Produced by David Griffin in the 1930s (probably 1939), MODERN MANILA shows the capitol of the Philippines as it appeared before World War II when the nation was still a U.S. protectorate but had achieved commonwealth status. Since much of Manila was destroyed during the Battle of Manila in 1945, much of this film represents a look back at a lost era. The Pan Am China Clipper is seen, along with modern department stores and the downtown. First President Manuel Quezon is seen at the 2:30 mark delivering a speech. General MacArthur is seen seated behind the President at the 2:50 mark. A display by the Philippine Army is seen at the 4 minute mark, and the national sport at the 5 minute mark. Girls with butterfly dresses and local dishes are seen at the 5:30 mark, along with a musical performance.
Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (August 19, 1878 – August 1, 1944) served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. He was the first Filipino to head a government of the Philippines (as opposed to other historical states), and is considered to have been the second president of the Philippines, after Emilio Aguinaldo (1897–1901).
Quezon was the first Senate president elected to the presidency, the first president elected through a national election and the first incumbent to secure re-election (for a partial second term, later extended, due to amendments to the 1935 Constitution). He is known as the “Father of the National Language”.
During his presidency, Quezón tackled the problem of landless peasants in the countryside. Other major decisions include reorganization of the islands’ military defense, approval of recommendation for government reorganization, promotion of settlement and development in Mindanao, dealing with the foreign stranglehold on Philippine trade and commerce, proposals for land reform, and opposing graft and corruption within the government. He established an exiled government in the U.S. with the outbreak of the war and the threat of Japanese invasion.
It was during his exile in the U.S. that he died of tuberculosis at Saranac Lake, New York. He was buried in the Arlington National Cemetery until the end of World War II, when his remains were moved to Manila. His final resting place is the Quezon City Memorial Circle.
In 2015 the Board of The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation approved a posthumously bestowal of the Wallenberg Medal upon President Quezón and to the people of the Philippines for having reached-out, between 1937 and 1941, to the victims of the Holocaust. President Benigno Aquino III, and María Zeneida Quezón Avanceña, who is 94 years-old and daughter of the former President, were duly informed about this recognition.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
