18/10/2025
𝗜𝗻 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲 last October 15, Timothy Hormigos and Isaiah Niccol Abasolo 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟭𝟵𝟯𝟱 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆!
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰!
-𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧-
ɪɴ 1935, ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴠᴏᴛᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ᴘʀᴇꜱɪᴅᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛʀʏ’ꜱ ɪɴᴅᴇᴘᴇɴᴅᴇɴᴄᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 30 ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴀᴍᴇʀɪᴄᴀɴ ʀᴜʟᴇ. ᴍᴀɴᴜᴇʟ Qᴜᴇᴢᴏɴ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴇʟᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ᴀꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴏɴᴡᴇᴀʟᴛʜ ɪɴ ᴀ ʟᴀɴᴅꜱʟɪᴅᴇ, ꜱᴏʟɪᴅɪꜰʏɪɴɢ ʜɪꜱ ʟᴇɢᴀᴄʏ ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ᴘʜɪʟɪᴘᴘɪɴᴇ ʜɪꜱᴛᴏʀʏ.
Quezon’s path to victory was not easy. PH Party politics in the 30s revolved around the question of independence. And in 1934, the Nacionalista party was split across old lines once again. With long-time rivals Osmeña and Quezon duking it out for dominance in the legislature. The “Pro” faction supported the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act, led by Osmeña. The “Anti” faction, led by Quezon, would reject the law, citing unfair economic provisions, the weakening of the executive, and the unfair policy on the US military bases in the country.
For the Pros, this was seen as Quezon consolidating power for himself in the upcoming elections. For the Antis, it would be seen as Quezon defending the interests of the Philippines from the whims of the American Government. Regardless, the HHC was rejected by the Anti-dominated legislature and was replaced with the Tydings-McDuffie Law, of which Quezon was the major sponsor.
The rejection was bitter for the Pros. And with a crushing defeat in the 1934 legislative elections, it was Quezon who won out in the end. The Tydings-McDuffie Law would come into effect the next year. With a new constitution drafted and ratified, it was time for the nation to vote for the president of the new Commonwealth.
Putting their differences aside, the need for party harmony would have a Quezon-Osmeña coalition running as president and vice president for the 1935 elections. The once fierce rivals would now see themselves on the same side of the ticket for a nation transitioning into independence.
The revolutionary old guard of Aguinaldo and Aglipay would enter the fray as presidential candidates in 1935. Pascual Racuyal, a local mechanic, would also join, marking his first out of many presidential runs until 1986.
Emilio Aguinaldo, former president of the revolutionary republic and a longtime critic of Quezon, ran with former governor of Iloilo, Raymundo Melliza under the National Socialist Party. A diverse coalition of right and left, Aguinaldo would use his connections with revolutionary veterans to build support for his campaign. Meanwhile, Gregorio Aglipay, the founder of the IFI Sect, would revive the defunct Republican Party and have Noberto Nabong as his running mate. The ticket would have the support of the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas, the Sakdalistas, and labor unions, all which were Anti-Quezon.
The race was a landslide for Quezon and Osmeña. The relatively younger candidates with a well-oiled political machine, along with the political inexperience of the opposition paved the way for a comfortable victory for the coalition. They won in all but 4 provinces in the country. Meanwhile, the 2nd and 3rd placers Aguinaldo and Aglipay won in their home provinces of Cavite and Ilocos Norte. Aguinaldo also won in Camarines Norte and Aglipay in Nueva Vizcaya. They each got 17 and 14 percent of the vote, respectively.
Aglipay accepted the defeat in grace, while Aguinaldo would protest the results for electoral manipulation. When that failed, he called on his supporters to protest the inauguration and also attempted a failed assassination plot against the two candidates.
The election of Quezon and Osmeña would be the height of the Nacionalista Party’s dominance. Unfortunately for Quezon, he wouldn’t get to see the liberation of the country. But his rule would, for better or worse, shape the direction of the Philippines in the decades to come.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/xaisai
