FEBE NAOMI CALAWOD

KAS 1 -T3

10 LITTLE KNOWN FACTS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE PHILIPPINES

1. A statue in Pampanga was built to honor the first Japanese kamikaze pilots of World War
II.
The statue of Lieutenant Yukio Seki, made of fiberglass, represents thousands of Japanese suicide
pilots who sunk allied ships from October 1944 to August 1945.The statue was built at Mabalacat next
to the former Clark Air Base. Lieutenant Yukio Seki, is considered as the world’s first official human
bomb who led the first kamikaze raid in October 1944. Every October, hundreds of Japanese tourists,
students, war veterans, and even Buddhist monks visit the place to offer prayers, flowers, and incense to
all the suicide pilots who died during the war.
Source: https://filipiknow.net/surprising-trivia-from-philippine-
history/?fbclid=IwAR2dPWdnyhmVnjl8aUO00l1gK5yEhhXdACEKceHMGVc7GV75vGfV-e2ltfo
ACCESSED: January 21, 2020.

2. A Belgian king almost bought the Philippines from Spain.

King Leopold II asked his ambassador in Madrid to negotiate with the Queen of Spain about the
possibility of colonizing the Philippines. Leopold’s government was against his imperialistic plans.
They believed that the idea of colonization requires great vessels to protect and secure the countries
and Belgium was not yet ready to take that risk. Two of his attempts failed. He even made a scheme
that would first turn the Philippines into an independent country, and later into a colony under the
Belgian monarch. This too, failed.
Source: https://philippinehistoryuntoldstories.wordpress.com/2014/12/12/a-belgian-king-almost-
bought-the-philippines-from-spain/ ACCESSED: January 21, 2020.

3. In 1965, a nuclear bomb fell into the Philippine sea. It’s still missing.
The attack jet United States Navy Douglas A-4E Skyhawk, manned by American pilot Lieutenant
Douglas M. Webster, accidentally fell off the carrier. The Skyhawk was carrying a nuclear weapon
called Mk 43 free fall bomb, carrying a lot of nuclear explosives. This happened on December 5, 1965 a
month after an aircraft carrier base in Subic bay had a broken arrow incident. The accident happened just
80 miles from Okinawa. The pilot as well as the aircraft and the nuclear bomb were never recovered.
Source: https://filipiknow.net/surprising-trivia-from-philippine-
history/?fbclid=IwAR2dPWdnyhmVnjl8aUO00l1gK5yEhhXdACEKceHMGVc7GV75vGfV-e2ltfo
ACCESSED: January 21, 2020.
4. There were three other martyr priests aside from Gomburza.
Several years after Gomburza’s deaths, another three martyr priests again shed their blood in
Bagumbayan. They were part of a group of Bicolano martyrs known as Los Quince Martires. In 1896,
the Spanish government ordered mass arrests of those who were connected to the group Katipunan. A
total of 15 men were arrested, tortured, and sentenced to death. The secular priests from Nueva Caceres
namely: Fr. Severino Diaz, Fr. Inocencio Herrera, and Fr. Gabriel Prieto were among these 15 men.
They were executed by the firing squad on January 4, 1897.
Source: https://philippinehistoryuntoldstories.wordpress.com/2014/12/12/there-were-three-other-
martyr-priests-aside-from-gomburza/ ACCESSED: January 21, 2020.

5. A Ferdinand Marcos look-alike doubled for the late president during many occasions.
A man from Negros, Jesus Quevenco, first met Ferdinand Marcos through his friend, Silay Mayor
Romulo Golez. Quevenco met delegates from Mindanao who would shake his hands, thinking that he
was the real Marcos. Quevenco’s part-time job started as a Marcos double. He would take the place of
Ferdinand to meet with people, accompany the First Lady Imelda Marcos, and attend events in times
when the late president was either too busy or tired. Quevenco was offered a position in the government
in return for his service which he then refused.
Source: https://filipiknow.net/surprising-trivia-from-philippine-
history/?fbclid=IwAR2dPWdnyhmVnjl8aUO00l1gK5yEhhXdACEKceHMGVc7GV75vGfV-e2ltfo
ACCESSED: January 21, 2020.

6. A black American fought for the Filipinos during the Philippine-American War.
Corporal David Fagen, was one of the 7,000 black soldiers who were sent to the country during
the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902. He was supposed to fight against the Filipinos but conflicts
arised between him and his superiors. Racism against Filipinos also led him to leave his group and join
the Philippine army. He was promoted to captain by General Jose Alejandrino and would clash with the
American army for at least eight times. He led 150 men to capture cargo of guns from an American
steam launch on Rio de Grande de la Pampanga River. General Alejandrino surrendered to the American
army in 1901 and Fagen escaped to the mountains of Nueva Ecija together with his Filipina wife and
another Filipino soldier.
Source: https://filipiknow.net/surprising-trivia-from-philippine-
history/?fbclid=IwAR2dPWdnyhmVnjl8aUO00l1gK5yEhhXdACEKceHMGVc7GV75vGfV-e2ltfo
ACCESSED: January 21, 2020.

7. Before martial law, there was the Colgante Bridge Tragedy.

On September 16, 1972, a few days before the declaration of martial law, the Colgante bridge in
Naga City collapsed, killing 114 Roman Catholic pilgrims who were celebrating the feast of their
patroness, Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia. Most of the victims drowned and some were crushed by
boats. The 15-year old bridge wasn’t able to carry the weight of the pilgrims causing it to collapse. This
 was the second time that people have died because of the bridge. In 1948, the old Colgante bridge–
which was only a suspension-type back then–fell into the river and left 30 people dead.
Source: https://philippinehistoryuntoldstories.wordpress.com/2014/12/12/before-martial-law-
there-was-the-colgante-bridge-tragedy/ ACCESSED: January 21, 2020.

8. Philippines could have been a German colony.

According to Augusto de Viana’s article, during the Spanish-American War in 1898, Kaiser
Wilhelm sent the German squadron to Manila “to protect German interests and her citizens”. But unlike
other countries who also sent their naval vessels to Manila, Germany had plans of taking over the
Philippines if the U.S. abandoned the islands. After Commodore George Dewey from the U.S. ordered a
blockade of Manila, the Germans started supplying trapped Spaniards with flour and even treated some
of the wounded soldiers aboard the German vessels. McKinley administration formalized their control
over the Philippines through the Treaty of Paris which refused to recognize Aguinaldo’s declaration of
Independence and permanently ended Germany’s aspiration of making our country one of its colonies.

Source: https://filipiknow.net/surprising-trivia-from-philippine-
history/?fbclid=IwAR2dPWdnyhmVnjl8aUO00l1gK5yEhhXdACEKceHMGVc7GV75vGfV-e2ltfo
ACCESSED: January 21, 2020.

9. The first American hero of World War II was killed in combat in the Philippines.
Captain Colin P. Kelly Jr., 25 years old was a graduate of West Point. He became the first
American hero of World War II when he bombed a Japanese cruiser three days after the attacks in
Pearl Harbor. Kelly and his crew were ordered to fly out of Clark Air Field and attack targets on
Formosa on December 10, 1941. Two enemy planes attacked the aircraft with Kelly and his crew in it.
Kelly ordered his crew of six to bail out while he remained in the plane until it exploded. To honor his
heroism, a post office and a highway in his hometown in Florida were named after him.
Source: https://filipiknow.net/philippine-history-facts/ ACCESSED: January 21, 2020

10.Two of the largest naval battles in history were fought in the Philippine seas.

The Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19–20, 1944) and the Battle of Leyte Gulf (October 23–
26, 1944) both hold a record for being the largest naval battle in history. The Battle of Philippine Sea is
considered as the largest aircraft carrier battle in history. The fight between the US Navy and the
Japanese Empire Navy occurred during this time. The Battle of Leyte Gulf consisted of the Battle of
Cape Engano, the Battle off Samar, the Battle of Sibuyan Sea and the Battle of Surigao Strait and has
caused the largest of ships to engage and most ships to sink.

Source: https://faq.ph/facts-about-the-philippines-that-will-blow-your-mind/
ACCESSED: January 21, 2020.