Quirino Day in Ilocos Sur Date in the current year: November 16, 2024

Elpidio Quirino was born in Vigan on November 16, 1890. He graduated from the University of the Philippines with a law degree in 1915 and practiced law for four years before embarking on his political career. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1919 and served one term until 1922. In 1925, Quirino was elected to the Senate and served until 1935, when the bicameral Philippine Legislature was replaced by the unicameral National Assembly.

In the following years, Quirino served as Secretary of Finance (from 1934 to 1936) and Secretary of the Interior (from 1935 to 1938). He was also a member of the Philippine Independence Commission sent to Washington, D.C. in 1934 and of the 1935 Constitutional Convention.

In 1941, the Senate was reinstated, and Quirino was again elected senator. However, the Senate was unable to convene due to the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. During the war, Quirino’s wife and three of their five children were killed by Japanese troops.

When the was ended, the Senate finally convened in 1945, with Quirino as its president pro tempore (the second-highest ranking official after Senate president). In 1946, Quirino was the running mate of presidential candidate Manuel Roxas in the general elections. The duo won the election, and Quirino became Vice President of the Philippines. He was also appointed Secretary of Finance and Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

Two years into his presidency, Roxas died of a heart attack, and Quirino succeeded him as President of the Philippines until the end of Roxas’s scheduled term. Since he was a widower, Quirino’s 16-year-old daughter Victoria assumed the role of First Lady. In 1949, Quirino ran for president and was elected for a full term.

During his presidency, Quirino focused on the post-war reconstruction of the Philippines. He implemented social and agrarian reforms, secured economic aid from the United States, negotiated trade agreements with many Western Bloc countries, created the Integrity Board to combat government corruption, and transferred the capital from Manila to Quezon City (a move that would be reversed by Ferdinand Marcos in 1976). However, his presidency was somewhat marred by an impeachment attempt in 1949 and repeated insurgencies by Hukbalahap, a communist guerrilla movement.

In 1953, despite ill health, Quirino ran for a second full term. He lost the election to Ramon Magsaysay and retired from politics. On February 29, 1956, Quirino died of a heart attack. President Magsaysay declared a 15-day period of national mourning to honor Quirino’s memory.

In 1979, President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared the birthday of Elpidio Quirino as a special non-working holiday in Quirino’s home province of Ilocos Sur. Since then, Quirino Day has been celebrated every November 16.