DILIMAN, Quezon City – The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and the University of the Philippines Diliman (UP Diliman) will lead the unveiling of the historical marker “Rafael V. Palma (1874-1939)” on 24 October 2024, 8:30 a.m. at the Palma Hall, UP Diliman, Quezon City.
The marker unveiling coincides with the 150th birth anniversary of the nationalist writer, lawyer, and pioneering educator. This is the highlight activity of a week-long commemoration led by UP Diliman that includes various lectures and programs from 21-25 October 2024.
Rafael Velasquez Palma was born on 24 October 1874 to Hemogenes Palma and Hilaria Velasquez in Manila. He attended the Ateneo de Manila and later pursued his law degree at the University of Santo Tomas. An avowed nationalist, he became a writer for the newspaper La Independencia and later became its editor after the death of General Antonio Luna in 1899. He returned to the legal profession and became a member of the Philippine Bar in 1901. Later, he co-founded the newspaper El Renacimiento which became a critical publication against the American colonial regime.
In 1907, he was elected to the Philippine Assembly representing Cavite before he became the youngest member of the Second Philippine Commission when he was appointed in 1908. In 1916, he became a member of the Philippine Senate but was shortly appointed the first Filipino Secretary of the Interior of the American Insular Government in September of the same year. In 1925, he was elected the 4th President of the University of the Philippines, only the 2nd Filipino to hold the office, which he held until 1933. He was also an elected member of the 1934 Constitutional Convention that drafted the 1935 Commonwealth Constitution. He passed away on 24 May 1939.
The NHCP is the national government agency mandated to promote Philippine history through its museums, research, and publications, and to preserve historical heritage through conservation and the marking of historic sites and structures. (NHCP)
