BY virtue of Presidential Proclamation 967 signed by President Aquino, all Filipinos here and abroad are enjoined to commemorate the memory and legacy of a man who served for 47 years in government, President Elpidio Quirino. Born on November 16, 1890, in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Quirino began his career in public service as a student teacher who dreamt of serving his country.
President Quirino’s journey to Malacañan Palace is chronicled in the following achievements:
- Student teacher
- Lawyer—graduated from the University of the Philippines with honors, passed the bar with second highest grade
- Special clerk of the Philippine Commission
- Private secretary to President Quezon
- Representative
- Senator
- Cabinet Secretary
- Vice President
- Member of Philippine Independence Mission that lobbied for the Tydings-McDuffie Act, which paved the way for the Independence of the Philippines.
- Founding Father of the Foreign Service of the Philippines
- Vice President Quirino opened 23 embassies and firmly secured Philippine international relations and diplomacy
- Concurrent finance secretary and Founding Father of the Central Bank of the Philippines
Here’s how he left his mark as President:
- New Philippine Ideology—A Philippines that is free, prosperous, cheerful and contented; education for every child; a home for every family; food for every household; job security and better pay; peace and security; friendship and international community; balanced business and labor interests; land for the landless; energy for industry and developments; sound fiscal policy; excellence in civil service; One nation under God.
- Economy—Created and established the economic blueprint of the Philippines toward rehabilitation, growth and expansion
- Peace and order—Initiated amnesty and peace talks with the Hukbalahap Movement, headed by Ka Luis Taruc
- Finance/Budget—During his time President Quirino was able to balance the budget with the Philippine currency at P2 to $1 and a real GDP growth rate of 9.0 percent (based on a study and lecture by Economist and Prof. Winnie Monsod on the Presidential GDP Performances).
- Energy—Creation of the Ambuklao Dam in Benguet and the Maria Cristina Hydroelectric Power Plant in Iligan, Lanao del Norte
- Education—“Quirino championed a more liberal extension of higher educational facilities throughout the islands so that the sons of the rich, as well as those of the poor, should have the same opportunity of obtaining university training. He initiated the extension of the University of the Philippines, his alma mater, through the establishment of branches throughout the archipelago. His purpose was not to preserve Philippine society in the post-World War II economic malaise, its social inequality and overdependency on America, but to produce the critical leaders and the skilled man-and-woman power that would chart the democratic and industrialized future of an independent Philippines. For Quirino, education was not conservative. It was transformative,” Fr. Joel Tabora, SJ, from his lecture entitled “Transformative Education for
Social Justice” - Environment—Declared September 10 as Arbor Day, the National day of tree-planting where he engaged every Filipino to plant a tree. Note: During Quirino’s administration, Philippine forest coverage area was at 68 percent. Today, this number has been reduced to 23 percent.
Foreign relations
- a) Philippine-Japan Relations: Granted clemency in 1953 to 114 Japanese POWs detained in Muntinlupa. They were subsequently repatriated back to Japan.
- b) Philippine-Russia Relations: Granted sanctuary to 6,000 White Russians in Tubabao Island, Guiuan, Samar.
- c) Philippine-Israel Relations: At its 128th plenary meeting on November 29, 1947, the General Assembly elected the following members of the United Nations Commission on Palestine (Uncop): Bolivia, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Panama and the Philippines. The Uncop came up with UN Resolution 181-II (Future government of Palestine), which became the basis of the recommendation for the statehood of Israel.
- d) Labor—Signed into law the Minimum Wage Act and the Eight-hour day Act, setting a standard on minimum wages for the work force.
- e) Food security—Quirino’s economic program included the stabilization of the agricultural sector and the industrialization of the country. He launched an economic mobilization program by establishing industries in the countryside that created job opportunities for Filipinos. In agriculture, he developed and
expanded irrigation systems to help increase farmers’ production and built farm-to-market roads.
Other PEQ achievements:
- Enacted Republic Act (RA) 842, The Public School Salary Act of 1953, providing for compensation and
automatic salary increases for
public-school officials, teachers and other school personnel of the
government of the Philippines - Built housing projects in Quezon City for low-salaried public and private-sector employees
- Enacted RA 580, the Home Financing Act of 1950. An Act to create the Home Financing Commission, to stimulate home building and land ownership and to promote the development of land for that purpose, provide liberal financing, through an insured mortgage system, and develop thrift through the accumulation of savings in insured institutions.
- Issued Executive Order 355 in October 1950, which created the Land Settlement and Development Corp. Some of its powers were:
1) To facilitate the acquisition, settlement and cultivation of agricultural lands;
2) To afford opportunity to own farms to tenant farmers and small farmers from congested areas, to graduates of agricultural schools and colleges, to trainees who have completed the prescribed military training, to veterans and members of guerrilla organizations, and to other persons as may be determined by the board of director with the approval of the secretary of Economic Coordination.
Personal background
Elpidio Rivera Quirino was born at the Ilocos Sur Provincial Jail on November 16, 1890, the third child of the incumbent jail warden—Mariano Quirino and wife Gregoria Rivera. Orphaned at an early age, Elpidio and his siblings grew up taking care of each other. Part of his childhood years was spent in Agoo, La Union, after which he left for Manila to pursue his studies.
Quirino married Alicia Syquia of Vigan, Ilocos Sur, and they had five children. During the Liberation of Manila in February 1945, his wife and three of their children were shot and killed by Japanese soldiers in the streets of Malate. Quirino, daughter Victoria, and son Tomas, were the only survivors.
For more information visit our web site: https://www.elpidioquirino.org.