What's On September 11?

President Ferdinand Marcos Presidential Inauguration 1965 

  

On September 11, 1917, the 10^th President of Republic of the Philippines  (6^th  and last President, 3^rd Republic), Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, of Ilocano descent, was born in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte. Marcos or Macoy, by which he was fondly called, was the first president ever elected twice, 1965 and 1969. However, before his second term ended, he declared martial law on September 21, 1972. But the official proclamation (PD 1081) was pronounced to the public after two days. Martial law took effect for almost nine years when it was lifted on January 17, 1981. Ferdinand Marcos aka ”FM” was known in history as the first president to use a native tongue, Filipino, in his second presidential inauguration in 1969. After serving the presidency for almost 21 years and serving 3 years in exile in the United States, the late strongman quietly died from kidney and heart failure on September 28, 1989, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His remains is currently re-interred in an air-conditioned mausoleum in his hometown in Ilocos Norte. 

Raging Inferno: Twin Towers collapsed after two hours of conflagration.

On September 11, 2001, the world was stunned when the World Trade Center aka “Twin Towers” was bombed instantaneously considering the United States of America’s intense campaign and security measures against terrorism. The bomb was launched and detonated using hijacked United Airlines flights.  

The terror attack was coordinately planned on separate places on that day by Al-Qaeda group. Aside from the twin towers, the third plane was zeroed in on Pentagon. The plane crashed into the west wing of the United States Defense Department Headquarters leaving the building partially obliterated. In the same way, the fourth plane which was bound to the White House crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.

        The principal suspect to the bombing was linked to dissident Osama Bin Laden. Two years thereafter, in 2003, the United States of America launched aerial attacks and an all-out war in Afghanistan to capture the fugitive. It took several months before the prime suspect, Osama Bin Laden, was killed.  

Hijacked United Airlines Plane About To Hit The 1,368 Ft North Tower

 After this tragic event, in 2003, the United States Government created Homeland Security to prevent the recurrence of the same and to safeguard the United States of America against future threats of terrorism.

Prior to September 11  bombing, the North Tower or the Tower One of the World Trade Center was already bombarded 8 years before by a group of extremists led by Ramzi Yousef—an Al-Qaeda trained terrorist. The bomb was undertaken using a yellow “Ryder” truck van equipped with high explosives like Urea Nitrate-Hydrogen Gas on February 26, 1993, in the North Tower basement. After the explosion, the smoke billowed up from the basement to the 93^rd floor of the tower causing electrical power and elevators to shut and telephone lines unusable. Six people were reportedly killed while 1000 plus were injured. The high-pressured bombardment caused a massive destruction in the basement of the original (1) World Trade Center Building.

As interpreted by the experts, the plan was to topple the North Tower or the Tower One until its tower lean to the other side of the tower, which is the South Tower or the Tower Two, causing both towers to tumble at once. According to the co-conspirator, the original plan of Ramzi Yousef, who was the principal suspect of the bombing, was diverted from their original target,  the United Nations Headquarters in United Nations Plaza, to the World Trade Center in the morning of February 26, 1993. That’s the reason why the bombing in the North Tower was just embarked at about 12:17 pm of the same day. Prior to the incident, a demand letter to the United States Government was disseminated by none other than Ramzi Yousef to various New York periodicals urging the USA to backpedal in Israel conflict. The 1993 bombing in the World Trade Center served as a warning to the United States of its support to Israel and interference in the Middle East nations. 

1993 World Trade Center Bombing Suspects

Nueva Ecija: Rice Granary Of The Philippines

Nueva Ecija is dubbed as the "rice granary of the Philippines" because of its immense plantation of rice. Located in the Central Plain Of Luzon (Region III). The province is a self-sustaining producer of basic commodity like rice, garlic, onions etc. The North Pampanga River supplies water towards entire nueva ecija province. Augustinians were the first missionaries to stage evangelical mission in the province. Later, the mission was aborted by virtue of a royal decree from King Carlos III of Spain. Thus, Franciscans took over the evangelization and infrastructure project of the entire province including irrigation system in Pantabangan and promotion of agriculture. The province was derived from the upper Pampanga after the siege of Pampango Empire of Malay conquistadores before the colonization of Spain. Malays were later overpowered by the Spaniards. Only in 1848, when Nueva Ecija finally became an independent Province separated from Pampanga. Now, the province is comprised of 5 component cities and 27 municipalities.

Political Boundary located between Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija and La Paz, Tarlac

Way back, Governor General Fausto Cruzat (1690-1701) was a former Spanish official who named the province as Nueva Ecija---named after his city in Spain---Ecija. At that time, Cruzat was detailed in the humid and mountainous place of "Carranglan"(now known to the province as little Baguio) to establish military encampment to safeguard friars' evangelical mission and political assertion against tribe of head-hunters headed by Ilonggots when realization spurred of naming it after his city in Spain because of the same humidity.

Unang Sigaw Ng Nueva Ecija (Cry of Nueva Ecija): San Isidro

On September 2, 1896,  "Unang Sigaw ng Nueva Ecija" (Cry of Nueva Ecija) culminated in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija at the behest of Gobernadorcillos Mariano Llanera (Cabiao) and Pantaleon Valmonte (Gapan). The attack was premeditated in Sitio Pulu---about 5 kilometers away from San Isidro.

More than 3,000 combined troops of Llanera, Valmonte and Tinio rallied against the Spanish colony despite meager armory in San Isidro. The siege led to battles and active revolt for 4 days in September 1896. On the first day, Spanish Commander Machorro was killed while defending Casa Tribunal in San Isidro.

San Isidro was once declared the capital of the Philippines by Emilio Aguinaldo during the Philippine-American War after Malolos was under siege by the Americans in 1899.

During the campaign against the colonizers, the revolutionaries were accompanied by the Cabiao Brass Band aka "Banda Makabayan de Cabiao" in the battle.

However, the Spaniards launched all-out retaliation against Filipino insurgents forcing the revolutionaries to retreat to the hinterlands. Later, Llanera and Tinio transformed into guerillas while reinforcing their group.

With this act of heroism and monumental resiliency against the Spaniards, Nueva Ecija was sewn on our national flag as one of the guiding rays of the sun.