Philippine National Railroad – Today in History – June 26, 1875
On June 26, 1875, a royal decree was issued by the king of Spain authorizing the preparation of a general plan for a railroad in Luzon.
Don Eduardo Lopez Navarro, then head of the Public Works Office of the Philippine Islands, submitted a plan which got royal approval on May 11, 1883. The concession for the Manila-Dagupan Line was awarded to Edmundo Sykies on January 21, 1887, and later transferred to the Manila Railroad Company Ltd. of London.
The cornerstone of the main station building at Tutuban in Manila was laid on July 31, 1887. The entire Manila-Dagupan line, with a total length of 195 kilometers, was completed and inaugurated on November 24, 1892.
Also on this same day in 1908, Pablo T. Tapia, banker and pioneer in cooperative movement, was born in Tanauan, Batangas.
Tapia founded the Philippine Banking Corporation and received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1964.
