Honoring President Quezon, a great Filipino leader
By Rudy Arizala
On 19 August 2007, will be 129th birth anniversary of the late President Manuel L. Quezon, a great Filipino leader and President of the Philippine Commonwealth.
Methinks, the best way of honoring him on his birthday is to remember and put into practice the principles under Executive Order No. 217 which he promulgated on 19 August 1939, shortly before the outbreak of WW II in the Pacific.
Below is my thinking on the matter.
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THE QUEZON CODE OF ETHICS
ITS RELEVANCE TODAY
By Rudy A. Arizala
Santiago, Chile 19 August 2007
In celebration of Philippine Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon´s 129th birth anniversary, it is worth remembering the relevance of his thinking as expounded in is "Code of Citizenship and Ethics" which he promulgated under Executive Order No. 217 on his 61st birthday, 19 August 1939.
There are 16 postulates or principles in all, but suffice to quote here only 6 of them which have relevance up to these days, to wit:
1.. Have faith in the Divine Providence that guides the destinies of men and nations.
2.. Love your country for it is the home of your people, the seat of your affections, and the source of your happiness and well-being. Its defense is your primary duty. Be ready at all times to sacrifice and die for it if necessary.
3.. Safeguard the purity of suffrage and abide by the decisions of the majority. (No. 5 in the Code of Ethics).
4.. Value your honor as you value your life,. Poverty with honor is preferable to wealth with dishonor. (No. 7 in the Code of Ethics).
5.. Contribute to the welfare of your community and promote social justice. You do not live for yourselves and your families alone. You are a part of society to which you owe definite responsibilities. (No. 14 in the Code of Ethics).
6.. Use and develop our natural resources and conserve them for posterity. They are the inalienable heritage of our people. Do not traffic with your citizenship. (No. 16 in the Code of Ethics).
Instead of holding parades and delivering speeches, let us remind ourselves of the above six postulates or principles and put them into practice. Methinks, that is the best way of honoring the late President Manuel L. Quezon on his 129th birth anniversary today, 19 August 2007, and in the years to come.
These are faith in God; love of country; sanctity of the ballots, primacy of honor; social justice; and conservation and development of our national resources.