Elpidio Quirino

Family and Personal Background

 Born in Vigan, Ilocos Sur on November 16, 1890
 His father Mariano Quirino, an excellent soldier who earned the rank of sargento contador, the
highest position that a native could hold in the colonial army and was said to have been sent to Spain
for training, he later took over his father’s trading business and served as the warden of the Vigan
provincial jail.
 In Agoo, La Union, he met and married a 14-year-old by the name of Gregoria Rivera y Mendoza.
While the Quirino family has claimed that Gregoria Rivera was supposedly a Spanish mestiza, the
baptismal record of Elpidio states clearly that his mother was an india, not a mestiza.
 Had 6 siblings: Eliseo Rivera Quirino, Rosa Rivera Eugenio (born Quirino) and 4 other siblings.
 Married Alicia Jimenez Quirino (born Syquia) born on October 20 1903, in Metro Manila,
Philippines, a scion of a wealthy family in Vigan, on January 16, 1921. The couple had five children
together: Tomas, Armando, Norma, Victoria, and Fe Angela. His family was murdered by the
Japanese police at the time of his arrest during World War II.
 He was a native of Caoayan, Ilocos Sur. He spent his early years in Aringay, La Union.
 Quirino died of a heart attack on February 29, 1956. He breathed his last in his retirement house in
Quezon City.
 His remains were buried at the ‘Manila South Cemetery,’ Makati. However, in 2016, his remains
were re-located to a special tomb in the ‘Heroes’ Cemetery’ in Taguig.
Education
 Elpidio attended the ‘Vigan High School’ before moving to Manila, where he worked as a junior
computer technician. He graduated from the ‘Manila High School’ in 1911.
 Following this, he passed the civil service examination. He then attended the ‘University of the
Philippines’ and earned a degree in law in 1915. Within a year he was part of the bar and started his
practice.

Early Career
 Continued his private practice as a lawyer until he joined the ‘Philippine House of Representatives’
in 1919. He remained there until 1925. He was succeeded by Vicente Singson Pablo, a congressman.
 In 1925, he became a senator and represented the first ‘Senatorial District.’ He was appointed as the
chairman of the ‘Committee on Accounts and Claims,’ the ‘Committee on Public Instruction,’ and
other related committees.
 He was a senator
 until 1931, after which the controversy related to the ‘Hare-Hawes-Cutting Law’ of 1933 cropped up.
He sided with the then-president, Manuel Quezon.
 In 1934, he was elected as the secretary of finance. His next big job was under the ‘Philippine
Independence’ mission, headed by Manuel L. Quezon. This mission contributed in protecting the
passage of the ‘Tydings–McDuffie Act’ in the ‘United States Congress.’

Career
 After the passing of the ‘Tydings-McDuffle Act,’ the date of the country’s independence was set to
be July 4, 1946. He was a contributing member in the drafting of the new Philippine
‘Commonwealth,’ the Constitution for which was approved on May 15, 1935.
 Became the secretary of finance in 1946. He then became the secretary of interior in 1935 and
continued serving until 1938.
 In 1941, Quirino ran for the senate again and won. However, he could not continue beyond 1945 due
to the Second World War.
  When the war broke out, he refused to join the government of Jose Laurel, as he considered it to be a
“puppet” government. Instead, he joined a Filipino resistance movement and became its underground
leader.
 Quirino was arrested and imprisoned by the Japanese police, and his family was murdered. In 1945,
he became the leader of the majority in the ‘Philippine Congress.’
 Later, he became the secretary of state and the vice-president of the country under then cabinet of
Manuel Roxas, the first president of independent Philippines. On April 15, 1948, Manuel Roxas died,
leaving the chair of the president empty.
 The following year, Quirino was elected as the new president of the country along with his running
mate Fernando Lopez. He contested from the ‘Liberal Party’ and defeating Nacionalista vice
president and former president José P. Laurel as well as fellow Liberalista and former Senate
President José Avelino that remain on the seat for 5 long years.
 During his presidency, Quirino was accused of being extremely pro-American and subservient to
alien economic interests. He tried to maintain peace and thus granted amnesty to the ‘Huk’ guerrillas
on June 21, 1948.
 There was also an attempt to impeach him. Led by representative Agripino Escareal, a seven-member
committee of the ‘House of Representatives’ was composed to look into the matter.
 Quirino faced a five-count accusation, including charges of nepotism and gross expenditures.
However, after several hearings, on April 19, 1949, he was completely exonerated from all charges.
 He ran for the next presidential election but was defeated by Ramon Magsaysay in 1953. It is
believed that he lost the election for tolerating corruption in his party and neglecting the welfare of
the common people.
 Demoralization, political turmoil, and terrorism were rampant across the country during his time.
There was also a lot of immorality in the armed forces, which, according to many sources, was
allowed by Quirino.

Achievements and Awards

 There are a lot of memorials dedicated to him. The ‘Quirino Avenue’ in Manila and the ‘LRT Station’
are named in his honor. The Novaliches-Ipo Road is now known as the ‘Quirino Highway.’
 The ‘Quirino Grandstand’ in Manila is also named after him. The ‘Hibiya Park’ in Tokyo, Japan, also
has a memorial in his honor.
 He is remembered as the “Father of Foreign Service” in the Philippines.
 Quirino's six years as president were marked by notable postwar reconstruction, general economic
gains, and increased economic aid from the United States.
 Focused attention on two major goals: restoration of the faith of the people in the government and
total economic mobilization. To achieve the first objective, he intensified house-cleaning in the
government to weed out the corrupt. For his second goal, he supported the establishment of several
industrial plants and projects at strategic points all over the country, thereby mobilizing its economic
resources and ushering in an era of industrialization.
 Among these industrial achievements were the Burgos irrigation project in Zambales, the
hydroelectric project in Lanao, a network of roads all over Mindanao, the cement factory in
Bacnotan, La Union, and many new and necessary industries which provided employment to
thousands. Thus, Quirino is acclaimed as the “Father of Philippine Industrialization.”
Problems/Issues the Administration had Faced
 He faced serious threat from the communist-led ‘HukBaLaHap,’ also known as the ‘Huk Movement.’
The ‘Huks’ had originally been part of the anti-Japanese guerrilla army in Luzon, but they were
slowly taken over by communist leaders.
 In 1948, ‘Huk’ commander Luis Taruc threatened to overthrow Quirino’s government. By 1950, they
had gained control over Luzon, and that prompted Quirino to hire Ramon Magsaysay as the secretary
of national defense to suppress the movement.
  This attempt of spreading peace backfired and affected the country’s economy. It also intensified the
deep-rooted social injustice and exploitation in the country. To save the economy, Quirino asked for
support from the U.S.A. in the form of loans.
 He planned to establish more industries and conserve natural resources, but his attempts failed badly.
Terrorism rose to an extreme level, and the electoral process was violated.
 Demoralization, political turmoil, and terrorism were rampant across the country during his time.
There was also a lot of immorality in the armed forces, which, according to many sources, was
allowed by Quirino.
 It was contended that the 1949 elections, which he had won, had been marred by dishonesty and
corruption. He retired from politics in 1953 and lived a private life thereafter.

References
Bunye: Battles that changed the course of history (Epilogue). (2015, May 24). Retrieved July 5, 2023, from SunStar:
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/10377/bunye-battles-that-changed-the-course-of-history-epilogue

Lucero, T. S. (2022, November 16). President Elpidio Quirino. Retrieved June 30, 2023, from philstar:
https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/opinion/2022/11/16/2224147/president-elpidio-quirino

President Elpidio Quirino’s 125th birth anniversary. (2015, November 10). Retrieved July 5, 2023, from
BusinessMirror: https://businessmirror.com.ph/2015/11/10/president-elpidio-quirinos-125th-birth-
anniversary/

Sidel, E. L. (2005). Philippine Politics and Society in the Twentieth Century. Retrieved July 5, 2023, from
https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=X_lDpY3vj60C&dq=1949%2520philippine%2520election
%2520fraud&pg=PA31&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

The History of the Philippine Vice Presidency - Chronology of Vice Presidents. (n.d.). Retrieved July 5, 2023, from
Republic of the Philippines Office of the Vice President: https://ovp.gov.ph/history

TheFamousPeople. (n.d.). Retrieved June 29, 2023, from Elpidio Quirino-Biography of the Sixth Filipino President:
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/elpidio-quirino-10505.php

Tokyo Memorial to President Quirino Unveiled. (2016, June 21). Retrieved July 5, 2023, from Embassy of the Republic
of the Philippines: https://tokyo.philembassy.net/02news/tokyo-memorial-to-president-quirino-unveiled/
#:~:text=The%20Quirino%20memorial%20is%20located,President%20Quirino's%20act%20of
%20magnanimity.