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Nov 29 • 12 tweets • 7 min read
#TodayinHistory in 1892, María Orosa, Filipina guerrilla fighter during #WWII, food technologist, pharmaceutical chemist, was born in Taal, Batangas #PH. She was the known inventor of Banana Ketchup, & the Palayok Oven. She died in the Battle of Manila in Feb 1945.

THREAD.
Born to Simplicio Orosa, a steamship captain, & Juliana Ylagan, as 4th of 8 children, Maria lived thru great upheaval, w/ #PH Revo vs. Spain that broke out in 1896, & Phil-Am War in 1899. Her father aided Aguinaldo in transporting troops & supplies.
After a year of studying in @upsystem, she became a pensionado scholar & studied in @UW in 1916 where she finished her bachelor & MA in pharmaceutical chemistry, including food chem. She juggled odd jobs to get by in the U.S., often a target of racism.
Orosa went back to #PH in 1922, & taught at @CEUmanila for a while. She worked in the Bureau of Science, where she experimented to address the problems of food sustainability & malnutrition. She was 1st in achieving the preservation of PH mangoes in can, enabling its export.
Orosa soon invented the palayok oven, to give Filipino families the ability to cook and bake, even without the use of electricity which was yet to be set up in the regions. She invented the banana ketchup to alleviate the PH reliance on imported tomatoes.
She used saba bananas, sugar, vinegar, & spices for this. She later added red dye to make it appealing to the eye. Orosa is credited to have invented around 700 recipes. In 1927, upon the PH Legislature's establishment of the Division of Food Preservation, she became its head.
In 1941, w/ the Japanese invasion of #PH, Orosa refused to evacuate from Manila as advised by her relatives. She joined the resistance, becoming captain in the Marking's Guerrillas, founded by Col. Marcos V. Agustin, that operated in East Manila.
Orosa persisted in her lab to invent various means to sustain food rations as inflation & famine ensued. She invented Soyalac (protein-rich soybean powder) & Darak (rice bran powder rich in thiamine & other vitamins to treat beri-beri). This saved thousands of lives.
She was also instrumental in bringing smuggled & repackaged food to the malnourished POWs in the Japanese interment camp in @UST1611official, even at great risk to her life.
During the Battle of Manila in 1945, Orosa was still working in her lab when she was hit by a shrapnel. She was rushed to the nearest hospital, the Remedios Hospital in Malate. The hospital was hit by gunfire, doctors & patients killed, including Orosa.
In Feb 2020, archaeological excavation in Malate Catholic School revealed a gravestone marker with her name inscribed on it. It indicates that she "died in line of duty."
Photos:
- Portrait of Maria Orosa e Ylagan, from the Orosa Family collection
- Orosa family, c. 1930s, from the Orosa Family collection
- Orosa's graduation picture, undated, from dreamcatcherrye.blogspot.com
- Soyalac advertisement, 1948, from Dennis Villegas collection

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Nov 30
#TodayinHistory in 1863, Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro, revolutionary leader & 3rd president of the revolutionary org, the #Katipunan, was born in Tondo, #Manila, #PH. Under his leadership, the Katipunan led an all-out revolution vs. Spain beginning Aug 1896. THREAD. #kasaysayan Image
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Nov 23
#TodayinHistory in 1872, 150 yrs ago, Clemencia López, feminist & Filipino independista, was born in Balayan, Batangas. She travelled to the U.S. during the PH-US War to negotiate the release of her detained brothers, & tell the American press #PH's desire to be free. LONG THREAD Image
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Oct 11
#TodayinHistory in 1954, then journalist & peace negotiator, & future #PH senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. and Corazon S. Cojuangco, future 11th #PH president, were married in Pasay City, #PH. Their union was one of the consequential marriages in PH History. THREAD.
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Oct 10
#TodayinHistory in 1915, Francisco "Koko" Trinidad, actor & pioneer in Filipino radio broadcasting, was born in #Manila. His immense contribution to #PH mass media & #pressfreedom is still acknowledged as he mentored the 1st generation of Filipino broadcasters. THREAD. #History
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Sep 28
#TodayinHistory in 1901, at the town plaza of #Balangiga, Samar #PH, Company C of the U.S. 9th Infantry Regiment was ambushed by the Filipino townspeople for the abuses on them. This would be known as the Balangiga Massacre. The Americans would retaliate excessively. THREAD.
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