Significant Events in April in Filipino History

Jesse Mallares Baltazar, who joined the U.S. armed forces after the Japanese attack on the Philippines during World War II, endured the Bataan Death March, and later became one of the first native-born Filipino officers of the U.S. Air Force, died of cancer on April 12, 2016 at a hospital in Bethesda, Maryland (USA). He was 95.

On April 12, 1967, an electric bulb was lit up by geothermal energy for the first time through a working model set up by Filipino scientist Dr. Arturo Alcaraz and his team, in Cale, Tiwi, Albay.

On April 12, 1953, the Nacionalista Party, in its national convention held in the Fiesta Pavilion of the Manila Hotel, nominated recently resigned National Defense Secretary Ramon Magsaysay as its candidate for the presidency by a vote of 702 against 49 votes for Camilo Osias. Magsaysay was proposed for nomination by Senator Jose P. Laurel. Cipriano Primicias, in proposing Osias, was not allowed by the convention to finish his speech, and Osias, himself, in a two-hour speech on his own behalf was repeatedly booed whenever he voiced direct or indirect criticism of Magsaysay.

On April 12, 1895, Andres Bonifacio first declared Philippine independence inside a cave called Pamitinan in Montalban.

The intellectual shift between Spanish rule and American administration was shaped by thinkers who believed true liberation required more than driving out foreign troops. Among them, Dr. Trinidad Hermenegildo Pardo de Tavera, who was was born on April 13, 1857, in the Escolta district of Manila, stood out as one of the most prominent - and most complex - figures of the era.

On April 13, 1904, Fernando Lopez, a public servant of unsullied reputation and record of performance, vice-president and cabinet secretary under two Presidents, and senator for three terms, was born in Jaro, Iloilo to Benito Lopez and Presentacion Hofileña. Graciano Lopez-Jaena was his forebear.

On April 13, 1872, Ramon Avanceña, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who contributed immensely in enriching Philippine jurisprudence, was born in Molo, Iloilo.

Senator Rodolfo "Pong" Gaspar Biazon was a prominent Filipino politician and military officer who made significant contributions to both the military and political landscape of the Philippines. Born on April 14, 1935, in Batac, Ilocos Norte to Rufino Biazon and Juliana Gaspar, Biazon faced early hardships, losing his father at a young age and working to support his family.

On April 14, 1900, Pio Duran, a brilliant lawyer who became a successful businessman and a respected politician, an open "Japanophile" who helped establish the MAKAPILI, was born in Guinobatan, Albay to Jose E. Duran and Miguela Salvador.

On April 14, 1521, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan serving the Spanish royalty erected a wooden cross on the shores of Cebu.