Evening star., 1942-02-15

LEON GUINTO
Former Philippine Secretary OF
Labor under President Quezon and
noD Mayor OF occupied Manila.
Star staff Photo.
inhabitants, II he cares to or his jap
anese masters permit him to do So He
married into a wealthy. sugar producing
family in Iloilo and has eight children.
The newly designated Philippine
Chief of State" previously never showed
any political ambition. A quick-think-
ing, hard-driving administrator, he
gained the attention of top-notch Amer
lean and Filipino officials.
Only once did Vargas make misstep
which almost ruined his bureaucratic
career He got mixed up in a sweep
stakes operation. Observers thought he
would be peremptorily dismissed, but
Gov. Gen. Frank Murphy, after an in
vestigation, decided to give him another
chance. This chance led to his becoming
the second most powerful Filipino under
the American regime and now the top
Filipino official under the japanese.
Whether or not Vargas is now installed
in Malacanang Palace, the resplendent
architectural mongrel that has been the
traditional residence of the head Of the
Philippine government since the days
of Spanish governors general, the jap
anese have not disclosed. But presum-
ably he is in there now, for Gen. Massa-
haru Homma, commanding the invading
forces, studiously avoided taking over
that symbol of highest authority in the
Philippines, as a part Of the invaders
policy to lean over backward to appear
oonsiderate of the Filipino politicos' nA-
tionalistic feelings.
Cabinet Has Quezon Aides.
Homma himself occupied the swank,
rambling, government-owned Manila
Hotel, overlooking Manila Bay, for his
residence and that of his staff. For his
headquarters Homma commandeered the
nearby huge s75o,oO0 structure recently
built by the United States for Office and
residence of the American High Commits
Sioner.
BY coincidence or by Axis design,
Vargas, whom many of his pro-Amer-
lean countrymen now suspect as Quis-
ling. was appointed Chief of State" by
the japanese on the same day that the
German conquerors installed Vidkun
the originaD Quisling as Norway's
Prime Minister of State" With the
Japanese as good German-apers as they
are, they probably will see to it that
Vargas portrait adorns Philippine post
age stamps, just as Quisling's adorns
those of Nazi-occupied Norway.
Vargas cabinet contains many one
time aides and political henchmen Of
President Quezon. According to Toxic,
Benigno S. Aquino, who managed Que
IONS presidential campaign shortly be-
fore the invasion and former Secretary
of Agriculture and Commerce in Quezon's
cabinet is Secretary to Home Affairs in
the puppet government.
Antonio de las Alas, former cabinet
member and one of the "a Senators-elect-
ed last November after they had been
handpicked by President Quezon as his
party's candidate, is now Secretary of
Finance Quintin Parades, also Senator
elect and who was the first resident COM
missioner sent to Washington by the
Philippines Commonwealth, Is now Sec
retary Of Public Works. Claro M Recto,
another senator-elect and former justice
of the Supreme Court, is Secretary Of
Agriculture and Commerce.
Woman Lawyer Gets Post.
The only political newcomers in the
puppet cabinet are 1gnacio Manglapas,
a Socialist and labor leader, and Pacita
de los Reyes, young, beauteous woman
lawyer. Apparently, the japanese, in
appointing her as Secretary of Justice,
wanted to show that there would be no
setback in the political status of Fill
pino women under the new dispensation.
Filipino women can vote and hold elective
Office, while Japanese women can not.
Manglapas is secretary of the Admins
trative Department.
Jose Yulo, former Secretary Of JUS
tice in Quezon's cabinet, an ex-Speaker
OF the National Assembly, Senator
elect and longtime Quezon favorite who
visited Washington in 1910 to urge Pres
ident Roosevelt to approve the amend
ment to the Philippine constitution per-
mitting the Commonwealth Presidents
reelection, is now Chief Justice in the
puppet government. Leon Guinto, Que
IONS Secretary of Labor, is now successor
to Vargas as Mayor of occupied Manila.
Ilocanos, Tagalogs, Visayans and other
major Filipino groups, excepting the war;
like Moros, are represented in the Vargas
cabinet. Noteworthy is the apparent
partiality of the Japanese toward Fill
pinos Of pure Malayan origin. Vargas
is one, and no member of the puppet
cabinet Is wholly or partly Spanish or
Chinese descent. The Japanese have