Manuel L.

Quezon

Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (August 19,

1878 – August 1, 1944) was a Filipino
statesman, soldier and politician who
served as president of the Commonwealth
of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. He
was the first Filipino to head a government
of the entire Philippines (as opposed to
the government of previous Philippine
states), and is considered to have been the
second president of the Philippines, after
Emilio Aguinaldo (1899–1901).
 His Excellency
Manuel L. Quezon

2nd President of the Philippines

In office
November 15, 1935 – August 1, 1944

Vice President Sergio Osmeña

Preceded by Emilio Aguinaldo (1901)

Frank Murphy (Governor
General)

Succeeded by Sergio Osmeña

José P. Laurel (de facto)
 Secretary of National Defense
In office
July 16, 1941 – December 11, 1941

Preceded by Teófilo Sison

Succeeded by Jorge B. Vargas

1st President of the Senate of the Philippines
In office
August 29, 1916 – November 15, 1935

Preceded by Position established

Succeeded by Gil Montilla (National

Assembly Speaker)

Senator of the Philippines

from the 5th district
In office
October 16, 1916 – November 15, 1935

Preceded by Position established

Succeeded by Position abolished

 Resident Commissioner of the Philippines
In office
November 23, 1909 – October 15, 1916

Preceded by Pablo Ocampo

Succeeded by Teodoro R. Yangco

Majority Leader of the Philippine House of
Representatives
In office
October 16, 1907 – November 23, 1909

Preceded by Position established

Succeeded by Alberto Barreto

(Philippine Assembly)

Member of the Philippine Assembly

from Tayabas' 1st district
In office
October 16, 1907 – October 16, 1916

Preceded by Position established

Succeeded by Governor ofFilemon
TayabasPérez
In office
1906–1907

Preceded by Ricardo Paras

Succeeded by Alfredo Castro

Personal details

Born Manuel Luis Quezon y

Molina
August 19, 1878
Baler, Philippines

Died August 1, 1944

(aged 65)
Saranac Lake, New
York, U.S.

Resting place Quezon Memorial Circle

Political party Nacionalista Party

Spouse(s) Aurora Aragón
(m. 1918; died 1949)
Children 4

Relatives Manolo Quezon

(grandson)

Education University of Santo

Tomas

Signature

Military service

Allegiance  Philippines

Branch/service Philippine Revolutionary

Army
Philippine
Commonwealth Army

Years of service 1899–1900

1941–1944

Rank Major (1899–1900)

Battles/wars Philippine–American
War
World War II
 • Philippines Campaign
 • Japanese occupation
of the Philippines

During his presidency, Quezon tackled the

problem of landless peasants in the
countryside. His other major decisions
include the reorganization of the islands'
military defense, approval of a
recommendation for government
reorganization, the promotion of
settlement and development in Mindanao,
dealing with the foreign stranglehold on
Philippine trade and commerce, proposals
for land reform, and opposing graft and
corruption within the government. He
established a government-in-exile in the
U.S. with the outbreak of the war and the
threat of Japanese invasion.

It was during his exile in the U.S. that he

died of tuberculosis at Saranac Lake, New
York. He was buried in the Arlington
National Cemetery until the end of World
War II, when his remains were moved to
Manila. His final resting place is the
Quezon Memorial Circle.

In 2015, the Board of the International

Raoul Wallenberg Foundation approved a
posthumously bestowal of the Wallenberg
Medal upon President Quezon and to the
people of the Philippines for having
reached out, between 1937 and 1941, to
the victims of the Holocaust. President
Benigno Aquino III, and then-94-year-old
María Zenaida Quezon Avanceña, who is
the daughter of the former President, were
informed about this recognition.

Early life and career

Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina

Quezon, was born in Baler in the district of

El Príncipe[1] (now Baler, Aurora). His
parents were Lucio Quezon (died 1898)
and María Dolores Molina (June 7, 1840 –
1893). His father was a primary grade
school teacher (maestro) from Paco,
Manila and a retired Sergeant of the
Spanish Civil Guard (sargento de Guardia
Civil), while his mother was a primary
grade school teacher (maestra) in their
hometown. His father spoke and taught
Spanish as a teacher. His father was a
Chinese-Spanish-Filipino mestizo, while
his mother a Spanish-Filipino mestiza.[2]

Although both his parents must have

contributed to his education, he received
most of his primary education from the
public school established by the Spanish
government in his village, as part of the
establishment of the free public education
system in the Philippines, as he himself
testified during his speech delivered in the
House of Representatives of the United
States during the discussion of Jones Bill,
in 1914.[3] He later boarded at the Colegio
de San Juan de Letran where he
completed secondary school.

In 1899, Quezon left his law studies at the

University of Santo Tomas to join the
independence movement. During the
Philippine–American War he was an aide-
de-camp to Emilio Aguinaldo.[4] He rose to
the rank of Major and fought in the Bataan
sector. However, after surrendering in
1900 wherein he made his first break in
the American press,[5] Quezon returned to
the university and passed the bar
examinations in 1903, achieving fourth
place.
He worked for a time as a clerk and
surveyor, entering government service as
an appointed fiscal (treasurer) for Mindoro
and later Tayabas. He became a councilor
and was elected governor of Tayabas in
1906 after a hard-fought election.

Congressional career
House of Representatives

In 1907, he was elected to the first

Philippine Assembly – which later became
the House of Representatives – where he
served as majority floor leader and
chairman of the committee on rules as
well as the chairman also of the
committee on appropriations. From 1909
to 1916, he served as one of the
Philippines' two resident commissioners
to the U.S. House of Representatives,
lobbying for the passage of the Philippine
Autonomy Act or Jones Law.

Senate

Quezon returned to Manila in 1916 to be

elected into the Philippine Senate as
Senator and later elected by his peers as
Senate President, serving continuously
until 1935 (19 years), becoming the
longest serving. He headed the first
Independent Mission to the U.S. Congress
in 1919 and secured the passage of the
Tydings–McDuffie Act in 1934. In 1922,
Quezon became the leader of the
Nacionalista Party alliance Partido
Nacionalista-Colectivista.[6]

Presidency

Presidential styles of

Manuel L. Quezon

Reference style His Excellency[7]

Spoken style Your Excellency

Alternative style Mr. President

First term (1935–1941)

First inauguration of Philippine Commonwealth

President Manuel Quezon at the steps of the
Legislative Building in Manila on November 15, 1935.

Official car of Quezon, a 1937 Chrysler Airflow

(restored by Alfred Motorworks & Alfred Nobel R
(restored by Alfred Motorworks & Alfred Nobel R.
Peres), at Baler, Aurora[1] .

In 1935, Quezon won the Philippines' first

national presidential election under the
banner of the Nacionalista Party. He
obtained nearly 68% of the vote against his
two main rivals, Emilio Aguinaldo and
Gregorio Aglipay. Quezon was inaugurated
in November 1935. He is recognized as the
second President of the Philippines.
However, in January 2008, House
Representative Rodolfo Valencia of
Oriental Mindoro filed a bill seeking
instead to declare General Miguel Malvar
as the second Philippine President, having
directly succeeded Aguinaldo in 1901.[8]

Administration and cabinet

Appointments 1935–1941
 Took 
Portfolio Minister
office

Manuel L.
President   1935 1
Quezon

Sergio
Vice President   1935 1
Osmeña

Benigno
Secretary of   1938 1
Aquino
Agriculture and
Rafael
Commerce   1940 1
Alunan, Sr.

15
Sergio 1
  November
Secretary of Osmeña 1
1935
Public
2
Instruction 19 April
  Jorge Bocobo J
1939
1
Secretary of   Elpidio 15 1
Finance Quirino November F
1935 1

18 1
Antonio de
  February N
las Alas
1936 1

26
2
  Manuel Roxas November
1
1938

2
Serafin 28 August
  D
Marabut 1941
1

Elpidio
Secretary of the   1935 1
Quirino
Interior
  Rafael Alunan 1938 1

Secretary of   José Yulo 15 N

Justice November 1
1935

5
José Abad 1
  December
Santos 1
1938

Commissioner 18 July N
  Teofilo Sison
of Justice 1941 1

Secretary of
Public Works Mariano
  1935 1
and Jesús Cuenco
Communications

Secretary of   Teofilo Sison 1939 1

National Serafin
Defense   1
Marabut

  Basilio Valdes 2
D
 1

  José Avelino 1935 1

Hermenegildo
Secretary of   1938 1
Villanueva
Labor
Sotero
  1939 1
Baluyut

Secretary to the Jorge B.

  1935 1
President Vargas

Jaime
Auditor-General   1935 1
Hernández

Commissioner Serafin
  1935 1
of the Budget Marabut

Commissioner
  José Gil 1935 1
of Civil Service

Resident   Quintín 1935 1

Commissioner Paredes
of the
Philippines Joaquín
to the United   Miguel 1938 1
States Congress Elizalde

Supreme Court appointments

President Quezon was given the power,

under the Reorganization Act, to appoint
the first all-Filipino cabinet in the
Philippines in 1935. From 1901 to 1935,
although a Filipino was always appointed
chief justice, the majority of the members
of the Supreme Court were Americans.
Complete Filipinization was achieved only
with the establishment of the
Commonwealth of the Philippines in 1935.
Claro M. Recto and José P. Laurel were
among Quezon's first appointees to
replace the American justices. The
membership in the Supreme Court
increased to 11: a chief justice and ten
associate justices, who sat en banc or in
two divisions of five members each.

Ramón Avanceña – 1935 (Chief

Justice) – 1935–1941
José Abad Santos – 1935
Claro M. Recto - 1935–1936
José P. Laurel – 1935
 José Abad Santos (Chief Justice) –
1941–1942

Government reorganization

To meet the demands of the newly

established government set-up and in
compliance with the provisions of the
Tydings-McDuffie Act, as well as the
requirements of the Constitution,
President Quezon, true to his pledge of
"More Government and less politics",
initiated a reorganization of the
government bodies.[9] To this effect, he
established the Government Survey Board
to study the existing institutions and in the
light of the changed circumstances, make
the necessary recommendations.[9]

Early results were seen with the revamping

of the Executive Department. Offices and
bureaus were either merged with one
another or outrightly abolished. Some new
ones, however, were created.[9] President
Quezon ordered the transfer of the
Philippine Constabulary from the
Department of Interior, to the Department
of Finance. Among the changes in the
Executive Departments by way of
modification in functions or new
responsibilities, were those of the National
Defense, Agriculture and Commerce,
Public Works and Communications, and
Health and Public Welfare.[9]

In keeping with other exigencies posed by

the Constitution, new offices and boards
were created either by Executive Order or
by appropriate legislative action.[9] Among
these were the Council of National
Defense,[10] the Board of National Relief,[11]
the Mindanao and Sulu Commission, and
the Civil Service Board of Appeals.[9][12]

Social justice program

Pledged to improve the lot of the

Philippine working class and seeking the
inspiration from the social doctrines of
Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius XI, aside from
the authoritative treatises of the world's
leading sociologists, President Quezon
started a vigorous program of social
justice, which he traduced into reality
through appropriate executive measures
and legislation obtained from the National
Assembly.[9]

Thus, a court of Industrial Relations was

established to mediate disputes, under
certain conditions, minimizing the
inconveniences of the strikes and
lockouts. A minimum wage law was
enacted, as well as a law providing for an
eight-hour work day and a tenancy law for
the Filipino farmers. Another measure was
the creation of the position of Public
Defender to help poor litigants in their
court suits.[9]

Commonwealth Act No. 20 authorized

Quezon to institute expropriation
proceedings and/or acquire large landed
estates to re-sell them at nominal cost and
under easy terms to tenants thereon, thus
enabling them to possess a lot and a
home of their own. It was by virtue of this
law that the Buenavista estate was
acquired by the Commonwealth
Government. Quezon also launched a
cooperative system of agriculture among
the owners of the subdivided estates in
order to alleviate their situation and to
provide them greater earnings.[9][13]

In all these, Quezon showed an earnest

desire to follow the constitutional mandate
on the promotion of social justice.[9]

Economy

Upon the creation of the Commonwealth,

the economic condition of the nation was
stable and promising.[9] With foreign trade
reaching a peak of four hundred million
pesos, the upward trend in business was
accentuated and assumed the aspect of a
boom. Exports crops were generally good
and, with the exception of tobacco, they
were all in high demand in foreign trade
markets. Indeed, the value of the
Philippine exports reached an all high of
320,896,000 pesos, the highest since
1929.[9]

Manuel Quezon signing documents.

Additionally, government revenues

amounted to 76,675,000 pesos in 1936, as
compared with the 1935 revenue of
65,000,000 pesos. Even the government
companies, with the exception of the
Manila Railroad, managed to earn profits.
Gold production increased about 37% and
iron nearly 100%, while cement production
augmented by some 14%.[9]

Notwithstanding this prosperous

situation,[9] the government had to meet
certain economic problems besetting the
country. For this purpose, the National
Economic Council was created. This body
advised the government in economic and
financial questions, including promotion of
industries, diversification of crops and
enterprises, tariffs, taxation, and
formulation of an economic program in
the preparation for the future independent
Republic of the Philippines.[9]

Again, a law reorganized the National

Development Company; the National Rice
and Corn Company (NARIC) was created
and was given a capital of four million
pesos.[9]

Upon the recommendation of the National

Economic Council, agricultural colonies
were established in the country, especially
in Koronadal, Malig, and other appropriate
sites in Mindanao. The government,
moreover, offered facilities of every sort to
encourage migration and settlement in
those places.[9] The Agricultural and
Industrial Bank was established to aid
small farmers with convenient loans on
easy terms.[14] Attention was also devoted
to soil survey, as well as to the proper
disposition of lands of the public domain.
These steps and measures held much
promise for improved economic welfare.[9]

Agrarian reform

When the Commonwealth Government

was established, President Quezon
implemented the Rice Share Tenancy Act
of 1933.[15][16] The purpose of this act was
to regulate the share-tenancy contracts by
establishing minimum standards.[15]
Primarily, the Act provided for better
tenant-landlord relationship, a 50–50
sharing of the crop, regulation of interest
to 10% per agricultural year, and a
safeguard against arbitrary dismissal by
the landlord.[15] However, because of one
major flaw of this law, no petition for the
Rice Share Tenancy Act was ever
presented.[15]

The major flaw of this law was that it

could be used only when the majority of
municipal councils in a province petitioned
for it.[15] Since landowners usually
controlled such councils, no province ever
asked that the law be applied. Therefore,
Quezon ordered that the act be mandatory
in all Central Luzon provinces.[15] However,
contracts were good for only one year. By
simply refusing to renew their contract,
landlords were able to eject tenants. As a
result, peasant organizations clamored in
vain for a law that would make the
contract automatically renewable for as
long as the tenants fulfilled their
obligations.[15]

In 1936, this Act was amended to get rid of

its loophole, but the landlords made its
application relative and not absolute.
Consequently, it was never carried out in
spite of its good intentions. In fact, by
1939, thousands of peasants in Central
Luzon were being threatened with
wholesale eviction.[15]

The desire of Quezon to placate both

landlords and tenants pleased neither. By
the early 1940s, thousands of tenants in
Central Luzon were ejected from their
farmlands and the rural conflict was more
acute than ever.[15]

Indeed, during the Commonwealth period,

agrarian problems persisted.[15] This
motivated the government to incorporate a
cardinal principle on social justice in the
1935 Constitution. Dictated by the social
justice program of the government,
expropriation of landed estates and other
landholdings commenced. Likewise, the
National Land Settlement Administration
(NLSA) began an orderly settlement of
public agricultural lands. At the outbreak
of the Second World War, major settlement
areas containing more than 65,000
hectares were already established.[15]

Educational reforms

Turning his attention to the matter of

education in the country, President Quezon
by virtue of Executive Order No. 19, dated
February 19, 1936, created the National
Council of Education, with Rafael Palma,
former President of the University of the
Philippines, as its first chairman.[9][17]
Funds retained from the early approved
Residence Certificate Law were devoted to
the maintenance of the public schools all
over the nation and the opening of many
more to meet the needs of the young
people. Indeed, by this time there were
already 6,511 primary schools; 1,039
intermediate schools; 133 secondary and
special schools; and five junior colleges.
The total number of pupils enrolled was
1,262,353, who were placed under the
charge of 28,485 schools teachers. That
year's appropriation for public education
amounted to 14,566,850 pesos.[9] The
private institutions of learning, for their
part, accommodated more than ninety
seven thousand students, thus
considerably aiding the government in
solving the annual school crisis. To
implement the pertinent constitutional
provision, the Office of Adult Education
was also created.[9]

Women's suffrage

President Quezon initiated women's

suffrage in the Philippines during the
Commonwealth Era.[18] As a result of the
prolonged debate between the proponents
of women's suffrage and their opponents,
the Constitution finally provided that the
issue be resolved by the women
themselves in a plebiscite. If no less than
300,000 of them were to affirmatively vote
in favor of the grant within two years, it
would be deemed granted the country's
women. Complying with this mandate, the
government ordered a plebiscite to be held
for the purpose on April 3, 1937.
Quezon broadcasting to his countrymen in Manila,
from Washington, D.C., April 5. For the first 25 minutes
on air, Quezon discussed women's suffrage and urged

that the 10-year independence program be limited to a

shorter period, 4/5/1937.

Following a rather vigorous campaign, on

the day of the plebiscite, the turnout of
female voters was impressive. The
affirmative votes numbered 447,725, as
against 44,307 who opposed the grant.[18]

National language
Another constitutional provision to be
implemented by President Quezon's
administration dealt with the question of
The Philippines' national language.
Following a year's study, the Institute of
the National Language – established in
1936 – recommended that Tagalog be
adopted as the basis for the national
language. The proposal was well received,
considering that the Director – the first to
be appointed – at the time, Jaime C. de
Veyra, was an ethnic Waray-Visayan.

In December 1937, Quezon issued a

proclamation approving the constitution
made by the Institute and declaring that
the adoption of the national language
would take place two years hence. With
the presidential approval, the Institute of
National Language started to work on a
grammar and dictionary of the
language.[18]

Council of State

In 1938, President Quezon enlarged the

composition of the Council of State
through Executive Order No. 144.[18][19]
This highest of advisory bodies to the
President was henceforth to be composed
of the President, the Vice-President,
Senate President, House Speaker, Senate
President pro tempore, House Speaker pro
tempore, Majority Floor leader of both
chambers of Congress, former Presidents
of the Philippines, and some three to five
prominent citizens.[18]

1938 midterm election

The elections for the Second National

Assembly were held on November 8, 1938,
under a new law that allowed block
voting[20] which favored the governing
Nacionalista Party. As expected, all the 98
seats of the National Assembly went to
the Nacionalistas. José Yulo who was
Quezon's Secretary of Justice from 1934
to 1938 was elected Speaker.

The Second National Assembly embarked

on passing legislation strengthening the
economy. Unfortunately the cloud of the
Second World War loomed over the
horizon. Certain laws passed by the First
National Assembly were modified or
repealed to meet existing realities.[21][22] A
controversial immigration law that set an
annual limit of 50 immigrants per
country[23] which affected mostly Chinese
and Japanese nationals escaping the Sino-
Japanese War was passed in 1940. Since
the law bordered on foreign relations it
required the approval of the U.S. President
which was nevertheless obtained. When
the result of the 1939 census was
published, the National Assembly updated
the apportionment of legislative districts,
which became the basis for the 1941
elections.

1939 plebiscite

On August 7, 1939, the United States

Congress enacted a law embodying the
recommendations submitted by the Joint
Preparatory Commission on Philippine
Affairs. Because the new law required an
amendment of the Ordinance appended to
the Constitution, a plebiscite was held on
August 24, 1939. The amendment was
carried by 1,339,453 votes against
49,633.[18]

Third official language

C.A. Dewitt and Manuel Quezon

Quezon established the Institute of

National Language (INL) to create a
national language for the country. On
December 30, 1937, President Quezon,
through Executive Order No. 134, officially
declared Tagalog as the basis of the
national language of the Philippines. The
national language was compulsorily
taught in schools for the 1940-1941
academic year. The National Assembly
later enacted Law No. 570 raising the
national language elaborated by the
institute to the status of official language
of the Philippines, at par with English and
Spanish, effective July 4, 1946, upon the
establishment of the Philippine
Republic.[18][24]

1940 plebiscite
Coincident with the local elections for the
1940, another plebiscite was held this time
to ratify the proposed amendments to the
Constitution regarding the restoration of
the bicameral legislature, the presidential
term, which was to be fixed at four years
with one re-election; and the
establishment of an independent
Commission on Elections. With the
Nacionalista Party, which had proposed
said amendment in their convention,
working hard under the leadership of its
party president, Speaker Jose Yulo, the
amendments were overwhelmingly ratified
by the electorate. Speaker Yulo and
Assemblyman Dominador Tan traveled to
the United States to obtain President
Franklin D. Roosevelt's approval, which
was given on December 2, 1940. Two days
later President Quezon proclaimed the
amendments.

1941 presidential election

Quezon had originally been barred by the

Philippine constitution from seeking re-
election. However, in 1940, constitutional
amendments were ratified allowing him to
seek re-election for a fresh term ending in
1943. In the 1941 presidential election,
Quezon was re-elected over former
Senator Juan Sumulong with nearly 82% of
the vote.

Second term (1941–1944)

War Cabinet 1941–1944

The outbreak of World War II and the

Japanese invasion resulted in periodic and
drastic changes to the government
structure. Executive Order 390, December
22, 1941 abolished the Department of the
Interior and established a new line of
succession. Executive Order 396,
December 24, 1941 further reorganized
and grouped the cabinet, with the
functions of Secretary of Justice assigned
to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
of the Philippines.
Office Name Term
1941–1944
Manuel L.
President (extended,
Quezon
1943)
1941–1944
Sergio
Vice President (extended,
Osmeña
1943)
December
Secretary of José Abad 30, 1941 –
Finance Santos March 26,
1942
March 26,
Secretary of José Abad
1942– May
Justice Santos
2, 1942
Secretary of Andrés March 26,
Finance, Soriano 1942 – July
Agriculture, and 31, 1944
Commerce
Secretary of
December
National Defense,
Basilio 23, 1941 –
Public Works,
Valdes August 1,
Communications
1944
and Labor
Secretary of December
Public Instruction, Sergio 24, 1941 –
Health, and Public Osmeña August 1,
Welfare 1944
December
Secretary to the Manuel 24, 1941–
President Roxas March 26,
1942
 Arturo June 13,
Rotor 1942–
August 1,
1944
May 19,
Secretary to the Manuel 1944 –
Cabinet Nieto August 1,
1944
Secretary without Andrés March 2–26,
Portfolio Soriano 1942
February 19,
Treasurer of the Andrés 1942 –
Philippines Soriano March 26,
1942
Manuel March 26,
Roxas 1942 – May
 8, 1942
December
Jaime 30, 1941 –
Auditor-General
Hernández August 1,
1944
December
Resident
30, 1941 –
Commissioner of Joaquín
August 1,
the Philippines to Miguel
1944 (given
the United States Elizalde
cabinet rank,
Congress
May, 1942)
Secretary of
Carlos P.
Information and 1943–1944
Rómulo
Public Relations

Sources:
The Sixth Annual Report of the United
States High Commission to the Philippine
Island to the President and Congress of
the United States, Covering the Fiscal Year
July 1, 1941 to June 30, 1942 Washington
D.C. October 20, 1942

Executive Orders of the Commonwealth of

the Philippines, Manila, Bureau of Printing
1945

Jewish refugees

In a notable humanitarian act, Quezon, in

cooperation with United States High
Commissioner Paul V. McNutt, facilitated
the entry into the Philippines of Jewish
refugees fleeing fascist regimes in
Europe.while taking on critics who were
convinced by fascist propaganda that
Jewish settlement is a threat to the
country.[25][26][27] Quezon and McNutt
proposed to have 30,000 refugee families
on Mindanao, and 40,000-50,000 refugees
on Polillo. Quezon gave, as a 10-year loan
to Manila’s Jewish Refugee Committee,
land beside Quezon's family home in
Marikina. The land would house homeless
refugees in Marikina Hall, dedicated on
April 23, 1940.[28]

Government-in-exile
President Quezon, with some of his family members,
are welcomed in Washington, D.C. by President
Roosevelt.

After the Japanese invasion of the

Philippines during World War II,[29] he
evacuated to Corregidor, where he was
formally inaugurated for his second term,
then the Visayas and Mindanao, and upon
the invitation of the US government,[30]
was further evacuated to Australia and
then to the United States, where he
established the Commonwealth
government in exile with headquarters in
Washington, D.C.. There, he served as a
member of the Pacific War Council, signed
the declaration of the United Nations
against the Axis Powers, and wrote his
autobiography, The Good Fight.[18]

To carry on the government duties in exile,

President Quezon hired the entire floor of
one of the wing of the Shoreham Hotel to
accommodate his family and his office. On
the other hand, the offices of the
government were established at the
quarters of the Philippine Resident
Commissioner, Joaquin Elizalde. The latter
was made a member of President's
wartime Cabinet. Others likewise
appointed were Brigadier-General Carlos P.
Romulo, as Secretary of the Department of
Information and Public Relations, and
Jaime Hernandez as Auditor General.[18]

On June 2, 1942, President Quezon

addressed the United States House of
Representatives, impressing upon them
the vital necessity of relieving the
Philippine front. Before the Senate, later,
the Philippine President reiterated the
same message and urged the senators to
adopt the slogan "Remember Bataan".
Despite his precarious state of health,
President Quezon roamed the States to
deliver timely and rousing speeches
calculated to keep the Philippine war
uppermost in the minds of the American
nation.[18]

Talks of post-war Philippines

Washington, D.C. Representatives of 26 United

Nations at Flag day ceremonies in the White House to
reaffirm their pact. Seated, left to right: Francisco
Castillo Najera, Ambassador of Mexico; President
Roosevelt; Manuel Quezon, President of the Philippine
Islands; and Secretary of State Cordell Hull.
On the occasion of his first birthday
celebration in the United States, Manuel
Quezon broadcast a radio message to the
Philippine residents in Hawaii, who
contributed to the celebration by
purchasing four million pesos worth of
World War II bonds.[18] Further showing the
Philippine government's cooperation with
the war effort, Quezon officially offered the
U.S. Army a Philippine infantry regiment,
which was authorized by the U.S.
Department of War to train in California.
He also had the Philippine government
acquire Elizalde's yacht, which, renamed
Bataan and totally manned by the
Philippine officers and crew, was donated
to the United States for use in the war.[18]

Early in November 1942, Quezon held

conferences with President Roosevelt to
work out a plan for the creation of a joint
commission to study the economic
conditions of post-war Philippines.
Eighteen months later, the United States
Congress would pass an Act creating the
Philippine Rehabilitation Commission as
an outcome of such talks between the two
Presidents.[18]

Quezon-Osmeña Impasse
By 1943, the Philippine government-in-exile
was faced with a serious crisis.[18]
According to the 1935 Constitution, the
official term of President Quezon was to
expire on December 30, 1943 and Vice-
President Sergio Osmeña would
automatically succeed him to the
presidency. This eventuality was brought
to the attention of President Quezon by
Osmeña himself, who wrote the former to
this effect. Aside from replying to this
letter informing Vice-President Osmeña
that it would not be wise and prudent to
effect any such change under the
circumstances, President Quezon issued a
press release along the same line.
Osmeña then requested the opinion of U.S.
Attorney General Homer Cummings, who
upheld Osmeña's view as more in keeping
with the law. Quezon, however, remained
adamant. He accordingly sought President
Roosevelt's decision. The latter choose to
remain aloof from the controversy,
suggesting instead that the Philippine
officials themselves solve the impasse.[18]

A cabinet meeting was then convened by

President Quezon. Aside from Quezon and
Osmeña, others present in this
momentous meeting were the Resident
Commissioner Joaquín Elizalde, Brig. Gen.
Carlos P. Romulo, and his cabinet
secretaries, Andrés Soriano and Jaime
Hernandez. Following a spirited
discussion, the Cabinet supported
Elizalde's opinion favoring the decision,
and announced his plan to retire in
California.[18]

After the meeting, however, Osmeña

approached Quezon and broached his plan
to ask the United States Congress to
suspend the constitutional provisions for
presidential succession until after the
Philippines has been liberated. This legal
way out was agreeable to Quezon and the
members of his cabinet. Proper steps
were taken to carry out the proposal.
Sponsored by Senator Tydings and
Congressman Bell, the pertinent resolution
was unanimously approved by the Senate
on a voice vote and passed the House of
Representatives by a vote of 181 to 107 on
November 10, 1943.[18]

Death

Quezon suffered from tuberculosis and

spent his last years in hospitals, such as at
a Miami Beach Army hospital in April,
1944.[31] That summer, he was at a "cure
cottage" in Saranac Lake, New York, where
he died on August 1, 1944. He was initially
buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His
body was later carried by the
USS Princeton and re-interred in Manila at
the Manila North Cemetery on July 17,
1946, before being moved to Quezon City
within the monument at the Quezon
Memorial Circle on August 19, 1979.[32]

Electoral history
 Summary of the September 16, 1935
Philippine presidential election results
Candidates Parties Votes %

Nacionalista
Manuel L. Party
695,332 67.99
Quezon (Nationalist
Party)

National
Emilio
Socialist 179,349 17.54
Aguinaldo
Party

Gregorio Republican
148,010 14.47
Aglipay Party

Pascual
Independent 158 0.00
Racuyal

Total 1,021,445 100

Valid votes 1,021,445 ~98.89

Votes cast 1,022,547 ~63.91

Registered voters ~1,600,000 100.00

 Summary of the November 11, 1941
Philippine presidential election results
Candidates Parties Votes %

Nacionalista
Manuel L. Party
1,340,320 81.78%
Quezon (Nationalist
Party)

Juan Popular
298,608 18.22%
Sumulong Front

Hilario Modernist
0 0.00%
Moncado Party

Total 1,638,928 100%

Personal life
Quezon was married to his first cousin,
Aurora Aragón Quezon, on December 17,
1918. The couple had four children: María
Aurora "Baby" Quezon (September 23,
1919 – April 28, 1949), María Zeneida
"Nini" Quezon-Avancena (born 1922), Luisa
Corazón Paz "Nenita" Quezon (February
17, 1924 – December 14, 1924) and
Manuel L. "Nonong" Quezon, Jr. (June 23,
1926 – September 18, 1998). His adopted
grandson, Manuel L. "Manolo" Quezon III
(born May 30, 1970), a prominent writer
and current undersecretary of the
Presidential Communications
Development and Strategic Planning
Office, was named after him.
Ancestry

2. Lucio Quezon[33]

1. Manuel L.
Quezon

6. José Eusebio Urbina de

3. María Dolores Molina

7. Brígida Mo

Honors
Foreign Honors

 France: : Légion d'honneur, Officier

 Mexico: : Order of the Aztec Eagle,
Collar
 Belgium: : Order of the Crown,
Grand Cross
Spain: : Orden de la República
Española, Grand Cross
 Republic of China: : Order of
Brilliant Jade, Grand Cordon

Legacy
Quezon City, the Quezon Province,
Quezon Bridge in Manila and the Manuel
L. Quezon University, and many streets
are named after him. The highest honor
conferred by the Republic of the
Philippines is the Quezon Service Cross.
He is also memorialized on Philippine
currency. He appears on the Philippine
twenty peso bill. He also appears on two
commemorative one peso coins (1936),
one alongside Frank Murphy and
another with Franklin Delano
Roosevelt.[39]
The "Open Doors" is a holocaust
memorial in Rishon LeZion, Israel. It is a
7-metre (23 ft) high sculpture designed
by Filipino artist Luis Lee Jr. and erected
in honor and thanks to President Manuel
Quezon and the Filipinos who saved
over 1,200 Jews from Nazi
Germany.[40][41]
Municipalities in five different provinces
of the Philippines are named after
Quezon:Quezon, Quezon; Quezon,
Bukidnon; Quezon, Nueva Ecija; Quezon,
Palawan; and Quezon, Isabela.
The Presidential Papers of Manuel L.
Quezon was officially inscribed in the
UNESCO Memory of the World Register
in 2011.[42]
The Quezon Island, the most developed
island in the Hundred Islands National
Park is named after him.[43]
 The Quezon Memorial Shrine, the
centerpiece of the Quezon Memorial Circle
in Quezon City, houses the remains of
Quezon

Quezon Service Cross, the highest honor

conferred by the Republic of the
Philippines
 Quezon monument at Lucena

Quezon on Time magazine cover, 1935

In popular culture
 Portrayed by Richard Gutierrez in the
2010 official music video of the
Philippine national anthem produced by
and aired over GMA Network.[44]
Portrayed by Arnold Reyes in the
musical MLQ: Ang Buhay ni Manuel Luis
Quezon (2015).[45]
Portrayed by Benjamin Alves in the film
Heneral Luna (2015).[46]
Portrayed by Benjamin Alves and TJ
Trinidad in the film Goyo: Ang Batang
Heneral (2018).[47]
Portrayed by Raymond Bagatsing in the
film Quezon's Game (2019).[48]

Recording of speech
A sample of Quezon's voice is preserved in
the recording of a speech entitled
"Message to My People", delivered in
English and Spanish.[49] According to
Manuel L. Quezon III, his grandfather's
speech was recorded when he was
President of the Senate "in the 1920s,
when he was first diagnosed with
tuberculosis and assumed he didn't have
much longer to live."[50]

See also
List of Asian Americans and Pacific
Islands Americans in the United States
Congress
 List of Hispanic Americans in the United
States Congress
First inauguration of Manuel L. Quezon

References

Wikisource has original works written

by or about:
Manuel L. Quezon

MacArthur, Douglas (1964).

Reminiscences.
Quezon, Manuel L. (1946). The Good
Fight.
Perret, Geoffrey (1996). Old Soldiers
Never Die: The Life of Douglas
 MacArthur.

Notes
1. National Historical Commission of the
Philippines. "History of Baler" .
National Historical Commission of the
Philippines. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
"When military district of El Príncipe
was created in 1856, Baler became its
capital...On June 12, 1902 a civil
government was established, moving
the district of El Príncipe away from
the administrative jurisdiction of
Nueva Ecija...and placing it under the
jurisdiction of Tayabas Province."
2. Flores, Wilson Lee (13 July 2008).
"Love in the time of war: Manuel
Quezon's dad, Anne Curtis, Jericho
Rosales & Ed Angara in Baler" .
PhilStar Global Sunday Lifestyle.
Retrieved 17 May 2019.
3. Quezon, Manuel Luis (1915),
"Escuelas públicas durante el régimen
español" [Public schools during the
Spanish regime], Philippine Assembly,
Third Legislature, Third Session,
Document No.4042-A 87 Speeches of
Manuel L. Quezon, Philippine resident
commissioner, delivered in the House
of Representatives of the United
States during the discussion of Jones
Bill, 26 September-14 October 1914
[Asamblea Filipina, Tercera
Legislatura, Tercer Período de
Sesiones, Documento N.o 4042-A 87,
Discursos del Manuel L. Quezon,
comisionado residente de Filipinas,
Pronunciados en la Cámara de
representantes de los Estados Unidos
con motivo de la discusión del Bill
Jones, 26, septiembre-14, octubre,
1914] (in Spanish), Manila, Philippines:
Bureau of Printing, p. 35, archived
from the original on 18 July 2010,
retrieved 24 July 2010, "...there were
public schools in the Philippines long
before the American occupation, and,
in fact, I have been educated in one of
these schools, even though my
hometown is such a small town,
isolated in the mountains of the
Northeastern part of the island of
Luzon. (Spanish). [...había escuelas
 públicas en Filipinas mucho antes de
la ocupación americana, y que, de
hecho, yo me había educado en una
de esas escuelas, aunque mi pueblo
natal es un pueblo tan pequeño,
aislado en las montañas de la parte
Noreste de la isla de Luzón.]"
4. Office of History and Preservation,
United States Congress. (n.d.).
Quezon, Manuel Luis, (1878–1944).
Biographical Directory of the United
States Congress. Retrieved September
30, 2010.
5. Reyes, Pedrito (1953). Pictorial History
of the Philippines.
6. Bowman, John S., ed. (2000).
Columbia Chronologies of Asian
History and Culture . Columbia
University Press. p. 494.
ISBN 0231500041. Retrieved 18 May
2019.
7. "Official Program Aquino Inaugural
(Excerpts)" . Archived from the
original on 12 February 2015.
8. Maricel Cruz (2 January 2008).
"Lawmaker: History wrong on Gen.
Malvar" . Archived from the original
on 6 April 2008. Retrieved 2 May 2008.
 9. Molina, Antonio M. (1961). The
Philippines Through the Centuries
(Print ed.). Manila: University of Sto.
Tomas Cooperative.
10. "Commonwealth Act No. 1" . Official
Gazette of the Republic of the
Philippines. Archived from the
original on 18 November 2018.
Retrieved 25 March 2019.
11. "Executive Order No. 61, s. 1936" .
Official Gazette of the Republic of the
Philippines. Archived from the
original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved
25 March 2019.
12. "Executive Order No. 39, s. 1936" .
Official Gazette of the Republic of the
Philippines. Archived from the
original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved
25 March 2019.
13. "Commonwealth Act No. 20" . Official
Gazette of the Republic of the
Philippines. Archived from the
original on 24 March 2018. Retrieved
25 March 2019.
14. "C.A. No. 459: An Act Creating the
Agricultural and Industrial Bank" . The
Corpus Juris. 9 June 1939. Archived
from the original on 18 August 2018.
Retrieved 25 March 2019.
15. Manapat, Carlos, et al. Economics,
Taxation, and Agrarian Reform.
Quezon City: C&E Pub., 2010.Print.
16. "Act No. 4054" . Chan Robles Virtual
Law Library. Archived from the
original on 23 January 2018.
Retrieved 25 March 2019.
17. "Executive Order No. 19, s. 1936" .
Official Gazette of the Republic of the
Philippines. Archived from the
original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved
25 March 2019.
18. Molina, Antonio. The Philippines:
Through the centuries. Manila:
University of Sto. Tomas Cooperative,
1961. Print.
19. "Executive Order No. 144, s. 1938" .
Official Gazette of the Republic of the
Philippines. Archived from the
original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved
25 March 2019.
20. "Block voting" . Philippine Daily
Inquirer. Retrieved 10 September
2012.
21. Commonwealth Act (CA) No. 494
amended CA 444 "Eight Hour Law"
authorizing the President to suspend
the law.
22. "C.A. No. 494: An Act to Authorize the
President of the Philippines to
Suspend, Until We Date of
Adjournment of the Next Regular
Session of the National Assembly
Either Wholly or Partially the Operation
of Commonwealth Act Numbered
Four Hundred and Forty-Four,
Commonly Known as the Eight-Hour
Labor Law" . The Corpus Juris. 30
September 1939. Archived from the
original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved
25 March 2019.
23. "Commonwealth Act No. 613" . Chan
Robles Virtual Law Library. Archived
from the original on 10 December
2018. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
24. "Executive Order No. 134, s. 1937" .
Official Gazette of the Republic of the
Philippines. Archived from the
original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved
25 March 2019.
25. Peñamante, Laurice (7 June 2017).
"Nine Waves of Refugees in the
Philippines - UNHCR Philippines" .
United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees. Archived from the
original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved
18 May 2019.
26. Rodis, Rodel (13 April 2013).
"Philippines: A Jewish refuge from the
Holocaust" . Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Archived from the original on 2 May
2016. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
27. Berger, Joseph (14 February 2005). "A
Filipino-American Effort to Harbor
Jews Is Honored" . Nytimes.com.
Archived from the original on 23 June
2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
28. Quezon III, Manuel L. (30 May 2019).
"Jewish Refugees and the Philippines,
a timeline: nationalism, propaganda,
war" . ABS-CBN News. Archived from
the original on 30 May 2019.
Retrieved 18 June 2019.
29. Evacuation flights may be identified at
the AirForceHistoryIndex.org site by
searching for Quezon
30. 1st Lt William Haddock Campbell,
USAAF, received the DSC for his role
as co-pilot in the evacuation of the
Philippine president from the
Philippines, as reported in a local
Chicago newspaper, The Garfieldian, 1
April 1943 edition .
31. "The Miami News – Google News
Archive Search" . google.com.
32. Manuel Luis Quezon at Find a Grave
33. Lucio Quezon's parentage is unclear
as church records in Paco, Manila
were destroyed twice; during the
Philippine–American War in 1899, and
during the Battle of Manila in 1945. He
was believed to be the son of
Estanislao Quezon and Anastacia
Vélez y Montes.
34. "Film # 008167279 Image Film #
008167279; ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-
CS2Z-X751-H — FamilySearch.org" .
Retrieved 15 October 2017.
35. "Film # 008167279 Image Film #
008167279; ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-
CS2Z-X7RL-L — FamilySearch.org" .
Retrieved 14 October 2017.
36. María de los Dolores was a foundling,
thus she has no family name.
"Film # 008033783 Image Film #
008033783; ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-
CSXY-29FY-F — FamilySearch.org" .
Retrieved 14 October 2017.
37. "Film # 008033781 Image Film #
008033781; ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-
CSXY-2WWS — FamilySearch.org" .
Retrieved 14 October 2017.
38. "Film # 008033781 Image Film #
008033781; ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-
CSXY-24R4 — FamilySearch.org" .
Retrieved 14 October 2017.
39. "Picture of commemorative coin" .
Caimages.collectors.com. Retrieved
10 September 2012.
40. Park, Madison (2 February 2015).
"How the Philippines saved 1,200
Jews during Holocaust" . CNN.
Archived from the original on 3
February 2015. Retrieved 25 March
2019.
41. Contreras, Volt (31 December 2010).
"Monument in Israel Honors
Filipinos" . Asian Journal. Manila:
Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived
from the original on 21 February
2014. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
42. "Presidential Papers of Manuel L.
Quezon" . UNESCO. Archived from the
original on 14 October 2018.
Retrieved 14 October 2018.
43. "31 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT
HUNDRED ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK -
Jacaranda's Travels - Philippines
Tourists Spots" .
Jacarandatravels.com. 25 May 2016.
Retrieved 25 April 2018.
44. "Kapuso stars portray heroes in GMA's
cinematic version of the National
Anthem" . Philippine Entertainment
Portal. 21 August 2010. Archived from
the original on 19 May 2019.
Retrieved 19 May 2019.
45. Amadís, Ma. Guerrero (14 August
2015). "Manuel L. Quezon is the
subject of a new musical" . Inquirer
Lifestyle. Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Archived from the original on 2
January 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
46. "Benjamin Alves wants to play Quezon
again in 'Heneral Luna' sequels" . GMA
News Online (in Filipino). Philippine
Entertainment Portal. 12 October
2015. Archived from the original on
18 May 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
47. Deveza, Reyma (25 August 2018).
"Benjamin Alves to play Manuel L.
Quezon in upcoming movie" . ABS-
CBN News. Archived from the original
on 22 November 2018. Retrieved
18 May 2019.
48. " 'Quezon's Game' named Best Foreign
Movie in Texas fest" . Manila
Standard. 23 April 2019. Archived
from the original on 18 May 2019.
Retrieved 18 May 2019.
49. "Sound file" (MP3). Quezon.ph.
Retrieved 25 April 2018.
50. "Talumpati: Manuel L. Quezon" .
Filipinolibrarian.blogspot.com.
Retrieved 26 June 2010.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to:

Manuel L. Quezon

Wikimedia Commons has media

related to Manuel L. Quezon.

Bonnie Harris, Cantor Joseph Cysner:

From Zbaszyn to Manila.
Online E-book of Future of the
Philippines : interviews with Manuel
Quezon by Edward Price Bell, The
Chicago Daily News Co., 1925
Online E-book of Discursos del Manuel L.
Quezon, comissionado residente de
Filipinas, pronunciados en la cámara de
representantes de la discusión del Bill
Jones (26, Septiembre-14, Octubre,
1914) , published in Manila, 1915
United States Congress. "Manuel L.
Quezon (id: Q000009)" . Biographical
Directory of the United States Congress.
Manuel L. Quezon on the Presidential
Museum and Library
The Good Fight , autobiography,
published 1946
Newspaper clippings about Manuel L.
Quezon in the 20th Century Press
Archives of the ZBW
 U.S. House of Representatives

Resident
Commissioner
of the
Philippines
Preceded by 1909–1916 Succeeded by
Pablo Served Teodoro R.
Ocampo alongside: Yangco
Benito
Legarda,
Manuel
Earnshaw

Political offices

New office President of Succeeded by

the Senate Gil Montilla
1916–1935 as Speaker of
 the National
Assembly

Vacant President of Succeeded by

Title last held the Philippines José P.
by 1935–1944 Laurel
Emilio as President
Aguinaldo of the Second
as Philippine
President of Republic
the First
Philippine
Republic

Preceded by
Frank
Murphy
as Governor
 General of
the
Philippines

Secretary of
Preceded by Succeeded by
National
Teófilo Jorge B.
Defense
Sison Vargas
1941

Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Manuel_L._Quezon&oldid=912692496"

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