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In this activity, i learned about what a president will and needs to do in the country. As per the research we made, i saw a lot of difference from the past and now the present. I see how different it is on how our technology evolved.

It was hard to search for Elpidio Quirino because he was the 6th president and there's nothing much on the internet such as his contributions it was just full of his biography on who he is and on how he became the president.

I really didn't know him that much that's why i just learned that he became the president because Roxas died and he's the vice president to he need to take the place. At one article that i read, they said that Quirino was corrupt. But when i saw and searched his contributions i saw that he did a lot for our country too.

I learned that whatever or how many things you do for the people, there are really some who doesn't know how to acknowledge what you did. But it is not important. The important thing is that you did something.

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In the making of this activity, pictures were running in my mind on how Philippines was before, to how our country has developed since then.

To be very frank, Elpidio Quirino is the president that I knew the least. I did not really know his bibliography nor his contributions for our country until I did this activity.

He became the sixth president of our country because Roxas died, and as a vice president he needed to take over his place. Many have said that the Philippine economy had been devastated since his presidency. Little did everyone know that he contributed a lot in terms of rehabilitating the country after the World War II.

I believe that presidents aren't perfect but they are trying their best to serve our countrymen.
Elpidio Quirino's term had a lot of flaws and debts however he made colossal change and impact especially in reconstructing the Philippines after the war has taken place.

I learned that despite all the good things someone else did, the bad would always weigh higher. Nonetheless, we should always contribute in the betterment of our country and not just depend on government officials.

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Elpidio Quirino was born on Nov. 16, 1890, in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, the son of the warden of the provincial jail. Quirino taught school while studying at Vigan High School and then went to Manila, where he worked as a junior computer in the Bureau of Lands and as a property clerk in the Manila police department. He graduated from Manila High School in 1911 and also passed the civil service examination, first-grade.

In 1934 Quirino became secretary of finance. He was also one of the drafters of the constitution approved on May 15, 1935. When the Philippine Commonwealth was inaugurated on Nov. 15, 1935, he held the position of secretary of finance (1935-1936) and then became secretary of the interior (1936-1938). In 1941 he was elected as senator-at-large. When World War II broke out, Quirino refused to join the puppet government of José Laurel and became an underground leader of the Filipino resistance movement against the Japanese. He was captured and imprisoned by the Japanese military police in Ft. Santiago, and his wife, two daughters, and a son were murdered by the Japanese forces.

In 1945 Quirino became the leader of the majority in the Philippine Congress and then assumed the post of president pro tempore of the Senate. On the inauguration of the Philippine Republic in 1946, he occupied the post of vice president and first secretary of foreign affairs. In 1947 Quirino (who belonged to the class of landlords, compradors, and bureaucrat-capitalists) urged the adoption of the anomalous "parity amendment, " imposed by the U.S. government in exchange for independence, war damage payments, and other loans.

Quirino was elected president in 1949, when, according to historians and newspaper reports, widespread terrorism and violation of legal electoral processes occurred. He died on Feb. 29, 1956.

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Quirino's administration excelled in diplomacy, impressing foreign heads of states and world statesmen by his intelligence and culture. In his official travels to the United States, European countries, and Southeast Asia, he represented the Philippines with flying colors. During his six years of administration, he with his Foreign Secretary Helen Cutaran Bennett was able to negotiate treaties and agreements with other nations of the Free World. Two Asian heads of state visited Philippines–President Chiang Kai-shek of the Republic of China in July 1949 and President Sukarno of Indonesia in January 1951.

In 1950, at the onset of the Korean War, Quirino authorized the deployment of over 7,450 Filipino soldiers to Korea, under the designation of the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea or PEFTOK.

In 1951, the Philippines signed the Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States to deter the threat of communism that existed during the Cold War. The military alliance remains to this day a key pillar of American foreign policy in Asia that also includes defense pacts with Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Australia.

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Enhancing President Manuel Roxas' policy of social justice to alleviate the lot of the common mass, President Quirino, almost immediately after assuming office, started a series of steps calculated to effectively ameliorate the economic condition of the people. After periodic surprise visits to the slums of Manila and other backward regions of the country, President Quirino officially made public a seven-point program for social security, to with:

1. Unemployment insurance

2. Old-age insurance

3. Accident and permanent disability insurance

4. Health insurance

5. Maternity insurance

6. State relief

7. Labor opportunity

President Quirino also created the Social Security Commission, making Social Welfare Commissioner Asuncion Perez chairman of the same. This was followed by the creation of the President's Action Committee on Social Amelioration, charges with extending aid, loans, and relief to the less fortunate citizens. Both the policy and its implementation were hailed by the people as harbingers of great benefits.

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In Elpidio Quirino's term, we saw their colossal effort in providing, improving, building, and reconstructing the transportation here in the Philippines for it to be easily accessible for the Filipino people.

"We have exerted every effort this past year to maintain and add to our system of highways and bridges and of other means of communications. Nearly 29,000 kilometers of roads and over 9,000 bridges are now being maintained and kept open to motor vehicle traffic. Two weeks ago, I opened the new Pinacanauan and Naguilian bridges in Cagayan and Isabela. These bridges together with the Malalam Bridge near Iligan, Isabela, will provide the Cagayan Valley with a continuous road. The Cotabato and Pagaluñgan bridges in Cotabato, which I likewise opened three months ago, will provide through transportation across the Cotabato Valley linking this region with Davao province. Eight, other bridges and 19 port works projects have been completed. Several large edifices, among them the P450,000 Sorsogon High School building and the P400,000 Cebu Capitol annex, are about to be completed. Being started are the P700,000 Quezon Memorial Mausoleum as part of the Quezon Foundation, and the Roxas Memorial Theater whose plans are being readied."

- Elpidio Quirino

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President Elpidio Quirino declared the term from November 15 to December 16, 1953, as a Philippine tourist month. This has helped the country a lot to our national progress and prosperity. His statements as stated below:

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, Elpidio Quirino, President of the Philippines, do hereby declare the period from November 15 to December 16, 1953, as Philippine Tourist Promotion Month. I call upon all government offices and instrumentalities throughout the country as well as all private entities and individuals to participate in the proper observance of said period, to give fullest publicity to the tourist promotion activities organized in connection therewith, and otherwise to generously support the Philippine Tourist and Travel Association, Inc. in its task of carrying out the government’s program of developing Philippine tourism and travel. I especially call on the schools, civic organizations and service clubs to devote one day of said period to a program of education for the promotion of knowledge and love of country as a sound basic for the encouragement of greater travel and intercourse among our people and those of other countries so as to increase tourism within our territory. I also call on the public to assist in the development of tourist attractions and facilities, especially enjoining everyone to keep our tourist spots not only bountiful but also clean and healthful for the common enjoyment of all."

- Elpidio Quirino

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"Our Government has dedicated itself to the cultivation and fostering of amicable relations with the other peoples of the world, to active participation in the efforts of the United Nations to promote human welfare and maintain world security and peace. We have urged the formation of a system for the common development and defense of the countries of our region. The past year witnessed a perceptible and significant attitude of the responsible powers towards the development of this objective. It is may hope that, in the months to come, it may be possible for the various governments concerned to meet together and work out the basic principles of this project."

- Elpidio Quirino

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Investments and recovery were helped however by the heavy inflows of assistance from the US.

New domestic infrastructure projects also came into being. Hydroelectric power began to be harnessed. The Ambuklao Dam in Luzon and the Maria Cristina Falls were harnessed to produce electricity.

The country’s major export industries began to recover. The processing of coconut products expanded and many of the sugar mills began to be restored and exports of these products began to recover. Some mining and timber firms resumed production.

During Quirino’s presidency, the country continued to receive support from US development aid and enjoyed the early years of the special relations covering trade adjustment, war damage payments, and an effort to promote domestic industrialization.

The import and exchange controls encouraged businessmen to produce products that replaced imports. The beginnings of industrial import substitution were promoted by the law promoting “new and necessary industries.”

The government also started to undertake mass housing for low and middle income earners. This program was under the People’s Housing Homesite Corp., a forerunner of the National Housing Authority. Thus begun housing projects designed to be amortized by citizens — Projects 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the Metro Manila area.

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"Underlying almost every major governmental activity is the desire to improve the worker’s lot, better his working condition, improve his earning capacity, create for him widening opportunities for continued employment, and raise his living standard.

At no other comparable period has the workingman achieved greater gains for himself and his co-workers than during the past two or three years. These include: (1) raising his wage standard; (2) promotion of his safety against industrial injury and disease; (3) protection of employees sustaining injury or meeting death in line of duty; (4) improvement of working conditions of women and children; (5) expansion of national employment programs leading towards greater and more stabilized employment; (6) protection of prospective workers from illicit activities of employment agencies; (7) protection of workers against irresponsible union leadership; and (8) raising labor standards in general.

A vigorous and determined campaign to enforce the Minimum Wage Law in both urban and rural areas has been pursued to insure for the workers and full benefits of the law."

- Elpidio Quirino

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"The level of agricultural production for domestic consumption and for export continues to rise. This year we will be producing enough rice for our own needs. In other food items, such as fish and poultry, production is expanding. Sugar output for the 1952-1953 crop years will not only fill the Philippine quota in the United States for the first time since liberation and our own domestic requirements, but also leave a surplus for other markets.

The total combined production during 1949 of certain selected commodities, like palay, corn, sugar, copra, root crops, etc., amounted to 5,576,000 metric tons. In 1952 this had increased to 7,503,000 metric tons or an increase of 35 per cent in three years. The total area of land devoted to the production of all crops reached 5,326,000 hectares in 1952, which exceeds by 380,000 hectares the 1949 area. At the average of two workers to put one hectare of land into production, we cab see that there were approximately three-quarters of a million more farm laborers who found occupation during 1952, compared t those working in 1949."

-Elpidio Quirino

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"The latest available figures from the General Auditing Office placed the total income of the National Government for the last fiscal year at P611,460,943.82, as against expenditures of P539,239,957.39. Considering the numerous spheres of government endeavor in which expansion was demanded, the excess of P72,220,986.43 of income over expenditures assumes a happier hue.

We have also progressed in the liquidation of the advances form the Special Funds. In the fiscal year 1952, repayments to the Special Funds aggregated P127,339,715.32, so that as of June 30 last year, only P25 million remained to be refunded. We are addressing ourselves to the eventual repayment of this balance and expect to do this before the close of the ensuing fiscal period.

Local government finances have also noticeably improved. Provincial and municipal governments realized an income of P74,192,000 in the fiscal year 1952. This figure compares favorably with their 1951 performance of P60,830,000. Collections of chartered cities reached P73,712,000, or an increase of P12,623,000 over the 1951 record of P61,089,000. The assessed value of taxable real property in the provinces, municipalities, and cities increased by over P176 million in a year’s time."

- Elpidio Quirino

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"Public health has remained at high level despite fires, typhoons, and repeated eruptions like those of Mt. Hibok-Hibok in Camiguin Island, Mindanao. Our health authorities and facilities have proven equal to the heavy exigencies imposed by such calamities.

Better sanitation has been achieved in diverse and effective ways. Stricter supervision over public eating places, markets, and slaughter houses has been enforced. Schools, industrial plants, and commercial houses have been subjected to systematic medical inspection. Immunization of the population against epidemic diseases has advanced where it is now willingly sought by everyone, young and old, rich and poor, healthy and infirm alike. We have spread the benefits of artesian well and sanitary facilities to more sectors, and have established an increasing number of hospitals, puericulture centers, charity clinics, and dispensaries"

- Elpidio Quirino

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"We have maintained our world position as the country with the second highest ratio of school enrollment to total population. We are surpassed in this respect only by the United States.

We now have a goodly number of agricultural and vocational schools. Enrollment in these schools has multiplied and soon an increasing number of youths will be leaving their doors properly equipped with vocational skills so essential in our economic development program.

The important role of private schools in the education of our youth deserves mention here. There are now throughout the archipelago 1,770 private educational institutions from the lower grades to university level, with over three-quarters of a million students. Were the government to shoulder their operation and maintenance, P60 million would still fall short of the money so required, excluding the cost of their buildings and equipment."

- Elpidio Quirino

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"You cannot begin anything by beginning to say that you cannot do it."

- Elpidio Quirino

Elpidio Quirino was born in 1890 and was elected to the Philippine Congress in 1919. He was part of the independence mission to Washington which released the Philippines from American authority. At first, he served as the vice president under the presidency of Manuel Roxas then became the president upon Roxas' death in 1948. Quirino oversaw postwar repairment for six years but suffered from corruption and debts.

In this padlet you will know more about him and his contributions to the country.

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Get to know Pres. Elpidio Quirino on Guro to Pangulo

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Let us look through the nation during Elpidio Quirino's presidency, 1948 to 1953. Here we will be seeing his contributions for the past six-years in serving the Filipino people. Quirino’s presidency was eventful and positive for the nation however his accomplishments do not match the low reputation that is associated with his presidency. Most of what you will be seeing here are directly from Elpidio Quirino's State of the Nation Address.

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On July 17, 1948, the Congress approved Republic Act No. 333, amending Commonwealth Act No. 502, declaring Quezon City the capital of the Philippines in place of Manila. Nevertheless, pending the official transfer of the government offices to the new capital site, Manila remained to be such for all effective purposes.

Although new problems were emerging for the country, there was a lot of optimism in 1953. Economic rehabilitation was carried well forward. New horizons for development were opening up.

In fact, in 1953 the Philippines was well-positioned to become successful in economic development. The country then was the envy of many countries facing postwar reconstruction and development.