[Retain Mike]

He must have been aware of Quezon’s attitude well before December 7. He should have pleaded his responsibilities as a US Army officer and inserted FDR into the conversation. It would be spurious from the point of view that he assumed a political role to which he was not entitled.

[Zhang Fei]

[He must have been aware of Quezon’s attitude well before December 7. He should have pleaded his responsibilities as a US Army officer and inserted FDR into the conversation. It would be spurious from the point of view that he assumed a political role to which he was not entitled.]

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How would inserting FDR into the discussion have changed anything? Quezon was looking to keep the Philippines out of the hostilities to come. He was perhaps trying to replicate what Thailand’s Phibun had done - staying effectively neutral while trying to convince whichever party was ascendant that he was on their side. Incidentally, Thailand had just about the lowest WW2 casualties of any nation/colonial holding in the region.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties

This is how Quezon’s escape from the PI could be understood as an abduction, to prevent him from pulling a Phibun, a separate peace with Japan.