Quezon Service Cross
Encyclopedia
The Quezon Service Cross is the highest national recognition of the Republic of the Philippines. It has been awarded to only five Filipinos since its creation in 1946.
conferred by the President of the Philippines with the concurrence of the Congress of the Philippines on Filipino citizens for
"exemplary service to the nation in such a manner and such a degree as to add great prestige to the Republic of the Philippines, or as to contribute to the lasting benefit of its people".
Nominations for the Quezon Service Cross need to state the services meriting the award and are made only in cases where the service performed or contribution made can be measured on the scale established by what the joint resolution terms "the benefaction" of the late President Manuel L. Quezon
, after whom the decoration is named.
The Quezon Service Cross was proposed by President Manuel Roxas
. It is also known as the Congressional Quezon Service Cross, as conferment requires the approval of the Philippine Congress and is seldom awarded.
Awarding was paused between 1973 and 1986, when the Philippine Congress was temporarily abolished.
Background
The award was created by a joint resolution (No. 4) dated October 21, 1946 of the First Congress of the Republic of the Philippines. A joint resolution of the Philippine Congress has the force of law. The Quezon Service Cross is a decorationState decoration
State decorations are orders, medals and other decorations granted by a state. International decorations are similar, but are not granted by a specific nation but rather an international organization....
conferred by the President of the Philippines with the concurrence of the Congress of the Philippines on Filipino citizens for
"exemplary service to the nation in such a manner and such a degree as to add great prestige to the Republic of the Philippines, or as to contribute to the lasting benefit of its people".
Nominations for the Quezon Service Cross need to state the services meriting the award and are made only in cases where the service performed or contribution made can be measured on the scale established by what the joint resolution terms "the benefaction" of the late President Manuel L. Quezon
Manuel L. Quezon
Manuel Luis Quezón y Molina served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. He was the first Filipino to head a government of the Philippines...
, after whom the decoration is named.
The Quezon Service Cross was proposed by President Manuel Roxas
Manuel Roxas
Manuel Acuña Roxas was the first president of the independent Third Republic of the Philippines and fifth president overall. He served as president from the granting of independence in 1946 until his abrupt death in 1948...
. It is also known as the Congressional Quezon Service Cross, as conferment requires the approval of the Philippine Congress and is seldom awarded.
Awardees
Only five Filipinos have been conferred this decoration:- Carlos P. RomuloCarlos P. RómuloCarlos Peña Rómulo was a Filipino diplomat, politician, soldier, journalist and author. He was a reporter at 16, a newspaper editor by the age of 20, and a publisher at 32...
, 1951 - President Emilio AguinaldoEmilio AguinaldoEmilio Aguinaldo y Famy was a Filipino general, politician, and independence leader. He played an instrumental role during the Philippines' revolution against Spain, and the subsequent Philippine-American War or War of Philippine Independence that resisted American occupation...
, 1956 - President Ramon MagsaysayRamon MagsaysayRamón del Fierro Magsaysay was the third President of the Republic of the Philippines from December 30, 1953 until his death in a plane crash in 1957. He was elected President under the banner of the Nacionalista Party.-Early life:Ramon F...
, 1957 (posthumous) - Benigno Aquino, Jr.Benigno Aquino, Jr.Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. was a Filipino Senator and a former Governor of Tarlac. Aquino, together with Gerry Roxas and Jovito Salonga, formed the leadership of the opposition to the Marcos regime in the years leading to the imposition of martial law in the Philippines...
, 2004 (posthumous) - President Manuel Roxas 1956 (posthumous)
Awarding was paused between 1973 and 1986, when the Philippine Congress was temporarily abolished.