READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY – ROGERS, BSN1

UNIT 1
WEEK 3

MAY-ARR B. TIU October 2 , 2021

BSN 1

President Quezon confers the Medal of Valor on Major Emigdio Cruz, Miami Florida, March, 1944. In

this account in the Philippines Free Press, Dr. Cruz wrote, of the death of Quezon

On the morning of August 1st, 1944, I entered the room at a quarter to eight to relieve Dr. Diño. The President

was awake and reclining against the back rest. He asked me to read the Sermon on the Mount to him. After I had finished

reading, the President snapped his fingers and pointed at the back of his left wrist. I looked at my watch and said, “time for the

broadcast, Mr. President,” at the same time turning on the radio. “Gen. MacArthur made a successful landing on Noonfar just

600 miles from the Philippines,” came the announcement. Almost simultaneously we clapped our hands. “It won’t be long now,”

he said, and told me to step out of the room as he needed the attendant. I stayed in the lobby just outside the door, looking for

the President’s favorite passage in the Bible.

All of a sudden I heard a noise. I rushed into the room and found the President coughing spasmodically, with blood coming out

his mouth and nose. He was being held by the attendant. When I got near his side he said, “Trepp.”

I rushed downstairs and called Dr. Trepp and dashed to the chapel and told Mrs. Quezon to pray hard for the President. Then I

went up again and gave the President stimulants. I requested Dr. Diño to call up Dr. Hayes.Dr. Trepp was holding the President,

who was at that time in a very cyanotic condition. His pulse became very weak, so I went down and called Mrs. Quezon.

Mrs. Quezon and the children entered the room. She tried to go to the bedside of the President. The President waved

her aside to spare her feelings. Then I saw the President gasp so we turned him upside down to get the blood clots out of his air

passages. A big clot was recovered. I started giving him artificial respiration. I was still astride him giving artificial respiration

when Dr. Hayes arrived. The President breathed a few more gasps. He died fifteen minutes after ten o’clock in the morning of

August 1st, 1944.