PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES
Manuel Roxas
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Manuel Acuña Roxas (January 1, 1892—April 15, 1948) was a Philippine political figure. He was the president of the Philippines between 1946 and 1948.
Biography
Early life and career
Roxas was born on January 1, 1892 in a city that was named, postmortem, after him, Roxas City, Capiz to parents Gerardo Roxas and Rosario Acuna.
Roxas studied law at the University of the Philippines and was the Bar topnotcher. He was a career politician who started being a provincial fiscal. He served in various capacities under Manuel L. Quezon's commonwealth government. In 1921, he was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives and in the following year he became speaker.
After the Commonwealth of the Philippines was established (1935), Roxas became a member of the National Assembly, served (1938-1941) as the Secretary of Finance in President Manuel Quezon's cabinet, and was elected (1941) to the Philippine Senate.
In World War II, he was captured (1942) by the Japanese invasion forces. During WWII, however, he served under the Japanese-sponsored Philippine Republic. During this time he also served as an intelligence agent for the underground Philippine guerilla forces. The returning American forces arrested him a Japanese collaborator. After the war, Gen. Douglas MacArthur pardoned him and reinstated his commission as an officer of the US armed forces. This resuscitated his political career.
With MacArthur's support, Roxas was elected president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines in 1946 as the nominee of the liberal wing of the Nacionalista Party, defeating Sergio Osmeña. When Philippine independence was granted on July 4, 1946, he became the first president of the new republic.
Presidency
As president, he then pardoned the Japanese collaborators. He marked history with his versatile achievements by being a man of many talents.
On April 15, 1948, he succumbed to a fatal heart attack after delivering a speech at Clark Air Base. He was succeeded by his vice president, Elpidio Quirino.
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