Emilio Famy Aguinaldo QSC PLH[c] (March 22, 1869[d] February 6, 1964) was

a Filipino revolutionary, politician, and a military leader who is officially recognized as the
First President of the Philippines (18991901) and first president of a constitutional republic in Asia.
He led Philippine forces first against Spain in the latter part of the Philippine Revolution (1896
1897), and then in theSpanishAmerican War (1898), and finally against the United States during
the PhilippineAmerican War (18991901). He was captured in Palanan, Isabela by American forces
on March 23, 1901, which brought an end to his presidency.
In 1935 Aguinaldo ran unsuccessfully for president of the Philippine Commonwealth against Manuel
Quezon. After the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1941, he cooperated with the new rulers,
even making a radio appeal for the surrender of the American and Filipino forces on Bataan. He was
arrested as a collaborator after the Americans returned but was later freed in a general amnesty.

Philippine Revolution and Early Victories[edit]

Main article: Philippine Revolution
On January 1, 1895, Aguinaldo became a Freemason, joining Pilar Lodge No. 203, Imus, Cavite by
the codename "Colon". He would later say:
"The Successful Revolution of 1896 was masonically inspired, masonically led, and
masonically executed, and I venture to say that the first Philippine Republic of which I was its
humble President, was an achievement we owe largely, to Masonry and the Masons." [11]
The seal of the Magdalo faction led by Baldomero Aguinaldo Emilio's brother.

On March 7, 1895, Santiago Alvarez whose father was a Capitan Municipal (Mayor)
of Noveleta encouraged Aguinaldo to join the "Katipunan", a secret organization led by Andrs
Bonifacio, dedicated to the expulsion of the Spanish and independence of the Philippines
through armed force.[12](p77) Aguinaldo joined the organization and used the nom de
guerre Magdalo, in honor of Mary Magdalene. The local chapter of Katipunan in Cavite was
established and named Sangguniang Magdalo, and Aguinaldo's cousinBaldomero
Aguinaldo was appointed leader.[13](p179) [14]
The Katipunan-led Philippine Revolution against the Spanish began in the last week of August
1896 in San Juan del Monte (now part of Metro Manila).[13](p176) However, Aguinaldo and other
Cavite rebels initially refused to join in the offensive alleging lack of arms. [14]While Bonifacio and
other rebels were forced to resort to guerrilla warfare, Aguinaldo and the Cavite rebels won
major victories in set-piece battles, temporarily driving the Spanish out of their area. [14]

Manuel Luis Quezn de Molina, padre (August 19, 1878 August 1, 1944) was
a Filipino statesman, soldier, and politician who served as president of the Commonwealth of the
Philippines from 1935 to 1944. He was the first Filipino to head a government of the entire
Philippines (as opposed to the government of previous Philippine states), and is considered to have
been the secondpresident of the Philippines, after Emilio Aguinaldo (18971901). Quezon was
a Spanish Filipino, with both his parents being Filipino mestizos.
In the Philippines Quezon was the first Senate president elected to the presidency, the first president
elected through a national election, and the first incumbent to secure re-election (for a partial second
term, later extended, due to amendments to the 1935 Constitution). For pushing Commonwealth Act
No. 184 that established the National Language Institute and a consequent Philippine national
language, Quezon has been tagged as his country's "Father of the National Language".
During his presidency, Quezon tackled the problem of landless peasants in the countryside. His
other major decisions include the reorganization of the islands' military defense, approval of a
recommendation for government reorganization, the promotion of settlement and development in
Mindanao, dealing with the foreign stranglehold on Philippine trade and commerce, proposals for
land reform, and opposing graft and corruption within the government. He established an exiled
government in the U.S. with the outbreak of the war and the threat of Japanese invasion.
It was during his exile in the U.S. that he died of tuberculosis at Saranac Lake, New York. He was
buried in the Arlington National Cemetery until the end of World War II, when his remains were
moved to Manila. His final resting place is the Quezon City Memorial Circle.
In 2015, the Board of The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation approved a posthumously
bestowal of the Wallenberg Medal upon President Quezon and to the people of the Philippines for
having reached-out, between 1937 and 1941, to the victims of the Holocaust. President Benigno
Aquino III, and Mara Zeneida Quezon Avancea, who is 94 years old and the daughter of the former
President, were duly informed about this recognition.
Quezon, was born in Baler in the district of El Prncipe[1] (now Baler, Aurora). His parents were Lucio
Quezon (died 1898) and Mara Dolores Molina (June 7, 1840 1893), both of whom were SpanishMestizos with distant ethnic Tagalog origins. His father was a primary grade school teacher
from Paco, Manila and a retired Sergeant of the Spanish colonial army, while his mother was a
primary grade school teacher in their hometown.

Although both his parents must have contributed to his education, he received most of his primary
education from the public school established by the Spanish government in his village, as part of the
establishment of the free public education system in the Philippines, as he himself testified during his
speech delivered in the House of Representatives of the United States during the discussion of
Jones Bill, in 1914.[2] He later boarded at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran where he completed
secondary school.
In 1898, his father Lucio and his brother Pedro were ambushed and killed by armed men while on
their way home to Baler from Nueva Ecija. Some historians believe they were murdered by bandits
who also robbed them, while others believe the killings could have been related to their loyalty to the
Spanish government.
In 1899, Quezon cut short his law studies at the University of Santo Toms in Manila to participate in
the struggle for independence against the United States, led by Emilio Aguinaldo. During
the PhilippineAmerican War he was an Aide-de-camp to Emilio Aguinaldo.[3] He rose to the rank of
Major and fought in the Bataan sector. However, after surrendering in 1900 wherein he made his first
break in the American press,[4] Quezon returned to the university and passed the bar examinations in
1903, achieving fourth place.
He worked for a time as a clerk and surveyor, entering government service as an appointed fiscal
(treasurer) for Mindoro and later Tayabas. He became a councilor and was elected governor of
Tayabas in 1906 after a hard-fought election.

Jos Paciano Laurel y Garca, PLH (March 9, 1891 November 6, 1959) was a Filipino politician
and judge. He was the president of the Second Philippine Republic, a Japanese puppet state when
occupied during World War II, from 1943 to 1945. Since the administration of President Diosdado
Macapagal (19611965), Laurel has been recognized as a legitimate president of the Philippines.

jos Paciano Laurel y Garca was born on March 9, 1891 in the town of Tanauan, Batangas. His
parents were Sotero Laurel I and Jacoba Garca. His father had been an official in the revolutionary
government of Emilio Aguinaldo and a signatory to the 1898 Malolos Constitution.
While a teen, Laurel was indicted for attempted murder when he almost killed a rival suitor of his
girlfriend with a fan knife. While studying and finishing law school, he argued for and received an
acquittal.[1]
Laurel received his law degree from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1915, where
he studied under Dean George A. Malcolm, whom he would later succeed on theSupreme Court. He
then obtained a Master of Laws degree from University of Santo Tomasin 1919. Laurel then
attended Yale Law School, where he obtained a Doctorate of Law.
Laurel began his life in public service while a student, as a messenger in the Bureau of Forestry then
as a clerk in the Code Committee tasked with the codification of Philippine laws. During his work for

the Code Committee, he was introduced to its head, Thomas A. Street, a future Supreme
Court Justice who would be a mentor to the young Laurel.[2]
Upon his return from Yale, Laurel was appointed first as Undersecretary of the Interior Department,
then promoted as Secretary of the Interior in 1922. In that post, he would frequently clash with the
American Governor-General Leonard Wood, and eventually, in 1923, resign from his position
together with other Cabinet members in protest of Wood's administration. His clashes with Wood
solidified Laurel's nationalist credentials.

The presidency of Laurel understandably remains one of the most controversial in Philippine history.
After the war, he would be denounced by the pro American sectors [who?] as a war collaborator or even
a traitor, although his indictment for treason was superseded by President Roxas' Amnesty
Proclamation. However, despite being one of the most infamous figures in Philippine history, he is
also regarded as a Pan-Asianist who supported independence. When asked if he was pro American
or pro Japanese, his answer would be pro Filipino.

Sergio Osmea, Sr., PLH, (9 September 1878 19 October 1961) was a Filipino politician who
served as the fourth President of the Philippines from 1944 to 1946. He was Vice
President under Manuel L. Quezon, and succeeded as President upon Quezon's sudden death in
1944, becoming the oldest officeholder at age 65 until he was surpassed by Rodrigo Duterte in
2016. A founder of theNacionalista Party, he was also the first Visayan to become President of the
Philippines.
Prior to his accession in 1944, Osmea served as Governor of Cebu from 1906 to 1907, Member
and first Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives from 1907 to 1922, and Senator from
the 10th Senatorial District for thirteen years, in which capacity he served as Senate President pro
tempore. In 1935, he was nominated to be the running-mate of Senate President Manuel L.
Quezonfor the presidential election that year. The tandem was overwhelmingly re-elected in 1941.
He was patriarch of the prominent Osmea family, which includes his son, former Senator Sergio
Osmea Jr., and his grandsons, senators Sergio Osmea III and John Henry Osmea), exgovernor Lito Osmea, and former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmea.

Osmea was born in Cebu City to Juana Osmea y Suico, who was reportedly only 14 years of age
at the time. Owing to the circumstances of his birth, the identity of his father had been a closelyguarded family secret. Although carrying the stigma of being an illegitimate child Juana never
married his father he did not allow this aspect to affect his standing in society. The Osmea family,
a rich and prominent clan of Chinese Filipino heritage with vast business interests in Cebu, warmed
to him as he established himself as a prominent figure in local society.
Osmea received his elementary education at the Colegio de San Carlos and graduated in 1892.
Osmea continued his education inManila, studying in San Juan de Letran College where he first
met Manuel L. Quezon, a classmate of his, as well as Juan Sumulongand Emilio Jacinto. He took up
law at the University of Santo Tomas and was second place in the bar examination in 1903. He
served on the war staff of General Emilio Aguinaldo as a courier and journalist. In 1900, he founded
the Cebu newspaper, El Nuevo Da[English: 'The New Day'] which lasted for three years.

This name uses Philippine naming customs for natural children. There is no middle name nor
paternal family name, but the surname or maternal family name is Osmea.
This article is about former president of the Philippines. For the municipality, see Sergio Osmea Sr.,
Zamboanga del Norte. For son, see Sergio Osmea Jr. For grandson, see Sergio Osmea III.

Manuel Acua Roxas (born Manuel Roxas y Acua; January 1, 1892 April 15, 1948) was the
fifth President of the Philippineswho served from 1946 until his death in 1948. He briefly served as
the third and last President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from May 28, 1946 to July 4,
1946, subsequently becoming the first President of the independent Third Philippine Republic after
the United States ceded its sovereignty over the Philippines.

Roxas occupied more important positions in the Philippine government than any other Filipino had
ever held before him.[citation needed]Starting in 1917 he was a member of the municipal council of Capiz. He
became the youngest governor of his province and served in this capacity from 1919 to 1922.
He was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives in 1922, and for twelve consecutive
years was Speaker of the House. He was member of the Constitutional Convention 1934 to 1935,
Secretary of Finance, Chairman of the National Economic Council, Chairman of the National
Development Company and many other government corporations and agencies, Brigadier General

in the USAFFE, Recognized Guerilla leader and Military leader of the Philippine Commonwealth
Army.

Senate[edit]
After the amendments to the 1935 Philippine Constitution were approved in 1941, he was elected
(1941) to the Philippine Senate, but was unable to serve until 1945 because of the outbreak of World
War II.
Having enrolled prior to World War II as an officer in the reserves, he was made liaison officer
between the Commonwealth government and the United States Army Forces in the Far East
headquarters of General Douglas MacArthur. He accompanied President Quezon
toCorregidor where he supervised the destruction of Philippine currency to prevent its capture by the
Japanese. When Quezon left Corregidor, Roxas went to Mindanao to direct the resistance there. It
was prior to Quezon's departure that he was made Executive Secretary and designated as
successor to the presidency in case Quezon or Vice-President Sergio Osmea were captured or
killed.
Roxas was captured in 1942 by the Japanese invasion forces. He became chief advisor to Jos P.
Laurel, but secretly sympathetic to the guerrilla movement,[3]:208209 he passed information via Ramona
(Mona) Snyder to Edwin Ramsey.[4]:5758[discuss] He was returned by the military service of the Philippine
Commonwealth Army joining the troops and military officers of men was beginning the liberation
against the Japanese forces.
When the Congress of the Philippines was convened in 1945, the legislators elected in 1941 chose
Roxas as Senate President.

elpidio Rivera Quirino (born Elpidio Quirino y Rivera; November 16, 1890 February 29, 1956)
was a Filipino politician of ethnicIlocano descent who served as the sixth President of the
Philippines from 1948 to 1953.
A lawyer by profession, Quirino entered politics when he became a representative of Ilocos Sur from
1919 to 1925. He was then elected as senator from 19251931. In 1934, he became a member of
the Philippine independence commission that was sent to Washington, D.C., which secured the
passage of TydingsMcDuffie Act to American Congress. In 1935, he was also elected to the
convention that drafted the 1935 constitution for the newly established Commonwealth. In the new
government, he served as secretary of the interior and finance under President Manuel Quezon's
cabinet.
After World War II, Quirino was elected vice-president in the 1946 election, consequently the second
and last for the Commonwealth and first for the third republic. After the death of the incumbent

president Manuel Roxas in 1948, he succeeded the presidency. He won the president's office
under Liberal Party ticket, defeating Nacionalista vice president and former president Jos P.
Laurel as well as fellow Liberalista and former Senate President Jos Avelino.
The Quirino administration was generally challenged by the Hukbalahaps, who ransacked towns and
barrios. Quirino ran for president again in the 1953 presidential election, but was defeated
by Nacionalista Ramon Magsaysay.
After his term, he retired to his new country home in Novaliches, Quezon City, where he died of a
heart attack on February 29, 1956.

House of Representatives[edit]
Quirino was engaged in the private practice of law until he was elected as member of the Philippine
House of Representatives from 1919 to 1925, succeeding Alberto Reyes. In 1925 he was succeeded
as Congressman by Vicente Singson Pablo.

Senate[edit]
Quirino was elected as Senator from 1925 to 1931 representing the First Senatorial District. He then
served as Secretary of Finance and Secretary of the Interior in the Commonwealth government. [citation
needed]

In 1934, Quirino was a member of the Philippine Independence mission to Washington, D.C.,
headed by Manuel L. Quezon, that secured the passage in the United States Congress of
the TydingsMcDuffie Act. This legislation set the date for Philippine independence by 1945. Official
declaration came on July 4, 1946.[citation needed]
Before the Second World War, Quirino was re-elected to the Senate but was not able to serve until
1945. During the Battle of Manilain World War II, his wife, Alicia Syquia, and three of his five children
were killed as they fled their home.[citation needed]
After the war, the Philippine Commonwealth Government was restored. The Congress was likewise
re-organized and in the Senate Quirino was installed was Senate President pro tempore.[citation needed]

Vice-Presidency[edit]
President Elpidio Quirino weeps beside the coffin of his predecessor, Manuel Roxas during the latter's wake in
1948

Soon after the reconstitution of the Commonwealth Government in 1945, Senators Manuel Roxas,
Elpidio Quirino and their allies called for an early national election to choose the president and vice
president of the Philippines and members of the Congress. In December 1945 the House Insular
Affairs of the United States Congress approved the joint resolution setting the election date at not
later than April 30, 1946.
Prompted by this congressional action, President Sergio Osmea called the Philippine Congressto a
three-day special session. Congress enacted Commonwealth Act No. 725, setting the election on
April 23, 1946, and was approved by President Osmea on January 5, 1946.
Senate President pro tempore Elpidio Quirino was nominated as the running mate by newly formed
Liberal Party of presidential candidate and then-Senate President Manuel Roxas. The tandem won
the election. Vice-President Quirino was later appointed as Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay, Sr. (August 31, 1907 March 17, 1957) was the
seventh President of the Republic of the Philippines, serving from December 30, 1953 until his death
in an aircraft disaster. An automobile mechanic, Magsaysay was appointed military governor of
Zambales after his outstanding service as a guerilla leader during the Pacific War. He then served
two terms as Liberal Party congressman for Zambales before being appointed as Secretary of
National Defense by President Elpidio Quirino. He was elected President under the banner of
the Nacionalista Party. He was the first Philippine President born during the 20th century.

Career during World War II[edit]

At the outbreak of World War II, he joined the motor pool of the 31st Infantry Division of
the Philippine Army. When Bataansurrendered in 1942, Magsaysay escaped to the hills, narrowly
evading Japanese arrest on at least four occasions. There he organised the Western Luzon Guerrilla
Forces, and was commissioned captain on April 5, 1942. For three years, Magsaysay operated
under Col. Merrill's famed guerrilla outfit & saw action at Sawang, San Marcelino, Zambales, first as
a supply officer codenamed Chow and later as commander of a 10,000 strong force. [3] Magsaysay
was among those instrumental in clearing the Zambales coast of the Japanese prior to the landing of
American forces together with the Philippine Commonwealth troops on January 29, 1945.
In early August 1950, he offered President Elpidio Quirino a plan to fight the Communist guerillas,
using his own experiences in guerrilla warfare during World War II. After some hesitation, Quirino
realized that there was no alternative and appointed Magsaysay Secretary of National Defence on
August 31, 1950. He intensified the campaign against theHukbalahap guerillas. This success was
due in part to the unconventional methods he took up from a former advertising expert and CIA
agent, Colonel Edward Lansdale. In the counterinsurgency the two utilized deployed soldiers
distributing relief goods and other forms of aid to outlying, provincial communities. Prior to
Magsaysay's appointment as Defense Secretary, rural citizens perceived the Philippine Army with
apathy and distrust. However, Magsaysay's term enhanced the Army's image, earning them respect
and admiration.[6]
In June 1952, Magsaysay made a goodwill tour to the United States and Mexico. He visited New
York, Washington, D.C. (with a medical check-up at Walter Reed Hospital) andMexico City where he
spoke at the Annual Convention of Lions International.

By 1953, President Quirino thought the threat of the Huks was under control and Secretary
Magsaysay was becoming too weak. Magsaysay met with interference and obstruction from the
President and his advisers, in fear they might be unseated at the next presidential election. Although
Magsaysay had at that time no intention to run, he was urged from many sides and finally was
convinced that the only way to continue his fight against communism, and for a government for the
people, was to be elected President, ousting the corrupt administration that, in his opinion, had
caused the rise of the communist guerrillas by bad administration. He resigned his post as defense
secretary on February 28, 1953, and became the presidential candidate of the Nacionalista Party,
disputing the nomination with senator Camilo Osas at the Nacionalista national convention.

Carlos Polestico Garcia, commonly known as Carlos P. Garcia, (November 4, 1896 June 14,
1971) was a Filipino teacher, poet, orator, lawyer, public official, political economist, organized
guerrilla and Commonwealth military leader, who was the eighthPresident of the Philippines.

Garcia refused to cooperate with the Japanese during the war. He did not surrender when he was
placed on the wanted list with a price on his head. He instead and took part in the guerilla activities
and served as adviser in the free government organized in Bohol. [citation needed]

Filipino First Policy[edit]

Main article: Filipino First policy
President Garcia exercised the Filipino First Policy, for which he was known. This policy heavily
favored Filipino businessmen over foreign investor. He was also responsible for changes in retail
trade which greatly affected the Chinese businessmen in the country. In a speech during a joint
session of Congress on September 18, 1946, President Garcia said the following:

We are called upon to decide on this momentous debate whether or not this land of ours
will remain the cradle and grave, the womb and tomb of our race the only place where
we can build our homes, our temples, and our altars and where we erect the castles of our
racial hopes, dreams and traditions and where we establish the warehouse of our
happiness and prosperity, of our joys and sorrows.[8]

Diosdado Pangan Macapagal, Sr. (September 28, 1910 April 21, 1997) was
the ninth President of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth VicePresident, serving from 1957 to 1961. He also served as a member of the House of
Representatives, and headed the Constitutional Convention of 1970. He is the father
of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was the fourteenth President of the Philippines from
2001 to 2010.
A native of Lubao, Pampanga, Macapagal graduated from the University of the
Philippines and University of Santo Tomas, after which he worked as a lawyer for the
government. He first won election in 1949 to the House of Representatives, representing a
district in his home province of Pampanga. In 1957, he became Vice-President under the
rule of President Carlos P. Garca, whom he defeated in the 1961 polls.
As President, Macapagal worked to suppress graft and corruption and to stimulate the
Philippine economy. He introduced the country's first land reform law, placed the peso on
the free currency exchange market, and liberalized foreign exchange and import controls.

Many of his reforms, however, were crippled by a Congress dominated by the

rival Nacionalista Party. He is also known for shifting the country's observance of
Independence Day from July 4 to June 12, commemorating the day President Emilio
Aguinaldounilaterally declared the independence of the First Philippine Republic from
the Spanish Empire in 1898. He stood for re-election in 1965, and was defeated
by Ferdinand Marcos, who subsequently ruled for 21 years.
Under Marcos, Macapagal was elected president of the Constitutional Convention which
would later draft what became the 1973 Constitution, though the manner in which the
charter was ratified and modified led him to later question its legitimacy. He died of heart
failure, pneumonia, and renal complications, in 1997, at the age of 86.
In the 1961 presidential election, Macapagal ran against Garcia's re-election bid, promising
an end to corruption and appealing to the electorate as a common man from humble
beginnings.[2] He defeated the incumbent president with a 55% to 45% margin.[4] His
inauguration as the president of the Philippines took place on December 30, 1961.

Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. (September 11, 1917 September 28, 1989)
was a Filipino politician and kleptocrat[1]who was President of the Philippines from 1965 to
1986. He ruled as dictator[2] under martial law from 1972 until 1981.[3] While his regime
started an unprecedented number of infrastructure projects and monuments (known
colloquially as an "edifice complex" and at great taxpayer cost),[4][5][6] it also became
infamous for its corruption,[7][8][9][10][11] extravagance[12] and brutality.[13][14][15]
Prior to Marcos's presidency, he served as a member of the Philippine House of
Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and of thePhilippine Senate from 1959 to 1965, where
he was also Senate President from 1963 to 1965. As part of his election campaign, he
would later claim to have been "the most decorated war hero in the Philippines", a claim
which was later proven to be false.[16][17][18]United States Army documents that were
uncovered called the claim "fraudulent" and "absurd".[19]
He was elected President in 1965. During his term, the Philippine national debt grew from

$2 billion to almost $30 billion[20][21]while used to fund development projects, of which the
Marcos family had plundered 5-10 billion USD,[12] according to source documents provided
by the Corazon Aquino-created Presidential Commission on Good Government. [22][23][24]
On September 23, 1972,[25] Marcos placed the Philippines under martial law,[26][27] during
which he revamped the constitution, silenced the media,[28] and used violence and
oppression[15] against political opposition.[29] A 1976 Amnesty International report had listed
88 government torturers.[14] The same report mentioned "President Ferdinand E.
Marcos, Secretary of National Defense Juan Ponce Enrile, Solicitor General Estelito P.
Mendoza, Major General Fidel V. Ramos (Commanding General of The Philippine
Constabulary), Brigadier General Guillermo Santos, Judge Advocate General of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines and other senior officials" with responsibility for the administration
of prisoners arrested under martial law.[30][31]
Public outrage led to the snap elections of 1986 and to the People Power Revolution in
February 1986, which removed him from power.[32] To avoid what could have been a military
confrontation in Manila between pro- and anti-Marcos troops, Marcos was advised by
President Ronald Reagan through Sen. Paul Laxalt to "cut and cut cleanly",[33] after which
Marcos fled to Hawaii.[34]Marcos was succeeded by Corazon (Cory) Aquino, widow of the
assassinated opposition leader Senator Benigno (Ninoy) Aquino, Jr.who had flown back to
the Philippines to face the dictator.[32][35][36][37]
The Marcos family enjoyed a decadent lifestyletaking away billions of dollars [22][24] from the
country[38][39] in the course of their US-backed rule between 1965 and 1986. His wife Imelda
Marcos, whose excesses during the couple's kleptocracy[40][41][42] made her infamous in her
own right, spawned the term "Imeldific".[13][43][44][45] In 2008, Philippines trial court judge Silvino
Pampilo, acquitted Imelda Marcos, then widow of Ferdinand Marcos, of 32 counts of illegal
money transfer.[46] As of March 2016 she was still active in Philippine politics, along with two
of her four children, Imee Marcos and Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

Martial Law and the New Society (19721981)[

Ferdinand Marcos with Secretary of State George Shultz, 1982.

It is easier perhaps and more comfortable to look back to the solace of a familiar and mediocre past.
But the times are too grave and the stakes too high for us to permit the customary concessions to
traditional democratic processes.
Ferdinand Marcos, January 1973[88]
Marcos declared martial law on September 23, 1972 when his Press Secretary, Francisco Tatad,
announced on Radio[25][26][27] that Proclamation 1081. which Marcos had signed 2 days earlier on
September 21, 1972, had come into force and would extend Marcos' rule beyond
theconstitutional two-term limit. He justified this by highlighting the threats of Communist and Muslim
insurgencies.[89] He would later tell historians that he signed Proclamation No. 1081 as early as
September 17.[90] Ruling by decree, he curtailed press freedom and other civil liberties, closed down
Congress and media establishments, and ordered the arrest of opposition leaders and militant
activists, including senators Benigno Aquino Jr., Jovito Salonga and Jose Diokno.[91][92] Marcos
claimed that martial law was the prelude to creating hisBagong Lipunan, a "New Society" based on
new social and political values.
A constitutional convention, which had been called for in 1970 to replace the Commonwealth
era 1935 Constitution, continued the work of framing a new constitution after the declaration of
martial law. The new constitution went into effect in early 1973, changing the form of government
from presidential to parliamentary and allowing Marcos to stay in power beyond 1973.
After putting in force amendments to the constitution, legislative action, and securing his sweeping
powers and with the Batasan, his supposed successor body to the Congress, under his control,
President Marcos lifted martial law on January 17, 1981. However, the suspension of the privilege of
the writ of habeas corpus continued in the autonomous regions of Western Mindanao and Central
Mindanao. The opposition dubbed the lifting of martial law as a mere "face lifting" as a precondition
to the visit of Pope John Paul II.[93]
Marcos had a vision of a Bagong Lipunan (New Society) similar to Indonesian president Suharto's
"New Order administration". He used the years of martial law to implement this vision. According to
Marcos' book Notes on the New Society, it was a movement urging the poor and the privileged to
work as one for the common goals of society and to achieve the liberation of the Filipino people
through self-realization.
During his martial law regime, Marcos confiscated and appropriated by force and duress many
businesses and institutions, both private and public, and redistributed them to his own family
members and close personal friends. Two of these friends were Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco Jr.,
who would go on to control San Miguel Corporation, and Ramon Cojuangco, late businessman and
chairman of PLDT, and father of Antonio "Tony Boy" Cojuangco (who would eventually succeed his
father in the telecommunications company). These relatives and associates of Marcos then used
these as fronts to launder proceeds from institutionalized graft and corruption in the different national

governmental agencies as "crony capitalism" for personal benefit. Graft and corruption via
bribery, racketeering, and embezzlement became more prevalent during this era. Marcos also
silenced the free press, making the state propaganda press the only legal one, which was a common
practice for governments around the world that sought to fight communism.
By 1977, the armed forces had quadrupled and over 60,000 Filipinos had been arrested for political
reasons. In 1981, Vice President George H. W. Bush praised Marcos for his "adherence to
democratic principles and to the democratic processes".[a] No American military or politician in the
1970s ever publicly questioned the authority of Marcos to help fight communism in South East Asia.
Marcos and his close Rolex 12 associates like Juan Ponce Enrile used their powers to settle scores
against old rivals such as the Lopezes who were always opposed to the Marcos administration.
Enrile and the Lopezes (Eugenio Lopez, Sr. and Eugenio Lopez Jr.) were Harvard-educated Filipino
leaders. Leading opponents such as SenatorsBenigno Aquino Jr., Jose Diokno, Jovito Salonga and
many others were imprisoned for months or years. This practice considerably alienated the support
of the old social and economic elite and the media, who criticized the Marcos administration
endlessly.[98] The old social and economic elite, all of whom relied on trade and agricultural and
industrial exports to the United States such as the families of Enrile, Lopez, Cojuangco, and Aquino,
sought a free-market economy. At this point, Marcos controlled both the oligarchy and the oligopoly.
Between 1972 and 1976, Marcos increased the size of the Philippine military from 65,000 to 270,000
personnel, in response to the fall of South Vietnam to the communists and the growing tide of
communism in South East Asia. Military officers were placed on the boards of a variety of media
corporations, public utilities, development projects, and other private corporations, most of whom
were highly educated and well-trained graduates of the Philippine Military Academy. At the same
time, Marcos made efforts to foster the growth of a domestic weapons manufacturing industry and
heavily increased military spending.[99]
From the declaration of martial law in 1972 until 1983 the U.S. government provided $2.5 billion in
bilateral military and economic aid to the Marcos regime, and about $5.5 billion through multilateral
institutions such as the World Bank.[100]
In a 1979 U.S. Senate report it was stated that U.S. officials were aware, as early as 1973, that
Philippine government agents were in the United States to harass Filipino dissidents. In June 1981,
two anti-Marcos labor activists were assassinated outside of a union hall in Seattle. On at least one
occasion, CIA agents blocked FBI investigations of Philippine agents.[101]
The Marcos regime instituted a mandatory youth organization, known as the Kabataang Barangay,
which was led by Marcos' eldest daughter Imee. Presidential Decree 684, enacted in April 1975,
required that all youths aged 15 to 18 be sent to remote rural camps and do volunteer work. [102][103]
Along with Marcos, members of his Rolex 12 circle like Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, Chief of
Staff of the Philippine Constabulary Fidel Ramos, and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the

Philippines Fabian Ver were the chief administrators of martial law from 1972 to 1981, and the three
remained President Marcos' closest advisers until he was ousted in 1986. Other peripheral members
of the Rolex 12 included Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco Jr. and Lucio Tan. Enrile and Ramos would
later abandon Marcos' 'sinking ship' and seek protection behind the 1986 People Power Revolution,
backed by fellow-American educated Eugenio Lopez Jr., Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, and the old
political and economic elites. The Catholic hierarchy and Manila's middle class were crucial to the
success of the massive crusade, but only within Metro Manila because no mass demonstrations or
protests against Marcos happened in the provinces and islands of Visayas and Mindanao.

Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino (born Maria Corazon Sumulong

Cojuangco; January 25, 1933 August 1, 2009), popularly known as Cory Aquino, was a Filipino
politician who served as the 11th President of the Philippines, the first woman to hold that office and
the first female president in Asia. Aquino was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People Power
Revolution, which toppled the 20-year authoritarian rule of President Ferdinand E. Marcos and
restored democracy to thePhilippines. She was named Time magazine's "Woman of the Year" in
1986. Prior to this, she had not held any other elective office.
A self-proclaimed "plain housewife",[1] she was married to Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr., the
staunchest critic of President Marcos. She emerged as leader of the opposition after her
husband was assassinated on August 21, 1983 upon returning to the Philippines from exile in
the United States. In late 1985, Marcos called for snap elections, and Aquino ran for president with

former senatorSalvador Laurel as her Vice-President. After the elections were held on February 7,
1986, the Batasang Pambansa proclaimed Marcos and his running mate, Arturo Tolentino, as the
winners amidst allegations of electoral fraud, with Aquino calling for massivecivil
disobedience actions. Defections from the Armed Forces and the support of the local Catholic
hierarchy led to the People Power Revolution that ousted Marcos and secured Aquino's accession
on February 25, 1986.
As President, Aquino oversaw the promulgation of the 1987 Constitution, which limited the powers of
the Presidency and re-established the bicameral Congress. Her administration gave strong
emphasis and concern for civil liberties and human rights, and on peace talks to resolve the
ongoing Communist insurgency and Islamist secession movements. Her economic policies centred
on restoring economic health and confidence and focused on creating a market-oriented and socially
responsible economy.
Aquino faced several coup attempts against her government and various natural calamities until the
end of her term in 1992. She was succeeded as President by Fidel V. Ramos, and returned to
civilian life while remaining public about her opinions on political issues.
In 2008, Aquino was diagnosed with colon cancer from which she died on August 1, 2009. She was
survived by her son, Benigno Aquino III, who was President of the Philippines from June 30, 2010 to
June 30, 2016. Throughout her life, Aquino was known to be a devout Roman Catholic, and was
fluent in French and English aside from her native Tagalog and Kapampangan.
The triumph of the peaceful People Power Revolution and the ascension of Corazon Aquino into
power signaled the end of authoritarian rule in the Philippines and the dawning of a new era for
Filipinos. The relatively peaceful manner by which Aquino came into power drew international
acclaim and admiration not only for her but for the Filipino people, as well. One of Aquino's first
moves was the creation of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), which was
tasked to go after the Marcos ill-gotten wealth.

Constitutional and political reforms[edit]

Immediately after assuming the presidency, President Aquino issued Proclamation 3, which
established a revolutionary government. She abolished the 1973 Constitution that was in force
during Martial Law, and by decree issued the provisional 1986 Freedom Constitution pending the
ratification of a more formal, comprehensive charter. This allowed her to exercise both executive and
legislative powers until the ratification of the 1987 Constitution and the restoration of Congress in
1987.[11]

Aquino promulgated two landmark legal codes, namely, the Family Code of 1987, which reformed
the civil law on family relations, and theAdministrative Code of 1987, which reorganized the structure
of the executive branch of government. Another landmark law that was enacted during her tenure
was the 1991 Local Government Code, which devolved national government powers to local
government units (LGUs). The new Code enhanced the power of LGUs to enact local taxation
measures and assured them of a share in the national revenue. Aquino closed down the Marcosdominated Batasang Pambansa to prevent the new Marcos loyalist opposition from undermining her
democratic reforms and reorganized the membership of the Supreme Court to restore
its independence.
In May 1986, the reorganized Supreme Court declared the Aquino government as "not merely a de
facto government but in fact and law ade jure government", whose legitimacy had been affirmed by
the community of nations.[12] This Supreme Court decision affirmed the status of Aquino as the rightful
leader of the Philippines. To fast-track the restoration of a full constitutional government and the
writing of a new charter, she appointed 48 members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission ("ConCom"), led by retired activist Supreme Court Associate Justice Cecilia Muoz-Palma. The Con-Com
completed its final draft in October 1986.[13] On February 2, 1987, the new Constitution of the
Philippines, which put strong emphasis on civil liberties, human rights and social justice, was
overwhelmingly approved by the Filipino people. The ratification of the new Constitution was
followed by the election of senators and congress that same year and the holding of local elections
in 1988.

Fidel Valdez Ramos AFP PLH GCMG (born Fidel Ramos y Valdez on March 18, 1928), popularly
known as FVR and Eddie, was the12th President of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. During his
six years in office, Ramos was widely credited and admired by many for revitalizing and renewing
international confidence in the Philippine economy.
Prior to his election as President, Ramos served in the Cabinet of President Corazn Aquino, first as
chief-of-staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and later on, as Secretary of National

Defense from 1986 to 1991.[2] He was the father of the Philippine Army's Philippine Army's Special
Forces and the Philippine National Police Special Action Force.
During the historic 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, Ramos was hailed as a hero by many
Filipinos for his decision to breakaway from the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos and
pledge allegiance and loyalty to the newly established government of President Aquino.
Under Ramos, the Philippines experienced a period of political stability and rapid economic growth
and expansion, as a result of his policies and programs designed to foster national reconciliation and
unity. Ramos was able to secure major peace agreements with Muslim separatists, communist
insurgents and military rebels, which renewed investor confidence in the Philippine economy. Ramos
also aggressively pushed for the deregulation of the nation's major industries and the privatization of
bad government assets. As a result of his hands-on approach to the economy, the Philippines was
dubbed by various internationally as Asia's Next Economic Tiger.
However, the momentum in the economic gains made under his administration was briefly
interrupted during the onset of the 1997Asian Financial Crisis. Nevertheless, during the last year of
the term, the economy managed to make a rebound since it was not severely hit by the crisis as
compared to other Asian economies. He also oversaw the Philippine Centennial
Independencecelebrations in 1998.
Ramos has received numerous awards, and is the only Filipino to have received an honorary British
order, having been made aKnight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St
George by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 1995. A member of theUnited Church of
Christ in the Philippines, Ramos is notably the first and to date only Protestant president of the
majority Roman Catholic country.
At the time of his assumption into power, he was the first Protestant President of the country and the
only Filipino officer in history to have held every rank in the Philippine military from Second
Lieutenant to Commander-in-Chief. The first few years of his administration (19921995) were
characterized by economic boom, technological development, political stability and efficient delivery
of basic needs to the people. During his time, he advocated party platforms as outline and agenda
for governance. As in his case, he was the first Christian Democrat to be elected in the country,
being the founder of Lakas-CMD (Christian-Muslim Democrats Party). He was one of the most
influential leaders and the unofficial spokesman of liberal democracy in Asia.

Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada (real name Jose Marcelo Ejercito; born April 19, 1937) is
a Filipino politician who served as the13th President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001 and as
the 9th Vice President of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He has currently been Mayor of the City
of Manila, the country's capital, since 2013.[1]

Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over a hundred films in an acting
career spanning some three decades. He used his popularity as an actor to make gains in politics,
serving as mayor of San Juan for 16 years, as Senator for one term, then as Vice-President under
President Fidel V. Ramos.
Estrada was elected President in 1998 with a wide margin of votes separating him from the other
challengers, and was sworn into the presidency on June 30, 1998. In 2000 he declared an "all-outwar" against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and captured its headquarters and other camps.[2]
[3]

However, allegations of corruption spawned an impeachment trial in the Senate, and in 2001

Estrada was ousted by "People Power 2" after the prosecution walked out of the impeachment court
when the Senator-Judges voted "no" in the opening of the second envelope. The EDSA 2 protests
resulted from the concerted efforts of political, business, military, and church elites who were
displeased by Estrada's policies that included removal of sovereign guarantees on government
contracts.[4] In October 2000, the Daily Tribune reported about elite plans to "'constitutionally' oust
President Estrada under 'Oplan Excelsis."[5] Emil Jurado of the Manila Standard reported as early as
1999 about a PR demolition work designed to embarrass Estrada "by attributing to his administration
all sorts of perceived faults and scams with the end in view of covering up anomalies and scams
also committed during the Ramos administration." Former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo also
admitted in an interview with Nick Joaquin that he and then-Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson and
certain military officials plotted plans to oust Estrada in January 2001, with the alternative "plan B"
being violent "with orders to shoot. And not only in Metro Manila." [6]
In 2007, Estrada was sentenced by the special division of the Sandiganbayan to reclusin
perpetua for the plunder of stealing $80 million from the government and was sentenced a lifetime in
prison, but was later granted pardon by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He ran for president
again in the 2010 presidential election, but placed second behind Senator Benigno Aquino III.
Estrada was the first president to use a special name as his official address name, combining his
real family name, Ejercito, with his screen name, thus forming "Joseph Ejercito Estrada". [15] Estrada
was inaugurated on June 30, 1998 in the historical town of Malolosin Bulacan province in paying
tribute to the cradle of the First Philippine Republic. That afternoon the new president delivered his
inaugural address at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta. He assumed office amid the Asian Financial
Crisis and with agricultural problems due to poor weather conditions, thereby slowing the economic
growth to 0.6% in 1998 from a 5.2% in 1997.[16] The economy recovered by 3.4% in 1999 and 4% in
2000.[17] In 2000 he declared an "all-out-war" against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and captured
its headquarters and other camps.[2][3] However, allegations of corruption spawned a
railroaded impeachmenttrial in the Senate courtesy of house speaker Manuel Villar, and in 2001
Estrada was ousted from a coup after the trial was aborted.

In his Inaugural Address, Estrada said:

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (born April 5, 1947)[1] is a politician who served as the 14th President of
the Philippines from 2001 until 2010, as the 10th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to
2001, and as member of the House of Representatives representing the 2nd
District of Pampanga since 2010. She was the country's second female president (after Corazon
Aquino), and the daughter of former President Diosdado Macapagal. Arroyo is also the first duly
elected female Vice President of the Philippines.[2]
Arroyo was a former professor of economics at Ateneo de Manila University where Benigno Aquino
III was one of her students. She entered government in 1987, serving as assistant secretary and
undersecretary of the Department of Trade and Industry upon the invitation of President Corazon
Aquino. After serving as a senator from 1992 to 1998, she was elected to the vice presidency under
President Joseph Estrada, despite having run on an opposing ticket. After Estrada was accused of
corruption, she resigned her cabinet position as Secretary of Social Welfare and Development and
joined the growing opposition to the president, who faced impeachment. Estrada was soon forced
from office by the EDSA Revolution of 2001, and Arroyo was sworn into the presidency by Chief
Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. on January 20, 2001. She was elected to a full six-year presidential term in
the controversial May2004 Philippine elections, and was sworn in on June 30, 2004. Following her
presidency she was elected to the House of Representatives, making her the second Philippine
presidentafter Jose P. Laurelto pursue a lower office after their presidency.
On November 18, 2011, Arroyo was arrested following the filing of criminal charges against her for
electoral fraud. She was held at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City under
charges of electoral sabotage.[3][4] but released on bail in July 2012. She was rearrested while in the
hospital on charges of misuse of $8.8 million in state lottery funds in October 2012. [5] On July 19,
2016, she was acquitted by the Supreme Court by a voting of 11-4.[6] She is a member of
the Philippine Academy of the Spanish Language.

Succession[edit
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo displayed on a two hundred peso bill, being sworn in as president by Chief Justice
Hilario Davide, Jr. in January 2001.

The last quarter of 2000 up to the first week of January 2001 was a period of political and economic
uncertainty for the Philippines. On January 16, 2001, the impeachment trial also took a new
direction. Private prosecutors walked out of the trial when pro-Estrada senators prevented the
opening of an evidence (a brown envelope) containing bank records allegedly owned by President
Estrada. With the walkout, the impeachment trial was not completed and Filipinos eventually took to
the streets in masses to continue the clamor for President Estrada's resignation. From January 17 to
20, 2001, hundreds of thousands of Filipinos gathered at Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), the
site of the original People Power Revolution. The clamor for a change in the presidency gained
momentum as various sectors of Philippine society professionals, students, artists, politicians,
leftist and rightist groups joined what became known as EDSA II. Officials of the administration,
the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) also withdrew
their support for President Estrada.
Days after leaving Malacaang Palace, President Estrada's lawyers questioned the legitimacy of
Arroyo's presidency before the Supreme Court. He reiterated that he had not resigned as president
and that at most, Arroyo was just serving in an acting capacity. The high court, however, voted
unanimously to uphold the legitimacy of Arroyo's succession. As a consequence, Estrada no longer
enjoys immunity from charges being filed against him.
In the last week of April 2001, the Sandiganbayan ordered the arrest of Estrada and his son,
Senator Jinggoy Estrada, for plunder charges. A few days later, Estrada supporters protested his
arrest, gathered at the EDSA Shrine, and staged what they called, EDSA III comparing their
actions to the People Power revolution of 1986 and January 2001.
Thousands of protesters demanded the release of Estrada. Eventually, they also called for the
ouster of Arroyo and the reinstatement of the former. On May 1, 2001, they marched towards
Malacaang to force Arroyo to give in to their demands. Violence erupted when the protesters
attempted to storm the presidential palace and the military and police were forced to use their arms
to drive them back. Arroyo declared a state of rebellion because of the violence and prominent
political personalities affiliated with Estrada were charged and arrested. The so-called EDSA III was
the first serious political challenge to the Arroyo presidency.
Oakwood Mutiny[edit]
Main article: Oakwood mutiny

The Oakwood mutiny occurred in the Philippines on July 27, 2003. A group of 321 armed soldiers
who called themselves "Bagong Katipuneros"[15] led by Army Capt. Gerardo Gambala and Lt. Antonio
Trillanes IV of the Philippine Navy took over the Oakwood Premier Ayala Center (now Ascott Makati)
serviced apartment tower in Makati City to show the Filipino people the alleged corruption of the
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration. They also stated that they saw signs suggesting that the
President was going to declaremartial law.

Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Cojuangco Aquino III[1][2][3][4][5] (born February 8, 1960) is

a Filipino politician who served as the 15thPresident of the Philippines from 2010 until 2016.[4][6][7]
Aquino is a fourth-generation politician and is currently the chairman of the Liberal Party.[8] Born
in Manila, Aquino finished hisBachelor of Arts (major in economics) from Ateneo de Manila
University in 1981 and joined his family in their exile in the United States shortly thereafter. He
returned to the Philippines in 1983 shortly after the assassination of his father and held several
positions working in the private sector. In 1998, he was elected to the House of Representatives as
Representative of the 2nd district of Tarlacprovince. He was subsequently re-elected to the House in
2001 and 2004.[4] In 2007, having been barred from running for re-election to the House due to term
limits, he was elected to the Senate in the 14th Congress of the Philippines.[4]
On September 9, 2009, Aquino officially announced he would be a candidate in the 2010 presidential
election and on June 30, 2010, at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, Manila,[4][9] Aquino was sworn
into office as the fifteenth President of the Philippines, succeeding Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and
stepped down on June 30, 2016. His successor is Rodrigo Duterte.
In 2013, Time named him one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.[10]