Significant Events in MARCH

ByTHEKAHIMYANGPROJECT

FIRST of M a rc h 1888, some na t ive Filipinos a nd mest izos present ed a pet it ion dema nding expulsion of t he f ria rs

On 1st March 1888, some native Filipinos and mestizos marched to the official residence of Jose Centeno and presented a petition demanding the immediate expulsion of the friars of the religious orders, and of the Archbishop, whom they declared unworthy to occupy the Primacy of the Islands

The petition addressed to the Governor-General, further demanded the secularisation of the benefices and the confiscation of the estates of the Augustinians and the Dominicans The demand, said to have been written by Doroteo Cortes, a mestizo lawyer, also accused the friars of compassing the death of Father Burgos, by subornation of justice

There were 810 signatures to the petition, but when the signatories were summoned and examined, most of them declared they did not know what they had signed, and denied that they wished the friars to be expelled

The result of this appeal was that the principal persons who took part in it were banished, or sent to reside at undesirable places within the archipelago

14 M a rc h 1947, t he M ilit a ry Ba ses Agreement wa s signed

On 14 March 1947, the Military Bases Agreement was signed by President Manuel

A Roxas and Paul V McNutt, the United States high commissioner in the Philippines and concurred in by the Philippine Senate on 26 March 1947, and accepted and ratified by the USon 21 January 1948

In the United States, the administration decided to consider the bases pact an executive agreement, thus requiring no Senate approval

The agreement provided principally for the granting by the Philippines to the United States the right to retain the use of the bases in the Philippines

The Agreement was set for a period of 99 years subject to extension thereafter as agreed by the two Governments This agreement would undergo amendments over the years Notably in the 1966 amendment, the agreement was cut down to 25 years of the unexpired portion of the 99 years, expiring in 1991

The 1979 amendments would reaffirm Philippine sovereignty over the bases and provided for a thorough review of the agreement every five years The first review, in 1983, resulted in several further concessions to Philippine demands for increased sovereignty

On 16 September 1991, in a vote of 12-11, the Philippine Senate rejected a negotiated treaty that would allow an extension of the stay of the U S bases in the country

23 M a rc h 1901, Genera l Aguina ldo wa s c a pt ured by t he Americ a ns

On 23 March 1901, General Emilio Aguinaldo was captured by the American forces led by General Frederick Funston with the help of Macabebe Scouts, in Palanan, Isabela

The Macabebes are a certain tribal clan, natives of Macabebe, Pamapanga, who, by reason of long-standing feuds with their more rebellious neighbours, came to be absolutely loyal to the Spanish authorities When the Americans came, they had transferred that loyalty to them and had become a recognised and valuable part of American military force

On the morning of 25 March, Aguinaldo and three of his men were marched to the seashore at Palanan Bay The Americans made two signal fires and hoisted a white flag A little later, a steamer rose on the horizon Within two hours the Vicksburg was anchored near the beach

Everything that had been done by the Americans since November, 1899, was explained to Aguinaldo, and he was made to see that the American purposes with regard to his people were not only benevolent but also inflexible Seeing this, Aguinaldo bowed to the inevitable Aguinaldo took the oath of allegiance to the American Government and on 1st April 1901 issued a proclamation recommending abandonment of further resistance

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