Presidents of the Philippines

Presidents of the Philippines

Home
President Info:
Full name Year's of Presidential
Manuel Luis Quez�n y Molina 1935-1944
Born Died
August 19, 1878, Baler August 1, 1944, Saranac Lake, New York, United States
Children Education
:Mar�a Aurora "Baby" Quez�n ,
Mar�a Zeneida "Nini" Quez�n-Avancena
,Luisa Coraz�n Paz "Nenita" Quez�n
and Manuel L. "Nonong" Quez�n, Jr.
Colegio de San Juan de Letran, University of Santo Tomas
Early life and Career
Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (August 19, 1878 � August 1, 1944) served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. He was the first Filipino to head a government of the Philippines (as opposed to other historical states), and is considered by most Filipinos to have been the second president of the Philippines, after Emilio Aguinaldo (1897�1901). Quezon was the first Senate president elected to the presidency, the first president elected through a national election and the first incumbent to secure re-election (for a partial second term, later extended, due to amendments to the 1935 Constitution). He is known as the "Father of the National Language". During his presidency, Quez�n tackled the problem of landless peasants in the countryside. Other major decisions include reorganization of the islands' military defense, approval of recommendation for government reorganization, 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 an exiled government 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 City Memorial Circle. Quez�n, was born in Baler in the district of El Pr�ncipe[1] (which later became Baler, Tayabas, now Baler, Aurora). His Spanish parents were Lucio Quez�n (died 1898) and Mar�a Dolores Molina (June 7, 1840�1893). His father was a primary grade school teacher from Paco, Manila and a retired Sergeant of the Spanish colonial army, while his mother was a primary grade school teacher in their hometown. 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. [2] He later boarded at theColegio de San Juan de Letran where he completed secondary school. In 1898, his father Lucio and his brother Pedro were ambushed and killed by armed men while on their way home to Baler from Nueva Ecija. Some historians believe they were murdered by bandits who also robbed their money, while others believe the killings could have been related to their loyalty to the Spanish government. In 1899, Quez�n cut short his law studies at the University of Santo Tom�s in Manila to participate in the struggle for independence against the United States, led by Emilio Aguinaldo. During the Philippine-American War he was an ayuda-de-campo to Emilio Aguinaldo.[3] 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,[4] Quez�n 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 for Mindoro and later Tayabas. He became a councilor and was elected governor of Tayabas in 1906 after a hard-fought election.