A Few Fascinating Finds from the 1962 Volume of Official Gazette

In the middle of a confusing day at the law office, I found a compelling reason to search through the 1962 issues of Official Gazette. The well-renowned author of Civil Law, former Senator Arturo Tolentino, cites a Court of Appeals decision in his one-of-a-kind textbook on Property.

I had been looking for answers for my client's suit, which my father describes as a "winning case." However, in the pre-trial conference earlier held, I was caught off-guard with the opposing counsel's theory. I did not expect where the other party is leading us to. So, from then on, I realized not to be too complacent, winning case or not.

The pressure is on me. If it's something to be considered as a "winning case" but I still lose, it will be humiliating on my part. So this pressure made me look for that Court of Appeals decision - on Official Gazette's Volume 58. However, I forgot the page number by the time I was already at the library so I actually had to search through thousands and thousands of pages of Volume 58!

The 53 issues of Volume 58 were grouped into 12 - one compilation for each month of that year. I took off all those twelve compilations from the bookshelf, which due to old age were already dusty. I started off with December; unfortunately, it took me up until the 11th compilation to find the case I was looking for.

Because of such misfortune, I saw some portions of the entire 1962 volume to be fascinating enough to be taken pictures of. This article unravels the interesting finds I've read from hours and hours of searching.

Sky Flakes' Trademark has been in use since 1960


That familiar trademark of Sky Flakes is much older than most of us. It has been in use since 1960. It was filed with the Philippines Patent Office under R.A. 166 on February 21, 1962. At that time, San Juan City was still under the jurisdiction of the province of Rizal, as shown in this picture.

A picture of a known person may still be used as a Trademark


Familiarity aids customers recall so an entrepreneur used the name and picture of the very first US President as a trademark. If it had been filed today, it would easily fail an IPO Officer's first scrutiny.

Under the Intellectual Property Code, the current law governing trademarks, a mark that
falsely suggests a connection with persons, living or dead, cannot be registered. 

Another awkward portion of this image was the inclusion of "Trademark." These days, the symbol "TM" would have been sufficient.

A "quiet" day for President Diosdado Macapagal


The use of the term "quiet day" gives a personal touch to something that is expected to be formal. Nonetheless, we are all reminded that our presidents are humans too. As a reader, it is easy to get the feels of that day with the use of such term - almost lulling me to sleep imagining an ordinary day in the middle of the rainy season.

That day may have been ordinary but how did then fifteen-year-old Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo feel during that fleeting moment? Does she still remember that particular event where she was mentioned? This might be one of the first few articles written where her name appears.

Some trivia. President Diosdado Macapagal assumed office on December 30, 1961 so this "quiet day" was still well within his first year in office. For many folks, this isn't something noteworthy. To keen observers, however, the first year of the President is oftentimes seen with greater scrutiny and with a little discomfort, the effects of the previous election had not yet subsided. 

Epilogue

I was in a hurry that moment so I wasn't able to take more pictures. Even then, the few findings I've had were fascinating enough to deserve a separate article. 
 

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