A ndy Rooney, one of pillars of the "60 Minutes" top-rated show, erred tonight when he said that only the United States and Canada observe Thanksgiving Day

I wrote on April 25, 2008, in Filipino Fun Facts (Part II) the following data: “But did you know that many Filipino-American Baby Boomers celebrate also two Thanksgiving Days? They celebrate first and foremost the American Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday of November. Then they celebrate the Philippine Thanksgiving Day on September 11th, as proclaimed then by strongman of a President Ferdinand Marcos in 1973. Why? Because after Mr. Marcos proclaimed martial law on Sept. 21, 1972, many of them were thankful they were not jailed.”

It was really not a joke about then President Marcos declaring September 11^th as “Thanksgiving Day” of the Philippines. The date happens also to be his birthday. After Mr. Marcos was deposed in February 1986, his successor, Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino, signed an Executive Order that cancelled it. But from 1973 to 1985, the Philippines celebrated Mr. Marcos’s Thanksgiving Day. Even to date, Mr. Marcos’s supporters still celebrate his Philippine version of Thanksgiving Day. # # #

E ditor’s Note: To read more MabuhayRadio.com articles on Thanksgiving Day, please click on the following links:

MabuhayRadio Articles for Thanksgiving Day

A Turkey Story for Thanksgiving Day  (a classic article by Jesse Jose)

The Real Story of Thanksgiving (From the American-Indian Perspective)

Enjoy the Turkey and All the Trimmings Today and Prepare for a Recession Tomorrow

More Turkey Stories: Why Some Filipino Americans Hate Turkeys and Don’t Eat Them on T-Day