Presidents of the Philippines and their Achievements and Contributions

In this page, I’ve listed all the presidents of the Philippines from the first to the present time (2013) and
compiled some of their notable achievements. This list starts from the ratification of the Philippine
Constitution in the First Republic – after the independence of the country in 1898. Thus, this list starts
from the ratification of 1899 constitution where Emilio Aguinaldo was the president of the Republic of
the Philippines. The dates followed by their names are the dates of their terms.

Presidents of the Philippines from past to present:

General Emilio Aguinaldo (January 23, 1899 – April 1, 1901)

To make it easier for you to master, always remember why Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo was on the 5-peso bill
(which is not used anymore, instead his head-profile is on the 5-peso coin) bearing the Philippine flag at
the celebration of the Philippine Independence Day, it’s because he was the first president of the
Philippines First Republic (a.k.a. Malolos Republic).

Contributions and Achievements of Emilio Aguinaldo:

first president
youngest president – he became the country’s leader at age 28
longest-lived president – he died when he was 94 (wow!)
one of the active leaders of KKK
signed the Pact of Biak na Bato
known as the President of the Revolutionary Government
he fought against the Spanish and American to retain our independence

Manuel L. Quezon (November 15, 1935 – August 1, 1944)

Notable facts about Manuel Luis Quezon is that, he is known as the “Father of National Language” (Ama
ng Wikang Pambansa) and he died in Saranac Lake, New York due to tuberculosis. I’ve seen his life-sized
wax statue inside the Quezon Memorial Circle, it was well crafted.

Contributions and Achievements of Manuel L. Quezon:

first Senate president elected as President of the Philippines

first president elected through a national election
first president under the Commonwealth
he created National Council of Education
he initiated women’s suffrage in the Philippines during the Commonwealth
he made Tagalog / Filipino as the national language of the Philippines
he appears on the twenty-peso bill
a province, a city, a bridge and a university in Manila were named after him
his body lies within the special monument on Quezon Memorial Circle

Jose P. Laurel (October 14, 1943 – August 17, 1945)

Laurel was the third to sit at the office during Japanese occupation of World War II. He was the only
Filipino president to have been shot outside of combat.

Contributions and Achievements of Jose P. Laurel:

he was considered as the legitimate president of the Philippines

he organized KALIBAPI (Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas).
he declared Martial Law in 1944
he and his family developed the establishment of Lyceum of the Philippines

Sergio Osmeña (August 1, 1944 – May 28, 1946)

Sergio Osmeña was the second president of the Commonwealth; he succeeded Quezon after his death.

Contributions and Achievements of Sergio Osmena:

he was 65 when he became president– making him the oldest president to hold office
he was the first Visayan to become president
he joined US Gen. Douglas McArthur in Leyte on October 20, 1944 starting the freedom of the
Philippines from the Japanese during World War II
during his time, the Philippine National Bank has been rehabilitated and the country joined the
International Monetary Fund
on his time, the Bell Trade Act was approved by the US Congress
Sergio Osmena appears on the 50 peso bill

5
Manuel Roxas (May 28, 1946 – April 15, 1948)

Roxas was the fifth president of the Philippines overall but he was considered as the third and last
president under the Commonwealth and the first of the Third Republic of the Philippines. He only sat in
the office for 1 year, 10 months and 18 days.

Contributions and Achievements of Manuel A. Roxas:

was inaugurated as the new and first president of the new Republic because the Philippines was finally
free after the WW II
in his time, the country has started reconstruction from war damage and the Philippines started
breathing without foreign rule
under his term, the Philippine Rehabilitation Act and Philippine Trade Act laws were accepted by the
congress
he is in the 100 peso bill

Elpidio Quirino (April 17, 1948 – December 30, 1953)

He was the vice president at Roxas time. He became president when the latter died in 1948.

Contributions and Achievements of Elpidio Quirino:

under his term Hukbalahap movement was active

he created Social Security Commission
he also created Integrity Board to monitor graft and corruption
in 1948, Quezon City was the capital of the Philippines
peso and dollar exchange rate at his time was 1 US = P2

Ramon Magsaysay (December 30, 1953 – March 17, 1957)

He was born in Iba, Zambales, was a military governor, and engineer. He died on a plane crash on Dec.
1957, boarding the presidential plane named “Mt. Pinatubo

Contributions and Achievements of Ramon Magsaysay:

was a chairman of the Committee on Guerilla Affairs

was the first president sworn into office wearing Barong Tagalog in his inauguration
his presidency was referred as the Philippines’ Golden Years for it was the cleanest and zero-corruption
the Philippines was ranked 2nd in Asia’s clean and well-governed countries
he established National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA) among his agrarian
reforms

Carlos P. Garcia (March 18, 1957 – December 30, 1961)

Another lawyer, Carlos P. Garcia was a poet, teacher, and guerilla leader too. Born from Bohol, he was
the vice president of Magsaysay and secretary of Foreign Affairs for 4 years. He became president when
Magsaysay died in 1957.

Contributions and Achievements of Carlos P. Garcia

he was known for “Filipino First Policy”

he established the Austerity Program focusing on Filipino trade and commerce
was known as the “Prince of Visayan Poets” and the “bard from Bohol”
cultural arts was revived during his term
was the first president to have his remains buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani

Diosdado Macapagal (December 30, 1961 – December 30, 1965)

He was born in Lubao, Pampanga, Diosdado Macapagal is the father of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the
14th and second woman president of the Philippines. He was a lawyer and a professor, too.

Contributions and Achievements of Diosdado Macapagal:

he established the first Land Reform Law

he placed the Philippines currency – peso, on the currency exchange market
he made June 12 1898 as the Philippines’ Independence Day
he signed the Minimum Wage Law
he signed the creation of the Philippine Veteran’s Bank

10

Ferdinand Marcos (December 30, 1965 – February 25, 1986)

Born from Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, Ferdinand Edralin Marcos was a lawyer and Senate President for 3 years.
He was president for 21 years and only quit office after the People Power Revolution. His wife, Imelda
Marcos became quite popular in the world too. His term was the most controversial and messy one
because of Martial Law and People Power although Marcos has contributed a lot of nice things in the
Philippines. He was one of the best and brightest presidents even though their family was rumored to
have embezzled public funds to Switzerland and other wealthy countries.

Contributions and Achievements of Ferdinand Marcos:

he was the first president to win a second term

he declared Martial Law on Sept. 22, 1972
he increased the size of Philippine military and armed forces
in 1980, GNP was 4 times greater than 1972
in 1986, the Philippines was one of the most indebted countries in Asia
he built more schools, roads, bridges, hospitals and infrastructures than all former presidents did
combined
is the only president whose remains interred inside a refrigerated crypt

Source: CC BY SA 2.0 by Philippinepresidency Flickr photostream

11

Corazon Aquino (February 25, 1986 – June 30, 1992)

The first woman president of the Philippines and the first woman president in Asia, Cory Aquino is the
wife of Benigno Aquino Jr. (who was assassinated during Marcos regime). She was born in Paniqui,
Tarlac

Contributions and Achievements of Corazon Aquino:

was named “Woman of the Year” in 1986 by Time magazine

first woman president of the Philippines and Asia
she’s known to bring back democracy in the country
she abolished 1973 Marcos Constitution brought the new Constitution of the Philippines
she reorganized the structure of the executive branch of government
signed the Family Code of 1987 and 1191 Local Government Code
she always initiated charitable and social activities helping the poor and the needy
she’s been cited as a modern-day Joan of Arc by many
she is in the new 500 peso bill together with her husband Ninoy Aquino
she has received great honors and awards such as one of:

100 Women Who Shaped World History

20 Most Influential Asians of the 20th Century
65 Great Asian Heroes
a recipient of J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding
Source: CC BY SA by Philippinepresidency Flickr Photostream
12

Fidel V. Ramos (June 30, 1992 – June 30, 1998)

FVR was the chief-of-staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines before he became president. Unknown
to many, he’s also a civil engineer. He brought back economic growth and stability in the country in spite
of the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997. He is the first and only non-Catholic president of the Philippines.

Contributions and Achievements of Fidel V. Ramos

during his time, the Philippines was cited as Asia’s Next Economic Tiger because he brought back
economic growth
the Philippines celebrated Centennial Independence in 1998
he’s the only Filipino who received British Knighthood from the United Kingdom, bestowed by Queen
Elizabeth II (Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George)
he led the 4th APEC Summit held in the Philippines
his “Philippines 2000” vision made the Philippine Stock Exchange one of the best in the world in the mid-
90s
Death Penalty was reinstated at his time
he signed peace talks and agreement with the MNLF

13

Joseph Estrada (June 30, 1998 – January 20, 2001)

Known as Erap, he was the first president who was a famous film actor. His governance had so many
downs due to controversies, impeachment and slow economic growth. I think he’s the first president
who has been impeached and the second one who was forced to leave the office because of People
Power III in Edsa. Philippine economy was at its worst because of leadership uncertainty.

Contributions and Achievements of Joseph “Erap” Estrada:

during his time, the MILF’s headquarters and camps were captured
he joined other leaders and politicians who supported against the Charter Change
was cited as one of the Three Outstanding Senators in 1989
was among the “Magnificent 12” who voted for the termination of the Philippines and US Military Bases
Agreement from Clark Airbase and Subic Naval Base

Source: CC BY Piercing Pens Flickr Photostream

14
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (January 20, 2001 – June 30, 2010)

Gloria Arroyo, daughter of ex-president Diosdado Macapagal, was the second female president of the
Philippines. She was 14 when she moved and lived in the Malacanang Palace. Oakwood Mutiny occurred
on her term. There were also lots of messy controversies against Gloria like impeachments and the Hello
Garci disgrace but Gloria has known to have contributed big record for road, bridges infrastructures and
higher economic growth than the past 3 presidents term did. Amid the 2008 global financial crisis, the
Philippines still had an impressive GDP growth and it was so hard to keep it afloat but she did.

Contributions and Achievements of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo:

second female president of the country

first and only female vice-president of the Philippines so far (to date)
first president to had oath taking outside Luzon
an ex-professor of Economics at the Ateneo de Manila University where Noynoy Aduino was one of her
students
an ex-classmate of former US president Bill Clinton at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign
Service where she maintained Dean’s list status
she regained higher economic growth than the past 3 presidents before her
Philippine economy grew at its fastest in 3 decades in 2007, GDP exceeding 7% growth
US ex-president Bill Clinton cited Gloria’s “tough decisions” because of her brilliant strategy to make the
country's economy back in shape amidst the 2008 global financial crisis
Peso became the best performing currency of the year in Asia in 2007
eVAT Law was implemented under her term
she is currently in the 200 peso bill

Source: CC BY Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Flickr Photostream

15

Benigno Aquino III (June 30, 2010 – present)

Son of the first female president of the Philippines and Asia – Corazon Aquino, Benigno Aquino III
Aquino a.k.a. NoyNoy joined the House of Representatives and the Senate before his presidency. He is
the first president who is a bachelor, unmarried and has no children.

Contributions and Achievements of Benigno Aquino III:

he created the no wang-wang policy and this was practiced on his inaugural address
he assigned the notable Jesse Robredo as the secretary of DILG in 2010.
he initiated the K-12 education in the Philippines
he renamed the Office of the Press Secretary into Presidential Communications Operations Office and
appointed new officers
he signed an EO about suspension of allowances and bonuses of GOCCs and GFIs board members
has paved peace in Mindanao thru the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement
in 2012, the Philippine economy grew 7.1% besting other South East Asian countries

List of Presidents of the Philippines

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Malacañan Palace, the official residence of the president

The President of the Philippines is the head of state governing the country. According to the Philippine
government, the office has been held by politicians who were inaugurated as President of the
Philippines following the ratification of a constitution that explicitly declared the existence of thePhilippines.

For leaders of the Philippines prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, see Datu. For leaders during the Spanish
colonial period and prior to the ratification of the 1935 constitution, see Governor-General of the Philippines.

The King of Spain was the head of state during the Spanish era (1565–1898) and the President of the United
States was the head of state during the American era (1898–1946). Note that the presidents under
the Commonwealth of the Philippines were under United States sovereignty, and that the president of the
Second Republic is considered to have been running a puppet government of the Japanese during World War
II although this puppet government of José P. Laurel during the Japanese occupation was officially considered
independent by the Japanese. Thus the Philippines had threePresidents during that war - one de facto and
two de jure, and two at the same time.[1]

Emilio Aguinaldo was president of the short-lived Malolos Republic between 1899 and 1901. Although the
republic never received foreign recognition, Filipinos consider Aguinaldo to be their first president. [2]

The colors in the following chart indicate the political party or coalition of each President at Election Day or at
the time of ascendancy.

Contents

[hide]
 1 Legend

 2 List of Presidents

o 2.1 Notes

 3 Timeline

 4 Statistics

 5 Unofficial Presidents of the Philippines

 6 References

 7 See also

 8 External links

Legend[edit]

The following color-coding is applied to the table and the timeline below:

 KALIBAPI  Liberal  PDP-LABAN

 KBL  Nacionalista  UNIDO
 Lakas  NPC  Independent
 LAMP
List of Presidents[edit]

President Took Left Vice Ter

Party Era
(Birth–Death) office office President m

None; formerly
Emilio January First Republic
[L April 1, the Magdalo
1 Aguinaldo 23, 1899 [L 2] None[L 4] — (Malolos
1] 1901 faction of
(1869–1964) Republic)
theKatipunan[L 3]

Abolished; occupied by the US Civil Governors of the Philippine Islands from July 4, 1901 to Insular
November 15, 1935. Government

2 Manuel L. Nacionalista 1
Novembe August 1, Sergio Commonwealt
Quezon
 (1878–1944) r 15, 1935 1944[L 5] Osmeña h
2

José P. August KALIBAPI[L 7]

October Second
3 Laurel 17, 1945[L (Caretaker government None[L 8] —
(1891–1959)
14, 1943 6] under Japanese Republic
occupation)

Sergio August 1, May 28,

4 Osmeña Nacionalista Vacant 2
1944 1946 Commonwealt
(1878–1961)
h
(Restored)

Manuel May 28, April 15, Elpidio

5 Roxas Liberal
(1892–1948)
1946 1948[L 9] Quirino
3

Third Republic
Vacant

Elpidio April 17, December

6 Quirino Liberal
(1890–1956)
1948 30, 1953
Fernando
4
Lopez
 Ramon December March 17, Carlos P.
7 Magsaysay 30, 1953 1957[L 10] Nacionalista
(1907–1957)
Garcia
5

Vacant

Carlos P. March 18, December

8 Garcia Nacionalista
(1896–1971)
1957 30, 1961
Diosdado
6
Macapagal

Diosdado December December Emmanuel

9 Macapagal 30, 1961 30, 1965 Liberal 7
(1910–1997)
Pelaez

1 Fernando 8
Nacionalista
0 Lopez

9 Second
Dictatorship
Ferdinand December February "The New Society"
Marcos 25, 1986[L Vacant
(1917–1989)
30, 1965 11]

1
KBL 10
0
Fourth
Republic
Arturo
11
Tolentino
 Corazon February PDP-
1 June 30, Salvador
Aquino 25, 1986[L LABAN / UNID
1 12] 1992 Laurel
(1933–2009) O

1 Fidel V. June 30, June 30, Joseph

Ramos Lakas 12
2 (1928– )
1992 1998 Estrada

Fifth Republic
Joseph January Gloria
1 June 30,
Estrada 20, 2001[L LAMP Macapagal
3 1998 13]
(1937– ) -Arroyo

13

Vacant

Gloria Lakas / KAMPI Teofisto

1 Macapagal January June 30, Guingona,
4 -Arroyo 20, 2001 2010 Jr.
(1947– )

Noli de
14
Lakas-Kampi Castro
 Incumben
1 Benigno June 30, t Jejomar
Aquino III (Term Liberal 15
5 (1960– )
2010 expires June
Binay
30, 2016)