On August 31, 1907, Ramon Magsaysay, seventh President of the Philippines, hailed by his countrymen as the “Champion of the Masses”, was born in Iba, Zambales, from a blacksmith father and a school teacher mother. Over time, Ramon Magsaysay has become the figurehead of integrity, compassionate governance, and true public service. To honor those who […]
Category Archives: History
On August 30, 1850, Marcelo H. Del Pilar, one of the leading propagandists for reforms in the country, known by his pen name Plaridel, was born in Cupang (now Barangay San Nicolas), Bulacan.
1901: The Establishment of Silliman University On 28 August 1901, Silliman Institute, later known as Silliman University, is established as the first American university in the Philippines by the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions. It is the first American university in the Philippines and the entire Asian continent. The university is named after Dr. Horace Brinsmade Silliman, a retired businessman and philanthropist […]
On August 26, 1930, on the 34th anniversary of the 1896 Katipunan Revolt, Crisanto Evangelista announced the birth of the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP), the Communist Party of the Philippines. Less than three months later, on the 13th anniversary of the Russian Bolshevik Revolution, he formally established the PKP and proclaimed its objectives.
On August 23, 1896, in a then hilly and forested sitio of Pugad Lawin in Balintawak, now part of Quezon City, the Katipuneros led by Andres Bonifacio tore their “cedulas” as an expression of their open defiance of Spanish rule in the country. This event, called the “Cry of Pugad Lawin”, officially marked the beginning […]
Suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus (1971) Following the Plaza Miranda bombing (allegedly by the Communist Party of the Philippines, led by Jose Maria Sison), President Marcos, citing a communist plot to destabilize the government, assumed emergency powers and suspended the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus — a prelude to declaring Martial […]
Two major events in Philippine politics happened on the same day 12 years apart: the Plaza Miranda bombing, which created the precedence for what would later become 20 years of authoritarianism, and Ninoy Aquino’s assassination, which sparked the fires of revolt that ended the country’s long period of dictatorship.
On August 19, 1878, Manuel Luis Quezon was born in Baler, in the district of El Principe, Tayabas province (present day Baler, Aurora), to Spanish parents Lucio Quezon, a soldier in the Spanish army, and Maria Dolores Molina. Quezon served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944.
On August 18, 1926, Larry Alcala, well-known editorial cartoonist and illustrator, was born in Daraga, Albay. His first comic strip was a parody of superman entitled “Siopaoman” in the Filipino comic book Halakhak. He was also one of the first men to use Taglish as a medium of communication with his “Kalabog en Bosyo” in […]
On this day 72 years ago, President José P. Laurel issued an Executive Proclamation putting an end to the Second Philippine Republic, thus ending his term as President of the Philippines. The Second Philippine Republic, also known as the Puppet State of the Empire of Japan, was succeeded by the Commonwealth of the Philippines.