Republic of the Philippines
Philippines, 1946 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. The Philippine Revolution began in 1896, and became entwined with the 1898 Spanish-American War. After the United States retook the Philippines from the Japanese, the Philippines became independent in 1946. Since then, the country experienced a period of martial law from 1972 to 1981 under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos and his subsequent overthrow by the People Power Revolution in 1986.
Seat of power: Manila
Rulers
Manuel Roxas
President of the Philippines, 1946–1948
He served briefly as the third and last President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines, and became the first President of the Independent Third Philippine Republic after the United States ceded its sovereignty over the Philippines. Under the Bell Trade Act, goods from the Philippines were granted tariff-free access to the American market, achieving one of Roxas's key aims. In exchange, he accepted pegging the Philippine peso to the U.S. dollar and American corporations were granted parity rights when it came to exploiting the minerals and forests of the Philippines.
Portrait of Manuel Roxas: Hessler Studio, Public domain, file
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Elpidio Quirino
President of the Philippines, 1948–1953
As the second vice president from 1946 to 1948, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Manuel Roxas in 1948. The Quirino administration was generally challenged by the Hukbalahap, who ransacked towns and barrios.
Portrait of Elpidio Quirino: Philippine Presidential Museum and Library, Public domain, file
Ramon Magsaysay
President of the Philippines, 1953–1957
He was elected as president under the banner of the Nacionalista Party. Magsaysay died in a plane crash on March 17, 1957, in Cebu.
Portrait of Ramon Magsaysay: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Carlos P. Garcia
President of the Philippines, 1957–1961
After the death of Magsaysay in 1957, he succeeded to the presidency, winning a full term in his own right in the presidential election that same year. He was subsequently defeated by his vice president Diosdado Macapagal in the 1961 presidential election.
Portrait of Carlos P. Garcia: National Library of the Philippines (distributed by Philippine Presidential Museum and Library), Public domain, file
Diosdado Macapagal
President of the Philippines, 1961–1965
As president, Macapagal worked to suppress graft and corruption and to stimulate the growth of the Philippine economy. He introduced the country's first land reform law, placed the peso on the free currency exchange market, and liberalized foreign exchange and import controls.
Portrait of Diosdado Macapagal: National Library of the Philippines (distributed by Philippine Presidential Museum and Library), Public domain, file
Ferdinand Marcos
President of the Philippines, 1965–1986
His initial policies included massive infrastructure development and construction, which made him popular but were funded by foreign lending. In 1972, Marcos declared martial law, ruling the country as a dictator until 1981. Marcos was deposed in 1986 by the People Power Revolution and was succeeded as president by Aquino's widow, Corazon Aquino.
Portrait of Ferdinand Marcos: Malacañang Press, Public domain, file
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Corazon Aquino
President of the Philippines, 1986–1992
Aquino was the most prominent figure of the 1986 People Power Revolution, a non-violent movement which ended the two-decade rule of President Ferdinand Marcos. She spearheaded the development of the 1987 Constitution, which limited the powers of the presidency and re-established the bicameral Congress. She was the first female president in Philippine history.
Portrait of Corazon Aquino: Airman Gerald B. Johnson, Public domain, file
Fidel Ramos
President of the Philippines, 1992–1998
Ramos is credited for revitalizing and renewing international confidence in the Philippine economy during his six years in office. During the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, Ramos was hailed as a hero by many Filipinos for his decision to break away from the administration of Marcos.
Portrait of Fidel Ramos: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
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Joseph Estrada
President of the Philippines, 1998–2001
In 2000, he declared an all-out-war against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and captured its headquarters and other camps. Allegations of corruption spawned an impeachment trial in the Senate. On January 20, Estrada was removed from office; his vice president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, assumed the presidency.
Portrait of Joseph Estrada: Ramon FVelasquez, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
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Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
President of the Philippines, 2001–2010
Estrada was ousted by the Second EDSA Revolution in 2001, and Arroyo was sworn in as president by Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. on January 20. She is the longest-serving president since Ferdinand Marcos. A long-time opponent of the death penalty, she abolished capital punishment in 2006 after commuting the death sentences of over 1,200 prisoners.
Portrait of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo: House of Representatives of the Philippines, Public domain, file
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Benigno Aquino III
President of the Philippines, 2010–2016
He was sworn into office as the 15th president of the Philippines on June 30, 2010, succeeding Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Under Aquino's presidency, the nation's economy grew at the highest rates in decades, and the country was dubbed a Rising Tiger economy.
Portrait of Benigno Aquino III: Republic of the Philippines, Public domain, file
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Rodrigo Duterte
President of the Philippines, 2016–2022
Duterte is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and the oldest person to assume office, beginning his term at age 71. During his presidency, his domestic policy focused on combating the illegal drug trade by initiating the controversial war on drugs, fighting crime and corruption, and intensified efforts against terrorism and communist insurgency. He launched a massive infrastructure plan, initiated liberal economic reforms, streamlined government processes, and proposed a shift to a federal system of government which was ultimately unsuccessful.
Portrait of Rodrigo Duterte: Government of the Philippines, Public domain, file
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Bongbong Marcos
President of the Philippines, 2022 to today
He is the second child and only son of 10th president Ferdinand Marcos and former first lady Imelda Marcos. Marcos ran for president in the 2022 election under the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas and won with nearly 59% of the vote.
Portrait of Bongbong Marcos: Office of the President of the Philippines, Public domain, file
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Culture
- Located in the western Pacific Ocean, the country consists of about 7,641 islands, with a total area of about 300,000 square kilometers. The islands are broadly categorized into three main geographical divisions: from north to south, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
- In 1543, Spanish explorer Ruy López de Villalobos named the archipelago las Islas Filipinas in honor of King Philip II. Catholicism became the dominant religion, and Manila became the western hub of trans-Pacific trade.
- Rizal was executed on December 30, 1896, for rebellion, and his death radicalized many who had been loyal to Spain.
Picture
Rizal Park is a historic urban park in Manila where the Third Philippine Republic was inaugurated and the United States formally recognized Philippine independence on July 4, 1946.
Image: Ernest Malsin, CC BY 4.0, file
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Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.