"Elpidio Quirino: A Statesman's Journey from Humble Beginnings to National Leadership"

 "A leader's true legacy lies in the lasting progress he builds for his people." – Inspired by the life and service of Elpidio Quirino

We remember President Elpidio Quirino in commemoration of his birthday

November 16, 1890.

Elpidio Quirino (1890–1956) was the second president of the Independent Republic of the Philippines.

Born in 1890, Elpidio Quirino was elected to the Philippine Congress in 1919. He was part of the independence mission to Washington that freed the Philippines from American control in 1934. He then served as vice president under Manuel Roxas, becoming president upon Roxas' death in 1948. For six years, Quirino oversaw postwar reconstruction.

Elpidio Quirino was born on November 16, 1890, in the small city of Vigan, on Luzon Island in the Philippines. His father, Don Mariano Quirino, was a warden at a provincial jail. His mother was Dona Gregoria Mendoza Rivera Quirino. Young Elpidio graduated from elementary school in nearby Caoayan. Advanced beyond his years, Elpidio became a barrio (rural village) teacher while studying at Vigan High School.

Elpidio Quirino moved to Manila and graduated from Manila High School in 1911 and then passed the civil service exam. He entered law school at the University of the Philippines, graduating in 1915, and served as secretary to Senate President Manuel Quezon, where he began his rise through the Philippine government. In 1919, he was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives. In 1925, he was elected to the Philippine Senate and was quickly given Senate committee appointments.

In 1931 Elpidio Quirino was reelected to the Senate, and in 1934 he served as a member of the Philippine Independence mission to Washington, D.C., helping secure the Tydings-McDuffie Act, which set the timetable for Philippine independence from the United States. Quirino was also one of the drafters of the Philippine constitution, which was approved in May 1935

In April 1942, the Philippines were captured by Japanese imperial forces. Elpidio Quirino refused to join the Japanese-sponsored “puppet government” of Jose Laurel and instead went underground. He was captured by Japanese military police and imprisoned. His wife, son and two daughters were killed by Japanese forces as they fled their home during the Battle of Manila in early 1945.

After the war, Elpidio Quirino became the leader of the majority Liberal Party and president pro tempore of the Senate. Anticipating the country’s impending independence, elections were held in April 1946, and Manuel Roxas was elected president, with Quirino as vice president. When President Roxas unexpectedly died in April 1948, Quirino became president.

Elpidio Quirino was reelected president in November 1949. As president, he attempted to improve social, economic and agrarian conditions. He also established relations with Western and Asian countries.

In 1949, the Philippines, under the administration of President Elpidio Quirino, accepted around 6,000 white Russians who were fleeing from the Communist rule in China. President Quirino was also continuing a tradition of reaching out to victims of suffering all over the world.

He was best known for leading the Philippines after the second World War, and for his unbelievable decision to forgive Japanese prisoners of war. This, despite losing his wife and three of his children to brutal murders committed by Japanese soldiers.

Photo shows the Tydings-McDuffie Act, signing:

Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt signing the Philippine Commonwealth and Independence Act on March 24, 1934. Standing behind him (left to right) are Wyoming Sen. Joseph O'Mahoney, Secretary of War George H. Dern, Sen. Elpidio Quirino, future president Manuel Quezon, Maryland Democratic Sen. Millard E. Tydings.

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Commemorating the birthday of Philippine President Elpidio Quirino

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