From Nuffnang

Monday, February 24, 2014

This Week in Philippine History and Culture (February 22 to 28)

Feb. 22, 1899: Filipino forces under the command of General Antonio Luna started counterattacks against the American forces during the Philippine-American War. Manila, however, is not regained from the Americans. 


Feb. 22, 1927: Florencio Campomanes (d. May 3, 2010), the first Filipino to hold the presidency of the Federation internationale des echecs (FIDE) or World Chess Federation, is born in Manila. Campomanes held office as FIDE president from  1982 to 1995. 


Feb. 22, 1942: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt orders General Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines as the victory of the Japanese military forces in the Pacific theatre of the Second World War becomes imminent. 


Feb. 22, 1971:  Actress and singer Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga, more popularly known as Lea Salonga, is born in Angeles City, Pampanga. Salonga is known for playing the lead role of Kim in the original West End and Broadway productions of the musical Miss Saigon. For her performance, Salonga won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre World awards.

Aside from being the first Filipino artist to be signed to an international record label (Atlantic Records in 1993), Salonga is also the first Philippine-based artist to have received a major album release and distribution deal in the U.S. Salonga is also the first Asian actress to play the roles of Eponine and Fantine in the musical Les Miserables on Broadway.


Feb. 22, 1986: The People Power Revolution started in the Philippines.


Feb. 23, 1945: The 11th Airborne Division, with the assistance of Filipino guerrillas, free the captives of the internment camp in Los Baños, Laguna.


Feb. 23, 1945: Manila, the capital of the Philippine Islands, is liberated by combined Filipino and American forces.


Feb. 24, 1945:  Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declares Proclamation 1017 placing the country in a state of emergency in an attempt to avert a possible military coup.


Feb. 25, 1965: Award-winning film and television actress Maricel Soriano is born in Manila. Popularly known as "The Diamond Star," Soriano's filmography encompasses different genres including drama, comedy, fantasy, horror, suspense, action and romance. 


Feb. 25, 1986: The People Power Revolution culminates with the President Ferdinand Marcos fleeing the Philippines after two decades of rule. On the other hand, Corazon Aquino is sworn in as the Philippines' first woman president.


Feb. 25, 1993: Mary Walter (b. September 10, 1912) dies at the age of 80. Walter's career as an actress spanned almost seven decades, starting with the 1927 film Ang Lumang Simbahan. She retired to her hometown in Sorsogon province in 1948 but was persuaded to act again a decade later, appearing in Kastilaloy, an LVN Studios production.

Walter was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences in 1980 and the Gawad Urian in 1992.


Feb. 26, 1937:  Zamboanga is declared a city by virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 39.  Located in the tip of Zamboanga Peninsula, the city was formerly known as Jambangan or "Land of Flowers." 


Feb. 27, 2004: A bomb planted by terrorist organization Abu Sayyaf Group in SuperFerry 14  explodes, killing 116 aboard. SuperFerry 14 was a 10,192-ton vessel that sailed out of Manila for Cagayan de Oro City via Bacolod City and Iloilo City. The explosion tore through the vessel an hour after its 11 p.m. sailing. The 3.6-kilogram TNT bomb was inside a television set placed in the vessel's lower decks.


Feb. 28, 1916: Cesar Climaco (d. November 14, 1984) a politician who served as mayor of Zamboanga City for 11 years and three nonconsecutive terms, is born in the said city. He was a prominent critic of the martial law regime of President Ferdinand Marcos.

Climaco became famous for his refusal to cut his hair until democratic rule was restored in the Philippines. An unknown gunman assassinated Climaco in 1984. Nobody has been convicted for the crime.

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