Gabriel Daza

Don Gabriel Amando Daza, KGCR, 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. He was the supervising engineer and assistant general manager of Visayan Electric Company (VECO) and led its expansion out of Cebu City. 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 by President Quirino as a founding member of the board of directors of the National Shipyard and Steel Corporation. President and director of the National Economic Protection Agency (NEPA) in 1956.

Early life Daza was born and raised in Borongan, Eastern Samar, to Don Eugenio Daza and 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. In 1907, when Daza was 11, his father became the representative of their region to the First Philippine Legislature. That same year he began studying at Ateneo de Manila. In 1914, Daza completed a Bachelor of Arts at the Ateneo de Manila University.

In 1915, he was part of the Philippine delegation to the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. After the exposition, Daza ended up staying in the United States for the next seven years. Daza's U.S. World War I draft registration card states that he was an American citizen. Daza then studied at the Bliss Electrical School in Washington, D.C. where he graduated in 1919. Daza worked at the mainplant of Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a company that employed the likes of Nikola Tesla, and studied in the Westinghouse Educational Department.

In Cebu City, as early as 1927, Daza was the supervising engineer and assistant general manager of the Visayan Electric Company (VECO), and the assistant general manager of the Visayan Electric Supply Company. Daza led the expansion of VECO out of the Cebu City. In 1929, Daza went to the Philippine Legislature in Manila to develop a new franchise for VECO. In 1931, the Legislature approved a 50-year franchise allowing VECO to expand to: Mandaue, Consolacion, Liloan and Compostela, North of Cebu; and Talisay, Minglanilla, Naga, San Fernando and Danao. Daza (left) smoking a cigar attending a Signal Corps dinner for Mr. Ledesma's (standing) departure to the U.S. Heading the table is chief of the Signal Corps Lt. Col. Paciano Tangco (right). From 1930 to 1939, Daza was the Illuminating Engineer of the executive staff, and Electrical Engineer of the Philippine Carnival Association. The association held the Manila Carnival, an American Colonial showcase for Philippine commerce, industry and agriculture. He co-founded the Philippine Electric Manufacturing Company (PEMCO) and Phelps Dodge Philippines. In 1937, he was treasurer of the Philippine Association of Mechanical and Electrical Engineers (PAMEE). In 1945, Daza worked with the United States Army Signal Corps (USASC) to survey the extent of the destruction of PLDT's telephone communications infrastructure in Manila. Daza reported that three of PLDT's central exchanges in Santa Cruz, Malate, and Pasay were destroyed by the Japanese.

In June 1947, the Electrical Engineering Law, Republic Act 184, was passed in the Congress of the Philippines and Daza was appointed as the chairman of the Board of Electrical Engineering Examiners that Article 1 Section 2 of the Act established. Due to propriety, as the examiner chairman, Daza issued license number 001 to himself, making himself the first Filipino licensed electrical engineer.

From 1946 to 1951, Daza was the assistant chief examiner and engineering consultant for the US-Philippine War Damage Commission (PWDC). Daza was also the liaison officer for Gen. Douglas MacArthur for the PWDC.

On November 12, 1985, Daza and Quezon City mayor Adelina Santos Rodriguez sponsored the Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines Inc. (IIEE) Building Cornerstone for a new IIEE Headquarters.

Post-World War II Following World War II, out of the seven Charter members, Stevenot and General Vicente Lim were casualties of the war. Arsenio Luz and Manuel Camus were occupied in post-war reconstruction. Jorge Vargas was facing charges for collaboration with the Japanese (later cleared), and General Carlos Romulo was working on the formation and establishment of the United Nations. This left Daza as the sole charter member available to build the fledgling organisation in the aftermath of the war.

The BSP were put in charge of managing the Makiling National Scout Reservation at Mount Makiling. Daza hired an agriculturist to not only support training and camping but also to plant bananas and set up a piggery.

11th World Scout Jamboree

In 1963, Daza, several other BSP officials and 3 scouts of the BSP delegation opted for an 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. President Marcos appointed Daza as Chairman for a Temporary Executive Committee tasked to reorganize the BSP.

Gabriel A. Daza Award The BSP Quezon Council annually award ten outstanding KAB Scouts the Gabriel A. Daza Award based on a point system considering the level and number of scouting activities they have participated in, number of scout of the year awards, and membership advancement. As of 2020, the award requires a minimum of 150 points out of a potential 240.

Political career

In 1920, Daza was superintendent and special representative of the U.S. House of Representatives Philippine Resident Commissioner Jaime C. de Veyra for the Philippines' participation in the Missouri School of Journalism's Journalism Week. Throughout the week speakers and performers promoted Filipino history, products and resources, including Filipino food, dress and an orchestra sent from the Philippines. The Made-in-the-Philippines Banquet, held on 7 May 1920, was the final event of Journalism week and took place at the Rothwell Gymnasium of the University of Missouri. Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. July 25, 1945, President Osmeña appointed Daza to be chairman of the Petroleum Products Control Board. August 2, 1945, President Osmeña appointed Daza to be a member of the National Power Corporation Board. 1945, Vice-president and managing director of rehabilitation of the Manila Hotel Company. 1950, member of the board of directors of the Manila Hotel Company. 1956, President and director of the National Economic Protection Agency (NEPA). 1956, member of the Coordinating Council on Economic Nationalism. 1958, member of the Rice and Corn Production Council. 1958, member of the Jose Rizal Centennial Commission. 1963, member of the Board of Censors for moving pictures. 1985, President Marcos appointed Daza as chairman for a temporary executive committee tasked to reorganize the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. Daza was the chairman of Illumination Committee for the 33rd IEC.

In 1939, Daza was the director of the Ateneo Alumni Association, director of Catholic Action, reserve officer in the Signal Corps of the Philippine Army, a member in the Knights of Rizal and Knights of Columbus, and assisted with the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes and Philippine Exposition.

In 1947, Daza founded the Philippine National Red Cross.

In 1965, Daza was a member of the executive board for the United Nations Association of the Philippines. Daza participated in the First Asian Conference on Industrialization held during the period 6 to 20 December 1965 at Manila. Daza attended as a member of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) observer delegation.

Death Daza died in Quezon City, Philippines on May 18, 1994, at the age of 98. Prior to his death, Daza stated that he had a pending application with the Society of Jesus so that when he died he could be buried a Jesuit.

Awards and honours 85px Supreme Exchequer and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Knights of Rizal. 85x85px Knight of the Order of St. Sylvester, knighted by Pope Pius XII in 1947. 85x85px Knight Commander with Star Order of St. Sylvester, awarded by Pope John XXIII in 1960. United Nations Association of the Philippines:

General Carlos P. Romulo (CPR) Award

Boy Scouts:

Bronze Wolf awarded by the World Scout Conference in 1965 Silver Tamaraw (BSP) Mount Makiling Award (BSP) Cruz de Merito (Venezuela) Silver Tiki (New Zealand) Mugunghwa Gold Medal (South Korea) Ateneo de Manila University:

Lux in Domino Award in 1991