FERDINAND MARCOS AND CORY AQUINO PERSPECTIVES

Let us see the perspectives of this two significant presidents in Philippine history.
What are their contributions in our country? And what really made them
significant?
Corazon Aquino is the 11th president of the Republic of the Philippines. She is
the First female president of the country as well as the first female president in
Asia.
Corazon Aquino is as ordinary person as can be. Though she came from the
family of elite, a Cojuangco family, one of the richest family in the country. She
chose to led a simple life. Her only jewelry was her wedding ring and a
wristwatch. Yet she was unwavering in her belief that she can change the
country for the better. She was indeed brave and courageous. Maybe she had not
been the most effective president, but people see her that she was the only person
who have the guts to lead the opposition. Running for president is not an easy
decision. Considering that her husband has been assassinated.
After Marcos regime, the country has maintained its democracy. And President
Cory Aquino is said to be credited for restoring democratic institutions. Today
the Philippines enjoys a bicameral congress, an independent judiciary, a free
press and most of all a guaranteed individual right. Cory Aquino will be
remembered worldwide as an icon of democracy…
Ferdinand Marcos Sr. He was the tenth president of the Philippines. Marcos as
president is said to be a dictator one. There had been extrajudicial killings that
happened during his regime until the last victim was Ninoy Aquino husband of
Cory Aquino. Many people believed that Marcos was behind of those killings
although it was not proven. However, Marcos has big contributions in the
Philippine progress. On 1985 Philippines is said to be the second largest
producer of geothermal power in the world. There were four geothermal power
plants in Luzon. Marcos established a National Energy Program. Twenty power
plants was completed from hydroelectric power plants such as: Angat dam;
Magat dam and Pulangi dam. He also completed a coal thermal and geothermal
power plants in Mount Makiling, Mount Banahaw and Leyte. The Bataan
Nuclear Power Plants first in Southeast Asia. The Rural Electrification Program.
Marcos in his administration also completed the Manila International Airport
which is currently renamed as Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The LRT 1
first in Southeast Asia, Philippine Heart Center; Philippine Kidney Center;
Philippine Lung Center; Nayong Pilipino, to preserve the Philippine heritage;
Philippine International Convention Center(PICC); Cultural Center of the
Philippines(CCP); Philippine Film Center; Golden Mosque for Muslims; Folks
Arts Theater, for traditional Filipino drama; SLEX and NLEX, first in
Southeast Asia; San Juanico Bridge; thirteenth-month pay; Presidential decree
1956, Spratly Island; Green Revolution for Agriculture; Blue Revolution for
fishermen; Masagana 99 for rice production, and Philippines is number one in
rice production. During the Marcos administration the one US dollar is
equivalent only to four pesos. Marcos reign for twenty years and there were
many issues including the ill-gotten wealth and Imelda’s 3000 shoes but he has
big contributions in our country.
Cory and Marcos has their imperfections but what was important is that they
have good contributions in our country. Cory Aquino gave the democracy that
people asked for, but nowadays people are becoming abusive for this freedom. I
don’t blame Cory because we all know that before she became a president she
was first a wife and a mother. We all that mother is very loving in her children,
but sometimes children are being abusive. That is what I think about the
leadership of Cory. She didn’t notice that she is becoming ineffective president.
Cory is an image of a great mother who love her children very much. She gave
democracy but a lot of people disrespecting this democracy. She might be
ineffective but did her best and that’s what I want to remember about her.
Marcos however is a strong and intelligent man, but still people complained
about his style of ruling the government. Being a leader is never an easy duty,
some may follow you and some might oppose. I think the problem is not about
the leader at all. Based on my observation from the very beginning many
Filipinos were not contented and will never be contented. We keep on
complaining whoever the leader is. As what President Duterte said “people will
forget the hundreds that you do if you commit just one mistake”.
 MY PERSONAL
THOUGHT ABOUT
FERDINAND MARCOS
AND CORY AQUINO
PERSPECTIVES

SUBMITTED TO: MS. ROWENA J. INODIO

PREPARED BY: JEFEL B. CANALES

 A SNAP ELECTION
A snap election is an election that is called earlier than the one that has been
scheduled. Generally, a snap election in a parliamentary system is called to
capitalize on an unusual electoral opportunity or to decide a pressing issue,
under circumstances when an election is not required by law or convention.
This snap election happened thirty-three years ago in our country between
Ferdinand Marcos a President that time and his opponent Cory Aquino, a wife
of a slain senator Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino. It was August 21, 1983 when the
opposition leader Ninoy Aquino shot at Manila International Airport. On
February 7, 1986 a housewife Corazon Aquino went up against Marcos in a snap
presidential election. She really a strong woman is. It is very hard to lose a
husband, we call in tagalog “haligi ng tahanan”. How can a house be a house
without pillar? Some housewives nowadays can’t handle this kind of situation
but Cory did.
It was December 3,1985 in Manila when Corazon Aquino is cheered by his two
advisers to run against Marcos in the Presidential Snap poll. Marcos said that
held a presidential snap election in the efforts to win back his popularity. They
said that he wanted to prove that the sympathy of Filipinos is still with him. That
is why according to some source, the snap polls in 1986 were marred by reports
of cheating, violence, and disenfranchisement of voters. The Commission on
Elections(COMELEC) declared Marcos the victor, but the National Citezens
Movement for the Elections (NAMFREL) said Aquino was the real winner,
based onits own quick count.
This snap election is one of the reason why people came out to revolt. As we can
see at the very time when Philippines was started having own leader there were
always an opposition who wanted to replace the leader. There were always
people who think that they are better than anyone in the position. But then when
you let them hold the position of being a leader they don't even know what to do.
Perhaps this snap election became a topic all over the world but the question is,
did it really helped or just worsened the situation.
Two weeks later Marcos regime was ended and through this peaceful People
Power Revolution according to them, Corazon Aquino took over as President of
the Philippines. And yet, many people wish to have President like Marcos. But
whatever happened it is God's purpose. And as citizens of this nation we should
accept the fact that there is no perfect leader and no one is perfect except God.