Dec. 30, 1898
Construction of the Jose Rizal Monument in Daet town in Camarines Norte province, the first ever in the country to be built in honor of the national hero, started. This was held simultaneously with the first official observance of Rizal Day in Manila, in compliance with a December 1898 decree of Emilio Aguinaldo declaring Dec. 30 as a “national day of mourning.” Called “Bantayog ni Rizal,” the 20-foot monument was made of corals taken from an old Spanish prison where many Katipuneros were tortured and executed. Unlike other Rizal monuments, it does not have his sculptured image. It consists of two cube-shaped levels topped by a pyramid-like structure with a symbolic sun above. It was completed in February 1899.
Jan. 1, 2019
The province of Siquijor started its implementation of an ordinance that regulates plastic use on the island. Approved by the provincial government in October 2018, the ordinance prohibits the use of plastic bags for secondary packaging but allows the sale of plastic for primary packaging. Sachets and similar single-use packaging, however, are not covered in the ordinance. First-time violators are required to attend orientations, while succeeding violations mean penalties ranging from P1,000 to P5,000. The ordinance is seen to make the third-smallest province the first zero-waste island in the Philippines.