Senator Loren Legarda hailed the declaration of the residence of Don Quintin Paredes in Abra as a national historical site, conferred by virtue of Senate Resolution 136.
“The Senate Resolution to declare the residence of Don Quintin Paredes in Abra as a national historical site, which I authored, was approved last December 12. The National Historical Institute has approved the provisions of the resolution and the inauguration and laying of the cornerstone is set on February 23. This move is only fitting to honor a great and distinguished man who lived his life in the service of the Filipino people,” she said.
Legarda remarked that from his humble beginnings in Bangued, Abra, Don Quintin went on to hold many important government positions such as Manila City Fiscal, Attorney General, Secretary of Justice, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Senate President Pro-Tempore, and later, Senate President. He was also a member of the parliamentary mission to the United States in 1919.
“Don Quintin authored the Magna Carta for Labor while never giving up on his advocacy in promoting vocational courses in education. He also contributed to the review of the provisions of the Revised Penal Code as a member of the Code Commission. But more than his exemplary service as a lawyer and legislator, Don Quintin championed the cause for civil liberties,” she detailed.
Legarda noted that author Frank Ephraim, in his book Escape to Manila, which documented the plight of the Jews during the Nazi regime, chronicled how Quintin Paredes chaired a local rally to denounce the persecution of Jews by Nazi in Germany.
“Even after he retired from public service at the age of 79 in 1963, he continued to be a defender of rights through his practice of law. Don Quintin's is a life from which we can draw inspiration as he exemplifies hard work and belief in the importance of every individual,” Legarda concluded.
