Elpidio Quirino

Infobox President
name = Elpidio Quirino


order = 6th President of the Philippines
"2nd President of the 3rd Republic"
term_start = April 18, 1948 [Elected December 30, 1949]
term_end = December 30, 1953

vicepresident = Fernando Lopez (1949-1953)
predecessor = Manuel Roxas
successor = Ramon Magsaysay
birth_date = birth date|1890|11|16|mf=y
birth_place = Vigan, Ilocos Sur
dead = dead
death_date = death date and age|1956|2|29|1890|11|16|mf=y
death_place = Quezon City
party = Liberal Party
occupation = Lawyer
religion = Roman Catholic

---

order2=3rd Vice President of the Philippines
"2nd and Last Vice President of the Commonwealth"
"1st Vice President of the 3rd Republic"
term_start2=May 28, 1946
term_end2=April 17, 1948
predecessor2=None [Congress did not appoint a Vice President after Osmeña assumed the Presidency from Quezon, as required by the 1935 Constitution]
successor2=None [Congress did not appoint a Vice President after Quirino assumed the Presidency from Roxas, as required by the 1935 Constitution]
president=Manuel Roxas
order3 = Secretary of Foreign Affairs
term_start3 = September 16, 1946
term_end3 = April 17, 1948
predecessor3 = "Restored" [On September 16, 1946, President Manuel Roxas issued Executive Order No. 18, which provided for the organization and operation of the DFA and the Foreign Service. The main tasks of the DFA then were to assist in postwar rehabilitation, formulate policies for the promotion of investment, and re-establish diplomatic relations with neighboring countries.]
successor3 = Joaquin Miguel Elizalde
spouse = Alicia Syquia

Elpidio Rivera Quirino (November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956) was the sixth President of the Philippines. He served from April 17, 1948 to December 30, 1953. Elpidio Quirino was a Roman Catholic and was the first president of Ilocano descent. He also has Spanish ancestry.

Early life and career

Born in Vigan, Ilocos Sur to Mariano Quirino and Gregoria Rivera, Quirino spent his early years in Aringay, La Union. He received secondary education at Vigan High School, then went to Manila where he worked as junior computer in the Bureau of Lands and as property clerk in the Manila police department. He graduated from Manila High School in 1911 and also passed the civil service examination, first-grade.

Quirino attended the University of the Philippines. In 1915, he earned his law degree from the university's College of Law, and was admitted to the bar later that year. He was engaged in the private practice of law until he was elected as member of the Philippine House of Representatives from 1919 to 1925, then as Senator from 1925 to 1931. He then served as Secretary of Finance and Secretary of the Interior in the Commonwealth government.

In 1934, Quirino was a member of the Philippine Independence mission to Washington D.C., headed by Manuel Quezon that secured the passage in the United States Congress of the Tydings-McDuffie Act. This legislation set the date for Philippine independence by 1945. Official declaration came on July 4, 1946.

During the Japanese invasion during World War II, he became a leader of the underground rebellion and was captured and imprisoned.Fact|date=January 2008 During the Battle of Manila in 1945, his wife, Alicia Syquia, and three of his five children were killed as they were fleeing their home.

After the war, Quirino continued public service, becoming president pro tempore of the Senate. In 1946, he was elected first vice president of the independent Republic of the Philippines, serving under Manuel Roxas. He also served as secretary of state.

Presidency

of the Nacionalista Party.

Since Quirino was a widower, his surviving daughter Vicky would serve as the official hostess and perform the functions traditionally ascribed to the First Lady.

Quirino's administration faced a serious threat in the form of the communist Hukbalahap movement. Though the Huks originally had been an anti-Japanese guerrilla army in Luzon, communists steadily gained control over the leadership, and when Quirino's negotiation with Huk commander Luis Taruc broke down in 1948, Taruc openly declared himself a Communist and called for the overthrow of the government.

His six years as president were marked by notable postwar reconstruction, general economic gains, and increased economic aid from the United States. Basic social problems, however, particularly in the rural areas, remained unsolved, and his administration was tainted by widespread graft and corruption.

Although ill, Quirino ran for re-election in 1953, but he was overwhelmingly defeated by Ramon Magsaysay.

Post-presidency

Following his failed bid for re-election, Quirino retired to private life in Quezon City, Metro Manila. He died of a heart attack on February 29, 1956.

Relatives

TV host and fitness expert Cory Quirino is the granddaughter of Elpidio Quirino. The husband of singer Kuh Ledesma, Luisito "Louie" Gonzalez is a grandson.

External links

* [http://www.pangulo.ph The Philippine Presidency Project]
*
* [http://www.op.gov.ph/museum/pres_quirino.asp Malacanang Museum - Elpidio Quirino]

Notes

References

*cite book | author=Zaide, Gregorio F. | title=Philippine History and Government|publisher=National Bookstore Printing Press |year=1984