President Roxas was born to Gerardo Roxas and Rosario Acuña on Jan. 1, 1892 in Capiz (now Roxas City), Capiz. For thirty one years beginning with his election as governor of his province at the age of 27, Roxas served in various appointive and elective government positions, culminating in his election to the presidency of the first Asian country to gain independence from colonial rule, the Republic of the Philippines.
Roxas dedicated his life to the pursuit of freedom for his country and the well-being of his countrymen. His sterling leadership qualities and his wealth of experience as a legislator, constitutionalist, economist, soldier and orator propelled him to the challenge of leading a nation suffering from the ravages of World War II.
Brief as his stint was, the years from 1946 to 1948 were the crucial years when the groundwork for national recovery was laid. Perhaps Roxas’ achievement could be summed up in this nutshell by Sen. Claro M. Recto: "Considering the number and magnitude of those problems. . . and the extreme brevity of the time fate was to allot to him, no other ruler without his talent and industry could have achieved as much as he. It is indeed his possession of such intellectual wealth, enhanced even more by a divine gift of eloquence not surpassed by any other of his generation, that will make the name of Manuel Roxas, in legend and in history, a patent of glory and a blazon of spiritual nobility not only for the Filipino people and the Malayan race, but for all humanity."
After serving as chief executive for a fruitful 23 months, President Roxas passed away on April 15, 1948 at the young age of 56. His life’s work shaped and fortified the Filipino patriotic spirit. The sterling leadership that he characterized truly exemplify the best of the Filipino soul.