President Sergio Osmeña’s inaugural address

Don Sergio Suico Osmeña Sr. is the only Philippine president who delivered his inaugural address in the United States. It was made on August 10, 1944, nine days after the death of President Manuel Quezon. Present during the inaugural address were the members of the Cabinet-in-exile stationed in Washington, District of Colombia.

Technically, Don Sergio was already a president when he came to the shores of Palo, Leyte, accompanying Gen. Douglas MacArthur in the famous “Leyte Landing”. MacArthur led an installment ceremony at the steps of the Leyte Provincial Capitol on October 22, 1944. Here is an excerpt of the inaugural speech of President Osmeña:

“Gentlemen of the Cabinet: Nine days ago, when I performed the painful duty of announcing the passing of our beloved leader, President Manuel L. Quezon, I said in part:

“President Quezon’s death is a great loss to the freedom-loving world. No champion of liberty fought for such a noble cause with more determination and against greater odds. His whole life was dedicated to the achievement of his people’s freedom, and it is one of the sad paradoxes of fate that with forces of victory fast approaching the Philippines, he should pass away now and be deprived of seeing the culmination of his labors –the freedom of his people.

“President Quezon was a champion of freedom in war and in peace. The plains and hills of Bataan, where the brave Filipino and American soldiers faced with heroism the overwhelming power of the Japanese invader, were also his field of action during the revolutionary days.

“When the war came and it became necessary to evacuate Manila, President Quezon, frail and sick as he was, moved with his Cabinet to Corregidor where he shared with the soldiers the rigors of the tunnel life and from there braved the hazards of a perilous journey to the Visayas, Mindanao, Australia, and America, in order to continue the fight for the freedom of his people. Here, in Washington, with his War Cabinet, he functioned as the legitimate government of the Filipino people and served as the symbol of their redemption.

“In the last few moments before his martyrdom, the great Rizal lamented that he would not be able to see the dawn of freedom break over his beloved country, but he prophesied, that his countrymen would see that day, ‘I have sown the seeds,’ he said, ‘others are left to reap.’ Quezon, more fortunate than Rizal, died with the comforting thought that the freedom of the Philippines was already an incontestable reality, awaiting only the certain defeat of the enemy for its full expression.

“Our path of duty is clear. It is the path of national honor, dignity, and responsibility. It was laid out for us by the great heroes of our race –Rizal, Bonifacio and Quezon. We shall move forward steadily to reach our goal, maintaining our faith in the United States and fully cooperating with her.”