Original sentence: In 1948, President Elpidio Quirino appointed Macapagal as chief negotiator in the transfer of the Turtle Islands in the Sulu Sea from the United Kingdom to the Philippines.In June 1962, Macapagal signed a proclamation which moved the commemoration of the nation's independence from July 4, the date of the country's independence from the United States in 1946, to June 12, the date when Filipino patriots in declared independence from Spain in 1898.While serving in Congress, Macapagal was named as a Philippine representative to the United Nations General Assembly three times
Edited sentence: <ref name=pte>.At the start of legislative sessions in 1950, the members of the House of Representatives elected Macapagal as Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.In 1948, President Elpidio Quirino appointed Macapagal as chief negotiator in the successful transfer of the Turtle Islands in the Sulu Sea from the United Kingdom to the Philippines.In 1949, he was elevated to the position of Counselor on Legal Affairs and Treaties, at the time the fourth highest post in the Philippine Foreign Office.In June 1962, he signed a proclamation which moved the observation of the nation's independence from July 4, the date that the country was granted independence from the United States in 1946, to June 12, the date when Filipino patriots declared independence from Spain in 1898.Macapagal appealed to nationalist sentiments by shifting the commemoration of Philippine independence day.Macapagal later admitted to journalist Stanley Karnow: "When I was in the diplomatic corps, I noticed that nobody came to our receptions on the Fourth of July, but went to the American Embassy instead.So, to compete, I decided we needed a different holiday.While serving in Congress, Macapagal was named as a Philippine representative to the United Nations General Assembly three times, notably distinguishing himself in debates with Andrei Vishinsky and Jacob Malik of the Soviet Union