Gabriel Daza

Daza was born and raised in Borongan City, Eastern Samar, to Don Eugenio Daza and his wife, 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. When Daza was 11, his father became the Representative of their region to the First Philippine Legislature.[1] Daza completed a Bachelor of Arts at the Ateneo de Manila University in 1914. Daza subsequently attended Herald's Engineering College in San Francisco, California, Bliss Electrical School in Washington, D.C., and then received his graduate and post-grad from Educational Department of Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[2]

Daza's education with the prestigious Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, that employed the likes of Nikola Tesla, led him to be the first Filipino licensed electrical engineer with a license number 001.[3] In 1915, he was part of the Philippine Delegation to the Panama–Pacific International Exposition.[4] In 1922, Daza was working as an electrical engineer and salesman for Catton-Neill Eng. & Machinery Co.[2] In 1928, he co-founded the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT).[4] From 1930 to 1935, Daza was the Illuminating Engineer of the executive staff of the Philippine Carnival Association. The Association held the Manila Carnival, an American Colonial showcase for Philippine commerce, industry and agriculture.[5][6] From 1946 to 1951, Daza was the Assistant Chief Examiner and engineering consultant for the US-Philippine War Damage Commission (PWDC). He co-founded the Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Co. (PT&T), Philippine Electric Manufacturing Company (PEMCO) and Phelps Dodge Philippines.[4] Throughout the 1960s, Daza had PEMCO employees and Boy Scouts plant 1 million trees around the Angat Water Reservoir. [7]

In 1928, Daza registered to be a member of the Cebu Council, Boy Scouts of America. On October 31, 1936 Daza and the other BSP founders officially chartered the BSP in Commonwealth Act No. 111 authorized by President Manuel Quezon. Later, he was appointed as Secretary of the Boy Scout Foundation by Joseph Stevenot, the foundation's chairman. He served in the BSP's National Executive Board until 1961 when he was elected to succeed Jorge B. Vargas as President and Chief Scout. Prior to his election he was already serving as acting President and Chief Scout, as Jorge Vargas was concurrently serving the position and as a member of the World Scout Committee since 1951. Daza retired as President and Chief Scout in 1968.[8][9]

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.[10] President Marcos appointed Daza as Chairman for a Temporary Executive Committee tasked to reorganize the BSP.[11]

Daza (bottom right) Founders of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. Stamp for National Boy Scout Movement 50th Anniversary, 28 Oct 1987.

Daza never held an elected position in government office. However, he was respected and trusted by several Presidents who appointed him to positions within government companies and committees.

• 1945, President Osmeña appointed Daza to be a member of the Board of Directors of both the
  • Manila Railroad Company.[12]
  • Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.[13]
• July 25, 1945, President Osmeña appointed Daza to be chairman of the Petroleum Products Control Board.[14]
• August 2, 1945, President Osmeña appointed Daza to be a member of the National Power Corporation.[14]
• 1945, Vice-President and Managing Director of Rehabilitation of the Manila Hotel Company[4]
• 1946, Chairman of the Housing Committee of the Joint RP-US Executive Committee for the inauguration of the Philippine Republic.[4]
• 1950, Vice-Chairman of the National Power Corporation.[15]
• 1950, Member of the Board of directors of the Manila Hotel Company.[15]
• May 14, 1952, President Quirino appointed Daza to be a founding member of the Board of Directors of the National Shipyard and Steel Corporation.[16]
• 1956, President and Director of the National Economic Protection Agency (NEPA).[17]
• 1956, Member of the Coordinating Council on Economic Nationalism.[18]
• 1958, Member of the Rice and Corn Production Council.[19]
• 1963, Member of the Board of Censors for moving pictures.[20]
• 1985, President Marcos appointed Daza as Chairman for a Temporary Executive Committee tasked to reorganize the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.[11]

Daza married Angeles Rosales Ortega on July 8, 1922 in Calbayog, Samar. Daza later moved to Cebu City around 1923. In Cebu City, Daza fathered his first four children Beatriz Daza Orendain, Gabriel Daza Jr., David Daza and Rodolfo Daza. Daza later moved to Manila between 1930-1935. In Manila, Daza fathered Elena Daza Valenzuela, Teresa Daza Baltazar and Francisco Daza.

His eldest son and namesake Gabriel Daza Jr. would become a lawyer and marry celebrity chef Nora Villanueva-Daza.[21]

 The Philippines:

• Knight of the Order of the Knights of Rizal [22]

  Holy See:

• Knight of the Order of St. Sylvester, knighted by Pope Pius XII in 1947.
• Knight Commander with Star Order of St. Sylvester, awarded by Pope John XXIII in 1960.

Boy Scouts

• Bronze Wolf awarded by the World Scout Conference in 1965[8][23]
• Silver Tamaraw (BSP)
• Mount Makiling Award (BSP)[8]
• Tanglaw ng Kabataan Award (BSP) in 1986 [8]
• Golden Pheasant (Japan),[24]
• Cruz de Merito (Venezuela),
• Silver Tiki (New Zealand),
• Mugunghwa Gold Medal (South Korea).