The Roxas Administration (May 28, 1946 – April 15, 1948)

President Manuel Roxas, in his first State of the Nation Address, detailed the challenges
the country was facing in the aftermath of war: A government “without financial means
to support even its basic functions,”[1] scarcity in commodities especially of food,
hyperinflation, the “tragic destruction”[2] of a productive economy, and still-ongoing
rehabilitation among the different sectors of society.

In an effort to solve the massive socio-economic problems of the period, President

Roxas reorganized the government, and proposed a wide-sweeping legislative program.
Among the undertakings of the Third Republic’s initial year were: The establishment of
the Rehabilitation Finance Corporation (which would be reorganized in 1958 as the
Development Bank of the Philippines);[3] the creation of the Department of Foreign Affair
and the organization of the foreign service through Executive Order No. 18; the GI Bill of
Rights for Filipino veterans; and the revision of taxation laws to increase government
revenues.[4]

President Roxas moved to strengthen sovereignty by proposing a Central Bank for the
Philippines to administer the Philippine banking system[5] which was established
by Republic Act No. 265.

In leading a “cash-starved[6] government” that needed to attend a battered nation,

President Roxas campaigned for the parity amendment to the 1935 Constitution. This
amendment, demanded by the Philippine Trade Relations Act or the Bell Trade
Act,[7] would give American citizens and industries the right to utilize the country’s
natural resources in return for rehabilitation support from the United States. The
President, with the approval of Congress, proposed this move to the nation through a
plebiscite.

The amendment was necessary to attract rehabilitation funds and investments at a time
when public and official opinion in the United States had swung back to isolationism (the
Cold War, and a corresponding reversal in what had been heretofore a return of
isolationism, would only come a few years later). On March 11, 1947, a total of 432,933
(78.89% of the electorate) voted in favor of the parity amendment.[8] The approval of the
amendment had provided the nation with $620 million[9] in war damage compensation,
through the Philippine War Damage Commission.

A major initiative arising from preliminary wartime discussions about the future security
of the Philippines, was the US–Philippine Military Bases Agreement of 1947, which
gave the United States the right to retain the use of sixteen bases, free of rent, with the
option to use seven more for a term of 99 years.[10]

The Roxas administration also pioneered the foreign policy of the Republic. Vice
President Elpidio Quirino was appointed Secretary of Foreign Affairs. General Carlos P.
Romulo, as permanent representative[11] of the Philippines to the United Nations, helped
shape the country’s international identity in the newly established stage for international
diplomacy and relations. During the Roxas administration, the Philippines established
diplomatic ties with foreign countries and gained membership to international entities,
such as the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Health Organization (WHO),
the International Labor Organization (ILO), etc.

On April 15, 1948, following a speech before an audience of assembled airmen at Clark
Field Air Base, President Roxas died of a heart attack. Vice President Elpidio Quirino
assumed the presidency on April 17, 1948.

The Quirino Administration (April 17, 1948 – December 30, 1953)

President Elpidio Quirino’s goal as chief executive, as stated in his first State of the
Nation Address, revolved around strengthening the people’s confidence in the
government and the restoration of peace. In order to achieve these, the Chief Executive
travelled around the country to inspect firsthand the condition of the nation.

President Quirino established the Action Committee on Social Amelioration

through Administrative Order No. 68, in order to efficiently promote the welfare of
citizens in the rural districts. He established the Social Security Study Commission by
virtue of Executive Order No. 150, to investigate socio-economic problems of the
working class and formulate legislation developing social welfare. The Labor
Management Advisory Board, established by Executive Order No. 158, formulated labor
policies and conducted studies on the ways and means of preventing, minimizing, and
reconciling labor disputes. The Agricultural Credit and Cooperative Financing
Administration, established by Republic Act. No. 821, assisted farmers in securing credit
as well as developing cooperative associations to efficiently market their agricultural
commodities.

The Quirino administration reached out to the leaders and members of Hukbo ng Bayan
Laban sa Hapon (HUKBALAHAP) and the Pambansang Kaisahan ng mga
Magbubukid (PKM) to negotiate peace and put an end to the insurgency. In 1948,
through Proclamation No. 76, the government granted amnesty to the insurgents that
surrendered arms. The negotiation failed to persuade HUKBALAHAP leader Luis Taruc
and other rebel leaders, as they conceded to register but never disarm. From 1950 to
1953, Secretary of National Defense Ramon Magsaysay and President Quirino exerted
efforts in reforming the nation’s Armed Forces and promoting welfare of citizens in the
rural areas through the Economic Development Corps (EDCOR)[12] and Land
Settlement and Development Corporation (LASEDECO)[13]. This resulted to a
considerable improvement to the country’s insurgency problem. There were over 25,000
armed communists in early 1950—two thirds of which had either been captured, killed,
or had voluntarily surrendered; an estimated 60,000 firearms were surrendered or
captured.[14]

The Quirino administration came to a close in the presidential elections of 1953. It was a
battle between incumbent Liberal Party of President Elpidio Quirino against the
charismatic Nacionalista candidate Ramon Magsaysay. It was a landslide victory for
Ramon Magsaysay, who gained 2,912,992 votes or 68.9% of the electorate. The
Magsaysay Administration (December 30, 1953 – March 17, 1957)

To help the rural masses was the focal point of the populist administration [15] of
President Ramon Magsaysay. President Magsaysay insisted in meeting and
communicating with his people. In his first Executive Order, he established the
Presidential Complaint and Action Commission, which investigated various citizen
complaints and recommended remedial actions through different government agencies.
The Commission served to boost the nation’s confidence with its government; it was
seen as a fulfilment of President Magsaysay’s promise, stated in his inaugural address,
to become a President for the people. The principles of the Magsaysay administration
were codified in the Magsaysay Credo, and became the theme of leadership and public
service.

Among the accomplishments of the Magsaysay administration were the Social Security
Law of 1954 or Republic Act No. 1161. In an effort to solve the problems of communism
and insurgency, President Magsaysay sought to protect the farmers, through the
creation of laws such as: the Agricultural Tenancy Act of the Philippines or Republic Act
No. 1199; the Land Reform Act of 1955 through Republic Act No. 1400; the formation of
the Court of Agrarian Relations through Republic Act No. 1267; and the National
Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA) through Republic Act No.
1160. The administration achieved victory over insurgents with the surrender
of Huk leader Luis Taruc in 1954.
The Agricultural Tenancy Act and the Land Reform Act of 1955 are among the laws enacted by
President Ramon Magsaysay to help protect the local farmers. (Photo courtesy of the National
Library of the Philippines.)

In the field of international diplomacy and defense, President Magsaysay, through the
Manila Pact of 1954 or the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, led the
establishment of the Southeast Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO).[16]

The Laurel-Langley Agreement, signed during the Magsaysay administration, gave the
Philippines a preferential trade system[17] with the United States and other countries.
Among its provisions were the right to impose quotas on non-quota articles and the right
to impose export taxes.[18]

On March 17, 1957, President Magsaysay and 25 other passengers of the presidential
plane Mt. Pinatubo perished in a crash, at Mt. Manunggal, Cebu. Vice President Carlos
P. Garcia succeeded to the presidency on March 18, 1957.

The Garcia Administration (March 18, 1957 – December 30, 1961)

President Carlos P. Garcia, in his inaugural address, sought the help and support of the
masses in accomplishing the tremendous responsibilities of the presidency and in
carrying on the legacy of the Magsaysay administration. President Garcia used the
momentum of the previous administration’s campaign on social welfare and signed the
amendment of the Social Security Law through Republic Act 1792, establishing the
Social Security System on September 1, 1957.[19]

President Garcia ran for the presidential elections of 1957. It was the first time in
electoral history where there were four serious contenders to the presidency, namely:
Jose Yulo, Claro M. Recto, Manuel Manahan, and President Garcia. The incumbent
president won the elections with 41.3% of the electorate. It was the first time that a
president was elected by plurality of candidates instead of a majority vote. It was also
the first time where the elected president and vice president did not come from the
same political party—President Garcia was a Nacionalista and Vice President Diosdado
Macapagal a Liberal.

The second inauguration of Carlos P. Garcia, at the Independence Grandstand (now Quirino
Grandstand). (Photo courtesy of the National Library of the Philippines)

The Garcia administration promoted the “Filipino First” policy, whose focal point was to
regain economic independence; a national effort by Filipinos to “obtain major and
dominant participation in their economy.”[20] The administration campaigned for the
citizens’ support in patronizing Filipino products and services, and implemented import
and currency controls favorable for Filipino industries.[21] In connection with the
government’s goal of self-sufficiency was the “Austerity Program,” which President
Garcia described in his first State of the NatIon Address as “more work, more thrift,
more productive investment, and more efficiency” that aimed to mobilize national
savings.[22] The Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, through Republic Act No. 301,
aimed to prevent corruption, and promote honesty and public trust. Another
achievement of the Garcia administration was the Bohlen–Serrano Agreement of 1959,
which shortened the term of lease of the US military bases in the country from the
previous 99 to 25 years.[23]

President Garcia lost to Vice President Diosdado Macapagal in the presidential race of
1961.[24]