Filipinas in History: Aurora Quezon

Aurora Quezon had the heart for service, compassion for people, and love for her country. 

Dubbed as “The Mother of the Masses”, Aurora Aragon Quezon was the wife of President Manuel L. Quezon and the second First Lady of the Philippines. Alongside her husband, Aurora portrayed qualities that made her stand out during her time – she was a Filipina with a heart for service, compassion for the people, and love for the country.

But for the years that her husband reigned as the president, she chose to stay in the background while doing her own work. She immersed herself in women organizations, like National Federation of Women’s Clubs where she acted as the honorary chairman, and fought for women’s rights and gave priority to public needs. The President also achieved a campaign in 1937 that aimed to give Filipino women the right of suffrage. The campaign was mainly pioneered by the First Lady. After her husband’s death, she still chose to be active in civic work, becoming the first chairperson of the Philippine National Red Cross.

Aurora died in an ambush on April 28, 1949 while she was en route to inaugurate the Quezon Memorial Hospital in Baler. To honor the First Lady, a province (Aurora) and a highway (Aurora Boulevard) were named after her.

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Article by Zarah

Art by Sean

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Zarah is an eighteen-year-old Advertising Management major who likes to compute numbers and write stories. You can find her at cafes reading a book or watching a movie/anime. Like Margo from Paper Towns, she adores mysteries so much that she is slowly becoming one. And when all is finally right in her world, she would like to become a successful scriptwriter.  
 
Sean is a 15-year-old muggle-born who is proud to say that he is perfectly abnormal, thank you very much. Peculiar in many ways, he is a far cry from that common stereotyped teenager.  He has a great passion for art, and would love to do nothing more than making collages and other creative thingamajigs.