Significant Events in FEBRUARY

THIRD of February 1945, t he Am erican forces liberat ed prisoners of w ar in Manila

On 3 February 1945, the American forces liberated nearly 4,000 prisoners of war in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) internment camp in Manila, which signalled the full American control and victory over the Japanese invaders in the Philippines

The month-long battle, which ended on 3 March 1945, destroyed the city and left scores of people dead It marked General Douglas MacArthur?s victory in the campaign of reconquest against Japanese military occupation from 1942 to 1945

The losing Japanese troops took out their anger and frustration on the civilians caught up in the crossfire, committing multiple acts of severe brutality, later known as the Manila Massacre

For the rest of the month, the Americans and Filipino guerrillas mopped up resistance throughout the city

An estimated 100,000 Filipino civilians were killed both deliberately by the Japanese and from artillery and aerial bombardment by the U S military forces About 12,000 Japanese soldiers died mostly sailors from the Japanese Manila Defence Force With Intramuros secured on 4 March 1945, Manila was officially liberated

4 Februa ry 1899, ma rked t he st a rt of t he Filipino-Americ a n Wa r

"Halt!" When the Filipinos continued their way, the American fired and killed one of them instantly along the now Sociego Street in Santa Mesa, Manila This triggered firing between both sides, which spread to Paco and Sta Ana

And so the Filipino-American War began

According to Spanish Professor J A Ranes in his Biographical Sketch of "Vibora", it was General Artemio Ricarte who led the Filipino troops, who were around Manila at the time, against the Americans

Although the Filipino forces were at a disadvantage, having no sufficient arms to fight the American troops, still it took the Americans almost three years to conquer the Filipinos

The war came to an end on 23 March 1901 with the capture of Aguinaldo by the Americans in Palanan, Isabela but resistance against the American occupation lingered in some parts of the country

10 Februa ry 1899, Kipling's " The Whit e M a n's Burden" wa s f irst published

Tillman asked:

Why are we bent on forcing upon them a civilization not suited to them, and which only means, in their view, degradation and a loss of self-respect, which is worse than the loss of life itself?

Four days later on 11 February 1899 the U S Congress ratified the "Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain" (Treaty of Paris, 1898), which established American imperial jurisdiction upon the archipelago of the Philippine Islands

The imperialist interpretation of "The White Man's Burden", proposes that the white man has a moral obligation to rule the non-white peoples of the Earth, whilst encouraging their economic, cultural, and social progress through colonialism until they can independently manage their own affairs

10 Februa ry 2003, Dr Joset t e Biyo wa s honoured by t he M a ssa c huset t s Inst it ut e of Tec hnology

On 10 February 2003, Dr Josette Biyo, a teacher at the Philippine Science High School-Western Visayas Campus, was honoured by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory by naming a minor planet or planetoid (13241) after her

Biyo noted that Filipino teachers can compete globally by introducing innovations and strategies for teaching despite problems such as the rapidly declining environment and the lack of equipment and facilities for scientific endeavours

Judges and teachers from different parts of the world were amazed that even in the absence of sophisticated equipment, Dr Biyo's students were able to produce "quality research outputs beyond their expectations "

11Februa ry 1861, Severino Reyes wa s born in St a Cruz, M a nila

On 11 February 1861, Severino Reyes, noted playwright, writer, dramatist and acclaimed as one of the giants of Tagalog and Filipino Literature in the early 20th century was born in Sta Cruz, Manila

Reyes was famous for writing "Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang" (Tales of Lola Basyang), a series of fairy tale stories told by Lola Basyang, an old woman with loadful of ancient stories stuck in her ancient baul

The stories appeared in Liwayway Magazine, which he co-founded on 18 November 1922, and eventually became the most-widely read prose feature of the magazine Reyes was also regarded as the Father of Filipino Plays due to his contribution in the arts and literature

One of the most cited and famous plays that he created was the zarzuela "Walang Sugat" (No Wounds) which tackled the bravery and dedication of the Katipuneros or the local revolutionary army of the Philippines during the later years of the Spanish occupation Reyes died on September 15 1942 at the age of 81

On 10 February 1899, the poem "The White Man s Burden: The United States and the Philippine Islands" by Rudyard Kipling, was first published in the New York Sun It was originally written for the Diamond Jubilee celebration of Britains Queen Victoria's reign, but was exchanged for the poem "Recessional" also by Kipling Later Kipling rewrote the text of "The White Man's Burden" to address the American colonization of the Philippine Islands

On 4 February 1899 at about eight o'clock in the evening, Private William Walter Grayson, together with two other members of his patrol, entered Barrio Santol in Sampaloc, Manila to find out whether there were Filipino soldiers in the vicinity

Upon seeing the Filipino soldiers, in the Santa Mesa area, the American sentry shouted

The White Man's Burden is a poetic celebration of imperialism, which Rudyard Kipling believed eventually would benefit the colonised peoples

Three days earlier, on 7 February 1899, on the senate floor, Senator Benjamin Tillman had read aloud three stanzas of "The White Man s Burden" in argument against ratification of the Treaty of Paris, and that the U S should renounce claim of authority over the Philippine Islands To that effect, Senator

Planet Biyo is nine kilometers in diameter and is located at the belt between Mars and Jupiter

Dr Biyo won in 2002 the grand prize in the Intel International and Engineering Fair in Louiseville, Kentucky

She presented before the panel of judges and about 150 teachers from all over the world her method of teaching Science Research to high school students in Iloilo