Onofre Dizon Corpuz was a towering figure in Philippine academia, government, and intellectual life. A National Scientist, economist, historian, and public administrator, Corpuz left an enduring legacy on the Philippines through his scholarly contributions, leadership in education, and innovative public service initiatives.
Significant Events in December in Filipino History
On December 1, 1874, Luis Maria Guerrero, a Bacteriologist, Pediatrician, and Helminthologist was born in Ermita, Manila to Brigido Guerrero and Maria Alvarez. Guerrero, a professor in Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Santo Tomas and later as head of that department, was also an uncontested authority in Tropical Medicine.
On December 1, 1959, Jose Nepomuceno, the so-called Father of Philippine Movies, died at the age of 66. Born on May 15,1893, his well-off family lived near a theatre, Teatro Oriente, which he frequented during his adolescence and where he watched Spanish dramas (zarzuelas) and, later, European films.
Ponciano A. Bernardo was born on December 2, 1905, in Santa Rosa, Nueva Ecija. His father, originally from Pandi, Bulacan, had migrated to Papaya (now General Tinio), Nueva Ecija, leaving behind family members who would later become prominent figures in Bulacan politics. Growing up in a family with deep roots in public service, Bernardo was instilled with values of dedication and community welfare from an early age.
On December 3, 1897, Elisa Rosales was born in Butuan, in what was then the province of Agusan. Her parents were Canuto Rosales and Ramona Villanueva, In 1915, she became a licensed nurse after completing her studies at the Philippine General Hospital. She married Enrique Ochoa, a physician and spent the next several years working at different hospitals as a nurse.