Philippines: Chronology

August 21, 1898 • Manila, PhilippinesGeorge Seaman and Willard Call, Latter-day Saints serving in the U.S. military, held the first Church service in the Philippines. Prior to their departure from the United States, both had been set apart as missionaries.

1941–45 • PhilippinesAmerican Latter-day Saints returned to the Philippines through military service during World World II. A U.S. military presence, which included Latter-day Saints, remained after the war.

1945 • ManilaAniceta Pabilona Fajardo became the first Filipino to be baptized in the Philippines. She was the only convert baptized in the 1940s.

February 13, 1953 • LuzonThe Luzon Servicemen’s District was organized.

August 21, 1955 • Clark Air Base, PhilippinesPresident Joseph Fielding Smith of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Philippines for the preaching of the gospel.

1957 • PhilippinesKendall B. Schaefermeyer, a U.S. Navy serviceman, taught and baptized four Filipinos and was teaching more than 20 others.

1960 • PhilippinesElder Ezra Taft Benson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, Assistant to the Twelve, met with servicemen’s groups and found promising opportunities for missionary work among the Filipinos.

January 22, 1961 • Clark Air BaseDavid Lagman, one of a few converts from the 1950s, became the first Filipino ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood.

1961 • PhilippinesThe government of the Philippines granted legal recognition to the Church.

April 28, 1961 • PhilippinesElder Gordon B. Hinckley of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles officially opened the country for missionary work.

June 5, 1961 • ManilaRay Goodson, Harry Murray, Kent Lowe, and Nestor Ledesma, the first Latter-day Saint missionaries called to the Philippines, began preaching in the country.

August 10, 1961 • ManilaThe first converts after missionaries arrived, Catalino Brocka and Jose Gutierrez Sr., were baptized in a pool at Edward and Maxine Grimm’s home.

May 1963 • Quezon City, PhilippinesMary Ellen Edmunds and Carol Smithen, the first sister missionaries assigned to the Philippines, arrived.

March 1964 • San Fernando, PhilippinesDavid Lagman was set apart as president of the San Fernando branch.

January 1965 • Luzon DistrictThe first full-time Filipino missionaries called from the Philippines, Catalino Brocka and Emiliano Antonio Jr., were assigned to serve in Hawaii.

October 23, 1966 • Makati, PhilippinesAfter members donated funds and labor to construct their first meetinghouse, Gordon B. Hinckley traveled to the Philippines to dedicate the building.

June 28, 1967 • PhilippinesThe Philippine Mission was organized.

first Stake Presidency in Philippines

May 20, 1973 • Manila

The Manila Stake, the first stake in the Philippines, was organized with Augusto A. Lim as stake president.

August 10–12, 1975 • ManilaSpencer W. Kimball, President of the Church, Barbara B. Smith, Relief Society General President, and other Church leaders attended the first area general conference in the Philippines.

April 1, 1981 • Salt Lake City, UtahSpencer W. Kimball announced plans to build the Manila Philippines Temple.

October 3, 1983 • Quezon CityThe Philippines Missionary Training Center was officially opened.

Manila Philippines Temple

September 25–27, 1984 • Quezon City

The Manila Philippines Temple was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley of the First Presidency.

1987 • PhilippinesThe Philippines/Micronesia Area was established with headquarters in Manila.

1989 • PhilippinesMoises and Consuelo Ozo were the first Filipino couple to serve a mission, assigned to the Philippines Cebu Mission.

December 2–4, 1989 • Quezon CityDuring an anti-government coup, rebels occupied the temple grounds and some auxiliary buildings around the temple. The coup ended days later, and though the area was bombarded and strafed by air strikes, the temple was unharmed.

1991 • PhilippinesFilipinos made up over 75 percent of the missionaries in the 12 missions in the country.

November 5, 1991 • Ormoc, PhilippinesChurch members sent aid to victims after Tropical Storm Uring (internationally known as Thelma) struck Leyte. Twenty-two Church members were among those killed by the storm.

October 3, 1992 • PhilippinesElder Augusto A. Lim, the first Filipino General Authority, was sustained as a Seventy.

1996 • Salt Lake CitySelections from the Book of Mormon were published in Waray-Waray.

May 30, 1996 • ManilaOver 35,000 people gathered to hear Church President Gordon B. Hinckley address and bless them.

1998 • PhilippinesComplete translations of the Book of Mormon were published in Tagalog, Cebuano, and Pangasinan. Selections were published in Bikolano.

February 2002 • PhilippinesThe Perpetual Education Fund was introduced in the Philippines.

August 2002–August 2004 • PhilippinesElder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles served as President of the Philippines Area of the Church.

2005 • Salt Lake CityA complete translation of the Book of Mormon was published in Hiligaynon.

June 13, 2010 • Cebu City, PhilippinesThe Cebu City Philippines Temple was dedicated by Church President Thomas S. Monson.

October 2, 2010 • Salt Lake CityThomas S. Monson announced that a temple would be constructed in Urdaneta City, Philippines, to serve over 100 stakes and districts in Luzon.

April 30–May 1, 2011 • Quezon CityChurch members organized a program commemorating 50 years of missionary work in the Philippines.

September 2011 • Philippines The Church Welfare Department joined efforts with local organizations to distribute food, water, hygiene kits, and other needed items to over 25,000 families after two typhoons caused massive flooding.

May 20, 2012 • Quezon CityElder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated a new missionary training center.

2013–14 • Eastern Visayas, PhilippinesChurch members participated in extensive shelter and relief efforts during and after Typhoon Yolanda (internationally known as Haiyan), providing shelter, supplies, and construction training, and even providing local governments with digital backups of genealogical records lost in the storm.

April 2, 2017 • Salt Lake CityThomas S. Monson announced plans for a second temple in the Manila area, to be built in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

September 10, 2017 • Quezon CityThe Mandaluyong Philippines Stake, 100th stake in the Philippines, was organized.

October 7, 2018 • Salt Lake CityPresident Russell M. Nelson announced the construction of a temple in Davao, Philippines.