Twenty-one Russians who used to be refugees on Tubabao Island, Guiuan, Eastern Samar have returned to the island in time for the 125th birth anniversary of the late President Elpidio Quirino.
Dubbed as “White Russians,” these are those who resisted the communist revolution in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. More than 6,000 refugees lived in Guiuan, where they were allowed to live by the late president, from 1949 to 1953.
The revolution gave rise to a White Army fighting the Red Army. “White Russian” was used to refer to people who fought the communist army and/or fled as a result of the violence and strife. Some of them took refuge in Europe while others sail to the cities of Hankow and Shanghai in China.
Some of the refugees in Guiuan eventually moved to France and Australia; most of them migrated to the United States.
Quirino was born Nov. 16, 1890 in Vigan, Ilocos Sur. Presidential Proclamation 967 signed by President Benigno Aquino III, all Filipinos here and abroad are enjoined to commemorate Quirino’s memory and legacy.
Quirino began his public service career as a student teacher.
Giving asylum to the White Russians is one of Quirino’s legacies.