The Philippine Republic

On July 4, 1946, Manuel Roxas of the Nationalista Party was inaugurated as

the first President of the Republic of the Philippines. Roxas died in April
1948. He was succeeded by Elpidio Quirino. Both Roxas & Quirino had to
deal with the Hukbalahap, a large anti-Japanese guerrilla organization which
became a militant group that discredited the ruling elite. The group was
eventually put down by Pres. Quirino's Secretary of Defense, Ramon
Magsaysay.

Magsaysay defeated Quirino in the 1953 elections. He was a popular

president and largely loved by the people. Magsaysay died in
an airplane crash on March 17, 1957 and was succeeded by Carlos Garcia.

Diosdado Macapagal won the 1961 presidential elections and soon after he
changed history by declaring June 12 as independence day - the day Emilio
Aguinaldo declared independence in Cavite from Spain in 1898. Aguinaldo
was the guest of honour during the fist Independence Day celebrations in
1962.

Prior to Quezon's exile, he advised Dr. Jose P. Laurel to head and cooperate
with the Japanese civilian government in the hope that the collaboration will
lead to a less brutality of the Japanese towards the Filipinos. Rightly or
wrongly, President Laurel and his war time government was largely detested
by the Filipinos.

In October 1944, Gen. MacArthur with President Sergio Osmeña (who

assumed the presidency after Quezon died on August 1, 1944 in exile in
Saranac Lake, New York) returned and liberated the Philippines from the
Japanese.