Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD
Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just
Try GOLD - Free
Remembering MLQ
The Freeman
|August 19, 2025
Today, a nonworking holiday in Quezon City, is the 145th birth anniversary of one of the Philippines' greatest presidents, Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina. Born on August 19, 1878, Quezon was younger than Dr. Jose Rizal by 17 years. MLQ was already 18 when Rizal was executed.
MLQ was the second president of our country, after Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. He was a close friend of Cebu's grand old man Don Sergio Osmeña, and kingpin of the House of Representatives for the longest time. MLQ was the uncontested leader of the Senate until he was elected president under the 1935 Philippine Constitution and Osmeña, the vice president. The two were classmates in UST and took the Bar together in 1903. Osmeña placed second while Quezon got fourth. There were less than 20 who took that exam.
MLQ is best remembered for his fiery speeches, in one of which, he dared to tell the US Congress: "I prefer a government run like hell by Filipinos to a government run like heaven by the Americans." He is also associated with that famous quote "My loyalty to my part ends where my loyalty to my country begins." He didn’t have a booming voice, in fact he sounded squeaky, but his speeches were eloquent and fiery. His favorite advocacies were social justice, land for the landless, and love of our national language.
This story is from the August 19, 2025 edition of The Freeman.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Freeman
The Freeman
Center-right senator elected as president
Bolivians on Sunday elected a pro-business center-right senator as their new president, ending two decades of socialist rule that left the South American nation deep in economic crisis.
2 mins
October 21, 2025
The Freeman
Diesel prices to drop P0.70 per liter
After nearly two months of consecutive hikes, diesel prices will drop by P0.70 per liter starting Tuesday, October 21. Kerosene prices are also set to decrease, while gasoline prices are expected to see a slight increase.
1 mins
October 21, 2025
The Freeman
No reason for let-up
Netizens couldn't help but react to a recent post by a “school” that the media might be on the take to take attention away from the corruption involving flood-control projects.
1 mins
October 21, 2025
The Freeman
NDRRMC calls for infra audit following quakes
Following a series of earthquakes across the country including in Cebu recently, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) chairman and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has ordered a nationwide push for infrastructure audits, retrofitting of critical facilities, and intensified earthquake preparedness in coordination with Local Government Units (LGUs).
1 mins
October 21, 2025
The Freeman
Storm leaves 7 dead, 2 missing
Seven people were reported dead following the onslaught of Tropical Storm Ramil (international name: Fengshan).
1 min
October 21, 2025
The Freeman
Go vows to streamline real estate agents’ registration
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go has pledged stronger support for the professionalization of the Philippine real estate industry, vowing to push Senate Bill 1292 or the “Real Estate Salesperson Registration Speed Act of 2025”— a measure aimed at simplifying the accreditation process for sales agents across the country.
2 mins
October 21, 2025
The Freeman
A political earthquake called Kiko Barzaga
Much like an intensity 10 earthquake, this impertinent and irreverent young guy is rocking the boat. He is openly challenging the gods. He is like the child Jesus debating with the Pharisees, scribes, and teachers of the law right there in the Temple. He is driving away the corrupt moneychangers transforming his father’s house into a den of thieves.
3 mins
October 21, 2025
The Freeman
China’s Communist Party begins major eco meetings
China’s ruling Communist Party kicked off four days of closed-door meetings on Monday involving high-ranking officials in discussions on long-term economic planning, state media reported.
1 min
October 21, 2025
The Freeman
DSWD opens donation center for Cebu earthquake victims
In response to the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu Province, the Department of Social Welfare and Development-7 has established a donation hub to receive relief goods and other forms of support for affected communities in northern Cebu.
2 mins
October 21, 2025
The Freeman
Pinamungajan mayor slams gov's claims vs toilet project
She questioned why is it that, as of October, the project remains unfinished, noting that the mayor himself admitted in an earlier interview that the comfort room was only “75 percent completed.”
1 mins
October 21, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size