The first same-sex marriage in the Philippines was between two NPA members.
Image source: www.workers.org
In February 2005, Ka Andres and Ka Jose, two members of the NPA (New People’s Army), exchanged vows in a symbolic ceremony held in the Compostela Valley province in Mindanao.
In addition to a choir which serenaded the two with revolutionary love songs, the event was also participated by their comrades and few closed friends. During the wedding, the two held each other’s hand while keeping a bullet in the other to represent their commitment to the armed struggle.
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10 Amazing Pinoy Trivia That Will Blow Your Mind
1. Juan Luna killed his wife and mother-in-law. He was later acquitted of his “crime of passion.”
In Photo: Juan Luna and his wife, Maria de la Paz Pardo de Tavera (from the painting “Ensueños de Amor”)
In 1892, Juan Luna, famous Filipino painter of 400 masterpieces, was involved in a bloody murder at their Paris home. The victims? His wife, Maria de la Paz Pardo de Tavera, and his mother-in-law. It is said that extreme jealousy forced Luna to pull the trigger. He was later acquitted in February 1893 after the court categorized the murder as a “crime of passion”.
2. Cory Aquino’s favorite color was RED, not YELLOW.
The late President Corazon Aquino as well as the EDSA People Power Revolution are best remembered through the iconic ‘yellow ribbon’. However, she once admitted that RED was actually her first favorite. The yellow color only came after some friends suggested the song “Tie A Yellow Ribbon” for Ninoy’s homecoming. Cory continued to use her yellow trademark after her husband’s death.
3. In 1992, Pepsi offered 1 million pesos to anyone who had a bottle cap with “349” printed on it. Turns out, half a million bottle caps got the winning number.
Dubbed as the “Number Fever”, the promo was offered by Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines. On May 25, 1992, the winning numbers (i.e. 349) were finally released. Thousands claimed the prizes but Pepsi officials revealed that there was a technical glitch. In the end, the company spent more than 200 million pesos to pay up to 500, 000 disappointed claimants. The case of the infamous “Pepsi 349” fiasco was finally closed in 2006.
4. Major Archibald Butt, former military captain in the Philippines, died in the sinking of Titanic in 1912.
A former journalist, Butt was a well-known military aide and adviser to US presidents William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt. He joined the army who fought during the Spanish-American War.
After the war ended, he was assigned to the Philippines as a volunteer and later promoted as Assistant Quartermaster with the rank of Captain. He stayed in Manila until July 1903.
In 1912, after a short trip to Europe, Butt embarked Titanic to return to the US. Sadly, he was one of the victims who perished when the ship sank. His body was never recovered.
5. Jaz Cola, a beverage produced by The Coca Cola Company, was specifically made for the people in the Visayan Islands.
Image source: Flickr
Jaz Cola is a cola-flavored drink and just one of the many custom beverages made by Coca-Cola for the Philippine market. Originally created for consumers living in the Visayan region, Jaz Cola has reportedly “fueled Visayan pride among its teen consumers.”
6. Aluling Bridge in Ilocos Sur took 35 years to complete.
Image source: www.dpwh.gov.ph
After 35 years and 6 presidents, the Aluling Bridge was finally completed on March 25 of this year. It’s construction first started in 1978 but due to a host of factors such as unpredictable weather and difficulty of navigating the river, the completion was delayed for more than 3 decades. Aluling Bridge connects the provinces of Ilocos Sur and Mountain Province.
7. Gollum suluensis is a shark named after Gollum of the movie “Lord of the Rings” and Philippines’ very own Sulu Sea.
Image source: LAST & GAUDIANO, Zootaxa 3002 (2011)
Discovered in Sulu, this New Zealand shark is one of the species of the genus Gollum. Compared to it’s cousin (G. attenuatus), this shark has a “darker, plainer and less contrasted coloration, softer body, shorter and broader snout, smaller spiracle, larger pectoral fin, wider head, as well as larger proportions of the nostril, mouth and interorbital space.”
8. The first same-sex marriage in the Philippines was between two NPA members.
Image source: www.workers.org
In February 2005, Ka Andres and Ka Jose, two members of the NPA (New People’s Army), exchanged vows in a symbolic ceremony held in the Compostela Valley province in Mindanao.
In addition to a choir which serenaded the two with revolutionary love songs, the event was also participated by their comrades and few closed friends. During the wedding, the two held each other’s hand while keeping a bullet in the other to represent their commitment to the armed struggle.
9. A dog named “Serging” (alias “Avante”) received numerous awards in 1957 for his heroic act during the Magsaysay plane crash.
Marcelino Nuya with his pet dog, “Avante”. (Image source: www.philippinestudies.net)
Originally known as “Serging”, the dog was later renamed “Avante” to avoid offending Sergio Osmeña Jr. who was a Cebu mayor at that time. “Avante”, along with his owner Marcelino Nuya, helped save Nestor Mata, the only survivor of the plane crash that killed the late President Ramon Magsaysay.
For their heroic roles in the tragedy, the two received gold medals from the Philippine Constabulary (PC) and various government officials. Avante also received recognition from an animal rights group.
10. In the 1970s, a 22.6-foot reticulated phyton terrorized Luzon and swallowed an Agta Negrito.
The 22.6-foot reticulated python, shot by Kekek Aduanan on June 9, 1970. (Image source: www.mattsoniak.com)
Agta Negritos are indigenous people in Luzon who, in the 1970s, competed with a reticulated phyton for their main sources of food namely Philippine deer, Philippine warty pigs and long-tailed macaques.
Thomas N. Headland, an anthropologist who lived with and studied the group, later found out that 15 of 58 men and 1 of 62 women were attacked by the giant snake. Worse, 6 of them were killed, one of whom was discovered within the snake’s belly after butchering.
About the Author: Luisito E. Batongbakal Jr. is the founder and editor-in-chief of FilipiKnow. He has a fetish for local trivia, unsolved mysteries, and all things creepy. Follow him on Instagram.
Trefis Team, CONTRIBUTOR: OCT 7, 2015
