THIS WEEK’S MILESTONES

Oct. 18 to Oct. 24

Oct. 18, 2011

The Supreme Court, voting 7-8, ruled as constitutional a law synchronizing the elections for the autonomous region in muslim mindanao( ar mm) with the 2013 midterm polls. Republic Act No. 10153, which was signed by then President Benigno Aquino III, postponed the elections for governor, vice governor and members of the regional legislative assembly, scheduled on Aug. 8 that year. The postponement faced opposition from Muslim leaders who asked the high court to declare the law “unconstitutional and invalid .” The tribunal later issued a temporary restraining order against RA 10153, but it was deemed revoked after it ruled to uphold the law. In January last year, ARMM was replaced by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Oct. 19, 1852

Aroyal decree authorized the return of the Jesuits to the Philippines on the condition that they should focus only on their missionary work in Mindanao as well as Jolo, then under the Sultanate of Sulu. But the first group of Jesuits arrived seven years later, in 1859. The royal decree followed eight decades of persecution by Spanish authorities because the Society of Jesus empowered and educated colonized people. In the 1760s, the Jesuits were expelled from all Spanish territories, and in 1773, the Society of Jesus was ordered dissolved. The first Spanish Jesuits came to the country in 1581 and introduced the system of Jesuit education called “ratio studiorum.”

Oct. 24, 2017

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines unveiled a historical marker honoring painter Juan Luna in his hometown of Badoc in Ilocos Norte province. Luna, the older brother of revolutionary general Antonio Luna, went to Madrid to further his studies in classical painting. His most famous work, “Spoliarium,” won a gold medal in 1884 in the Madrid Exposition of Fine Arts, while his “Death of Cleopatra” won a silver medal in 1881 from the same exhibition. Whenhe returned home in 1894, he helped wage the uprising against the Spaniards and Americans and was later imprisoned for suspected involvement in the Katipunan. He died of a heart attack in 1899 in Hong Kong.

Oct. 24, 2018

Female weavers from Mindanao were conferred the Manlilikha ng Bayan, or the National Living Treasures Award, for their mastery in indigenous arts and for passing on their skills to the youth. Ambalang Ausalin of Lamitan City in Basilan province weaves “sinaluan” and “seputangan,” considered two of the most intricately designed Yakan textiles. B’laan weaver Estelita Bantilan, who hails from Malapatan in Sarangani province, mastered the craft of making “igem” (mats) using “romblon” leaves and natural colorants from plants. Another B’laan weaver, Yabing Masalon Dulo, from Polomolok, South Cotabato province, is revered for her work on handwoven ikat (dyed abaca).

Canceled events: Due to the national public health emergency in relation to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the Apo Iraya Festival in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro province; Buglasan Festival in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental province; Tinapa Festival in Rosario, Cavite province; and Calacatchara Festival in Calaca, Batangas province, scheduled between Oct. 18 and Oct. 24, have been canceled by the local governments concerned. Compiled by Kathleen de Villa, Inquirer Research Sources: Inquirer Archives, officialgazette.gov.ph, Historical Markers (Regions 1 to 4 and CAR), Historical Calendar (1521-1969), ncca.gov.ph, nhcp.gov.ph, ateneo.edu, gutenberg.org