The Period of

3rd-4th Republic
of the Philippines

On July 4, 1946, the Philippines' Third Republic was established. It signaled the end of a
peaceful campaign for Philippine independence, including the passage of the Jones Law in
1916 and the Philippine
Independence Act of 1934 (also known as Tydings-McDuffie), which founded a ten-year
transition period during which the Philippines had Commonwealth status.

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

In an effort to solve the massive socio-economic problems of the period, President Roxas
reformed the administration and proposed a broad legislative agenda in an effort to address
the country's major socioeconomic challenges at the time.
The establishment of the Rehabilitation Finance Corporation, the creation of the Department
of Foreign Affairs and the organization of the foreign service through Executive Order No. 18;
the GI Bill of Rights for Filipino veterans; as well as the revision of taxation laws to increase
government income were among the initiatives of the Third Republic's first year.

The Quirino Administration (April 17, 1948 –

December 30, 1953)
In order to effectively promote the welfare of inhabitants in rural districts, President Quirino established the Action
Committee on Social Amelioration through Administrative Order No. 68.
By Executive Order No. 150, he formed the Social Security Study Commission to investigate working-class
socioeconomic concerns and draft legislation to improve social welfare.
From 1950 to 1953, President Quirino and Secretary of National Defense Ramon Magsaysay worked together to
restructure the Philippine Armed Forces and promote rural welfare through the Economic Development Corps
(EDCOR)[12] and Land Settlement and Development Corporation (LASEDECO).

The Magsaysay Administration (December 30, 1953 –

March 17, 1957)

President Magsaysay on December 30, 1953 – March 17, 1957 sought to protect farmers by
enacting laws such as the Agricultural Tenancy Act of the Philippines, or Republic Act No. 1199;
the Land Reform Act of 1955, or R.a.
No. 1400; the creation of the Court of Agrarian Relations, or Republic Act No. 1267; and the
National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA), or R.a. No. 1160.

The Garcia Administration (March 18, 1957 –

December 30, 1961)

On September 1, 1957, President Garcia capitalized on the previous administration's social

welfare effort by signing Republic Act 1792, amending the Social Security Law and establishing
the Social Security System. 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.”
The Macapagal Administration (December 30, 1961-
December 30, 1965)
Among the laws passed during the Macapagal administration were: Republic Act No. 3844 or the
Agricultural Land Reform Code (an act that established the Land Bank of the Philippines)[25];
Republic Act No. 3466, which established the Emergency Employment Administration; Republic Act No. 3518, which
established the Philippine Veterans Bank; Republic Act No. 3470, which established the National Cottage Industries
Development Authority (NACIDA) to organize, revive, and promote the establishment of local cottage industries; and Republic
Act No. 4156, which established the Philippine National Railways (PNR) to operate the national railroad and tramways.

President Diosdado Macapagal issued Proclamation No. 28, s. 1962, which declared June 12 as
 Independence Day. In 1964, Congress passed Republic Act No. 4166, which formally designated June 12 of every year as the
date on which we celebrate Philippine independence. July 4 in turn has been observed as Republic Day since then.

The Marcos Administration (December 30, 1965 –

February 25, 1986)

The last president of the Third Republic of the Philippines was President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
Prior to the events of Martial Law, the first term of the Marcos administration, as emphasized
in his inaugural address on December 30, 1965, focused on “the revival of the greatness of the
nation.”

During Martial Law, there was widespread anti-Marcos sentiment.

There were three major sorts of opposition to martial law in the
1970s, according to David Wurfel: reformist opposition, revolutionary opposition, and
religious opposition.

Reformist opposition Revolutionary Opposition Religious Opposition

The legal opposition, often Since 1972, mainline known as the upper-middle Protestant churches have
class, was made up of upper- been active in their
middle-class people. They In the 1970s, theopposition to the dictatorship; pushed for political (not government's
exploitation by 1978, they were holding necessarily social) of communist and major protests, and by 1981,
improvements using peaceful separatist threats as they were organizing boycott techniques. The reformist
justification for martial law campaigns for the
opposition, on the other hand, only served to strengthen referendum in April and the was not a unified movement,
the political opposition and presidential elections in June. but rather a collection of recruitment for the New
Meanwhile, the Catholic
disparate middle- and upper- People's Army (NPA) and Church, which sympathized class groups with disparate Moro
National Liberation with Marcos' anti-
goals. For this reason, Marcos Front (MNLF) in the communism, maintained a
tolerated them as long as they provinces. "critical collaboration" stance were incapable of effectively while paying
attention to replacing him or gaining internal dissent. popular support.

Marcos’ Health and the Issue of Succession

The plebiscite held on April 7, 1981, ratified the constitutional

amendment creating the Executive
Committee, composed of at most 14 members, at least half of whom were
Assemblymen. Marcos' failing health, combined with the looming threat
from the anti-capitalist left, caused widespread concern for a stable
succession among the country's economic elite—the main beneficiaries of
Martial Law's crony capitalism a high-level learning environment for
future Prime Ministers and Presidents.
The Collapse of the Philippine Economy

The Philippine economy nearly came to a standstill in the latter years

of the Marcos government. This was true despite the Marcos
administration's three-pronged development strategy: agriculture's
green revolution, agricultural and forestry export expansion and
diversification, and significant external borrowing. Profits from these
three tactics went to the wealthiest ten percent of the population,
resulting in a vast discrepancy between the rich and the poor.
The Assassination of Ninoy Aquino

Aquino arrived at Manila International Airport on China Airlines Flight 811.

Armed men escorted him out of the plane on August 21. Gunshots were
heard a few minutes later. An assassin's bullet to the head killed the former
senator. When word of Ninoy's death got out, about seven million people
showed up for his funeral procession on August 31, which was the largest
and longest in Philippine history. The people's support for the Marcos
government was further weakened by this unique tragedy.

The Failure of the Snap Election of 1986

By virtue of Resolution No. 38, the Batasang Pambansa had declared Marcos
and Arturo Tolentino as the presidential and vice presidential winners,
respectively, by February 15, 1986, in an extraordinary declaration that
sparked popular outcry. This led to the opposition’s indignation rally in
Luneta the next day where Cory Aquino spoke to around two million people
in Luneta, in what would be known as the Tagumpay ng Bayan rally. At the
event, Aquino called for massive civil disobedience and boycott of Marcos-
crony owned companies and products.

Coup Plot by the RAM

The Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) began in 1982 as a small,
secret group intent on strengthening military rule through a coup d'état
(AFP). The RAM was a well formed group by early 1985, with a leadership
council of 11 individuals and a membership base of roughly 300 men.
Despite its limited size, the RAM had the support of the majority of AFP
officers, particularly the PMA regulars. By the middle of the year, the RAM
had gone public, but due to its inclusion of former military torturers, public
doubt of the movement's integrity had arisen.