Significant Events in March in Filipino History

From the late nineteenth century to the mid‑twentieth, the Philippines underwent a succession of profound political and institutional transformations - from Spanish colonial rule and revolutionary conflict to American tutelage, the Commonwealth period, and ultimately full independence. Within this shifting landscape, the career of Nicolás Buidon Buendía stands out as a vivid example of how the provincial elite adapted to these upheavals to help shape the emerging modern state.

The development of indigenous missile technology in the Philippines reached a primary milestone on March 12, 1972, with the successful launch and recovery of the Bongbong II rocket from Caballo Island. This event was the result of a concerted, albeit controversial, effort by the administration of Ferdinand E. Marcos to establish a domestic defense industrial base under the framework of the Self-Reliance Defense Posture (SRDP).

Carlo Magno Jose Caparas, widely known as Carlo J. Caparas, was born on March 12, 1944, in Pozorrubio, Pangasinan to a working-class family. One of nine children of a laundrywoman and an unemployed father, Caparas faced significant financial hardships from a young age. To support his family and continue his secondary education, he took on various jobs, including water carrier, boatman, construction laborer, and factory worker. However, the demands of work led him to drop out of high school. Despite these challenges, Caparas developed a deep love for books, which sparked his passion for storytelling.

On March 12, 1932, Chiquito, dubbed as the king of slapstick comedy, was born Augusto Valdez Pangan in Manila. He was 7 when he started performing in Manila theaters. In one impersonation contest, impresario Lou Salvador Sr. spotted him and gave him a role in a musical production at the Manila Grand Opera House during the Japanese regime. In the next several years, he was a fixture in the Manila bodabil circuit, popular for his skill in dancing the boogie-woogie.

On March 12, 1730, Juan Esandi, S.J., the last Jesuit Missionary to die in the Philippines before the Jesuit Order was expelled in 1768, was born in Navarre, Spain.

Fr. Esandi, who arrived in Manila in 1752, was killed by Muslim pirates in Capul Island, Samar (now Northern Samar) in 1768.

Leandro Locsin Fullon was a revolutionary general and later provincial governor who led the liberation of Antique and much of Panay from Spanish colonial rule, and continued resistance against United States forces during the Philippine-American War. He is honored in Antique as a provincial hero and "Liberator of Antique", with a national shrine and an official historical marker at his birthplace in Hamtic.

Adeline E. Knapp was an American journalist, author, social activist, environmentalist, and educator. Her contributions to the Philippines, particularly in the field of education, have left a lasting impact.

On March 14, 1903, the Manila Electric Company or Meralco was established. It was initially founded as the Manila Electric Railroad and Light Company.

On March 14, 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 March 26, 1947, and accepted and ratified by the US on January 21, 1948.

Mariano Malia Álvarez was a prominent Filipino revolutionary and public servant who helped shape the struggle against Spanish colonial rule. He became the first Municipal President of Noveleta - then a barrio of Cavite El Viejo known to the Spaniards as Tierra Alta - and remarkably lived to the age of 106.