1950 in the Philippines

← 1949 1948 1947 1950 in the Philippines → 1951 1952 1953
Decades:	1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s
See also:	List of years in the Philippines films

1950 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in 1950.

Incumbents

President Elpidio Quirino

• President : Elpidio Quirino (Liberal)
• Vice President : Fernando Lopez (Liberal)
• Chief Justice : Manuel Moran
• Congress : 2nd

Events

March

• March 29 – Coinciding with the anniversary of the 1942 establishment of the Hukbalahap, guerrillas under the said communist movement being renamed Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan (commonly known as Huks) begin their raids in parts of central and southern Luzon. Until April 1, they would kill 44 individuals. ^[1]

June

• June 15 – Cagayan de Oro in the province of Misamis Oriental becomes a city through Republic Act 521 and ratified on the same day.
• June 16 – Iligan becomes a city in the province of Lanao del Norte through Republic Act 525 and ratified on the same day. ^[2]

July

• July 24 – Cabanatuan becomes a city in the province of Nueva Ecija through Republic Act 526 and ratified on the same day.

August

• August 2 – Butuan becomes a city in the province of Agusan del Norte through Republic Act 523 and ratified on the same day. ^[3]

September

• September 4 – The publicized Uichanco report reveals the abuses by the commanders of the army and the constabulary in central Luzon. This leads to the reorganization of the entire army by the Department of National Defense (DND), where former Zambales representative Ramon Magsaysay has been serving as its secretary since three days prior after the resignation of Ruperto Kangleon on August 31. ^[4]
• September 30 – Marawi becomes a city in the province of Lanao del Norte through Republic Act 592 and ratified on the same day.

October

• October 18 – Combined forces of the Military Intelligence Service and the Manila Police Department launch 22 simultaneous raids, resulting to the capture of the entire Huk Politburo in the city. ^{[4] [5]}
• President Quirino issues a proclamation suspending the writ of habeas corpus until the end of the anti-Huk campaign, allowing the detention of captured guerrillas for more than a day regardless of presence of any evidence. ^[5]

November

• November 15 – The province of Mindoro is dissolved after splitting into two provinces. The provinces of Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro are founded through the date of effectivity of Proclamation No. 186. ^[6]

December

• December 15 – An agrarian program in the Commonwealth era is reestablished by defense secretary Magsaysay as the Economic Development Corps, a civil resettlement project providing settlements in Mindanao mainly for the Huks, beginning efforts for ending the military campaign against the insurgents. ^{[4] [5]}
• December 23 or 29 – The DND places the Philippine Constabulary under the control of the Philippine Army in relation to the ongoing campaign against the Huks. ^{[4] [5]}

Holidays

Main article: Public holidays in the Philippines

As per Act No. 2711 section 29, ^[7] issued on March 10, 1917, any legal holiday of fixed date falls on Sunday, the next succeeding day shall be observed as legal holiday. Sundays are also considered legal religious holidays. Bonifacio Day was added through Philippine Legislature Act No. 2946. It was signed by then-Governor General Francis Burton Harrison in 1921. ^[8] On October 28, 1931, the Act No. 3827 was approved declaring the last Sunday of August as National Heroes Day. ^[9]

• January 1 – New Year's Day
• February 22 – Legal Holiday
• March 29 – Maundy Thursday
• March 30 – Good Friday
• May 1 – Labor Day
• July 4 – Philippine Republic Day
• August 13 – Legal Holiday
• August 27 – National Heroes Day
• November 22 – Thanksgiving Day
• November 30 – Bonifacio Day
• December 25 – Christmas Day
• December 30 – Rizal Day

Births

• January 10 – Nicanor Perlas, Filipino activist
• January 29 – Rody Lacap, Filipino cinematographer
• February 1 – Romulo Neri, Filipino educator and public servant
• February 20 – Libran N. Cabactulan, Filipino diplomat from the Republic of the Philippines,
• February 28 – Jaime Fabregas, Filipino multi-awarded actor and musical scorer in the Philippines of Spanish descent.
• March 7 – Leo Martinez, Filipino actor/comedian and director.
• March 10 – Billy Bibit, Filipino retired colonel (died 2009)
• March 18 – Celeste Legaspi, Filipino singer and actress.
• March 19 – Jose S. Palma, Archbishop of Cebu
• March 23 – Roy Alvarez, filmmaker (died 2014)
• March 25 – Elpidio Barzaga, Jr., Filipino politician and Governor of Cavite
• April 5 – Agnes Devanadera, Filipino politician
• April 12 – Ricky Reyes, Hairdresser
• April 25 – Apollo C. Quiboloy, founder and leader of the Philippines-based Restorationist church, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name, Inc.
• May 16 – Mike Bigornia Filipino poet, editor, fictionist and translator.
• May 18 – Butch Ramirez, sports official
• June 5 – Abraham Sarmiento, Jr., Filipino student journalist (died 1977)
• June 20 - Prospero Pichay, Jr., Philippine politician
• July 13 – Abdusakur Mahail Tan, Filipino politician
• July 29 – Cynthia Villar, Filipino politician
• August 27 – Pen Medina, Filipino actor
• August 31 – Rey Paz Contreras, Filipino artist (d. 2021)
• September 11 – Jovito Palparan, Filipino retired Army general, and anti-communist.
• September 23 – Saidamen Balt Pangarungan, businessman, lawyer, and politician.
• October 10 – Roberto Cajes, Filipino politician
• October 12 – Pilar Pilapil, Filipino actress and Binibining Pilipinas Universe 1967
• October 22 – Velma Veloria
• October 24 – Iggy Arroyo, Filipino politician. (died 2012)
• October 31 – Antonio Taguba, retired major general in the United States Army.
• November 16 – Manuel Zamora - Filipino Politician
• December 2 – Maximo Junta, Filipino cyclist.
• December 10 – Leo Soriano, bishop of the United Methodist Church

Unknown

• Oscar Hilman, Filipino American brigadier general
• Quinito Henson, Filipino sports analyst

Death

• May 28 - Vicente Sotto, Filipino politician and former senator of the Philippines (born 1877)

References

1. "The Philippines: Extended Anniversary". Time . New York City: TIME USA, LLC. April 10, 1950. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
2. Salgado, Geoffrey. "Iligan: A History of the Phenominal Growth of an Industrial City". Iligan | City Of Majestic Waterfalls. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
3. "ABOUT BUTUAN". Welcome to Butuan. Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
4. Ryan, Allyn (2007). RM: A Biographical Novel of Ramon Magsaysay. United States: Xlibris Corporation. ISBN   978-1-4257-9161-2 . Retrieved January 26, 2025– via Google Books.
5. Greenberg, Lawrence (1986). The Hukbalahap Insurrection: A Case Study of a Successful Anti-Insurgency Operation in the Philippines, 1946-1955 (PDF). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Army Center of Military History . Retrieved January 25, 2025.
6. "FIXING THE DATE OF EFFECTIVITY OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 505 ENTITLED "AN ACT TO CREATE THE PROVINCES OF ORIENTAL MINDORO AND OCCIDENTAL MINDORO."". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Archived from the original on July 14, 2017. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
7. "AN ACT AMENDING THE ADMINISTRATIVE CODE". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
8. "Bonifacio Day in Philippines in 2022". Official Holidays. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
9. "Act No. 3827". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2022.