President Quezon birthday message

Title

Creator

Quezon, Manuel L.

Language

English

Year

1943

Subject

Quezon, Manuel L., 1878-1944

Birthdays.

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

[ • -HERE AND THERE ] The President's Birthday THE HOLY SACRIFICE of the Mass was offered for President Quezon on the occasion of his 65th birthday under che auspices of the Filipino Catholic Association in Washington, D. C. It was celebrated on August 15 at the St. Aloysius Srudents' Chapel. Father Rafael de Ocampo, S.J-, chaplain of the Filipino Catholic Association, officiated. According to Mr. Bienvenido M. Gacusana, President of the Filipino-American Catholic Oub of Kansas City, Missouri, the Oub gave a similar mass in honor of the President's birthday on August 22. The Most Reverend Edwin V. O'Hara, Bishop of Kansas City, was the celebrant in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Sermon was delivered by the Reverend Daniel H. Conway, S.J., President of Sr. Mary's College, Saint Marys, Kansas. The Filipino Executive Council in Washington, D. C., held a program on_ August 19 in honor of the President's birthday, at the Congressional Hall of the Willard Hocel. Birthday messages from President Quezon, Vice-President Osmeiia, and Resident Commissioner Elizalde were read during the program. A movie, "Pledge to Bataan", was shown. The guest speaker of the evening was Col. Carlos P. Romulo. *** "See Yon in Manila" A FILIPINO vessel, one of only three remaining ships of the Philippine Merchant fleer, has just completed more than 160,000 miles of service to the United Nations, in enemy-infested waters. She has been in action since Japan attacked the Philippines and yet has not had a single encounter with hostile forces. In its voyages, and while loading war cargoes in vital ports, it sailed unarmed. The only weapon aboard was a .38 caliber revolver belonging to its skipper, Captain William H. Mullins. Captain Mullins had an all-Filipino crew of whom he is very proud. Filipino officers and crew total forty-four. Among them were Second Officer Gorgonio Garingalao and Third Officer Jose Villarin Sayo. Alfredo Barreiro is Chief Engineer, and Sindulfo Zurita, Second Assistant Engineer. Another member of the crew is Eleno Escote, who has been with the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey for ten years, from 1920 to 1930. He was aboard the Fathomer and the Pathfinder. He has served thirteen years in the Merchant Marine. These men of the ship-Filipinos all-are determined to keep on delivering the goods. They sail under the Filipino and American flags. They have adopted the same slogan of the Filipino regiments in California: "See You in Manila". In addition to their daily work, they also buy war bonds on pay days. One such pay day, they bought bonds totalling $8,000. 4 PRESIDENT QUEZON'S BIRTHDAY MESSAGE To my beloz·ed co1111try111e11 in the United States and Hawaii-" In the past few days, I have received from you many heart-warming birthday messages. I am deeply grateful to all of you for your remembrance of my birthday. As you know, I came to the United States at the invitation of President Roosevelt in order to function as the head of the Commonwealth Government in exile as a symbol of the redemption of the Philippines. This will be my second birthday anniversary since the Philippines fell under the sway of the Japanese military occupation. Through the long months of this occupation, our families, our relatives, our friends. our native towns, have suffered the aftermath of conflict and the hardships of alien oppression. Today. as always, I think of our people in their heavy ordeal, and my heart is sad. Although my health is not of the best, I dedicate my life to speeding the liberatioo of our beloved islands. To the men of the First and Second Filipino Infantry Regiments, to the Filipinos who are serving in the United States Navy and Coast Guard, to the men of our Philippine merchant marine, I send my warm greetings. Upon you rests the responsibility to fulfill the dream of freedom for which our soldiers died on the battlefields in the Philippines. As you train and as you fight, my hand and my heart go with you. To the thousands of Filipinos who are working in the war industries and on the farms of America and Hawaii, I express my deep appreciation of the constant and unflagging effort which you are putting into your labors. However prosaic your job might have seemed in the days of peace, you know, as I know, that your labor is helping to hasten the day of victory. To all Filipinos who still breathe the air of freedom, I repeat our full-throated cry of hope--"The Philippines Free Forever!" MANUEL L. QUEZON All hardened men of the sea, there is noching sentimental about the way they say, "See You in Manila"_ They know that one day, this little merchant vessel shall sail through Manila Bay, and anchor along the pier as it used to in the days before the War. They live for this day. * * * Filipinos in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve ON October 26, 1942, President Roosevelt approved a bill, which became Public Law No. 762, permitting Filipinos to qualify as members of the United States Coast Guard Reserve. PIDLIPPJNBS

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