This Week’s Milestones: Oct. 1-7, 2017

Oct. 2, 2006

The province of Dinagat Islands was created by virtue of Republic Act No. 9355. The province consists of the previous municipalities of Surigao del Norte province: Basilisa, Cagdianao, Dinagat, Libjo, Loreto, Tubajon and San Jose, which is Dinagat Islands’ capital. The population of Dinagat Islands in 2015 was 127,152.

Oct. 4, 1646

Spanish and Filipino forces, with only two merchant ships, defeated the Protestant Dutch armada at the mouth of Manila Bay, near Corregidor in Cavite province. This particular encounter with the Dutch, who threatened to invade the Philippines, was the fifth and final battle of “La Naval.” The “miraculous” victory was attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary, who became known as “Our Lady of La Naval de Manila,” to whom the Filipinos and Spaniards had prayed before and after the naval battles.

—Compiled by Kathleen de Villa, Inquirer Research

Sources: Inquirer Archives, DOT, Historical Calendar (1521-1969), psa.gov.ph, coa.gov.ph, bacolodcity.gov.ph, pia.gov.ph, southcotabato.gov.ph