History
Apolinario Mabini encouraged the Malolos Republic to form a national Red Cross organization. On February 17, 1899, the Malolos Republic approved the Constitution of the National Association of the Red Cross. The Republic appointed Mrs Hilario del Rosario de Aguinaldo as President of the Association.
Felipe Agoncillo, Filipino diplomat, met with Gustave Moynier, an original member of the Committee of Five and ICRC President on 29 August 1900. He sought recognition of the Filipino Red Cross Society as well as the application of the First Geneva Convention during the Philippine–American War.
On August 30, 1905 the American Red Cross (ARC) formed a Philippine Branch with Filipino and American leaders. After several years of continuous effort from Nurse Paula Emperado of the Philippine General Hospital, the ANRC officially recognized it as a Chapter on December 4, 1917.
In 1934 President Manuel L. Quezon established an independent Philippine Red Cross. However, because the Philippines was a U.S. territory, and later a U.S. Commonwealth, it could not sign the Geneva Conventions and therefore it could not be recognized by the ICRC.
In 1942, during the occupation of the Philippines by Japan, the Japanese created a Philippine Red Cross that they controlled to care for internees. Once Manila was liberated by United States and Filipino forces in 1945, local Red Cross officials and the ANRC reestablished an independent Red Cross.
The Philippines gained independence from the United States on July 4, 1946. Dr. J. Horacio Yanzon, was appointed the first Filipino Red Cross Manager in December 1946 with thirty-six Red Cross chapters initially set up in the country. On 14 February 1947 President Manuel A. Roxas signed the Treaty of Geneva and the Prisoners of War Convention. On 22 March 1947 President Roxas signed Republic Act 95, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Charter.
The ICRC approved the recognition of the PRC, and telegraphed Aurora Aragon Quezon, the first PRC Chairman, on 29 March 1947. Philippine Red Cross (PRC) had its inaugural ceremony on 15 April 1947.
The PRC was admitted as a bona fide member of the League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on 17 September 1947.
As of 2008, the Chairman of the PRC Board of Governors is Senator Richard J. Gordon. Since 1965, the actress Rosa Rosal has sat on the Board of Governors. For her activities with the PRC, Rosal was awarded in 1999 the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service.
Read more about this topic: Philippine Red Cross
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