Significant Events in May in Filipino History
On May 22, 1867, Julio Nakpil, a Filipino composer who also fought during the Philippine revolution against Spain, was born in Quiapo, Manila. Nakpil served as a commander for revolutionary troops in the north of Manila under Andres Bonifacio.
Diosdado "Dado" Pamittan Banatao (1946 – 2025) was a Filipino engineer, inventor, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and philanthropist whose innovations helped shape the modern personal computer and graphics industries. Rising from humble beginnings in Iguig, Cagayan, he would co‑found multiple Silicon Valley start‑ups and later become a prominent venture capitalist and champion of Philippine science and technology education.
On May 23, 1578, Spanish Governor-General Francisco de Sande dispatched Captain Esteban Rodriguez de Figueroa from Borneo to undertake a military expedition against the Sulu Sultanate. This expedition, which followed immediately after the Spanish conquest of Brunei in April 1578, marked the beginning of one of the longest colonial conflicts in Philippine history - a three-century struggle between Spain and the Muslim sultanates of the southern Philippines.
On May 24, 1915, the board of regents of the University of the Philippines (UP) elected Ignacio Villamor as president of the university. Villamor was the first Filipino president of the UP. He was executive secretary of the Philippine Commission at the time of his election. He assumed the duties of office on June 7 of the same year.
On May 24, 1953, the Liberal Party in its national convention held in the Rizal Memorial Stadium, unanimously nominated President Elipdio Quirino for another term following a walk-out by recently resigned Ambassador Carlos Romulo, Senator Tomas Cabili, Senator Lorenzo Sumulong, Representative Jose Roy, and others, when a motion that the ballotting be secret was lost.
Vice-President Fernando Lopez, who favored Romulo's nomination for President, resigned his Cabinet position as Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources during the day.
On May 25, 1895, a significant event unfolded in the history of the Philippines. Governor General Ramon Blanco, acting under the authority vested in him, ordered the exile of nine prominent citizens of Malolos, Bulacan. This decision was not arbitrary but was a response to a perceived threat against the Church.
