13 OCTOBER

1868 - Teresa Magbanua, the first Filipina  to fight for the independence of her  people as a nation, is born in Pototan, Iloilo during  Spanish colonial rule; Magbanua will figure in the second stage of the Philippine Revolution when she insists on fighting  in armed combat, eventually being given command of a bolo batallion that will fight in the Battle of barrio Yatin and Battle of  Sapong Hills, going on in the freedom  fight against imperialist invading United  States forces during the Battle of  Balantang and in guerrilla activities during  the protracted Philippine-American War (1899-1914); unfortunately, the deaths of  her brothers and enemy military  superiority eventually will force "generala"  Magbanua to eventually surrender to the Bald Eagle forces.

1930 - Filipino writer Benigno Ramos founds the populist newspaper Sakdal,  which originally aims to articulate  accusations against high government  officials of the colonial American  government of acts detrimental to the  Philippines and the people--corruption and  mismanagement, working against  immediate independence from United  States rule; and non-distribution of lands;  the newspaper's radical populist stance will win it a large following enough for the  subscribers to be able to form the Sakdal  Party that will manage to wrest some seats  from the dominant and  American-sponsored Nacionalista Party  during the 1934 elections; the Sakdal  Party will later splinter into the  non-violent and radical groups, with  Benigno Ramos eventually supporting the group that will launch the May 1-2, 1934 uprising in Laguna, Cavite, Nueva Ecija and Bulacan but which will soon be crushed with the loss of many lives and imprisonment of others (later to be pardoned), with Ramos fleeing to Japan that he and supporters believe would be able to help the Philippines achieve independence from imperialist America. 


Photo credit: National Historical Institute