Captain Juan Pajota

Captain Juan Pajota (died 1976) was involved in the Raid at Cabanatuan, an action which took place in the Philippines on 30 January 1945 by US Army Rangers and Filipino guerrillas and resulted in the liberation of more than 500 American prisoners of war (POWs) from a Japanese POW camp near Cabanatuan Nueva, Ecija.

A local from Nueva Ecija, he joined the USAFFE guerillas during the retreat from Bataan. Later he became leader of the guerillas.

After WWII, Pajota moved to the U.S. He died of a heart attack in 1976.

Captain Juan Pajota also appeared as a character for the 2005 John Dahl film, The Great Raid. He was played by Filipino actor Cesar Montano.

Lakandula

Lakandula (actually spelled as two separate words, Lakan Dula, as "Lakan" is a title itself) was the regnal name of the Lakan (king or paramount ruler) of the pre-colonial Philippine Kingdom of Tondo when the Spaniards first conquered the lands of the Pasig River delta in the 1570s.

The firsthand account of Spanish Royal Notary Hernando Riquel says that he introduced himself to the Spanish as "Bunao Lakandula", indicating that his given name was "Bunao". He later converted to Christianity and was baptised Carlos Lakandula. Another common variation of the name is Gat Dula (alternatively spelled as a single word,Gatdula). He is sometimes erroneously referred to as Rajah Lakandula, but the terms "Rajah" and "Lakan" have the same meaning, making the use of both "Rajah" and "Lakandula" at the same time redundant.

Along with Rajah Matanda and Rajah Sulayman, he was one of three Rajahs who played significant roles in the Spanish conquest of the kingdoms of the Pasig River delta during the earliest days of the Philippines' Spanish Colonial Period.

While it is unclear whether the entire name "Lakandula" represented a single titular name during his own lifetime, a few of his descendants in the first few generations after his death came to refer to themselves as the "Lakandula of Tondo", taking that name on as a noble title.

Over time, Lakandula's name has come to be written in several ways. However, according to the firsthand account written by Hernando Riquel,the royal notary who accompanied Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the Lord of Tondo specifically identified himself as "Sibunao Lakandula, lord of the town of Tondo" when he went onboard Legazpi’s ship with the Lords of Manila on May 18, 1571. The lords of Manila introduced themselves as "Rajah Ache the Old and Rajah Soliman the Young, lords and principals of the town of Manila"

Death

Mentions of Lakandula's death are few, but Scott indicates that he died in 1575, "three years after" Legazpi and Rajah Matanda, who both died in 1572.
Lakandula's role as ruler of Tondo was then taken up by his grandnephew, and Rajah Soliman’s adopted son, Agustin de Legazpi.

Agustin de Legazpi, who was married to the cousin of Sultan Bolkiah, would lead Tondo as a territory under Spanish rule until he rose up against them in 1587-1588 Revolt of the Lakans, and was deposed and killed as a result.

Descendants

Children

Lakan Dula was the most prolific of Luzon's ancient rulers. His descendants are spread out all across the Kapampangan Region during the Spanish colonial era. He fathered at least six children:

•     Don Dionisio Capulong, the eldest, the Datu of Candava, and referred to as "Batang Dula";
•     Don Magat Salamat, who would later rule Tondo with his cousin Agustin de Legazpi after Lakandula died, and who was then executed by the Spanish in 1588 for his role in the Revolt of the Lakans;
•     Don Phelipe Salonga, the Datu of Pulu;
•     Doña Maria Poloin, his only historically recorded daughter, who married Don Alonso Talabos;
•     Don Martin Lakandula who entered the Augustinian Order as a lay brother in 1590; and
•     Don Luis Taclocmao (or Salugmoc), who was later killed in the 1603 Chinese rebellion fighting the Chinese rebels.

Later Descendants

Learning from this experience, his great grandson Don Juan Macapagal, Master-of-Camp and Datu of Arayat, aided the Spanish authorities in suppressing the 1660 Kapampangan Revolt of Don Francisco Maniago and the Pangasinan Revolt of Don Andres Malong, and the 1661 Ilocano Revolt. Because of his service to the Spanish crown, the Spanish authorities revived the special privileges offered by the Spanish crown to Lakan Dula and his descendants spread across the province of Pampanga. A Gremio de Lakandulas was created in 1758 to safeguard the rights and privileges of the Kapampangan descendants of Lakan Dula. During the British invasion of 1762–64, the descendants of Lakan Dula, now concentrated in the province of Pampanga, formed a company of volunteers to fight the British and were granted autonomy by Governor General Simon de Anda.

Prominent Lakan Dula descendants of the 20th century include the former Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal, father of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former Philippine Senate President Jovito Salonga, pioneer Filipino industrialist Gonzalo Puyat, former Philippine Senate President Gil Puyat and international stage celebrity Lea Salonga.
Legacy

The Order of Lakandula is one of the highest honors given by the Republic of the Philippines. It is an order of political and civic merit, awarded in memory of Lakan Dula’s dedication to the responsibilities of leadership, prudence, fortitude, courage and resolve in the service of one’s people.

George Ty

George S.K. Ty is a Chinese-Filipino tycoon and the founder of the universal bank, Metropolitan and Trust Company or Metrobank. He is the Chairman of the Metrobank Group, Metrobank Foundation, Toyota Motor Philippine Corporation and the former Chariman of Toyota Autoparts Philippine Corporation. In 2010, Forbes ranked him as the ninth richest Filipino with a networth of USD805 million.

Founding Metrobank

In 1962, when Ty was just 29 years old he founded Metrobank with business partners, Don Emilio Abello, Don Pio Pedrosa and Placido Mapa, Sr. The bank went public in 1981. He had been the Chairman of the Board from 1975 to 2006 until Antonio Abacan, Jr. succeeded him. He is now the Chairman of the Metrobank Group since 2006.

In 1988, Mitsui Corporation partnered with Ty’s Metrobank to put up Toyota Motor Philippine Corporation with the former having 51-percent stake and the only Toyota subsidiary to be locally-owned. He has been the Chairman of the Board since 1988. He also served as the Chairman of the Totyota Autoparts Philippine Corporation from 1990 to 2005.

Aside from these, Ty also serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board of First Metro International Investment Corporation Hong Kong since 202 and Manila Doctors Hospital since 1979. He is an Honorary Chairman o First Metro Travel Inc. since 1989 and Chairman of Manila Doctors College since 2008.

Charitable causes

When Ty founded Metrobank, he envisioned setting up a foundation wherein he could give back to the community. 16 years later, in 1979, he established Metrobank Foundation, which eventually acquired controlling interest in Manila Doctors Hospital. He has served as the Chairman of the Foundation since. To date, the foundation honors teachers, soldiers, policemen and artists.

In 1993, to celebrate wedding of his son Arthur Ty, Ty donated USD20 million to the foundation. In 1999, he donated another USD 30 million, to celebrate the wedding of his other son, Alfred Ty.

In 2009, Ty revealed that he is donating a P1.2 billion prime land in Metropolitan park to established the Philippines’ largest non-profit hospital that will have a 1,000 bed-capacity, and another P5 billion to for operational costs.

Such was Ty’s generosity that former first lady, Corazon Aquino remarked, “the beautiful example of openness, international solidarity, and outstanding philanthropy...needs to be emulated by more people who have been blessed in life.”

Hobbies

Ty is an avid art collector and patron. His foundation regularly supports art competition. He is particularly fond of collecting Chinese paintings and holds the largest private collection outside China. One of his most valuable works a magnificent horse painting done in shuimohua-style by China’s legendary artist Xu Beihong.

Personal life

Ty's chinese name Siao stands for youth and Kian, persistence. He is born to parents Noberto Uy and Mary Vy Ty in Hong Kong and settled in Binondo when they came to the Philippines. His children are Arthur Ty, Alfred Ty, Anjanette Ty, Margaret Ty, and Zandra Ty. He was awarded Management Man of the Year in 2006 by the Management Association of the Philippines.

Agueda Kahabagan

 

Agueda Iniquinto Kahabagan also known as "Henerala Agueda".

She was presumably a native of Sta. Cruz, Laguna.

Henerala's bravery in battle was legendary. She was reportedly often seen in the battlefield dressed in white, armed with a rifle and brandishing a bolo. Apparently she was commissioned by General Miguel Malvar to lead a detachment of forces sometime in May 1897. She was mentioned in connection with the attack led by General Artemio Ricarte on the Spanish garrison in San Pablo in October 1897. It was most probably General Pio del Pilar who recommended that she be granted the honorary title of Henerala. In March 1899, she was listed as the only woman in the roster of generals of the Army of the Philippine Republic. She was appointed on January 4, 1899.

Juan Dela Cruz

Juan dela Cruz is the national personification of the Philippines, often used to represent the "Filipino everyman". He is usually depicted wearing the native salakot hat, Barong Tagalog, long pants, and slippers.

History

The term was coined by Scottish-born journalist Robert McCulloch Dick, who worked as a court reporter for the Manila Times in the early 1900s. He did so after discovering it was the most common name in police reports.

Usage

Activists often portray Juan dela Cruz as a victim of American imperialism, especially since many editorial cartoons of the American period often depicted him alongside Uncle Sam. In modern times, he is shown independently as a venue for the common Filipino's commentary on governmental and social issues.

The term, sometimes shortened to "Juan", also refers to the collective Filipino psyche.

The name (Spanish for "John of the Cross") is often used as a placeholder name for an anonymous individual, roughly the equivalent of the American John Doe. The feminine placeholder is usually María dela Cruz, which like Juan is a common —albeit mostly legal and colloquially rare— first name amongst Filipino women.