SSC

Priory

Philippines

Five-Year Development Plan for the Manila Priory drafted

1980-83   New initiatives in apostolate start: 13 Sisters sent to missions abroad; Non-hospital health services; herbal medicines produced; Work with non-Christian tribal groups strengthened

Marihatag - Herbal medicines produced

Apostolate of Vigil defined

PAX Hymnbook published

Jan:  Elections are held for governors and mayors, the first since the declaration of martial law

May:  Benigno Aquino, Jr. allowed to leave for the United States for a coronary bypass

Diamond jubilee year.  SSC’s theme:  The Scholastican: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Jan 17:  Martial Law is lifted but Marcos retains extra-legal powers allowing the detention of anyone suspected of subversion or rebellion

Jun 16:  Marcos “wins” reelection.  Cesar Virata appointed Prime Minister; Gen.  Fabian Ver, AFP Chief of Staff

Pope John Paul II first visit in Manila

Appointment of first lay Grade School principal: Ms. Florina Feliciano-Castillo

1982-2004

New community in New Norcia, Australia formed, with projected integration of Spanish “Misioneras Benedictinas” into the Congregation

Aug 7:  Marcos appoints Imelda to executive council

Sept 21: Assassination of 1970s student leader and martyr Edgar Jopson

Aug 21:  Ninoy Aquino assassinated at the Manila International Airport

Aug 31:  Ninoy's funeral procession, the biggest and longest ever seen in the Philippines, participated in by close to 2 million people

May:  Cory Aquino urges the citizenry to take part in the parliamentary elections and to support opposition candidates

May 14:  Marcos' KBL party wins 89 of 143 seats Legislative elections, but opposition gained 41 seats over previous assembly

Oct 14:  The Agrava Board submits two reports on the Aquino assassination.  The majority report concludes that there was a military conspiracy and implicates Ver in the assassination

Aug 21:  450,000 Filipinos march to commemorate anniversary of Ninoy's death

Dec:  The Convenor group composed of Lorenzo Tañada, Jaime Ongpin, and Cory  Aquino tasked to choose opposition candidate in case of a snap election

Introduction of the Women’s Studies Program and setting up of Institute of Women’s Studies.

IWS students (1999)

Experiments on work with urban poor: San Benito Tuluyan, QC,  Southern Luzon Outreach; participatory apostolate with ecumenical groups.

Work for environment; Lingkod Tao-Kalikasan (one Sister among founders).

Sisters undertake administration of San Isidro College, Pangantucan, Bukidnon, on contract.

SPA community starts work in Balanga, Bataan

Jan 23:  Fabian C. Ver and twenty-five others formally charged with the slaying of Aquino

Aug:  The KBL squelches a motion for impeachment against Marcos in the Batasan, for culpable violation of the Constitution and “hidden wealth”

Oct 22:  Cory agrees to run on two conditions: that Marcos call for snap presidential elections, and one million Filipinos endorse her candidacy.  Cory Aquino for President Movement (CAPM) organized by Chino Roces gather 1 million signatures for Cory's candidacy

Nov 3:  Marcos announces plan to hold “snap elections”

Dec 2:  Sandiganbayan acquits Gen. Ver and all of his co-accused.  Marcos reinstates Ver as Chief of Staff amid widespread protest

Dec 3:  Aquino files her certificate of candidacy for the Presidency, with Salvador Laurel as running mate under the UNIDO party

EDSA People Power.  Sisters, faculty, students avid participants towards liberation of Filipino from martial rule

Formation of PREDIS (The Philippine Research and Development of Instrumental Soloists) by Sister Mary Placid Abejo, OSB, dean of the School of Music and renowned violinist Basilio Manalo, for the development of young musicians – as young as 5 years old –into performing artists and then formation of a youth symphonyorchestra

PREDIS Violin

Sr. Mary Placid Abejo, OSB and Prof. Basilio Manalo, co-founders of PREDIS

March:  At College Commencement Exercises, the PAX award is given to President Corazon Aquino, the first woman president of the Philippines and a Scholastican alumna

Priory Chapter after EDSA ’86.  Widening of social involvement:

Transfer from New Norcia to Perth: work with elderly, aborigines, Education Office of WA

Feb 5:  Cardinal Sin informs that Catholics may employ civil disobedience measures if election is found fraudulent

Feb 7:  Presidential elections held.  Elections returns from the Commission on Elections show Marcos leading while the National Citizen's Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) have Cory Aquino winning

Feb 8:  Aquino, headed by NAMFREL count, claims victory

Feb 9:  Thirty computer workers at the COMELEC tabulation center, protesting the tampering of election results, walk out

Feb 11: On the eve of the EDSA revolution, Antique's beloved governor and famous reformer Evelio Javier was assassinated

Feb 13:  The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issues a pastoral letter condemning election fraud

Feb 15:  The Batasang Pambansa in session proclaims Marcos as winner; opposition assemblymen walk out to protest massive cheating during the election

Feb 16:  Cory Aquino leads a mammoth rally of more than two million people at the Luneta where she launches a nationwide civil disobedience program and boycott of Marcos-crony firms to force him to concede defeat

Cory Aquino receives wide public support for her presidential bid against strongman Ferdinand Marcos

Feb 22:  Defense Minister Enrile and Gen. Ramos revolt against Pres. Marcos and hole up at Camp Aguinaldo.  Thousands of people form a human barricade against advancing Marcos troops.  Cardinal Sin appeals over Radio Veritas for people to send food and help guard the barricades

Thousands of people form a human barricade against advancing Marcos troops

Feb 25:  In separate ceremonies, Cory Aquino takes her oath of office at Club Filipino as President of the Philippines while Marcos is sworn in at Malacañang.  Later that evening, Marcos flees to Clark Air Base enroute to Hawaii with family and close friends

Feb 26:  President Aquino forms her cabinet; creates the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) to recover the Marcos hidden wealth

1986-1992

Mar 2:  The suspension of the writ of habeas corpus is lifted throughout the Philippines

Mar 5:  The unconditional release of political detainees is announced by President Aquino

Mar 18:  The Presidential Committee on Human Rights (PCHR) is created under the Office of the President

Mar 25:  Aquino issues Proclamation No. 3, also called the Freedom Constitution which abolishes the Batasang Pambansa

Jun 2:  A Constitutional Commission is appointed to draft a new constitution 

Jul 6:  Marcos supporters led by Vice-Presidential candidate Arturo Tolentino stage a coup at the Manila Hotel supported by 300 soldiers and some generals

Aug 5:  Government representatives start formal ceasefire talks with the National Democratic Front (NDF) represented by former newsmen Satur Ocampo and Antonio Zumel

Aug 24-27:  First state visit of President Aquino to Indonesia and Singapore

Sept 5:  President Aquino holds an unprecedented “peace meeting” with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader, Nur Misuari.  Both parties agreed to a “cessation of hostilities”

Sept 15-24:  President Aquino visits the United States.  She  is warmly received by the American people and receives a standing ovation for her speech before a joint session of the U.S. Congress

Oct 12:  The Constitutional Commission submits the draft constitution to President Aquino at Malacañang.  It was approved by 46 of the commissioners

Nov 14:  Rolando Olalia, Kilusang Mayo Uno chairman, is brutally murdered by                unknown assailants

Closing of house in Perth.

Jan 22:  A peasants' rally at Mendiola led by the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) is violently dispersed leaving eighteen persons killed and hundred wounded

Jan 27:  Loyalist troops led by Col. Canlas took Channel 7 while the troops attempt on Villamor Airbase but failed

Jan 30:  NDF panel pulls out of the ceasefire talks

Feb 2:  Voters approve draft constitution in a national plebiscite

May 11:  First national elections to elect senators and congressmen held, with the Lakas ng Bansa winning 22 out of 24 senatorial seats

Jul 27:  President Aquino opens Congress 15 years after its abolition during martial law

Aug 17:  “Welga ng Bayan” against the oil price hike paralyzes Metro Manila

Aug 28:  A coup d' etat engineered by Col. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan and RAM elements fails to take over Malacañang

Sept 19:  Lean Alejandro, militant nationalist leader of BAYAN, is assassinated

Feb 4:  Top Communist leaders arrested

Jun 10:  President Corazon Aquino signs Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law

Oct 17:  Philippine Foreign Secretary Raul Manglapus and U.S. Secretary of State George Shultz sign interim bases agreement

A federal grand jury in New York indicts former President Marcos and his wife Imelda for fraud and racketeering

Introduction of more contemporary interest courses: degree course in Hotel and Restaurant Management, ladderized programs in fine arts, small and medium enterprise management.