Policies and Programs

Pres. Corazon Aquino

Corazon Aquino's presidency, which ran from February 25, 1986, to June 30, 1992, was
the result of the nonviolent People Power Revolution, also known as EDSA 1. It started after
EDSA 1's success.
The end of authoritarian rule in the Philippines and the beginning of a new era for the
country were both heralded by the nonviolent People Power Revolution's victory and Corazon
Aquino's election to the Philippine President. International praise and love for Aquino and the
Filipino people were generated by the comparatively peaceful means of her ascension to office.
The nation saw significant transformations and wide-ranging democratic reforms during
the first months of Aquino's administration. The Presidential Commission on Good Government
(PCGG), which was tasked with pursuing the Marcos family's illicit wealth, was one of Aquino's
first and boldest actions. However, after her presidency, the PCGG itself was implicated by
corruption scandals when it was claimed that officials wanted a share of the Marcos assets and
officials were "milking" sequestered assets. Aquino, being a revolutionary president by virtue of
people power, repealed and abolished the PCGG.
President Aquino nominated 48 members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission (Con-
Com), which was presided over by activist former Supreme Court Associate Justice Cecilia
Muoz-Palma. This was done to hasten the process of restoring a fully constitutional government
and establishing a new charter. The new Constitution of the Philippines, which placed a heavy
focus on civil freedoms, human rights, and social justice, was overwhelmingly accepted by the
Filipino people on February 2, 1987. The Con-Com finished its final draft in October 1986[9].
Following the approval of the new Constitution, local elections were held in 1988 and senatorial
and congressional elections were held the same year.
Agrarian and land reform was the main focus of President Aquino's administration's
social legislative agenda when she first came to office. As the affluent and landed daughter of a
wealthy and landed household, her familial history and social class served as a focal point for
criticism of her land reform plan. Farmers and agrarian workers protested on January 22, 1987,
along the historic Mendiola Street next to Malacañan Palace, calling on the Aquino government
to implement real land reform. When farmers sought to cross the police-designated demarcation
line, Marine troops opened fire, turning the farmers' march into a gory and violent melee. The
Mendiola Massacre, as this tragedy is now known, resulted in the deaths of 12 farmers and the
injury of 19 more.

Pres. Fidel Ramos

The 12th president of the Philippines (1992–1998), Fidel V. Ramos, is recognized for his
unwavering support of the ideas of human empowerment and international competitiveness. He
ended the power outage that had been crippling Filipino homes and businesses for two years in
1993. He sought and coordinated measures to combat poverty, and during his time, Congress
passed 229 structural/reform bills as a result.
Between 1993 and 1997, the Philippine economy saw a significant recovery. Ramos
developed a comprehensive Social Reform Agenda (SRA) to address the persistent issue of
poverty, including agricultural reform, equal opportunity access, employment and livelihoods,
health, education and skills development, housing, and environmental preservation. The Gross
National Product (GNP) of the nation increased by an average of 5% every year. During his
presidency, the average Filipino family's income increased more than it had over the previous
two decades. He advocated for the liberalization of the economy and the deregulation of
significant industries. In addition to modernizing public infrastructure through an extended
Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) statute, he promoted the privatization of public companies. The
Philippines got the prized 1997 UNESCO Peace Award—the first for Asians—for him brokering
a peace pact with military rebels and the separatist Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)
when the communist insurgency reached record lows. FVR is referred to as the "centennial"
president since he oversaw the June 12, 1998, 100th anniversary of the country's declaration of
independence from Spain.

President Joseph Estrada

The Estrada administration, usually known as Joseph Estrada's president, ran from June
30, 1998, until January 20, 2001. In the national elections held on May 11, 1998, Estrada won
the presidency of the Philippines with about 11 million votes. Estrada ran his campaign with a
pro-poor stance. He issued an order to remove all sovereign guarantees from contracts for public
projects, which would force the government to bear the financial losses incurred by private
enterprises doing business with it. By directing the rapid removal of dishonest members of the
military and police leadership, he attempted to purge the bureaucracy. He commanded a
thorough review of all government contracts signed by the previous administration to make sure
they were legal and directly beneficial to the populace. Additionally, he commanded an inquiry
of those who were allegedly engaging in serious tax evasion, including those who had given to
his presidential campaign.
He launched a countrywide, aggressive housing initiative with a focus on affordable
housing for the underprivileged. While the national government worked to lower the price of
medications, the agriculture sector gained more attention. Foreign investments increased under
his administration. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front's camp was taken over after he
proclaimed "all-out war" on it. In 2000, Estrada was suspected of unlawfully collecting bribes
from a number of sources, including the widely played local numbers game jueteng. This
sparked a nationwide uproar and the House of Representatives' impeachment vote. Midway
through January 2001, the Senate impeachment trial came to a sudden conclusion when the
prosecution staged a walk-out when the senators decided not to allow the release of a document
that was allegedly filled with strong evidence against Estrada.
Armed Forces of the Philippines eventually withdrew their backing when the decision
drove demonstrators to EDSA. Estrada quit his position as president of January 20, 2001, and left
Malacaang. After the Supreme Court upheld the legitimacy of the Arroyo administration, Estrada
was detained at his San Juan residence on April 25, 2001, based on an arrest order issued by the
Sandiganbayan on accusations of plunder.

 Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 (Republic Act No. 8749) – designed to protect and
preserve the environment and ensure the sustainable development of its natural resources.
 Incentives for Regional Headquarters of Foreign Multinationals (Republic Act No. 8756) –
The measure grants a host of incentives to multinational firms establishing their regional
hubs in the country. It also provides a tax- and duty-free operating environment for them,
and multiple entry visas to expatriates and their families, as well as a flat income tax rate of
15%.
 Retail Trade Liberalization Act (Republic Act No. 8762) – The bill dismantles 40 years of
state protectionism over the country's retail trade industry and opens the sector to big foreign
players. With the retail trade liberalization, well-known foreign players like France's
Carrefour and Casino Group as well as the U.S.' Wal-Mart and JC Penney are already in the
process of negotiating with local partners.
 New General Banking Act (Republic Act No. 8791) – The measure opens up the local
banking industry to foreign players after almost 50 years of having it exclusively reserved
 and protected for Filipino nationals. With the industry's liberalization, at least 10 foreign
banks have already established their presence in the Philippines.
 Electronic Commerce Act of 2000 (Republic Act No. 8792) – Outlaws computer hacking
and provides opportunities for new businesses emerging from the Internet-driven New
Economy.
 New Securities Act (Republic Act No. 8799) – This law liberalizes the securities market by
shifting policy from merit regulation to full disclosure. With its strengthened provisions
against fraud, the measure is expected to pave the way for the full development of the
Philippine equities and securities market.

Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

The Arroyo administration, popularly known as Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's president, ran
for nine years, from January 20, 2001, to June 30, 2010. She was elected to a full second term in
2004 that concluded in 2010, and she filled out the balance of her predecessor Joseph Estrada's
term after he was removed from office. Diosdado Macapagal, the ninth president, is the father of
Arroyo.
After President Estrada was overthrown by the EDSA II Revolution at noon on January
20, 2001, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo took office. After being elected, she started implementing
laws and regulations aimed at establishing a robust republic and ensuring economic stability.
The current presidential-bicameral republic would be replaced with a federal
parliamentary-unicameral system of government, and Arroyo spearheaded a movement for this
change in 2005. In her 2005 State of the Nation Address, she stated, "The system clearly needs
fundamental change, and the sooner the better. It's time to start the great debate on Charter
Change". A plan to amend the constitution through a constituent assembly was abandoned by the
House of Representatives in late 2006. Late in September 2005, Arroyo signed an executive
order that forbade protests without licenses and ordered their immediate termination. Then,
during congressional hearings, military personnel said that they had disobeyed a clear directive
not to reveal their knowledge of the election scam. Executive Order No. 464 was issued,
prohibiting members of the executive branch of government from testifying before Congress
without President Arroyo's permission. These restrictions were contested before the Supreme
Court, which reportedly deemed some aspects to be illegal.

Pres. Benigno Aquino III

Benigno Aquino III took office as the 15th president of the Philippines on June 30, 2010,
succeeding Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. On June 30, 2016, his term came to an end. Aquino is the
only child of Corazon Aquino, the 11th president, and Benigno Aquino Jr., a former senator. He
is the third-youngest person to be elected president.
Aquino established the K–12 initiative to improve the nation's fundamental educational
system. He passed the Reproductive Health Bill, ensuring that all people have access to
contraceptive techniques. In order to speed up infrastructure construction, he established the
public-private partnership program and established a committee to look into problems and
charges of corruption against his predecessor, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The military modernisation program was extended by Aquino by 15 years. He authorized
the US to develop and run facilities on Philippine bases and allowed the US military to rotate
soldiers there for lengthier durations after signing the Enhanced Defense Cooperation
Agreement.
 Aquino was in charge of the government's reaction to Typhoon Yolanda, the hostage
situation in Manila, the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona, the crisis in Zamboanga
City, and the battle in Mamasapano.

Pres. Rodrigo Duterte

Following his overwhelming victory in the 2016 presidential election, Rodrigo Duterte
was inaugurated on June 30, 2016, and his term as the 16th President of the Philippines,
succeeding Benigno Aquino III, concluded on June 30, 2022. Duterte is the first head of state
from Mindanao, the oldest president of the Philippines at 71 years old, and the first head of state
in the country to have served in all three branches of government. Growing public resentment
over democratic post-EDSA governance, which favored political and economic elites over
common Filipinos, was a major factor in his election victory.
He implemented a crackdown on illegal drugs, which significantly reduced drug
proliferation in the nation but resulted in the deaths of approximately 6,600 people linked to the
illegal drug trade as of July 2019, drawing international criticism. Duterte launched a national
campaign to reduce crime, including corruption and the illegal drug trade. After the ICC opened
a preliminary investigation into potential crimes against humanity perpetrated by Duterte and
other key figures in the drug war, his administration withdrew the Philippines from the court.
Duterte increased infrastructure spending and launched Build! Build! Build! , an
ambitious building program. He initiated liberal economic reforms to attract foreign investors
and reformed the country's tax system. He took measures to eliminate corruption and red tape by
establishing freedom of information under the executive branch and signing the Ease of Doing
Business Act to improve the business environment. He granted free irrigation to small farmers
and liberalized rice imports by signing the Rice Tariffication Law to stabilize rice prices.
A war against terrorism and the communist insurgency was launched by Duterte. He
supervised the five-month-long Battle of Marawi, which resulted in the declaration of martial
law in Mindanao and its extension for two years, the country's longest stretch of martial law
since Ferdinand Marcos' 14-year dictatorship. He also signed a contentious bill strengthening
counterterrorism. After the New Peoples Army (NPA) attacked soldiers in February 2017,
Duterte halted all peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and formally
designated the CPP-NPA as a terrorist organization.[8] He established task forces to put an end
to the local communist armed conflict and to facilitate the reintegration of former communist
rebels.
Duterte signed legislation requiring the automatic enrolment of all Filipinos in the
government's health insurance program, established the alternative learning system, and ordered
the full execution of the Reproductive Health Law. In order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic
in the nation, he first instituted strict lockdown measures. This led to a 9.5% decline in the GDP
of the nation in 2020, which was followed by a recovery to 5.6% in 2021 with the gradual
reopening of the economy and the implementation of a nationwide vaccination drive.
As part of his "independent foreign policy," Duterte sought to strengthen ties with China
and Russia while reducing reliance on the United States, its longtime ally. In contrast to his
predecessor Aquino, he chose a cautious, practical, and accommodative approach to China,
abandoning the previous administration's strategy of utilizing the Philippines v. China verdict to
bolster the Philippines' claims to the South China Sea and its islands.
Despite domestic and international resistance to his anti-drug campaign, Duterte has been
characterized as a divisive and controversial personality. Throughout his administration, his
domestic support rating remained comparatively high.