An Invitation: A Seminar on the Legacy of Elpidio Quirino, Sixth President of the Republic of the Philippines
On the Occasion of the 60th Anniversary of Philippine-Japan Relations and the Unveiling of the Quirino Memorial in Tokyo
Elpidio Quirino and the Development of Philippines-Japan Relations 1948-1953
On the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the Normalization of Diplomatic Relations between the Philippines and Japan and of the unveiling of the Quirino Memorial in Tokyo, the Institute of Asian, African, and Middle Eastern Studies of Sophia University, in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines and the President Elpidio Quirino Foundation (PEQF), is sponsoring a seminar on the legacy of Elpidio Quirino (1890-1956), sixth President of the Philippines, who set the tone for the normalization of Philippines-Japan relations after World War II. At a time when the Philippines and Filipinos were rebuilding the nation and their lives from the ashes of war, Quirino, going against the public clamor for retribution, granted amnesty to Japanese prisoners of war in the Philippines. Quirino’s act was doubly significant considering his personal loss. He declared: “I should be the last one to pardon them as the Japanese killed my wife and three children, and five other members of my family. [But] I am doing this because I do not want my children and my people to inherit from me the hate for people who might yet be our friends for the permanent interest of our country.”
Three historians of the Philippines will revisit the life and times of Quirino, placing him and his legacy in the context of the friendly and flourishing relations between the Philippines and Japan today.
| Time | Friday, June 17, 2016, 17:30-20:00 |
| Venue: | Room 402, 4th Floor, Bldg.12, Sophia University (Yotsuya Campus), 7-1 Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo,102-8554 |
P R O G R A M
| Opening Address | H.E. Manuel M. Lopez, Ambassador of the Philippines |
| Lectures | “Elpidio Quirino Revisited” Prof. Ambeth R. Ocampo (Ateneo de Manila University) “Elpidio Quirino’s Role in Shaping Philippine Foreign Policy” “Forgiveness Should be Accompanied by Remembrance: War Memories and the Postwar Philippines-Japan Relations” |
| Open Forum Moderator | Prof. Takefumi Terada (Sophia University) |
| Closing Address | Ms. Aleli Angela G. Quirino (President Elpidio Quirino Foundation) |
No reservation or prior registration needed / No admission free
For inquiries, email:
Sophia University: <i-asianc@sophia.ac.jp>
Embassy of the Philippines <political@DELETEphilembassy.net>
