(Lesson 6)Third Republic of the Philippines

Recognition of independence

The United States of America granted independence to the Philippines on July 4,

1946. In accordance with the Philippine Independence Act more popularly known as
the "Tydings–McDuffie Act", President Harry S. Truman issued Proclamation 2695 of
July 4, 1946 officially recognizing the independence of the Philippines.

On the same day, representatives of the United States of America and of the Republic
of the Philippines signed a Treaty of General Relations between the two governments.
The treaty provided for the recognition of the independence of the Republic of the
Philippines as of July 4, 1946, and the relinquishment of American sovereignty over the
Philippine Islands.

The U.S. retained dozens of military bases, including a few major ones. In addition,
independence was qualified by legislation passed by the U.S. Congress. For example,
the Bell Trade Act provided a mechanism whereby U.S. import quotas might be
established on Philippine articles which "are coming, or are likely to come, into
substantial competition with like articles the product of the United States". It further
required U.S. citizens and corporations be granted equal access to Philippine minerals,
forests, and other natural resources. In hearings before the Senate Committee on
Finance, Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs William Clayton described the
law as "clearly inconsistent with the basic foreign economic policy of this country" and
"clearly inconsistent with our promise to grant the Philippines genuine independence."

The Philippine government had little choice but to accept these terms for
independence. Congress was threatening to withhold post-World War II rebuilding
funds unless the Bell Act was ratified. The Philippine Congress obliged on July 2, 1946.
The Roxas Administration (1946–1948)

PRESIDENT MANUEL ROXAS

When the Congress of the Philippines was convened in 1945, the legislators elected in
1941 chose Manuel Roxas as Senate President. In the Philippine national elections of
1946, Roxas ran for president as the nominee of the liberal wing of the Nacionalista
Party. He had the staunch support of General MacArthur. His opponent was Sergio
Osmeña, who refused to campaign, saying that the Filipino people knew his reputation.
In the April 23, 1946 election, Roxas won 54 percent of the vote, and the Liberal Party
won a majority in the legislature. When the Philippines gained independence from the
United States on July 4, 1946, Roxas became the first president of the new republic.

Although Roxas was successful in getting rehabilitation funds from the United States
after independence, he was forced to concede military bases (23 of which were leased
for 99 years), trade restrictions for the Philippine citizens, and special privileges for
U.S. property owners and investors. His administration was marred by graft and
corruption; moreover, the abuses of the provincial military police contributed to the
rise of the left-wing Hukbalahap (Huk) movement in the countryside. His heavy-
handed attempts to crush the Huks led to widespread peasant disaffection.

During Roxas' term of office administration of the Turtle Islands and Mangsee

Islands was transferred by the United Kingdom to the Republic of the Philippines. By an
international treaty concluded in 1930 between the United States in respect of its then
overseas territory, the Philippine Archipelago and the United Kingdom in respect of its
then protectorate, the State of North Borneo the two powers agreed the international
boundaries between those respective territories. In that treaty the United Kingdom also
accepted that the Turtle Islands as well as the Mangsee Islands were part of the
Philippines Archipelago and therefore under US sovereignty. However, by a
supplemental international treaty concluded at the same time, the two powers agreed
that those islands, although part of the Philippines Archipelago, would remain under
the administration of the State of North Borneo's British North Borneo Company. The
supplemental treaty provided that the British North Borneo Company would continue to
administer those islands unless and until the United States government gave notice to
the United Kingdom calling for administration of the islands to be transferred to the
U.S. The U.S. never gave such a notice. On the 4th of July, 1946, the Republic of the
Philippines was born. It became the successor to the U.S. under the treaties of 1930.
On July 15, 1946, the United Kingdom annexed the State of North Borneo and, in the
view of the United Kingdom, became the sovereign power with respect to what had
been the State of North Borneo. On September 19, 1946, the Republic of the
Philippines notified the United Kingdom that it wished to take over the administration
of the Turtle Islands, Tawi Tawi and the Mangesse Islands. Pursuant to a supplemental
international agreement, the transfer of administration became effective on October
16, 1947. Roxas did not stay long in office because of a heart attack as he was
speaking at Clark Air Base on April 15, 1948. He was succeeded by his vice
president Elpidio Quirino.

The Quirino Administration (1948–1953)

PRESIDENT ELPIDIO QUIRINO

Quirino assumed the presidency on April 17, 1948, taking his oath of office two days
after the death of Manuel Roxas. In 1949 the wartime president, Jose P. Laurel of the
Nacionalista Party, ran against Quirino in what has been described as a particularly
corrupt and venal exercise in democracy. Although historians in general accept that
Laurel was elected, he refused to challenge Quirino's declared victory with force. Since
Quirino was a widower, his surviving daughter Vicky would serve as the official hostess
and perform the functions traditionally ascribed to the First Lady.

Quirino's administration faced a serious threat in the form of the communist

Hukbalahap movement. Though the Huks originally had been an anti-Japanese
guerrilla army in Luzon, communists steadily gained control over the leadership, and
when Quirino's negotiation with Huk commander Luis Taruc broke down in 1948,
Taruc openly declared himself a Communist and called for the overthrow of the
government. His five years as president were marked by notable postwar
reconstruction, general economic gains, and increased economic aid from the United
States. Basic social problems, however, particularly in the rural areas, remained
unsolved, and his administration was tainted by widespread graft and corruption. In
1953, in his second term, the Korean War began and resulted in over 7,450 Filipino
soldiers being sent to Korea under the designation of the Philippine Expeditionary
Forces to Korea or PEFTOK. Although ill, Quirino ran for re-election in 1953, but he
was overwhelmingly defeated by Ramon Magsaysa.
The Magsaysay Administration (1953–1957)

PRESIDENT RAMON MAGSAYSAY

In the Election of 1953, Magsaysay was elected president over the

incumbent Elpidio Quirino, with the scarcely concealed help of American officials and
funds. He was sworn into office wearing the Barong Tagalog, a first by a Philippine
president. As president, he was a close friend and supporter of the United States and a
vocal spokesman against communism during the Cold War. He led the foundation of
the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization also known as the Manila Pact of 1954, that
aimed to defeat Marxist-Leninist movements in Southeast Asia, South Asia and
Oceania. During his term, he made Malacañang Palace literally a "house of the people",
opening its gates to the public. One example of his integrity followed a demonstration
flight aboard a new plane belonging to the Philippines Air Force (PAF). President
Magsaysay asked what the operating costs per hour were for that type of aircraft, then
wrote a personal check to the PAF, covering the cost of his flight.

On March 16, 1957 Magsaysay left Manila for Cebu City where he spoke at three
educational institutions. That same night, at about 1 a.m., he boarded the presidential
plane "Mt. Pinatubo", a C-47, heading back to Manila. In the early morning hours of
March 17, his plane was reported missing. It was late in the afternoon that day that
newspapers reported that the airplane had crashed on Mt. Manunggal in Cebu and that
25 of the 26 passengers and crew aboard were killed. Only newspaperman Néstor
Mata survived. Vice President Carlos P. 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.

The Garcia Administration (1957–1961)

PRESIDENT CARLOS P. GARCIA

Garcia assumed the presidency after Ramón Magsaysay died in a plane crash on
March 17, 1957, and was elected later the same year, in the Election 1957, to a full
term. During his administration, he acted on the Bohlen–Serrano Agreement which
shortened the lease of the US Bases from 99 years to 25 years and made it renewable
after every five years. He was well known when he exercised the Filipino First
policy during his term in office. This policy heavily favored Filipino businessmen over
foreign investors. He was also responsible for changes in retail trade which greatly
affected the Chinese businessmen in the country. He also made a program focused on
thriftiness. At the end of his second term, he ran for re–election in the Election 1961 in
November 1961, but was defeated by Diosdado Macapagal, who served as Vice-
President under him, but belonged to the opposing Liberal Party — in the Philippines
the President and the Vice-President are elected separately.
The Macapagal Administration (1961–1965)

PRESIDENT DIOSDADO P. MACAPAGAL

In the 1961 presidential election, Macapagal ran against Garcia and defeated the
incumbent president by a 55% to 45% margin. Seeking to stimulate economic
development, Macapagal took the advice of supporters and allowed the
Philippine peso to float on the free currency exchange market. His reform efforts were
blocked by the Nacionalistas, who dominated the House of Representatives and the
Senate at that time. Nonetheless, his presidency achieved growth and prosperity for
the nation.

Among the most significant achievements of Macapagal as president were the abolition
of tenancy and accompanying land reform program in the Agricultural Land Reform
Code of 1963. He also changed the date of celebration of Philippine independence
from July 4 to June 12, the latter date having been the day when in 1898, Emilio
Aguinaldo declared independence from Spain. Later, Macapagal told author Stanley
Karnow that the reason for the change was that American Embassy celebrations were
visited more than the Filipino reception on the July 4 American independence day.
Macapagal was defeated for re-election in 1965 by Senate President Ferdinand Marcos,
a former Liberal Party ally who defected to the Nacionalista party to challenge the
incumbent President.