Significant Events in April in Filipino History

On April 5, 1951, Gloria Diaz was born Gloria Maria Aspillera Diaz in Manila. Her rise to fame began at the tender age of 18 when she captured the prestigious title of Miss Universe 1969, marking her as the first Filipino to ever win the crown.

On April 5, 1964, General Douglas MacArthur died in the Walter Reed Medical Center, Washington DC, of biliary cirrhosis, early afternoon Sunday, 3:39am Manila time. The US President on April 6, ordered flags half-masted until the MacArthur funeral. In Manila, President Macapagal issued a proclamation declaring a period of mourning from April 6 to the day of the funeral.

On April 5, 1973, the so-called Golden Buddha owned by Rogelio Roxas of Baguio City was seized by unidentified government agents.

On April 6, 1828, King of Spain, Ferdinand VII, issued a decree establishing a public bank in the Philippines to meet the requirements of increasing commerce and trade in the islands.

Epifanio de los Santos y Cristóbal stands as a primary pillar of Filipino intellectual history, representing the transition from the revolutionary fervor of the late nineteenth century to the structured academic and civil development of the early twentieth century.

On April 8, 1975, the Philippine–Japanese Friendship Tower in Bagac, Bataan was inaugurated as a monument of reconciliation and renewed friendship between the Philippines and Japan after the destruction and suffering of the Second World War. Rising about 27 meters high and composed of three white pillars joined by circular rings, the tower has since become one of Bataan’s most recognizable postwar landmarks and a powerful symbol of peace.

On April 9, 1962, U.S. President John F. Kennedy sent a formal message to Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan. At the time, the date was observed as Bataan Day (now known as Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor).

On April 9, 1942, Major General Edward P. King Jr., commander of the Luzon Force on the Bataan Peninsula, surrendered the combined Filipino and American troops in Bataan to the Imperial Japanese Army. This act marked the fall of Bataan and led directly to the Bataan Death March, one of the most tragic episodes of the Second World War in the Philippines.

Isidoro Torres was born on April 10, 1866, in Matimbo, Malolos, Bulacan, to Florencio Torres and Maria Dayao. Born into a relatively well-to-off family, his early life was shaped by a high level of education and a burgeoning resentment toward colonial abuses.

On April 11, 1867, Leonor Bauzon Rivera was born in Camiling, Tarlac, then part of the Spanish-controlled Captaincy General of the Philippines. She would later be remembered as the childhood sweetheart and "lover by correspondence" of national hero José Rizal and as the principal inspiration for María Clara in his novel Noli Me Tangere.