Pres. Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina

Today in Philippine History (Philatelic Edition Series 3):

AUGUST 19, 1878

Pres. Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (August 19, 1878 – August 1, 1944), the 2nd president of the Philipines, and the first president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, was born in Baler, Tayabas. 

His parents were Lucio Quezon y Velez, a Chinese mestizo from Parian and Maria Dolores Molina, a Spanish mestiza, who were school teachers.

His primary education was at a village free school established by the Spanish government. 

He studied at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, and finished secondary school in 1894. 

He took up law at the University of Santo Tomas but left in 1899 to be a revolutionary. 

Quezon became Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo's aide-de-camp during the Philippine–American War. He rose from the ranks and was promoted to major and fought the Americans. 

In 1900, he surrendered to U.S. authorities, continued his law studies and passed the bar exams in 1903. 

Quezon was elected as 1st district representative of Tayabas in 1907, majority floor leader, resident commissioner (1909-1916), and pushed for the passage of the Jones Law or Philippine Autonomy Act. 

He ran for senate in 1916 representing the fifth senatorial district, and became Senate president until 1935. 

In 1919, Quezon headed the first independent mission to the U.S. Congress, and was successful for the passage of the Tydings–McDuffie Act in 1934. 

He became the president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until 1944. He is considered the second president of the Philippines. 

Manuel L. Quezon was married to Aurora Antonia Aragon. He died on August 1, 1944 at Saranac Lake, New York and was buried at the Arlington National Cemetery in the United States. After World War II, he was laid to rest at the Quezon City Memorial Circle.

(Design, concept, stamps and research: Richard Allan B. Uy) All rights reserved

Photo credit: Manuel Quezon FB page