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Opinion

When December 31 disappeared from the Philippines

HISTORY MATTERS - Todd Sales Lucero - The Freeman

Just think about it. If a Spanish governor-general hadn’t been so meticulous about even the most miniscule of administrative matters, new year would still have been tomorrow. If we had the ability to erase a law in the Philippines, today would still have been December 31st.

When the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines in the 1500s, they continued using Spain’s timekeeping methods, unaware of the complexities introduced by time zones and the international dateline. At the time, Spain's calendar was the standard reference, and global synchronization was not yet a concern. However, as explorers like Ferdinand Magellan traveled westward, discrepancies in timekeeping began to emerge. With every day of travel, Magellan and his crew lost a few minutes due to their direction of movement, which mirrored the sun’s apparent motion. This minor daily loss accumulated over months, leaving the Philippines’ calendar a full day behind Europe by 1521.

This issue persisted for centuries (in fact, more than two centuries), ignored by Spanish authorities, reflecting both a lack of understanding of global timekeeping and the colony’s slow bureaucracy. The problem became clearer as maritime trade expanded, especially with neighboring countries like China and the Dutch East Indies, where the calendar aligned with the western side of the international dateline. For instance, while it was Sunday in Manila, it was Monday in Batavia (modern-day Jakarta). Governor-General Narciso Claveria y Zaldúa, known for his administrative reforms, addressed this discrepancy during his term (1844–1849). On August 16, 1844, after consulting with Archbishop José Seguí, he decreed that December 31, 1844, would be removed, and December 30 would be directly followed by January 1, 1845. This straightforward change brought the Philippines in line with its geographic neighbors and international standards, demonstrating Claveria's leadership and efforts to modernize the colony.

By making this adjustment, the Philippines officially aligned with the global calendar, rectifying over three centuries of error. The reform underscored the importance of accurate timekeeping in a world that was becoming increasingly interconnected through trade, exploration, and communication. It remains a fascinating historical example of how governance, science, and practicality intersected to address an issue that had lingered for far too long.

This moment in Philippine history is often overlooked or given little importance by many historians, although if one looks at the actual implications of Claveria’s bold move it is clear this affected Filipino life in many ways. And, just like his surname decree of 1849, this single moment in history continues to be felt by everyone until today. Aside from correcting this seemingly minor blip in the Philippines, it also means that, since the colony was a day behind the rest of the world, every recorded date and event before January 1, 1845 was one day behind. This is also an interesting and intriguing trivia about Philippine history: we can claim that we are the only nation in the world that had no births, marriages, deaths, or anything happening on December 31, 1844 because the day was erased from our calendars!

Perhaps it's simply a technical detail in Philippine history, but a single-day difference makes a lot of difference. Imagine how many people in our records have been given the wrong birthdays, marriages dates, and even death dates? Imagine, also, what would have been if we could erase September 13, 1957 or November 14, 1963 from history. Our woes as a nation today would have been lesser!

To all readers of this column: wishing everyone a hopefully happy and better 2025!

HISTORY

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