Salvador P. Lopez Tribute To President Elpidio Quirino
Message of Salvador P. Lopez on the occasion of the Centenary of President Elpidio Quirino.
In the year 1990, 36 years after his death, and on the occasion of the centennial anniversary of his birth, (November 16, 1990) it should be possible to examine objectively the life and career of President Elpidio Quirino, identify his contributions to the country’s well-being, progress and development, and determine his standing among the makers of Philippine history and the benefactors of the Filipino people.
Elpidio Quirino as President suffered from the unavoidable handicap of assuming office immediately after Manuel L. Quezon and Manuel Roxas who overshadowed him in verbal eloquence and political charisma. His achievements lay in areas that very rarely arouse raving encomiums in newspaper columns or on the floor of Congress, but stand top most in terms of national development.
For example, he was the first President to propose industrialization as the basic strategy for progress and development, not in high-sounding generalities calculated to impress people but in terms of a concrete program of action which included the following: construction of hydroelectric plants in Luzon such as the Ambuklao Dam; electric and fertilizer plants at the Maria Christina Falls in Mindanao; irrigation projects at the basins of the Agno and Pampanga rivers; and land distribution and settlement in Isabela, Cotabato, Bukidnon and Lanao.
Less impressive perhaps, but closer to the daily needs and aspiration of the common man were the adoption of the Minimum Wage Law, the amendment of the Women’s Compensation Project Act and the 8-hour Law to facilitate enforcement, and housing projects in Quezon City for low-salaried public and private sector employees
He strove to rectify the serious imbalance in the trade between the Philippines and the United States by imposing import controls, a radical measure which drove an American diplomat to make to make the arrogant and cynical comment; “The trouble with Quirino is that his taking Philippine Independence too seriously.” No Filipino President could wish or hope for a higher compliment than this.
“The trouble with Quirino is that his taking Philippine Independence too seriously.” No Filipino President could wish or hope for a higher compliment than this.
He did not wake up one morning to find himself in the pinnacle of power. He rose step by slow step from the lowest rung, and from this experience developed a degree of competence that was envy of many and the reward of but a few.
His political career was not all moonlight and roses – far from it. The 1949 elections were denounced as “the dirtiest elections of Philippine history”, and the claim that both sides were guilty of graft and corruption cannot extenuate the offense. It must have saddened him, but in the moral context at that time rather less than it should.
He did not wake up one morning to find himself in the pinnacle of power. He rose step by slow step from the lowest rung, and from this experience developed a degree of competence that was envy of many and the reward of but a few.
His administration was racked by bitter partisan politics, and graft and corruption was – as it still is – the accepted black currency of political life.
Elpidio Quirino never forgot his humble origins. The cause of the poor, the humble and the oppressed was to him the commitment of the lifetime.
He died a man of modest means, having avoided the unprincipled use of power to amass the perquisites of wealth and privilege for selfish ends.
While he enjoyed the rewards and satisfactions of a good life, an innate sense of morality and decency preserved him from the sins of pride, greed and selfish interest.
He cherished and practised the tenets of official justice and equity but not at the expense of individual rights, integrity and self-respect.
Although he was the object of persistent and unrelenting press criticism during his term as president, he never wavered in his respect for freedom of the press.
He remained unfazed by the malicious attempt of his enemies to impeach him, being the only President thus far to be subjected to such an act of political vindictiveness, and to win complete vindication in the end.
With great skill he combined the qualities of political aplomb and diplomatic savior faire, harnessing both to the advancement of the national interest.
He was an intrepid nationalist committed heart and soul for the defense of his country and the advancement of the national welfare, whatever the cost.
With the passage of time, Elpidio Quirino stands taller still in the Pantheon of Filipino Presidents. On the occasion of his centenary, he deserves to be enshrined in the hearts of the Filipino people not only as the outstanding First Diplomat and eminent Second President of the Republic of Philippines but, in the sober judgment of many, as the greatest and the best.
He favored the improvement of the life and welfare of the poor, the unprivileged, and the oppressed through peaceful reform, not by violent revolution.
He initiated the policy of establishing more equitable and just relations between the Philippines and the United States, without subservience or domination.
Although the Philippines during his time was almost entirely dependent on the United States, he realized the need to initiate or develop relations with other countries, especially in Europe.
As original proponent of the Asia-Pacific movement he foreshadowed the emergence of the Association of the South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
With the passage of time, Elpidio Quirino stands taller still in the Pantheon of Filipino Presidents. On the occasion of his centenary, he deserves to be enshrined in the hearts of the Filipino people not only as the outstanding First Diplomat and eminent Second President of the Republic of Philippines but, in the sober judgment of many, as the greatest and the best.
Source: Salvador P. Lopez, Elpidio Quirino: The Judgment of History (Manila: President Elpidio Quirino Foundation, 1990), p 169-171.
