144th Birth Anniversary of Pres. Manuel L. Quezon
On 19 August 1938, during his 60th birthday, President Manuel L. Quezon vigorously delivered an address at what was then the Jose Rizal Memorial Field in Manila, about the spiritual regeneration of the Filipino. As part of his speech, he mentioned this about the character and virtue of our heroes:
“ …while we were engaged in our fight for freedom, our nation produced men of great worth and character. But–Bonifacio, M.H. del Pilar, Mabini, Luna–where are their equals now? Who can compare with Rizal, with his serene wisdom and his great courage, his spirit of self-sacrifice preferring death to slavery? Who is there that can tread the level of loyalty and gallantry exhibited by Gregorio del Pilar, who, like a Spartan soldier, offered his life as a holocaust to duty? There were many others, giants all, who lived in those days and gave luster to our name. They are dead, and it seems that their individual and civic virtues were buried with them. But the sparks still glow within us, and I know that in an emergency they can be fanned into a flame that will fire our souls with heroic determination…”
As NLP and the whole nation celebrate the 144th birth anniversary of Pres. Quezon, it is best to dig deeper into the life and works of who we regard as “Ama ng Wikang Pambansa.” This presidential address, as well as many other articles, books, papers, manuscripts, speeches, etc. written by or about President Quezon, are accessible online FOR FREE through the Tekno-Aklatan of the National Library of the Philippines. Just visit this link (https://nlpdl.nlp.gov.ph/mq01/home.htm) and immerse yourself in NLP’s rich online collection about President Manuel L. Quezon.
“The Filipino people are on the march, towards their destiny, to conquer their place in the sun!”
Links:
Spiritual Regeneration of the Filipino: https://nlpdl.nlp.gov.ph/mq01/monographs/elib1/75/10321/home.htm
NLP’s President Manuel L. Quezon Collection: https://nlpdl.nlp.gov.ph/mq01/home.htm
NLP Tekno-Aklatan: https://nlpdl.nlp.gov.ph/TechnoAklatan.htm
Photos:
By Alex Lim – https://pin.it/1P8kkvE, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=121345102
By Official Gazette of the Philippines – https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/1938/08aug/19380819-Address…, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=115628092
