Eva Macapagal
hideThis article has multiple issues. Please help or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Evangelina Macaraeg Macapagal | |
---|---|
9th First Lady of the Philippines | |
In role December 30, 1961 – December 30, 1965 | |
President | Diosdado Macapagal |
Preceded by | Leonila Garcia |
Succeeded by | Imelda Marcos |
Second Lady of the Philippines | |
In office December 30, 1957 – December 30, 1961 | |
President | Carlos P. Garcia |
Preceded by | Leonila Garcia |
Succeeded by | Edith Fabella-Pelaez |
Personal details | |
Born | Evangelica de la Cruz Macaraeg November 1, 1915 Binalonan, Pangasinan, Philippine Islands |
Died | May 16, 1999 Manila, Philippines | (aged 83)
Spouse(s) | |
Relations | Arturo Macapagal (stepson) Cielo Macapagal Delgado (stepdaughter) |
Children | Diosdado Jr. Gloria |
Evangelina "Eva" Macaraeg Macapagal gcYC (born Evangelina de la Cruz Macaraeg; November 1, 1915 – May 16, 1999) was the second wife of Diosdado Macapagal, the ninth President of the Philippines. She was the ninth First Lady of the Philippines, and the mother of the fourteenth President, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Biography[]
A physician by profession, Dr. Macapagal is notable for combining simplicity with graceful elegance during her term as the First Lady. She founded many of the health and education centers for the poor throughout the country, such as the Elsie Gaches Village, a center for the underprivileged south of Manila and financially supported the Medical Research Foundation of the Philippines. She campaigned for quality films and TV shows. She promoted the use of the patadyóng kimona and the terno among women. She transformed Malacañang social events into impeccable opportunities for displaying simplicity, elegance, punctuality and cordiality.
Dr. Eva Macapagal was known for wearing national dress whenever she had a chance to do so. She had a number of elegant ternos as well as María Claras for very formal occasions or state functions, but preferred to wear the patadyóng kimona for its simplicity and for ease of movement. She favored a handful of Filipino couturiers, including Pitoy Moreno, who adhered to her preferred style of simple but elegant lines.
Among Eva's projects as First Lady was the promotion of a locally-made, affordable and durable textile called the “Pag-asa cloth,” with prices within the reach of the daily wage earners. Eva herself and her teenage daughter Gloria wore some dresses fashioned from Pag-asa cloth to show its versatility and practical use in daily activities.
Dr. Macapagal is credited with transforming the Palace from a dirty and disheveled place to a clean and magnificent edifice. Her training as a physician enabled her to bring about cleanliness and neatness in the rooms and appointments of the presidential residence. The Macapagals shared the view that Malacañang, being a historical structure intended for all presidents, should be sparingly remodeled and should not be tampered with for the individual convenience of temporary occupants.
Through repairs, refurnishing, repainting and redecoration, the necessary changes were effected in the palace without incurring additional expense. She frequently made inspection tours to ensure that the work was done fast, well and efficiently. She tended the grounds of the palace and the executive building as a garden, planted new trees and flowering shrubs, demolished old wooden structures, recommending that no new building be constructed in the Malacañang grounds to maintain the green spaces belonging to the Palace complex.
Dr. Macapagal discovered that the Palace was rich in beautiful woodwork made of the finest native hardwoods. She also discovered handsome pieces of furniture and decorations stacked in storerooms, offices and garages in the Palace complex, which she salvaged and refurbished. Long-forgotten heirloom pieces were cleaned and polished and displayed in the different rooms, halls, and walls of the Palace. President Heinrich Luebke of Germany paid her a compliment when he said that having seen virtually all the palaces in the world, he believed that although not as large as other palaces, Malacañang was one of the best that could be found anywhere.
Honors[]
- Spain:
- Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (30 June 1962)[1]
- Taiwan:
- Special Grand Cordon of the Order of Propitious Clouds (2 May 1960)[2]
- Thailand:
- Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Chula Chom Klao
- Germany:
- Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1963)[3]
References[]
- 1915 births
- 1999 deaths
- Filipino Roman Catholics
- Macapagal family
- People from Pampanga
- People from Pangasinan
- 20th-century Filipino medical doctors
- First Ladies and First Gentlemen of the Philippines
- Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Spouses of presidents of the Philippines
- Recipients of the Order of Propitious Clouds