Gabriel Daza

Don Gabriel A. Daza, KR, KC*SS (February 6, 1896 – May 18, 1994) was the first Filipino electrical engineer and one of the charter members of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP). He co-founded the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Co. (PT&T), Philippine Electric Manufacturing Company (PEMCO), Phelps Dodge Philippines. President and Chief Scout of the BSP in 1961-68. In 1945, President Osmeña appointed Daza to be a member of the Board of Directors of the Manila Railroad Company and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. In 1950, he was Vice-Chairman of the National Power Corporation and on the board of directors of the Manila Hotel Company. In 1951, Daza was appointed Appointed by President Quirino as a founding member of the Board of Directors of the National Shipyard and Steel Corporation in 1951. President of the National Economic Protection Agency (NEPA) in 1956.

Don, Sir

Gabriel Daza

KR KC*SS
Born
Gabriel Amado Cinco Daza

(1896-02-06)February 6, 1896
Borongan, Samar, Philippines
DiedMay 18, 1994(1994-05-18) (aged 98)
Quezon City, NCR, Philippines
NationalityFilipino
Alma materWestinghouse Electric Co.
Ateneo de Manila
Known forCharter member of the BSP
First Filipino Electrical Engineer
PLDT Co-Founder
Spouse(s)
Angeles Ortega
​
(m. 1922)​
ChildrenBeatriz Daza Orendain
Gabriel Daza Jr.
David Daza
Rodolfo Daza
Elena Daza Valenzuela
Teresa Daza Baltazar
Francisco Daza
Parent(s)Eugenio Daza (father)
Carolina Cinco (mother)

Early life

Daza was born and raised in Borongan City, Eastern Samar, to Don Eugenio Daza and his wife, Carolina Cinco. Daza was a principale (noble) through his father, while the social class was slowly dissolved following American colonialism, Daza retained the principale honorific title of Don. Daza was the eldest of 7 siblings: Carlota, Cirilo, Jesus, Rosario, Maria and Juan. Daza was born 3 months before his father left to fight in the Philippine Revolution. When Daza was 11, his father became the Representative of their region to the First Philippine Legislature.[1] Daza completed a Bachelor of Arts at the Ateneo de Manila University in 1914. Daza subsequently attended Herald's Engineering College in San Francisco, California, Bliss Electrical School in Washington, D.C., and then received his graduate and post-grad from Educational Department of Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[2]

Engineering

Daza's education with the prestigious Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, that employed the likes of Nikola Tesla, led him to be the first Filipino licensed electrical engineer with a license number 001.[3] In 1915, he was part of the Philippine Delegation to the Panama–Pacific International Exposition.[4] In 1922, Daza was working as an electrical engineer and salesman for Catton-Neill Eng. & Machinery Co.[2] In 1928, he co-founded the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT).[4] From 1930 to 1935, Daza was the Illuminating Engineer of the executive staff of the Philippine Carnival Association. The Association held the Manila Carnival, an American Colonial showcase for Philippine commerce, industry and agriculture.[5][6] From 1946 to 1951, Daza was the Assistant Chief Examiner and engineering consultant for the US-Philippine War Damage Commission (PWDC). He co-founded the Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Co. (PT&T), Philippine Electric Manufacturing Company (PEMCO) and Phelps Dodge Philippines.[4] Throughout the 1960s, Daza had PEMCO employees and Boy Scouts plant 1 million trees around the Angat Water Reservoir. [7]

Boy Scouts

In 1928, Daza registered to be a member of the Cebu Council, Boy Scouts of America. On October 31, 1936 Daza and the other BSP founders officially chartered the BSP in Commonwealth Act No. 111 authorized by President Manuel Quezon. Later, he was appointed as Secretary of the Boy Scout Foundation by Joseph Stevenot, the foundation's chairman. He served in the BSP's National Executive Board until 1961 when he was elected to succeed Jorge B. Vargas as President and Chief Scout. Prior to his election he was already serving as acting President and Chief Scout, as Jorge Vargas was concurrently serving the position and as a member of the World Scout Committee since 1951. Daza retired as President and Chief Scout in 1968.[8][9]

11th World Scout Jamboree
Main articles: 11th World Scout Jamboree Memorial Rotonda and United Arab Airlines Flight 869 (1963)

In 1963, Daza, several other BSP officials and 3 scouts of the BSP delegation opted for a earlier flight to Greece for the 11th World Scout Jamboree. This decision saved their lives as the bulk of the BSP delegation died with the crash of United Arab Airlines Flight 869.

Reorganization

In 1985, President Marcos questioned the BSP Constitution, bylaws and provisions in the BSP charter in Commonwealth Act No. 111. On September 19, 1985, President Marcos issued Letter of Instruction no. 1481, declaring all positions in the BSP vacant.[10] President Marcos appointed Daza as Chairman for a Temporary Executive Committee tasked to reorganize the BSP.[11]

Daza (bottom right) Founders of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. Stamp for National Boy Scout Movement 50th Anniversary, 28 Oct 1987.

Political career

Daza never held an elected position in government office. However, he was respected and trusted by several Presidents who appointed him to positions within government companies and committees.

  • 1945, President Osmeña appointed Daza to be a member of the Board of Directors of both the
  • July 25, 1945, President Osmeña appointed Daza to be chairman of the Petroleum Products Control Board.[14]
  • August 2, 1945, President Osmeña appointed Daza to be a member of the National Power Corporation.[14]
  • 1945, Vice-President and Managing Director of Rehabilitation of the Manila Hotel Company[4]
  • 1946, Chairman of the Housing Committee of the Joint RP-US Executive Committee for the inauguration of the Philippine Republic.[4]
  • 1950, Vice-Chairman of the National Power Corporation.[15]
  • 1950, Member of the Board of directors of the Manila Hotel Company.[15]
  • May 14, 1952, President Quirino appointed Daza to be a founding member of the Board of Directors of the National Shipyard and Steel Corporation.[16]
  • 1956, President and Director of the National Economic Protection Agency (NEPA).[17]
  • 1956, Member of the Coordinating Council on Economic Nationalism.[18]
  • 1958, Member of the Rice and Corn Production Council.[19]
  • 1963, Member of the Board of Censors for moving pictures.[20]
  • 1985, President Marcos appointed Daza as Chairman for a Temporary Executive Committee tasked to reorganize the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.[11]

Personal life

Daza married Angeles Rosales Ortega on July 8, 1922 in Calbayog, Samar. Daza later moved to Cebu City around 1923. In Cebu City, Daza fathered his first four children Beatriz Daza Orendain, Gabriel Daza Jr., David Daza and Rodolfo Daza. Daza later moved to Manila between 1930-1935. In Manila, Daza fathered Elena Daza Valenzuela, Teresa Daza Baltazar and Francisco Daza.

His eldest son and namesake Gabriel Daza Jr. would become a lawyer and marry celebrity chef Nora Villanueva-Daza.[21]

Honours

 The Philippines:

  Holy See:

Boy Scouts

References
  1. Nieva, Gregorio (1908). Official Directory Philippine Assembly First Philippine Legislature. Manila: Manila Bureau of Printing. pp. 6, 9.
  2. Leonard, John William (1922). Who's who in Engineering, Volume 1. New York City: John W. Leonard Corporation. p. 350.
  3. Luci-Atienza, Charissa (June 9, 2019). "A call for nation building". Manila Bulletin.
  4. Fernandez, Doreen G. (March 1991). "Alumni Guidon". The Guidon.
  5. Commercial handbook : Philippine Carnival Association. Manila: Philippine Carnival Association. 1931. p. 17.
  6. Commercial handbook : Philippine Carnival Association. Manila: Philippine Carnival Association and the Philippine Islands. Commerce and Industry Bureau. 1935. p. 9.
  7. Daza, Julie Y. (June 14, 2014). "Angat: Anger and Anguish". Manila Bulletin.
  8. Diamond jubilee yearbook : Boy Scouts of the Philippines, 1936-1996. Boy Scouts of the Philippines. Manila, Philippines: Boy Scouts of the Philippines. 1996. ISBN 971-91769-0-3. OCLC 41905568.CS1 maint: others (link)
  9. "THE BIRTH OF THE BOY SCOUTS OF THE PHILIPPINES". Boy Scouts of the Philippines.
  10. Marcos, Ferdinand E. (September 19, 1985). "Letter of Instruction No. 1481, s. 1985". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.
  11. "Balita No. 3748" (PDF). The Rotary Club of Manila. June 14, 2018.
  12. Osmeña, Sergio (July 1945). "President's Month in Review: July 1945". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.
  13. Technical Report | Ten Months of President Osmeña's Administration. Manila: Commonwealth of the Philippines. 1946. p. 39.
  14. Osmeña, Sergio (August 1945). "APPOINTMENTS AND DESIGNATIONS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.
  15. Republic of the Philippines Government Manual 1950. Manila Bureau of Printing. 1950. pp. 529, 577.
  16. "APPOINTMENTS AND DESIGNATIONS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES May 14, 1952". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. June 1, 1952.
  17. "Official Month in Review: February 1956". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. February 1956.
  18. Magsaysay, Ramon (August 16, 1956). "Official Month in Review: August 1 – August 15, 1956". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.
  19. Garcia, Carlos P. (July 28, 1958). "Official Week in Review: July 20 – July 26, 1958". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.
  20. Macapagal, Diosdado (July 1, 1963). "Official Week in Review: June 23 – June 29, 1963". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.
  21. Enriquez, Marge (July 17, 2016). "Bong Daza: Bon vivant with a big heart". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  22. Magsaysay, Ramon (November 16, 1955). "Administrative Order No. 150, s. 1955". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.
  23. "List of recipients of the Bronze Wolf Award". scout.org. WOSM. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
  24. reinanzaka-sc.o.oo7.jp/kiroku/documents/20140523-3-kiji-list.pdf
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