IN THE KNOW: Roman Ongpin

Today, Feb. 28, is the 170th birth anniversary of Roman Ongpin, a philanthropist and nationalist businessman who contributed to the propaganda movement in Spain and to the Filipino revolutionaries during the Filipino-American war. Born in 1847 in Binondo, Manila, Ongpin started his own store, El 82, which gained wide reputation. He was the first native merchant to introduce “fixed prices” in his store. Ongpin was imprisoned for contributing money and supplies to rebels. He died on Dec. 10, 1912. —MARIELLE MEDINA, INQUIRER RESEARCH