Antonio Quirino

Quirino was born on January 20, 1906. He graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law and was a member of the Upsilon Sigma Phi.[1]

In 1948, Quirino convinced Hukbalahap leader Luis Taruc to present himself to President Elpidio Quirino. Taruc agreed and the Philippine government granted an amnesty to the Hukbalahap and the Pambansang Kaisahan ng mga Magbubukid (PKM).[2] The government agreed go the Hukbalahap's terms, giving the group a fifty-day amnesty to let them give up their weapons in exchange for certain provisions. Three hours after the amnesty period ended, government troops attacked Taruc's group, who accused the government of bad faith. One of the provisions was to forbid the United States to maintain military bases on Philippine soil, which the government did not accept.[3]

Quirino established the first television station in the Philippines primarily to support the reelection campaign of his brother, President Elpidio Quirino, for the 1953 election.[4] The station was DZAQ-TV of Alto Broadcasting System, a predecessor network company of ABS-CBN. The first telecast of DZAQ-TV was aired on October 23, 1953 and was that of a party of Antonio in which his brother, Elpídio, became the first Filipino president to appear on television,[5] though the broadcast did not end in an appeal by Antonio for the audience to vote to reelect his brother.[6]

Quiríno was the youngest male in a brood of six children.[7] In 1938, he married Aleli Aguilar De Guzman. The couple had seven children.

In 1957, he ran for president under the Quirino wing of the Liberal Party. In that election he lost to Carlos P. Garcia and placed 5th in the canvassing.