The Situation of the Philippines

in Science, Technology and

Society during the leadership
of the Past President of the
Philippines

List of Presidents of the Philippines

 This is a list of the current and former Philippine Presidents by previous Executive
Experience before they became President of the Philippines. Executive experience is defined as
having been something akin to where one is the top decision maker in a company, a regional
constituency, a military unit, or something alike. Positions like Army General, Governor, Vice
Governor, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Vice President of the Philippines, and Chief Executive Officer are
included, though not limited to just that.

1. Emilio Aguinaldo

Mayor of Kawit, President of the Tejeros Revolutionary Government, President of the Biak-
na-Bato Republic, Dictator of the Dictatorial Government & President of the Revolutionary
Government.

Emilio Famy Aguinaldo Sr. was born on March 22, 1869 in Cavite el Viejo (present-day Kawit), in
Cavite province, to Carlos Jamir Aguinaldo and Trinidad Famy-Aguinaldo, a Tagalog Chinese
mestizo couple who had eight children, the seventh of whom was Emilio Sr. The Aguinaldo
family was quite well-to-do, as his father, Carlos J. Aguinaldo was the community's appointed
gobernadorcillo (municipal governor) in the Spanish colonial administration and his
grandparents Eugenio K. Aguinaldo and Maria Jamir-Aguinaldo. He studied at Colegio de San
Juan de Letran but wasn't able to finish his studies due to outbreak of cholera in 1882.

Emilio became the "Cabeza de Barangay" In 1895 the Maura Law that called for the
reorganization of local governments was enacted. At the age of 25, Aguinaldo became Cavite el
Viejo's first "gobernadorcillo capitan municipal" (Municipal Governor-Captain) while on a
business trip in Mindoro.

Philippine Revolution and battles

The seal of the Magdalo faction led by Baldomero B. Aquinaldo Emilio's First cousin.

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, led, and 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.

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 Andrés Bonifacio,
dedicated to the expulsion of the Spanish and independence of the Philippines through armed
force. 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 cousin Baldomero Aguinaldo was appointed leader.

Commemoration
Camp Aguinaldo is a military headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines named after
the General Emilio Aguinaldo.

In 1951, Emilio Aguinaldo College a private, non-sectarian institute of education located in

Manila named after Aguinaldo BRP Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo.

In 1985, BRP Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo (PG-140) was launched and became the lead ship of the
General Emilio Aguinaldo class patrol vessel of the Philippine Navy. This ship, along with her
only sistership BRP Gen. Antonio Luna (PG-141), were made in the Cavite Naval Ship Yard.

In 1985, Aguinaldo Museum is a history museum in Baguio, Philippines was established by

Cristina Suntay

In 1999, Aguinaldo International School Manila is a private school in Ermita, Manila named after
Aguinaldo

The Aguinaldo Highway is a 6-lane, 41-kilometre (25 mi) highway passing through the busiest
towns and cities of Cavite named after Aguinaldo

The EAC Generals are the varsity teams of Emilio Aguinaldo College, they currently play at the
Universities and Colleges Athletic Association (UCAA) and the National Capital Region Athletic
Association (NCRAA)

During the American period, Aguinaldo supported groups that advocated for immediate
independence and helped veterans of the struggle. He organized the Asociación de los
Veteranos de la Revolución (Association of Veterans of the Revolution) to secure pensions for its
members and made arrangements for them to buy land on installment from the government.

Displaying the Philippine flag was declared illegal by the Sedition Act of 1907. However, the Act
was amended on October 30, 1919. Following this, Aguinaldo transformed his home in Kawit
into a monument to the flag, the revolution and the Declaration of Independence. As of 2019,
his home still stands and is known as the Aguinaldo Shrine.

Aguinaldo retired from public life for many years. In 1935, when the Commonwealth of the
Philippines was established in preparation for Philippine independence, he ran for president in
the Philippine presidential election, 1935, but lost by a landslide to Manuel L. Quezon. The two
men formally reconciled in 1941, when President Quezon moved Flag Day to June 12, to
commemorate the proclamation of Philippine independence.

After the combined American and Filipino troops retook the Philippines in 1945, Aguinaldo was
arrested along with several others accused of collaboration with the Japanese, and jailed for
some months in Bilibid prison. He was released by presidential amnesty.

Aguinaldo was 77 when the United States Government recognized Philippine independence in
the Treaty of Manila on July 4, 1946, in accordance with the Tydings–McDuffie Act of 1934.
2. Manuel L. Quezon

Governor of Tayabas

Manuel L. Quezon (born Manuel Luís Quezon y Molina; 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 second president of the Philippines, after Emilio Aguinaldo (1899–1901).

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 a government-in-exile in the U.S. with the outbreak of the war and
the threat of Japanese invasion.

Presidency

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 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 then 94-year-old María Zeneida Quezon Avanceña, who is the daughter
of the former President, were duly informed about this recognition.

Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina

Quezon, was born in Baler in the district of El Príncipe (now Baler, Aurora). His parents were
Lucio Quezon (died 1898) and María Dolores Molina (June 7, 1840 – 1893). 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. He later boarded at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran
where he completed secondary school.
In 1899, Quezon left his law studies at the University of Santo Tomas to join the independence
movement. During the Philippine–American War he was an aide-de-camp to Emilio Aguinaldo.
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, 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.

In 1935, Quezon won the Philippines' first national presidential election under the banner of the
Nacionalista Party. He obtained nearly 68% of the vote against his two main rivals, Emilio
Aguinaldo and Gregorio Aglipay. Quezon was inaugurated in November 1935. He is recognized
as the second President of the Philippines. However, in January 2008, House Representative
Rodolfo Valencia of Oriental Mindoro filed a bill seeking instead to declare General Miguel
Malvar as the second Philippine President, having directly succeeded Aguinaldo in 1901.

3.José P. Laurel

Secretary of the Interior

José Paciano Laurel y García was born on March 9, 1891 in the town of Tanauan, Batangas. His
parents were Sotero Laurel I and Jacoba García. 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
the girl he stole a kiss from with a fan knife. While studying and finishing law school, he argued
for and received an acquittal.

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 the
Supreme Court. He then obtained a Master of Laws degree from University of Santo Tomas in
1919. Laurel then attended Yale Law School, where he obtained his J.S.D. degree.
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.

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.

Laurel was an honorary member of the Philippine fraternity Upsilon Sigma Phi.

In 1925 Laurel was elected to the Philippine Senate. He would serve for one term before losing
his re-election bid in 1931 to Claro M. Recto. He retired to private practice, but by 1934, he was
again elected to public office, this time as a delegate to the 1935 Constitutional Convention.
Hailed as one of the "Seven Wise Men of the Convention", he would sponsor the provisions on
the Bill of Rights. Following the ratification of the 1935 Constitution and the establishment of
the Commonwealth of the Philippines, Laurel was appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme
Court on February 29, 1936.

4. Sergio Osmeña

Governor of Cebu, Secretary of Public Instruction, Vice President of the Philippines

Prior to his accession in 1944, Osmeña 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. Quezon for the presidential election that year. The duo were overwhelmingly re-
elected in 1941.

He was patriarch of the prominent Osmeña family, which includes his son, former Senator
Sergio Osmeña Jr., and his grandsons, senators Sergio Osmeña III and John Henry Osmeña, ex-
governor Lito Osmeña, and current Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña.

Osmeña was born in Cebu City to Juana Osmeña 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
closely guarded family secret, surnamed " Sanson ". 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 Osmeña 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.

Osmeña received his elementary education at the Colegio de San Carlos and graduated in 1892.
Osmeña continued his education in Manila, studying in San Juan de Letran College where he
first met Manuel L. Quezon, a classmate of his, as well as Juan Sumulong and 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 Día [English: 'The New Day'] which lasted for
three years.

Osmeña became president of the Commonwealth on Quezon's death in 1944. He was sworn in
by associate justice Robert Jackson in Washington DC. He returned to the Philippines the same
year with General Douglas MacArthur and the liberation forces. After the war, Osmeña restored
the Commonwealth government and the various executive departments. He continued the fight
for Philippine independence. For the presidential election of 1946, Osmeña refused to
campaign, saying that the Filipino people knew of his record of 40 years of honest and faithful
service. He lost to Manuel Roxas, who won 54 percent of the vote and became president of the
independent Republic of the Philippines.

Administration and cabinet

War Cabinet 1944–45

President Osmeña with members of his cabinet. Front row; left to right: Jaime Hernandez,
Secretary of Finance; President Osmeña; Col. Carlos P. Romulo, Resident Commissioner and
Secretary of Information. Back row, left to right: Col. Mariano A. Erana, Judge Advocate General
of the Philippine Army and Secretary of the Department of Justice, Labor, and Welfare; Dr.
Arturo B. Rotor, Secretary of Agriculture and Commerce; Ismael Mathay, Budget and Finance
Commissioner; Colonel Alejandro Melchor, Undersecretary of National Defense, representing
General Basilio Valdes, Secretary of National Defense.

On 8 August 1944, President Osmeña issued Executive Order 15-W reorganizing and
consolidating the Executive Departments of the Commonwealth government. The
reorganization of the government after it was reestablished on Philippine soil was undertaken
with Executive Order No. 27; 27 February 1945.

Bell Trade Act

On 30 April 1946, the United States Congress, at last approved the Bell Act, which as early as 20
January had been reported to the Ways and Means Committee of the lower house, having been
already passed by the Senate. President Osmeña and Resident Commissioner Ramulo had urged
the passage of this bill, with United States High Commissioner, Paul V. McNutt, exerting similar
pressure.

The Act gave the Philippines eight years of free trade with the United States, then twenty years
during which tariffs would be upped gradually until they were in line with the rest of the
American tariff policy. The law also fixed some quotas for certain products: sugar – 850,000 long
tons; cordage – 6,000,000 pounds; coconut oil – 200,000 long tons; cigars – 200,000,000
pounds. This aid was coupled with that to be obtained from the recently passed Tydings
Damage bill, which provided some nine hundred million dollars for payment of war damages, of
which one million was earmarked to compensate for church losses. The sum of two hundred
and forty million dollars was to be periodically allocated by the United States President as good
will. Also, sixty million pieces of surplus property were transferred to the Philippines
government.

5. Manuel Roxas

Governor of Capiz

Manuel Acuña Roxas (born Manuel Róxas y Acuña; January 1, 1892 – April 15, 1948) was the
fifth President of the Philippines who 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

Political career

Roxas occupied more important positions in the Philippine government than any other Filipino
had ever held before him. 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

Former diplomatic residence of Manuel Roxas in Washington, D.C.

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 to Corregidor
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 Osmeña were captured or
killed.

Roxas was captured in 1942 by the Japanese invasion forces. He became chief advisor to José P.
Laurel, but secretly sympathetic to the guerrilla movement, 208–209 he passed information via
Ramona (Mona) Snyder to Edwin Ramsey.57–58 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.

No sooner had the fanfare of the independence festivities ended that the government and the
people quickly put all hands to work in the tasks of rescuing the country from its dire economic
straits. Reputed to be the most bombed and destroyed country in the world, the Philippines was
in a sorry mess. Only Stalingrad and Warsaw, for instance, could compare with Manila in point
of destruction. All over the country more than a million people were unaccounted for. The war
casualties as such could very well reach the two million mark. Conservative estimates had it that
the Philippines had lost about two thirds of her material wealth.

Presidency
The country was facing near bankruptcy. There was no national economy, no export trade.
Indeed, production for exports had not been restored. On the other hand, imports were to
reach the amount of three million dollars. There was need of immediate aid from the United
Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. Something along this line was obtained. Again,
loans from the United States, as well as some increase in the national revenues, were to help
the new Republic.

President Roxas, with bold steps, met the situation with the same confidence he exuded in his
inaugural address, when he said: "The system of free but guided enterprise is our system".
Among the main remedies proposed was the establishment of the Philippine Rehabilitation
Finance Corporation. This entity would be responsible for the construction of twelve thousand
houses and for the grant of easy-term loans in the amount of 177,000,000 pesos. Another
proposal was the creation of the Central Bank of the Philippines to help stabilize the Philippine
dollar reserves and coordinate and the nations banking activities gearing them to the economic
progress.

Concentrating on the sugar industry, President Roxas would exert such efforts as to succeed in
increasing production from 13,000 tons at the time of the Philippine liberation to an all-high of
one million tons.

6. Elpidio Quirino

Vice President of the Philippines

Elpidio Rivera Quirino (born Elpidío Quiríno y Rivera; November 16, 1890 – February 29, 1956)
was a Filipino politician of ethnic Ilocano descent who served as the sixth President of the
Philippines from 1948 to 1953.

lawyer by profession, Quiríno entered politics when he became a representative of Ilocos Sur
from 1919 to 1925. He was then elected as senator from 1925–1931. In 1934, he became a
member of the Philippine independence commission that was sent to Washington, D.C., which
secured the passage of Tydings–McDuffie 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, Quiríno 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 José P. Laurel as well as fellow Liberalista and former Senate President José Avelino.
The Quiríno administration was generally challenged by the Hukbalahaps, who ransacked towns
and barrios. Quiríno ran for president again in 1953 but was defeated by Ramon Magsaysay.

Early life and career

Elpidío Quiríno was a native of Caoayan, Ilocos Sur although born in Vigan, Ilocos Sur to Don
Mariano Quebral Quirino of Caoayan, Ilocos Sur and Doña Gregoria Mendoza Rivera of Agoo, La
Union. He was baptized on November 19, 1890.[1] Quiríno spent his early years in Aringay, La
Union. He studied and graduated from his elementary education to his native Caoayan, where
he became a barrio teacher. He received secondary education at Vigan High School, then went
to Manila where he worked as junior computer technician at the Bureau of Lands and as
property clerk in the Manila police department. He graduated from Manila High School in 1911
and also passed the civil service examination, first-grade.[citation needed]

Quiríno attended the University of the Philippines in Manila. In 1915, he earned his law degree
from the university's College of Law, and was admitted to the bar later that year. He was
engaged into the private practice of law. During his early years as an adult he was inducted into
the Pan Xenia Fraternity, a professional trade fraternity in the University of the Philippines, in
the year 1950.

Presidency

First term (1948–1949)

Vice-President Elpidio Quirino was inaugurated as the 6th President of the Philippines on April
17, 1948 at the Council of State Room, Executive Building, Malacañan Palace.

Quiríno assumed the presidency on April 17, 1948, taking his oath of office two days after the
death of Manuel Roxas. His first official act as the President was the proclamation of a state
mourning throughout the country for Roxas' death. Since Quiríno was a widower, his surviving
daughter, Victoria, would serve as the official hostess and perform the functions traditionally
ascribed to the First Lady.

New capital city

On July 17, 1948, the Congress approved Republic Act No. 333, amending Commonwealth Act
No. 502, declaring Quezon City the capital of the Philippines in place of Manila.[4] Nevertheless,
pending the official transfer of the government offices to the new capital site, Manila remained
to be such for all effective purposes.[4]

HukBaLaHap

The term HukBaLaHap was a contraction of Hukbong Bayan Laban sa mga Hapones (in English:
The Nation's Army Against the Japanese Soldiers), members of which were commonly referred
to as Huks.

With the expiration of the Amnesty deadline on August 15, 1948, the government found out
that the Huks had not lived up to the terms of the Quiríno-Taruc agreement. Indeed, after
having been seated in Congress and collecting his back pay allowance.[4] Luis Taruc
surreptitiously fled away from Manila, even as a number of his followers had either submitted
themselves to the conditions of the Amnesty proclamation or surrendered their arms. In the
face of countercharges from the Huk to the effect that the government had not satisfied the
agreed conditions, President Quirino ordered a stepped-up campaign against dissidents,
restoring once more an aggressive policy in view of the failure of the friendly attitude previously
adopted.

7. Ramon Magsaysay

Military Governor of Zambales, Secretary of Department of National Defense

Ramón del Fierro Magsaysay Sr. (August 31, 1907 – March 17, 1957) was a Filipino politician
who was the seventh President 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.

Career during World War II

Magsaysay as a guerrilla during the Second World War

At the outbreak of World War II, he joined the motor pool of the 31st Infantry Division of the
Philippine Army. When Bataan surrendered 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. 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.

Secretary of National Defense

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 the Hukbalahap
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.

The Magsaysay administration negotiated the Laurel-Langley Agreement which was a trade
agreement between the Philippines and the United States which was signed in 1955 and
expired in 1974. Although it proved deficient, the final agreement satisfied nearly all of the
diverse Filipino economic interests. While some have seen the Laurel-Langley agreement as a
continuation of the 1946 trade act, Jose P. Laurel and other Philippine leaders recognized that
the agreement substantially gave the country greater freedom to industrialize while continuing
to receive privileged access to US markets.

The agreement replaced the unpopular Bell Trade Act, which tied the economy of the
Philippines to that of United States economy.

Magsaysay's term, which was to end on December 30, 1957, was cut short by a plane crash. On
March 16, 1957, Magsaysay left Manila for Cebu City where he spoke at three educational
institutions. That same night, at about 1 am, he boarded the presidential plane "Mt. Pinatubo",
a C-47, heading back to Manila. In the early morning hours of March 17, the plane was reported
missing. By late afternoon, newspapers had reported the airplane had crashed on Mt.
Manunggal in Cebu, and that 36 of the 56 aboard were killed. The actual number on board was
25, including Magsaysay. Only newspaperman Néstor Mata survived. Vice-President Carlos
García, who was on an official visit to Australia at the time, assumed the presidency to serve out
the last eight months of Magsaysay's term.

8.Carlos P. Garcia

Governor of Bohol, Vice President of the Philippines

Garcia was born in Talibon, Bohol on November 4, 1896, to Policronio Garcia and Ambrosia
Polestico, who were both natives of Bangued, Abra.

Garcia grew up with politics, with his father serving as a municipal mayor for four terms. He
acquired his primary education in his native town Talibon, then took his secondary education in
Cebu Provincial High School, now Abellana National School, both on top of his class. Initially, he
pursued his college education at Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, and
later studied at the Philippine Law School, the College of Law of National University, where he
earned his law degree in 1923 and later, he received his honorary degree, Doctor of Humanities,
Honoris Causa from National University in 1961. He was among the top ten in the bar
examination.

Rather than practice law right away, he worked as a teacher for two years at Bohol Provincial
High School. He became famous for his poetry in Bohol, where he earned the nickname "Prince
of Visayan Poets" and the "Bard from Bohol".

At the time of President Magsaysay's sudden death on March 17, 1957, Garcia was heading the
Philippine delegation to the SEATO conference then being held at Canberra, Australia. Having
been immediately notified of the tragedy, Vice President Garcia enplaned back for Manila. Upon
his arrival he directly repaired to Malacañang Palace to assume the duties of President. Chief
Justice Ricardo Paras, of the Supreme Court, was at hand to administer the oath of office.
President Garcia's first actions dealt with the declaration of a period of mourning for the whole
nation and the burial ceremonies for the late Chief-Executive Magsaysay.

Anti-Communism

After much discussion, both official and public, the Congress of the Philippines, finally, approved
a bill outlawing the Communist Party of the Philippines. Despite the pressure exerted against
the congressional measure, President Carlos P. Garcia signed the said bill into law as Republic
Act No. 1700 on June 19, 1957.

Republic Act № 1700 was superseded by Presidential Decree № 885, entitled "Outlawing
Subversive Organization, Penalizing Membership Therein and For Other Purposes." This was
amended by Presidential Decree № 1736, and later superseded by Presidential Decree № 1835,
entitled, "Codifying The Various Laws on Anti-Subversion and Increasing the Penalties for
Membership in Subversive Organization." This, in turn, was amended by Presidential Decree №
1975. On May 5, 1987, Executive Order № 167 repealed Presidential Decrees № 1835 and №
1975 as being unduly restrictive of the constitutional right to form associations.

On September 22, 1992, Republic Act № 1700, as amended, was repealed by Republic Act №
7636.

9. Diosdado Macapagal

Vice President of the Philippines

native of Lubao, Pampanga, Macapagal graduated from the University of the Philippines and
University of Santo Tomas, both in Manila, 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. Garcia, whom he defeated in the 1961 polls.

Diosdado Macapagal was also a reputed poet in the Chinese and Spanish language, though his
poetic oeuvre was eclipsed by his political biography.

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 Aguinaldo unilaterally 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.

Early life

Diosdado Macapagal was born on September 28, 1910, in Lubao, Pampanga, the third of five
children in a poor family. His father was Urbano Macapagal y Romero (c. 1883 – 1946),[2] a poet
who wrote in the local Pampangan language and his mother was Romana Pangan Macapagal,
daughter of Atanacio Miguel Pangan (a former cabeza de barangay of Gutad, Floridablanca,
Pampanga) and Lorenza Suing Antiveros. Urbano's mother, Escolastica Romero Macapagal is a
midwife and schoolteacher who taught catechism.

Diosdado is a distant descendant of Don Juan Macapagal, a prince of Tondo, who was a great-
grandson of the last reigning Lakan of the Kingdom of Tondo, Lakan Dula. He is also related to
well-to-do Licad family through Diosdado's mother Romana who is a second cousin of Maria
Vitug Licad, grandmother of renowned pianist, Cecile Licad. Romana's grandmother, Genoveva
Miguel Pangan and Maria's grandmother, Celestina Miguel Macaspac are siblings. Their mother,
Maria Concepcion Lingad Miguel is a daughter of Jose Pingul Lingad and Gregoria Malit Bartolo.
Diosdado's family earned extra income by raising pigs and accommodating boarders in their
home. Due to his roots in poverty, Macapagal would later become affectionately known as the
"Poor boy from Lubao". Diosdado Macapagal was also a reputed poet in the Spanish language
although his poet work was eclipsed by his political biography.

Early education

Macapagal excelled in his studies at local public schools, graduating valedictorian at Lubao
Elementary School, and salutatorian at Pampanga High School. He finished his pre-law course at
the University of the Philippines, then enrolled at Philippine Law School in 1932, studying on a
scholarship and supporting himself with a part-time job as an accountant. While in law school,
he gained prominence as an orator and debater. However, he was forced to quit schooling after
two years due to poor health and a lack of money.

Economy

In his inaugural address, Macapagal promised a socio-economic program anchored on "a return
to free and private enterprise", placing economic development in the hands of private
entrepreneurs with minimal government interference.

Twenty days after the inauguration, exchange controls were lifted and the Philippine peso was
allowed to float on the free currency exchange market. The currency controls were initially
adopted by the administration of Elpidio Quirino as a temporary measure, but continued to be
adopted by succeeding administrations. The peso devalued from P2.64 to the U.S. dollar, and
stabilized at P3.80 to the dollar, supported by a $300 million stabilization fund from the
International Monetary Fund.

To achieve the national goal of economic and social progress with prosperity reaching down to
the masses, there existed a choice of methods. First, there was the choice between the
democratic and dictatorial systems, the latter prevailing in Communist countries. On this, the
choice was easy as Filipinos had long been committed to the democratic method.With the
democratic mechanism, however, the next choice was between free enterprise and the
continuing of the controls system. Macapagal stated the essence of free enterprise in layman
parlance in declaring before Congress on January 22, 1962 that "the task of economic
development belongs principally to private enterprise and not to the government.

Independence Day

Macapagal appealed to nationalist sentiments by shifting the commemoration of Philippine

independence day. On May 12, 1962, he signed a proclamation which declared Tuesday, June
12, 1962, as a special public holiday in commemoration of the declaration of independence
from Spain on that date in 1898. The change became permanent in 1964 with the signing of
Republic Act No. 4166. For having issued his 1962 proclamation, Macapagal is generally credited
with having moved the celebration date of the Independence Day holiday. Years later,
Macapagal told journalist Stanley Karnow the real reason for the change: "When I was in the
diplomatic corps, I noticed that nobody came to our receptions on the Fourth of July, but went
to the American Embassy instead. So, to compete, I decided we needed a different holiday."

10. Ferdinand E. Marcos

No previous executive experience

Marcos claimed an active part in World War II, including fighting alongside the Americans in the
Bataan Death March and being the "most decorated war hero in the Philippines". A number of
his claims were found to be false and the United States Army documents described Marcos's
wartime claims as "fraudulent" and "absurd".

Marcos started as an attorney, then served in the Philippine House of Representatives from
1949 to 1959 and the Philippine Senate from 1959 to 1965. He was elected President in 1965,
and presided over a growing economy during the beginning and intermediate portion of his 20-
year rule, but ended in loss of livelihood, extreme poverty, and a crushing debt crisis. Marcos
placed the Philippines under martial law on September 23, 1972, during which he revamped the
constitution, silenced the media, and used violence and oppression against the political
opposition, Muslims, communist rebels, and ordinary citizens. Martial law was ratified by
90.77% of the voters during the Philippine Martial Law referendum, 1973 though the
referendum was marred with controversy.

Public outrage led to the snap elections of 1986. Allegations of mass cheating, political turmoil,
and human rights abuses led to the People Power Revolution in February 1986, which removed
him from power.To avoid what could have been a military confrontation in Manila between pro-
and anti-Marcos troops, Marcos was advised by US President Ronald Reagan through Senator
Paul Laxalt to "cut and cut cleanly", after which Marcos fled to Hawaii. 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 Marcos.

According to source documents provided by the Presidential Commission on Good Government

(PCGG), the Marcos family stole US$5–10 billion. The PCGG also maintained that the Marcos
family enjoyed a decadent lifestyle, taking away billions of dollars from the Philippines between
1965 and 1986. His wife Imelda Marcos, whose excesses during the couple's conjugal
dictatorship made her infamous in her own right, spawned the term "Imeldific". Two of their
children, Imee Marcos and Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., are still active in Philippine
politics.

Ferdinand Marcos was inaugurated to his first term as the Tenth President of the Philippines on
30 December 1965, after winning the Philippine presidential election of 1965 against the
incumbent President, Diosdado Macapagal. His inauguration marked the beginning of his two-
decade long stay in power, even though the 1935 Philippine Constitution had set a limit of only
two four-year terms of office.

Before Marcos' Presidency, the Philippines was the second largest economy in Asia, behind only
Japan. He pursued an aggressive program of infrastructure development funded by foreign
loans, making him very popular throughout almost all of his first term and eventually making
him the first and only President of the Third Philippine republic to win a second term, although
it would also trigger an inflationary crisis which would lead to social unrest in his second term,
and would eventually lead to his declaration of Martial Law in 1972.

On the evening of September 23, 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos announced that he had
placed the entirety of the Philippines under martial law. This marked the beginning of a 14-year
period of one man rule which would effectively last until Marcos was exiled from the country on
February 25, 1986. Even though the formal document proclaiming martial law - Proclamation
No. 1081 - was formally lifted on January 17, 1981, Marcos retained virtually all of his powers as
dictator until he was ousted by the EDSA Revolution.

His term last

First term (1966–1969)

Second term (1969–1972)

Martial Law (1972–1981)

Third term (1981–1986)

Proclamation 1081

Marcos' declaration of martial law became known to the public on September 23, 1972 when
his Press Secretary, Francisco Tatad, announced on Radio that Proclamation № 1081, which
Marcos had supposedly signed two days earlier on September 21, had come into force and
would extend Marcos's rule beyond the constitutional two-term limit. Ruling by decree, he
almost dissolved press freedom and other civil liberties to add propaganda machine, 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.
However, unlike Ninoy Aquino's senator colleagues who were detained without charges, Ninoy,
together with communist NPA leaders Lt Corpuz and Bernabe Buscayno, was charged with
murder, illegal possession of firearms and subversion. Marcos claimed that martial law was the
prelude to creating his Bagong Lipunan, a "New Society" based on new social and political
values.

In his dying days, Marcos was visited by Vice President Salvador Laurel. During the meeting with
Laurel, Marcos offered to return 90% of his ill-gotten wealth to the Filipino people in exchange
for being buried back in the Philippines beside his mother, an offer also disclosed to Enrique
Zobel. However, Marcos's offer was rebuffed by the Aquino government.

Marcos died in Honolulu on the morning of September 28, 1989, of kidney, heart, and lung
ailments. Marcos was interred in a private mausoleum at Byodo-In Temple on the island of
Oahu where his remains were visited daily by the Marcos family, political allies and friends.

11. Corazon C. Aquino

No previous executive experience

Maria Corazon "Cory" Cojuangco Aquino (25 January 1933 – 1 August 2009) was a Chinese
Filipino politician who served as the 11th President of the Philippines, becoming the first
woman to hold that office. The first female president in the Philippines, Aquino was the most
prominent figure of the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled the 21-year rule of
President Ferdinand Marcos. 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", 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 21 August 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 senator Salvador Laurel as her Vice President. After the elections were held on 7
February 1986, the Batasang Pambansa proclaimed Marcos and his running mate, Arturo
Tolentino, as the winners amid allegations of electoral fraud, with Aquino calling for massive
civil disobedience actions. Defections from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the support
of the local Catholic hierarchy led to the People Power Revolution that ousted Marcos and
secured Aquino's accession on 25 February 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
centered on restoring economic health and confidence and focused on creating a market-
oriented and socially responsible economy. She became the first Filipino to be bestowed with
the prestigious Prize For Freedom Award in 1987.

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 Ramos, and returned to
civilian life while remaining public about her opinions on political issues. In recognition for her
role in the world's most peaceful revolution to attain democracy, she was awarded the
prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1998.

In 2008, Aquino was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and died on 1 August 2009. Her
monuments of peace and democracy were established in the capital Manila and her home
province of Tarlac after her death. Her son Benigno Aquino III became President of the
Philippines from 30 June 2010 to 30 June 2016. Throughout her life, Aquino was known to be a
devout Roman Catholic, and was fluent in French, Japanese, Spanish, and English aside from her
native Tagalog and Kapampangan.[4] She is highly regarded by the international diplomatic
community as the Mother of Asian and Philippine Democracy[5

Early life

Aquino was born Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco on 25 January 1933 in Paniqui, Tarlac,[8]
and was the sixth (of whom two died in infancy) of eight children of José Cojuangco, a former
congressman, and Demetria Sumulong, a pharmacist. Her siblings were Pedro, Josephine,
Teresita, Jose Jr. and Maria Paz. Both Aquino's parents came from prominent clans. Her father
was a prominent Tarlac businessman and politician, and her grandfather, Melecio Cojuangco,
was a member of the historic Malolos Congress. Her mother belonged to the Sumulong family
of Rizal province who were also politically influential; Juan Sumulong, a prominent member of
the clan, ran against Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon in 1941.

As a young girl, Aquino spent her elementary school days at St. Scholastica's College in Manila,
where she graduated on top of her class as valedictorian. She transferred to Assumption
Convent to pursue high school studies. Afterwards, she and her family went to the United States
and attended the Assumption-run Ravenhill Academy in Philadelphia. In 1949, she graduated
from Notre Dame Convent School in New York. She then pursued her college education in the
U.S. graduating from the College of Mount Saint Vincent in 1953 in New York, with a major in
French and minor in mathematics. During her stay in the United States, Aquino volunteered for
the campaign of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Thomas Dewey against then Democratic
U.S. President Harry S. Truman during the 1948 U.S. Presidential Election

Presidency

Corazon Aquino during a ceremony honoring the United States Air force.

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.

She was the first female president of the country and the only president with no political
background. She is also regarded as the first female president in Asia. 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.

Aquino promulgated two landmark legal codes, namely, the Family Code of 1987, which
reformed the civil law on family relations, and the Administrative 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 Marcos-dominated 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.

Electrical power grid inadequacy

During Aquino's presidency, electric blackouts became common in Manila. The capital
experienced blackouts lasting 7–12 hours, bringing numerous businesses to a halt. By the
departure of Aquino in June 1992, businesses in Manila and nearby provinces had lost nearly
$800 million since the preceding March.
Corazon Aquino's decision to mothball the Bataan Nuclear Plant built during the Marcos
administration contributed to the power crisis in the 1990s, as the 620 megawatts capacity of
the plant was enough to cover the shortfall at that time.

Death

On 24 March 2008, Aquino's family announced that the former President had been diagnosed
with colorectal cancer. Upon her being earlier informed by her doctors that she had only three
months to live, she pursued medical treatment and chemotherapy. A series of healing Masses
for Aquino (a devout Catholic) were held throughout the country intended for her recovery. In a
public statement during one healing Mass on 13 May 2008, Aquino said that her blood tests
indicated that she was responding well to treatment; her hair and appetite loss were apparent.

By July 2009, Aquino was reported to be in very serious condition, suffering from loss of
appetite, and was confined to the Makati Medical Center. It was later announced that Aquino
and her family had decided to stop chemotherapy and other medical interventions for her.
Aquino died in the Makati Medical Center at 3:18 a.m. on 1 August 2009 due to
cardiorespiratory arrest at the age of 76.

12. Fidel V. Ramos

Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Secretary of Department of National
Defense
13 Joseph Ejercito Estrada

Mayor of San Juan, Metro Manila, Vice President of the Philippines, Chairman of the
Presidential Anti-Crime Commission

14 Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Vice President of the Philippines, Secretary of Department of Social Welfare and Development,
Undersecretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, Assistant Secretary of the Department
of Trade and Industry

15 Benigno S. Aquino III

No previous executive experience

16 Rodrigo Duterte

Mayor of Davao City, Vice Mayor of Davao City, Congressman, 1st District of Davao City