Olongapo City Profile

884 - A Royal decree was issued by King Alfonso II making Subic Bay as Spain’s stronghold in the Far East.

885 - Don Juan Bautista de Antequiera, thefounder of Olongapo, constructed permanent structures of an arsenal composed of a watchtower, a gate, several buildings and a railway connecting the hills of Olongapo and the Bay.

898 - A detachment from Admiral Dewey’s Fleet took Olongapo and Subic Bay during the Spanish-American War.

904 - U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt issued an Executive Order designating Subic Bay and 70,000 acres of adjacent land, including Olongapo as an American Military reservation. Concerted American development of Subic started this year. Part of the reservation was developed as a naval station with a ship repair unit and a coaling station.

908 - Establishment of an American military administration for town affairs.

932 - Opening of Zig-Zag Pass, connecting Olongapo by land to Central Luzon.

942 to 1944 - The Japanese military occupied naval station and built wooden sampans for use in the war effort.

945 - During liberation, the Japanese made their last stand at the Zig-Zag Pass.

951 - U.S. spent over $170 Million to convert the base into the homeport of her Navy’s Seventh Fleet, developing the Cubi Naval Air Station as the largest US installation of its kind in Asia.

957 - The U.S. Navy’s Bartholomew plan was put into motion, starting the move to improve the town site to equip it with such amenities as a sewerage system, fire fighting system, etc. Unfortunately, the move was put on hold because of local agitation to retrieve Olongapo from the U.S. military reservation to the Philippine government.

ecember 7, 1959 - Olongapo was turned over to the Philippine government and converted into a municipality by virtue of Executive Order No. 366 issued by then President Carlos P. Garcia. The first government officials were appointed.

ovember 1964 - The first municipal election was held in Olongapo.

une 1, 1966 - President Ferdinand E. Marcos signed Republic Act No. 4645, converting Olongapo into a chartered city.

ecember 7, 1983 - The city became a highly urbanized city in Central Luzon.

une 15, 1991 - Mt. Pinatubo erupted causing widespread damage at the U.S. Facility and in Olongapo City.

eptember 16, 1991 - Senate rejects Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Security between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America, terminating the stay of U.S. military bases in the Philippines.

arch 13, 1992 - R.A. 7227 creation of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority with Mayor Richard J. Gordon acting as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer to preside over the development of the Subic Bay Freeport.

ovember 24, 1992 - The U.S. Naval Facility which included the Naval Station and the Cubi Naval Air Station, was turned over formally to the Philippine Government.

ovember 24, 1992 - The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) took over the management of the Subic Bay Freeport.

uly 1, 1993 - Olongapo City Mayor Richard J. Gordon was appointed SBMA’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and had to give up the position of Mayor in accordance with law.

arch 31, 1998 - Mayor Kate H. Gordon of Olongapo won the United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Peace Prize Award which she received on March 31, 1998 in Stockholm, Sweden.

he Mayor was the only lady Mayor among five awardees who came from different regions of the world. The award was in recognition of her programs and initiatives that brought peace and order in her community and promoted productive living.

eptember 2, 1998 - After reviving the economy of Central Luzon and the City of Olongapo, Chairman Gordon stepped down from SBMA with the unfavorable decision of the Supreme Court on the issue of Chairmanship brought about by the change in national leadership.

ecember 01, 1999 - Mayor Kate H. Gordon was awarded the Konrad Adenauer Local Government Award (KALGA) and as a member of the East and Southeast Asian Network for Better Local Governance.

ecember 01, 1999 - Mayor Kate H. Gordon was an awardee of the Konrad Adenauer Local Government Award for initiating reforms in the city bureaucracy in order to achieve efficiency and productivity in governance.

June 2001 - Mayor Kate H. Gordon was awarded as the Outstanding Woman in Local Governance by the United Nations.

une 2001 - Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

une 2001 - given in Phitsanulok, Thailand during the Asia Pacific Summit of Women Mayors and Councilors Conference on June 19-22, 2001.

ecember 05, 2001 - Former Mayor and SBMA Chairman Richard J. Gordon appointed Secretary of Tourism by President Gloria M. Arroyo and was confirmed by the Commission on

ppointments on December 05, 2001 the first national position held by a native of Olongapo City.