Carlos Felix Lozada Quirino

Carlos Lozada Quirino is the second son of Dr. Jose Felix Arcinas Quirino and Dolores S. Lozada and is a nephew of Philippine President Elpidio R. Quirino. He is best known for his early biography of the Philippines National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal. He also wrote several works on Philippine history that, among others include:

Manuel L.Quezon -- Man of Destiny (1935) Jose Rizal -- The Great Malayan (1940) Magsaysay and the Philippines (1958) Philippine Cartography (1959) Damian Domingo: First Eminent Filipino Painter (1961) History of the Philippine Sugar Industry (1974) Filipinos at War (1981) Amang, the Life and Times of Eulogio Rodriguez, Sr. (1983)

In 1997 he was recognised as a National Artist of the Philippines for Historical Literature.

A National Artist of the Philippines is a title awarded to Filipinos, bestowing the highest recognition for having helped build a sense of nationhood through the content and form of their works; creating a significant body of works and/or have consistently displayed excellence in the practice of their art form; who enjoy broad acceptance through prestigious national and/or international recognition, awards in prestigious national and/or inter national events, critical acclaim and/or reviews of their works; and respect and esteem from peers within an artistic discipline.

Such awardees are announced, by virtue of a Presidential Proclamation, as National Artist, and are conferred membership in the Order of National Artists – the regalia of which is an ornate, gilded collar of honor. In addition to the collar, each newly proclaimed member of the Order is given a citation that is presented during the awardees’ conferment ceremonies.

His son, Carlos Felix C. Quirino, Jr. writes: My father lived a purposeful and full life (1910-1999) until it was time for him to move on at the ripe age of 89.

In his time with us, he was not just a writer – a craft he loved and fastidiously cultivated, but also a much widely-travelled man-of-the-world, a newsman and editor, avid sportsman, an expert marksman, a rifle marksman champion, a decorated soldier during WWII and a Bataan Death March veteran, a lawyer, a diplomat, a government official, a Director of the Philippines National Library and founding curator of a private museum, the Ayala Museum. He accomplished much and excelled in every one of them.

I remember my father, more than anything else, for being a warm, thoughtful, caring, extremely patient and engaging parent; a fair and meticulous observer of people and events, quietly retrospect in dispensing advise to people, a man of understanding doubly blessed with wisdom. He was a role model to emulate by fortunate circumstances of proximity but treasured more in light of the fact that he himself was orphaned at the very young age of three when his own father, Dr. Jose Felix A, Quirino – an eminent physician schooled in Berlin , died at the wheel of a fatal car accident while driving on pilgrimage with his family to the shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage in Antipolo, Rizal.

His contribution as a historian is probably the most important aspect of his public persona. As far as the rigour of his scholarship was concerned and the importance other people ascribe to his body of work as a scholar, his personal contributions to a country he both loved and defended at risk of his own life have become valuable as historical anecdotes and footnotes.

He was prodigious in his output over several decades – hundreds of published (and unpublished) articles on various topics of interest and several dozen books and booklets on Philippine history and culture. Some notable libraries such as the National Library of Australia and the U.S. Library of Congress retain a good collection of some of his published works in their own archives.

John Dewey, an American philosopher and educational reformer, once remarked that, “the only freedom that is of enduring importance is the freedom of intelligence, that is to say, freedom of observation and of judgment, exercised in behalf of purposes that are intrinsically worthwhile.” In that res-pect, I believe, Carlos Lozada Quirino was one such man who exercised it.

Read Also: At The Lap Of My Father: https://karlquirino.wordpress.com/tag/carlos-quirino/

Vibal Foundation Video: Tribute to Carlos Lozada Quirino (Part-1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrcLpq44C-M

Vibal Foundation Video: Tribute to Carlos Lozada Quirino (Part-2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgWI31dquiE

Vibal Foundation Video: Tribute to Carlos Lozada Quirino (Part-3): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VadiojDaY4

Carlos Lozada Quirino was a prominent historian and writer. He is a National Artist for Historical Literature. More here: http://bit.ly/UyIQac.