THIS WEEK’S MILESTONES
Feb. 6 to Feb. 12
Feb. 6, 1945
The bloodiest battle faced by guerrilla forces under the command of Gen. Macario Peralta Jr., who liberated the island of Panay from the Japanese forces, began in Balantang in Jaro, Iloilo City, and lasted until the liberation of Iloilo City on March 20, 1945. In the vicinity where the fighting took place, the Balantang Memorial Cemetery National Shrine was built in their honor. This is the only military cemetery established outside Metro Manila.
Feb. 6, 1998
Biak-na-Bato National Park, located in the towns of Doña Remedios Trinidad and San Miguel in Bulacan province, was declared a historical shrine and major tourist destination by Republic Act No. 8546. The 2,117-hectare national park, which was declared a protected area in 1937, served as a hideout of revolutionaries during the Spanish colonial period. It was also where the Biak-na-Bato Republic was established under Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. Among the most visited sites are Paniki (bat) Cave, Bukal Cave and Aguinaldo Cave, where Aguinaldo stayed during the later years of the Philippine Revolution.
Feb. 11, 2019
The country’s first museum of economic history opened in Iloilo City. The opening of the Museum of Philippine Economic History culminates the transformation of the 19th century Elizalde building, a former trading house, into a repository of items, documents, images and other facts depicting the economic history of Iloilo and other regions in the country. The Commission on Audit donated the building to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines which will manage the museum. The two-story museum is composed of 13 galleries with hundreds of artifacts, including abaca, pottery, boat-making, body ornaments, blacksmithing, textile and other industries.
Feb. 12, 1863
The town of Tolosa, formerly known as Inapusong, in Leyte province, was formally founded in 1861 and became a parish in 1863. The parish priest then was Padre Geronimo Asenjo, a Spaniard. The first Filipino priest was Father Quintin Bautista. Tolosa was once part of the municipality of Tanauan. Magdaleno Vivero and Domingo Camacho petitioned the Spanish government to grant their autonomy from Tanauan. The petition was granted in 1852. The old town, Inapusong, became Tolosa in honor of a town in Spain with the same name.