Quezon’s 1937 letter to Aurora spills historical infideli-tea

‘I have my weakness, as you know, but dear, it’s all superficial.’

While Marites continues to pore over Ellen Adarna’s screenshots about Derek Ramsay’s alleged cheating, another intriguing piece of Philippine history has emerged. A newly discovered letter from Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon to his wife Aurora reveals him sweet-talking his way through accusations of two-timing—almost a century before the era of “receipts.”

The letter, penned on Jan. 25, 1937, was posted by León Gallery on Nov. 18 ahead of its The Kingly Treasures Auction 2025 on Dec. 6. Handwritten across six sheets of cream vellum, embossed with the Seal of the Commonwealth Republic and “Malacañan Palace,” and signed simply “Dad,” it offers an unusually intimate portrait of Quezon, who sounds less like a politico and more like a full-blown romantico.

“Please don’t doubt me,” he writes. “My love has never changed from the first day I have realized that I was in love with you. I have my weakness as you know, but dear it’s all superficial.”

The case of the taxi dancer and considerate husband

With all the candor he could muster, Quezon also admits to his “shortcomings” and “weakness.” He brings up “accepting the case of that bailerina (taxi dancer),” but insists, “My weakness in this respect have (sic) not been serious.”

Still, he maintains that he had been completely honest with Aurora since the start of their marriage: “When you married me, you were frankly informed by me of my shortcomings. I did not want to deceive you by promising something that I could not fulfill.”

Quezon even casts himself as a considerate husband who avoids inflicting unnecessary pain: “You have placed (me) sometimes in a position where l thought that it was better that I should not confess to you what I had done that might hurt your feelings.”

But the letter also shows that even a gentleman has feelings. Quezon describes the embarrassment he felt when Aurora decamped to Baguio without telling him—a move that Palace staff quickly caught wind of.

Still, he chose to forgive her.

Affairs and scandals

Aurora also accused Quezon of having an “illicit relation with a girl who was a government pensionada.” His short but stark reply: “I resented the insinuation.”

He then reminds her, and maybe himself, about the weight of his position: “During this last year of my presidency l have grown tremendously. My sense of values has been sharper… I cannot forget, even in my most private affairs and family relations, that certain consideration is due to my office.”

Despite the challenges in paradise, 1937 proved to be a fruitful year for Quezon during his tenure as head of state. Two weeks before that panunuyo, he signed the law creating the Institute of the National Language, choosing Tagalog as the foundation. That same year, he championed women’s right to vote, oversaw the establishment of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, and welcomed Jews fleeing the Nazi invasion of Europe.

All things considered, Quezon’s letter, as scandalous as it may read, reveals a vulnerable, human side of the president rarely seen beyond the halls of Malacañang.

The letter, which has a starting bid of ₱50,000, also includes Quezon’s calling card, family photographs, and a newspaper clipping of the same image. Other Quezon memorabilia up for grabs are a TIME Magazine featuring him on the cover, his original 1924 passport signed by political rival Governor-General Leonard Wood, and a “Laughing Quezon” Gold Cross Medal.

León Gallery is auctioning off 160 items. Please take a moment to view the complete catalog here.

 

 

With all the candor he could muster, Quezon also admits to his “shortcomings” and “weakness.” He brings up “accepting the case of that bailerina (taxi dancer),” but insists, “My weakness in this respect have (sic) not been serious.”

 

 

 

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