradia de San Jose. 1832-41. Founded as a religious cult which attracted many members and alarmed the government. It was disbanded after one of its prominent leaders, Apolinario de la Cruz or Hermano Pule, was killed by the government forces on November 4, 1841.

November 21, 1849. Surnames for Filipinos. Governor Narciso Claveria y Zaldua issued a decree that provided for the use of Spanish surnames by Filipinos to facilitate census, tax collection and administration.

November 5, 1898. Republic of Negros. Revolutionary forces under General Juan Anacleto Araneta proclaimed the Republic of Negros.

November 17, 1898. Cry of Santa Barbara. The revolutionists led by General Martin Delgado waved the Filipino flag and established the revolutionary government in Iloilo.

November 15, 1935. Inauguration of Commonwealth government.  Manuel Quezon and Sergio Osmeña took the oath as President and Vice- President.

November 10, 1953. Ramon Magsaysay was elected the new President and Carlos P. Garcia as Vice President. Known to be the leader of the poor, Magsaysay, initiated many local infrastracture projects and established special courts to resolve disputes between landlords and tenants.

November 11, 1961. Diosdado Macapagal won the presidential election and replaced President Carlos P. Garcia.

November 9, 1965. Ferdinand Marcos was elected the 6th president of the Philippine Republic. He made extravagant spendings on public works, building roads, bridges, health centers, hospitals, schools and putting up urban beautification projects.

November 11, 1969. Marcos was re-elected as president.

Important Filipino historical events in the month of October:

October 3, 1646. For the second time, the Spanish fleet defeated the British warship in Manila Bay. This event is commemorated in a yearly feast called ” La Naval de Manila”.

October 5, 1762. The British fleet defeated the Spanish warship allowing the British rule the country for two years.

October 31, 1829. Francisco Dagohoy, a cabeza de barangay of Bohol and the leader of the longest uprising (8 years), surrendered to the Spaniards.

October 1, 1901. Antisedition Law. The American colonial government passed Act 292 to quell armed nationalist sentiments during the era.

October 16, 1907. Inauguration of the first Philippine Assembly. It served as the lower house of a bicameral legislature with the Philippine Commission as the upper house.

October 30, 1908. First court case of libel. El Renacimiento published in its editorial “Aves de Rapina” (Birds of Prey) about a man who preyed on his enemy the way an eagle, vulture, owl and a vampire do. American Secretary of the Interior Dean C. Worcester felt alluded to in the article and sued the paper’s editor and publisher Teodoro M. Kalaw and Martin Ocampo. Worcester won the case and the newspaper was closed.

October 13, 1913. The Underwood-Simons Law took effect, allowing an open trade between the United States and the Philippines.

October 31, 1919. Flag Day. Proclaimed by the National Assembly.

October 20, 1944. Leyte landing. General Douglas MacArthur landed in Leyte Gulf with Sergio Osmeña Sr. and Carlos P. Romulo. This signaled the retaking of the Philippines from the Japanese soldiers. It was also a fulfillment of MacArthur’s promise in 1942 when he said “I shall return.”

October 24, 1944. This day the prominent battle of Leyte Gulf took place, where the island of Leyte was filled massively with an amphibious force of 700 vessels and 174,000 army and navy servicemen. By December 1944, the islands of Leyte and Mindoro had been cleared of the Japanese.

Important Filipino historical events in the month of September:

September 23, 1762. British invasion of Manila. The British invaded and occupied Manila until March 1764, when the Seven-Year War in Europe ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The treaty compelled the British to return Manila and its environs to Spain.

September 6, 1834. Manila was opened to international trade leading to a remarkable transformation of its economy.

September 28, 1890. Balangiga Massacre. About 180 Filipinos attacked 72 American soldiers and killed many of them. Soon after, the Americans retaliated by killing every Filipino who refused to surrender and were capable of carrying arms, including 10-year-old boys. America’s pacification policy turned Samar into a “howling wilderness.”

September 18, 1891. Jose Rizal finished his novel El Filibusterismo following the first, Noli Me Tangere. Both portrayed the struggling life of the Filipinos under the Spanish rule.

September 12, 1896. A group of revolutionaries from Cavite were executed. They are now known as teh “Trece Martires de Cavite” or the thirteen martyrs of Cavite.

September 3, 1899. La Independencia newspaper published Jose Palma’s poem. The poem became the lyrics for the Marcha Nacional Filipina of Julian Felipe, thereby completing a national anthem for the Philippines.

September 18, 1935. Manuel L. Quezon was elected President of the Commonwealth and Sergio Osmena as the Vice President.

September 22, 1943. the Commonwealth government adopted the flag and the anthem as national symbols.

September 2, 1945. Right after the war in the Pacific, Japan surrendered to the Americans. The Philippines later was granted its independence but with over a million Filipino casualties. More than 60,000 Americans died and 300,000 Japanese lost their lives.

September 1945. United Nations membership. The Philippines joined the United Nations.

September 21, 1972. Marcos declared martial law under the proclamation No. 1801. Many opposition leaders including Benigno Aquino, journalists and activists were detained in Fort Bonifacio under martial law.

September 21, 1972. Martial law. President Ferdinand Marcos signed Proclamation 1081 declaring martial law to “save the Republic” from crime and violence. Marcos abolished the Congress and created the semi-parliament, Batasang Pambansa. It caused the takeover of many private businesses by the government, exile, disappearances and imprisonment of individuals critical of the government.

September 24, 1993. Biggest case of corruption. Former first lady Imelda Marcos was convicted for the first time of corruption and sentenced to 24 years in prison. Few days earlier, the remains of former President Marcos who died in 1989 in Hawaii was finally entombed at their family mausoleum in Batac, Ilocos Sur.

Important Filipino historical events in the month of August:

August 23, 1896. Bonifacio and his fellow Katipuneros tore their cedulas or residence certificates while shouting “Long live the Philippines”, during their preparation for battle. This was marked as the historic Cry of Balintawak.

August 25, 1896. The Katipuneros headed by Bonifacio had their first encounter with the Spanish civil guards and infantrymen. Due to strong forces and large presence of the Filipino troops, both camps of the Spaniards retreated. But in the end, Filipinos lost the battle when the latter came back with large number of fighters and stronger ammunition. Over a hundred Katipuneros were killed.

August 13, 1898. A mock battle between the Spanish and the Americans occured forbidding the participation of Filipino soldiers. Later, Manila was surrendered by Spain to the United States.

August 3, 1902. Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Philippine Independent Church). The first Filipino church independent of Rome to be established with Gregorio Aglipay as the first bishop. It was a result of the disparagement and prejudice felt by nationalistic priests.

August 29,1916. The Jones Law was signed allowing the existence of the Philippine Legislature and promising the Philippine independence from the United States.

August 26, 1930. Crisanto Evangelista established the Communist Party of the Philippines or CPP as a peasant’s rebel movement and was later joined by farmers and even professionals.

August 8, 1963. President Macapagal signed the Agricultural Land Reform Code.

August 8, 1967. The Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) was organized after a meeting in Manila.

August 28, 1987. Military coup. The Reform the AFP Movement (RAM), led by Col. Gregorio Honasan, staged the coup, demanding the surrender of the Aquino government. The troops penetrated Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame but were
repulsed by government forces. There were other failed coup attempts by the RAM (one in 1986, three attempts in 1987), Nationalist Army of the Philippines (NAP) in 1986, and the combined forces of RAM and NAP on December 1, 1989.