Did Manuel L. Quezon Jinx Us? A Real Talk on the "Run Like Hell" Prophecy

If you grew up in the Philippines like MJ and I did, there is a 100% chance you encountered this legendary quote in your Araling Panlipunan class. It is the ultimate historical mic-drop, courtesy of our first Commonwealth President, Manuel L. Quezon. Cue the patriotic music, right? It’s a banger of a statement. The kind of rebellious soundbite that makes you want to wave a flag and march into the sunset.

SEVEN

6/12/20263 min read

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"I would rather have a country run like hell by Filipinos
than a country run like heaven by the Americans,
because however a bad Filipino government might be,
we CAN always CHANGE it."
First Commonwealth President, Manuel L. Quezon

The History Nerd Context

First, let’s stick to the facts. Quezon wasn’t actually wishing for a literal dumpster fire.

He originally threw this shade in the 1920s when he was beefing with the American Governor-General, Leonard Wood, who was trying to pull back the autonomy Filipinos had already gained. Quezon later doubled down on it in a December 1939 speech at the Ateneo. He clarified that it wasn’t an admission that a Filipino government would be hell, nor that a foreign one could ever be heaven. He was just being dramatic to make a point: "I’d rather own my mistakes than be a well-fed pet in someone else’s house."

Respect. We get it. Sovereignty over subjugation all day.

But fast forward nearly a century, and you have to wonder if the universe took the "run like hell" part a bit too literally.

What about you? What’s your take on Quezon’s famous words? Are you waiting for the change, or are you making your own? Let us know in the comments below. And if you want to see what our version of "heaven" looks like over here in Spain, come hang out with us on our YouTube channel!

Let’s unpack this because as much as we deeply love our homeland, we have to admit: Quezon kind of got his wish. And the joke might just be on us.

40 Years of Resilience

I am more than 40 years old and I've spent that much of years in the Philippines. We love our country. We love the warmth of the people, the humor, the food, and that unbreakable spirit. But let’s not sugarcoat the reality.

There's something wrong with the "system". We’re talking about a political landscape that often feels like a poorly written reality TV show, and the exhausting, constant demand for "resilience" every time a basic system fails.

For over four decades, we played the game. We paid our taxes, built our careers, endured the late-night tech debugging sessions, and hustled through the grind. We held on to the second half of Quezon’s quote: "...we CAN always CHANGE it."

Changing Our Geography

Here is a quiet, slightly rebellious truth: waiting for a whole country to change takes a lifetime. Sometimes, multiple lifetimes. And while we were busy waiting for the system to stop running like hell, we realized we only had one life to live.

So, in 2025, we changed it.

We didn’t change the government. We changed our zip code. We packed our bags, boarded a plane, and landed in Spain.

Does that make us less Filipino? Absolutely not. You can take the Filipinos out of the Philippines, but you can’t take the love for sisig out of the Filipinos. We just decided that we didn't need to perpetually suffer to prove our patriotism.

You Are Allowed to Seek

Quezon was right about one thing: we can change things. But maybe change doesn’t always mean fixing a broken machine from the inside. Sometimes, change means taking control of your own narrative.

Moving to Spain wasn’t about escaping; it was about choosing a different kind of life. It’s about walking the trails of Monte Naranco without worrying about the smog. It’s about having the mental space to build our digital businesses and document our journey without the daily friction of a system that constantly tests your patience.

To our fellow Filipinos, whether you’re holding the fort back home, or exploring the world as an expat, remember this:

You don’t have to settle for the "hell" just because a politician romanticized it a hundred years ago. You are allowed to seek your own version of heaven, wherever that may be on the map.

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