PHILIPPINE AIRLINES BECAME THE FIRST AIRLINE TO CROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN
July 31, 1946
Exactly 75 years ago, Philippine Airlines made history, when it first flew over the Pacific ocean. It was the first Asian airline to cross the vast Pacific ocean. A chartered Douglas DC-4 flight flew with 40 American servicemen from Nielson Airfield in Makati, to Oakland, California.
But it was not until December 1946 that the regular service flight from Manila to California began.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the oldest and first airline company in the Philippines and Asia, established on February 26, 1941.
NATIONAL HOUSING AUTHORITY ESTABLISHED
July 31, 1975
Under Presidential Decree no. 757 signed by President Ferdinand Marcos on this day in 1975, established the National Housing Authority (NHA) as a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC), under the HUDCC or Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council.
The NHA's primary mandate is to implement government housing programs, such as resettlement projects and housing development.
With the effect of Executive Order 90 signed on December 17, 1986, the NHA has been mandated to reduce the urban poor population in the country to 30% by creating housing projects. It is stipulated in Republic Act no. 7279 mandates the NHA to assist the local government in the implementation of housing projects, as well as the use of land to build housing and implement operations of relocation of illegal settlers to housing areas designated by the government.
The R.A. was signed on December 8, 1994. 7835, which requires the NHA to implement the components of the National Shelter Program-Resettlement Program, Medium Rise Public and Private Housing, Cost Recoverable Programs, and the Local Housing Program.
New Year’s Eve 1999 when the E.O. 195, to ensure that the housing constructions will meet the needs of the new occupants there, and under R.A. 11021 signed on Valentine’s Day year 2019 will retain the mandates given to the NHA by the aforementioned laws.
The NHA prioritizes the families of low-salary grade government employees, victims of disasters, and even personnel of the AFP, PNP, BuCor, BJMP, and BFP.
Just last April, the current Chairman of the NHA, Marcelino Escalada, was given more than 76 million pesos from the funds of the Leyte provincial government, to be used to build housing for the converted NPA rebels in Leyte.
GENERAL ARTEMIO RICARTE DIED
July 31, 1945
Today is the 76th anniversary of the passing of “El Vibora” in our history General Artemio Ricarte y Garcia. He died in 1945 at the age of 78 due to dysentery while in Kalinga, Mountain Province. At that time, Japanese troops were retreating north, led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita, while American forces were chasing them from Pasong Bessang. In 1954, treasure hunters dug up Ricarte's alleged bones and moved his remains to the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
Artemio Ricarte was born in Batac, Ilocos Norte on October 20, 1866, and the second of three children of Esteban Ricarte and Bonifacia Garcia. Ricarte graduated from high school at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran and took education courses at the University of Santo Tomas and the Escuela Normal. He taught at an elementary school in San Francisco de Malabon (now Tanza), Cavite where he met Mariano Alvarez, also a teacher. Through Alvarez, Ricarte was persuaded to join the Katipunan, where he used the alias “Vibora” or viper.
Ricarte, then Lieutenant under Supremo Andres Bonifacio of Magdiwang, led the successful revolution in Tanza. At the convention in Tejeros on March 22, 1897, Ricarte was elected Captain-General or the leader of the revolutionary army. He is considered the first Chief-Of-Staff of the current Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). But instead of joining the revolutionary government, he joined Bonifacio's protest at the Tejeros convention, but later sided with General Aguinaldo's Magdalo. Ricarte was promoted to Brigadier General and led the revolutionaries to fight in Cavite, Laguna and Batangas. General Ricarte remained in Bulacan while Aguinaldo left for Hong Kong to ensure that the Spaniards would abide by the Biak-na-Bato Agreement. General Ricarte once again showed his venom in the battle against America during the Filipino-American War, when he became Chief of Operations of the Filipino forces around Manila.
General Ricarte was captured in July 1900, when he tried to enter the American line in Manila. He was imprisoned in Bilibid and later exiled to Guam, for refusing to swear allegiance to America. But instead of following the Americans, he fled back to the Philippines in 1903 to persuade the Filipinos to revolt against America. But fellow Filipinos reported him to the Americans and Ricarte was jailed again and imprisoned in Bilibid for six years. He was once again sworn to allegiance to America, but again refused. So Ricarte was exiled to Hong Kong, and he was eventually stranded in Yokohama, Japan, with his wife, Agueda Esteban. They opened a small restaurant offering Filipino dishes, and Ricarte returned to teaching, teaching Spanish to Japanese students.
Until the Japanese invaded the Philippines, Ricarte was used by Japanese propaganda to encourage Filipinos to join Japan's dream of making Asia Asian again. But he failed to win the sympathy of the Filipinos due to almost three decades of absence from our country. Ricarte also refused to join Benigno Ramos' Makapili, while Ricarte once again found himself poor and with the Japanese fleeing the Americans.
Although known as a collaborator, he is better known to Ilocanos as a hero and patriot.
GERONIMA PECSON DIED
July 31, 1989
At the age of 92, teacher, feminist, and the first female senator in the Philippines Geronima Josefa Palisoc Tomelden-Pecson passed away on this day in 1989.
He was born in Lingayen, Pangasinan on December 19, 1896. He earned his high school teaching certificate, Bachelor's and Master's degree from the University of the Philippines. Although she already teaches in a school, she still participates in several women's movements, and is a social worker through the National Federation of Women's Clubs of the Philippines (NFWCP). She married former Court of Appeals Justice Potenciano Pecson.
His role as private secretary to President Jose P. Laurel, and Assistant Executive Secretary to President Manuel Roxas paved the way for him to run for senator in the 1947 Senatorial Elections where he was third among all winners and got 48%. of the total number of votes. As a result, she is the first female senator in the Philippines.
As a senator, he promoted laws focused on education, health, and public welfare. Some of the laws he authored were the Vocational Education Act, Municipal Libraries Act, Free and Compulsory Education Act of 1953, and raising the level of the UP College of Forestry in Los Baños, Laguna to being a full -fledged college (UP Los Baños College of Forestry and Natural Resources at present). After losing the 1953 Senatorial Elections, he became the Philippine representative to the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). He was also a board member of various educational and charitable institutions, and was a consultant of the Ministry of Education (currently the Department of Education) until his passing.
References:
Wikipedia (n.d.). Philippine Airlines. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Airlines
Wikipedia (n.d.). History of Philippine Airlines. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Philippine_Airlines
National Housing Authority (n.d.). Corporate Profile. https://nha.gov.ph/corporate-profile/
Wikipedia (n.d.). Artemio Ricarte. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemio_Ricarte
Project Vinta (2020, July 31). On July 31, 1989, educator, feminist, and legislator Geronima T. Pecson died at the age of 92. [Status update]. Facebook. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2731176630462926&id=1922575111323086