By Mary Clarince David – PTV News
Manuel Luis Quezón y Molina
August 19, 1878- August 1, 1944
Love your country for it is the home of your people, the seat of your affections, and the sources of your happiness and well-being. A great Filipino patriot who was willing to do anything to his country, Manuel Luis Quezon, popularly known as the “People’s President” for he had a steadfast vision to deliver the masses from the shackles of colonialism. He has the distinction of being the first Senate President elected to the presidency as well as the first president elected through a national election.
Quezon became the first Commonwealth president of the Philippines on September 17, 1935. An assiduous leader, he went on and lobbied for the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934, which gave the country its freedom.
His journey as president was a heroic act of nationalism for Quezon was a man hungry for the liberation of our land. As president, Quezon intensified his efforts to protect and secure the independence of the Philippines from the United States. He was a dynamic Filipino leader and a friend of the poor and the oppressed whom he loved and cared for so well. Quezon is one of the most illustrious sons the country has ever produced.
I want our people to be like a Molave tree, strong and resilient, standing on the hillsides, unafraid of the rising tide, lighting and the storm, confident of its strength.
Quezon believed in the strength and resilience of the Filipinos, a nation of people strong as Molave in surpassing the inescapable challenge in life. For a country to survive with peace and stability must have united people that act together as one nation, represented by one flag.
Fellow countrymen: “The government which we are inaugurating today is only a means to an end. It is an instrumentality placed in our hands to prepare ourselves fully for the responsibilities of complete independence. It is essential that this last step be taken with full consciousness of its significance and the great opportunities that it affords to us.”
Quezon’s administration believed in building a government that is just, honest, efficient, and reliable; hence the building of the Republic during his term was grounded in these principles. Quezon had a vision of a country with a government that could endure a significant force and can sustain the demands of the future. As president, Quezon also expressed one must be “be ready at all times to sacrifice and die for it if necessary.”
Social justice is far more beneficial when applied as a matter of sentiment, and not of law. The upkeep of peace and public order is the joint obligation of the government and its citizens. In his first inaugural speech, while Quezon noted that the Constitution established an independent judiciary, and enabled the provision for the compensation and tenure of judges. Quezon emphasized that independence is not the only objective of an adequate judicial system. There is a need to thoroughly scrutinize the appointees of this government branch to ensure that only people of reputable character and have demonstrated relentless efforts to learn for the country’s citizens to feel that his rights are being protected and heard relatively per rules of court.
Everyone is called upon to respect the Constitution, which is the expression of a country’s sovereign will. The government and its constitution have been established to protect the safety and welfare of its constituents. It is then essential to obey the laws and ensure that all are observing it. It is also important that public officials comply with their duties. The strength of the nation is the strength of its people.
“Value your honor as you value your life. Poverty with honor is preferable to wealth with dishonor.”
Be truthful and be honest in the thought and in action. Be just and charitable, courteous but dignified in your dealings with your fellowmen. One’s life may not be one of ease and comfort, but instead of hardship and sacrifice. As Quezon stated, “be simple in your dress and modest in your behavior.” As Filipinos, we have the duty of protecting not only our integrity but also that of the government.
“There can be no progress except under the auspices of peace. Without peace and public order, it will be impossible to promote education, improve the condition of the masses, protect the poor and ignorant against exploitation, and otherwise insure the enjoyment of life, liberty, and property. “
The common man alone can save humanity from disaster. Defending each other’s rights in labor along with just regulation of the relations between the worker and capital in industry and agriculture and the solicitous regard on the part of the government for the well-being of the masses is the means to bring about needed economic and social equilibrium between these elements of our society.
We are living today amidst the storm and stress of one of the most tragic epochs of history. Despite drudgery and problems that the Filipinos face as a nation, Quezon has a reminder: “However bad Filipino government might be, we can always change it.” Every fight will always end up in a good match if we devote our love and loyalty to our country, our nation, our language.
Quezon, a man whose immense love of country, which is evident in all of his undertakings during his presidency, is a man whose “loyalty to his party ends where his loyalty to his country begins.”
Sources: Some quotes were derived from the 1935 Inauguration Speech of President Manuel L. Quezon.
