SANTOS, ANGELA I.

MARCH 23, 2O23

12 GAS-GABRIEL

ASSIGNMENT IN APPLIED ECONOMICS

INFRASTRACTURE PROJECTS OF FERDINAND MARCOS

 Cultural Center of the Philippines complex (1966)

 The Cultural Center of the Philippines was conceived in 1966 when President
Ferdinand Marcos issued Executive Order No. 60, establishing its board, and
arranging for his wife, First Lady Imelda Marcos to become chair of its board
of directors.
 The Philippine-American Culture Foundation provided a 90,000 peso grant for
its construction, and additional funds were taken from the Cultural
Development Fund and the Special Fund for Education. It soon became the
premier symbol of what would be called Imelda's "edifice complex".
 San Juanico Bridge (1969)
 Is part of the Pan-Philippine Highway and stretches
from Samar to Leyte across the San Juanico Strait in the Philippines. Its
longest length is a steel girder viaduct built on reinforced concrete piers, and
its main span is of an arch-shaped truss design. Constructed during the
administration of President Ferdinand Marcos through Japanese Official
Development Assistance loans, it has a total length of 2.16 kilometers
(1.34 mi)—the second longest bridge spanning a body of seawater in the
Philippines after Cebu-Cordova Bridge.
 Marcos built the bridge as a personal gift to his wife Imelda using public funds
siphoned through the controversial Marcos Japanese ODA scandal.
 Philippine International Convention Center (1974)
 Is a convention center located in the Cultural Center of the Philippines
Complex in Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines. The facility has been the host
of numerous local and foreign conventions, meetings, fairs, and social events.
  In 1974, then President Ferdinand Marcos signed the Presidential Decree No.
520 which authorized the Central Bank of the Philippines (now Bangko
Sentral ng Pilipinas) to construct an international conference building, acquire
a suitable area for that purpose, and organize a corporation to manage a
conference center. Thus, the PICC was organized under the Corporation Code.
 Philippine Heart Center (1975)
 Is a hospital in Central, Quezon City, Philippines, specializing in the treatment
of heart ailments. It was established in 1975.
 The Philippine Heart Center was established through Presidential Decree No.
673 issued by president Ferdinand E. Marcos in 1975. The building is
identified with what is referred to as the Marcoses' "edifice complex," defined
by architect Gerard Lico as "an obsession and compulsion to build edifices as
a hallmark of greatness." The hospital was built using 50% of the national
health budget, according to Senator Jose W. Diokno, "while around the
country, Filipinos were dying of curable illnesses like TB [tuberculosis],
whooping cough, and dysentery."
 Lung Center of the Philippines (1981)
 Is a government tertiary hospital specializing in the cure and prevention of
lung and other chest diseases, located on Central, Quezon City, Philippines.
The center receives budgetary support for its operations from the national
government.
 The LCP was established on January 16, 1981, by President Ferdinand
Marcos under Presidential Decree No. 1823 as a non-profit non-stock
corporation. The building is identified with what is referred to as the
Marcoses' "edifice complex," defined by architect Gerard Lico as "an
obsession and compulsion to build edifices as a hallmark of greatness."

WHAT IS “HELLO, GARCI SCANDAL”?

The scandal involved former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who allegedly
rigged the 2004 national election in her favor. The official results of the election gave Arroyo
and Noli de Castro the presidency and vice-presidency respectively. Hundreds of national and
local positions were also contested during this election. The scandal and crisis began in June
2005 when audio recordings of a phone call conversation between President Arroyo and then-
Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, allegedly talking about the rigging of the 2004
national election results, were released to the public. This escalated when the minority of the
lower house of Congress attempted to impeach Arroyo. This was blocked by the Arroyo-led
majority coalition in September 2005 and no trial took place.

“Hello, Garci? So will I still lead by more than one M [million] overall?” Arroyo
said in the recordings. Garcillano replied, “More or less, it’s that advantage
ma’am. … Pipilitin ho natin ’yan (We will force it).”
The phrase “Hello, Garci” became so popular that a part of the recording was
turned into ringtones that were downloaded 350,000 times and used by an
estimated one million Filipinos at the time.
In a statement on June 27, 2005, Arroyo admitted it was her voice in the
recordings, but insisted that the conversation was not about rigging the elections.
Still, she apologized to the nation and said that the call was “a lapse in
judgment.”
In July 2005, Garcillano spoke publicly for the first time and also denied
allegations of cheating. Key members of Arroyo’s Cabinet – including those
who convinced her to do the “I am sorry” broadcast – resigned and also called
for the president’s resignation. Arroyo didn’t step down.