Elpidio Rivera Quirino, also known as “Apo Lakay”, born in 1890, was a Filipino politician and was the sixth President of the Philippines. He entered politics when he became a representative of Ilocos Sur from 1919-1925. He was elected senator from 1925-1931. He was part of the independence mission to Washington that freed the Philippines from American control in 1934. After the Japanese invasion in World War II he became a leader of the underground and was captured and imprisoned; his wife and three of his five children were killed by the conquerors. After the liberation (1945) of the Philippines, Quirino became president pro tempore of the senate. He served as vice president under the incumbent president Manuel Roxas, becoming president upon Roxas’ death in 1948.
In what was claimed to be a dishonest and fraudulent 1949 presidential election, he won the president’s office under Liberal Party Ticket, defeating Nacionalista vie and former president Jose P. Laurel as well as fellow Liberalista and former senate president, Jose Avelino. Upon expecting the office of presidency, Quirino presented his plan for a better government. His agenda was fixated on two main objectives; (1) Maintenance of the people’s faith in the efficiency and sincerity of the government (2) Unity among Filipinos through the establishment of peace and order.
Quirino promised that he will help in rebuilding, repairing and replacing the existing system in the country since the war just ended and everything was back to step one. He promised to solve the unemployment problems that were distinguished then. He also intended to increase the salary of the people so people can purchase and not just produce and to decrease the inflation rate. He promised that he would see to it that prices of the goods sold in the market will be regulated and the products will not be overpriced. He said that his administration will prioritize on the industrialization of the country and utilization of