Manuel L. Quezon

Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina was a lawyer, soldier, and politician who defeated Emilio Aguinaldo in the 1935 presidential election to become the second president of the Philippines. During his presidency he tackled landless peasants, reorganized military defense, promoted settlement in Mindanao, and fought foreign control of Philippine commerce while opposing corruption. When World War II brought the threat of Japanese invasion, he established a government in exile in the United States. Scholars note he removed his own term limits and turned the Senate into an arm of the executive through constitutional amendments, consolidating what they call a "de facto dictatorship" and making him the first Filipino politician to integrate all levels of power into one system. He died in exile on 1 August 1944, and today both Quezon City and Quezon Province carry his name.