PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE

EVOLUTION OF PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE

The historical development of Philippine Politics and Government can be studied through its evolution
from the Pre-historic period which contributed to the formation of modern Philippine Politics and
Government.

The Pre-Spanish Government

The early Filipinos had a government that they called “Balangay”.The head or the leader was called a
Datu or Rajah who was assisted by the elders in the community. All powers of the government were
exercised by the datu or rajah. He was the chief executive, lawgiver, chief judge, and military head.
There are three social classes at that time namely: The Maharlika (Nobles), the Timawas (Freemen), and
the Alipin (Slaves). The Datu or the Rajah came from the Maharlika (The upper class).

Government in the Philippines under the Spanish Rule

The Philippines was governed indirectly by the King of Spain through the Viceroy of Mexico.
When Mexico, also a former colony of Spain gained her freedom in 1821, the Philippines was ruled
directly by Spain until 1898. The government established in the Philippines was centralized. The
national government was headed by a Spanish Governor General, who was appointed by the King of
Spain. The Governor-General was at times called the “Representative of the King of Spain” or the “Little
King in the Philippines”. In theory, he was the highest government official in the country, and practiced
frailocracy “Rule of friars” existed thus overpowering the Governor General. Below the national
government was the Alcaldia (Provinces) headed by the Alcalde Mayor, the Pueblos (Towns) which
were led by the Gobernadorcillo (little governor), and the barangays which were led by the Cabeza de
Barangay. Andres Bonifacio organized the Katipunan, a secret revolutionary organization of the
Filipinos. Its aim was a complete separation from Spain. It precipitated the Philippine Revolution on
August 26, 1896 (De Leon & De Leon, 2014). It was replaced by another government when it was
discovered by the Spanish authorities. The new government was headed by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo as
President in the Tejeros Convention held on March 22-23, 1897.
The Biak-Na-Bato Republic was created by Gen. Aguinaldo on November 1, 1897. Its aim was
separation from Spain and the formation of the Philippines as an independent state. The Republic existed
until December 15, 1897, with the signing of the Pact of Biak-Na-Bato. It resulted in the Revolutionary
exile of Aguinaldo and his men to Hongkong provided that General Primo de Rivera would pay
$800,000. On May 24, 1889, Gen. Aguinaldo established a dictatorial government when he returned
from his exile in Hongkong. The notable achievements of the Dictatorial Government were: 1) the
proclamation of Philippine Independence at Kawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898; and 2) the reorganization
of local governments. A Revolutionary Government replaced the Dictatorial Government still with Gen.
Aguinaldo as the head. On January 23, 1899, the first Philippine Republic was established with Gen.
Aguinaldo as the President.

The Government during the American Regime

The Americans started military rule in the Philippines on August 14, 1898. The president of the United
States delegated his authority to the military governor who exercised all powers of the government (until
the war lasted) - executive, legislative, and judiciary. The Spooner Amendment ended the military
regime in the Philippines. It was changed into a civil government headed by Civil Governor on July 4,
1901. The title was changed to Governor General on February 6, 1905. The Governor General has
legislative powers, and he was the President of the Philippines commission from 1901-1907. The
Philippine Commission was the sole law-making body of the Government. Eventually, this became the
upper house of the legislative department of the Philippine Assembly (Created by the Philippine Bill of
1902) as the lower chamber. The Jones Law of 1916 which became the fundamental law for the
Philippines vested the legislative power in an all-Filipino law-making body composed of the Philippine
Senate and the House of Representatives.

The Commonwealth Government

The Tydings-Mcduffie Law in 1934 established the Commonwealth Government. It was a form
of government in transition toward independence. It provides for a ten-year transition period after which
the Philippine independence would be Proclaimed and established. The Commonwealth Government
was inaugurated on November 15, 1935. The first National Election in the country was held on
September 12, 1935. Manuel L. Quezon was the President, and his Vice-President was Sergio Osmena.
The Commonwealth Government functioned in exile during World War II in Washington, USA, from
May 13, 194,2 to October 3, 194,4 after which it was re-established in Manila on February 27, 1945.
The USA turned over to a Filipino President the full powers and responsibilities of the Commonwealth
Government under the 1935 Constitution.

The Government under the Japanese Occupation

The Japanese military administration was established in Manila on January 3, 1942. A civil government
which was called the Philippine Executive Commission was established with Jorge B. Vargas as
chairman. It had legislative and executive powers but laws enacted though were subject to approval by
the Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese forces. On October 14, 1943, the Japanese-sponsored
Philippine Republic with Jose P. Laurel as the President was inaugurated.

The Presidents of the Philippines

Since independence in 1898 and the ratification of the Philippine Constitution in the First Republic,
there have been 16 presidents. Starting with General Emilio Aguinaldo all the way to current president
Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

General Emilio Aguinaldo

One way to remember the first president of the Philippines First Republic is to look at the five
peso coin. Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo's face used to grace the five peso bill (which is not used anymore).
The back of the bill shows him holding the Philippine flag at the celebration of Philippine Independence
Day. He led the Filipinos in fighting against the Spaniards and the Americans.

Contributions and Achievements:

• first (and only) president of the First Republic (Malolos Republic)
• signed the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, creating a truce between the Spanish and Philippine
revolutionaries
• known as the President of the Revolutionary Government
• led the Philippines in the Spanish-Philippine War and the American-Philippine War
• youngest president, taking office at age 28
• longest-lived president, passing away at 94

Manuel L. Quezon
After 34 years of Insular Government under American rule, Philippine voters elected Manuel
Luis Quezon first president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. He is known as the “Father of
National Language” (Ama ng Wikang Pambansa). He died of tuberculosis in Saranac Lake, New York.

Contributions and Achievements:

• first Senate president elected as President of the Philippines
 • the first president elected through a national election
• first president under the Commonwealth
• created the National Council of Education
• initiated women’s suffrage in the Philippines during the Commonwealth
• approved Tagalog/Filipino as the national language of the Philippines
• appears on the twenty-peso bill
• a province, a city, a bridge, and a university in Manila are named after him
• his body lies within the special monument on Quezon Memorial Circle

Jose P. Laurel
José P. Laurel's presidency is controversial. He was officially the government's caretaker during
the Japanese occupation of World War II. Criticized as a traitor by some, his indictment for treason was
superseded later by an amnesty proclamation in 1948.

Contributions and Achievements:

• since the early 1960s, Laurel was considered a legitimate president of the Philippines
• organized KALIBAPI (Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas, or Association for Service
to the New Philippines), a provisional government during the Japanese occupation
• declared Martial Law and war between the Philippines and the U.S./United Kingdom in 1944
• with his family, established the Lyceum of the Philippines

Sergio Osmeña
Sergio Osmeña was the second president of the Commonwealth. During his presidency, the
Philippines joined the International Monetary Fund.

Contributions and Achievements:

• became president at 65, making him the oldest person to hold office
• first Visayan to become president • joined with U.S. Gen. Douglas McArthur in Leyte on October
20, 1944, to begin restoration of Philippine freedom after the Japanese occupation
• Philippine National Bank was rehabilitated and the country joined the International Monetary Fund
during his presidency
• Bell Trade Act was approved by the U.S. Congress during his presidency
• appears on the 50-peso bill

Manuel Roxas
Manuel Roxas was the fifth president of the Philippines: the third (and last) president under the
Commonwealth, and the first president of the Third Republic of the Philippines. He held office for only
one year, 10 months, and 18 days.

Contributions and Achievements:

• inaugurated as the first president of the new Republic after World War II
• reconstruction from war damage and life without foreign rule began during his presidency
• under his term, the Philippine Rehabilitation Act and Philippine Trade Act laws were accepted by
Congress
• appears on the 100-peso bill

Elpidio Quirino
Elpidio Quirino served as vice president under Manuel Roxas. When Roxas died in 1948,
Quirino became president.
Contributions and Achievements:
• Hukbalahap guerrilla movement active during his presidency
• created Social Security Commission • created Integrity Board to monitor graft and corruption
• Quezon City became the capital of the Philippines in 1948

Ramon Magsaysay
Ramon Magsaysay was born in Iba, Zambales. He was a military governor and an engineer. He
died in an aircraft disaster while boarding the presidential plane.

Contributions and Achievements:

• Hukbalahap movement quelled during his presidency
• chairman of the Committee on Guerrilla Affairs
• the first president sworn into the office wearing Barong Tagalog during the inauguration
• presidency referred to as the Philippines' "Golden Years" for its lack of corruption
• the Philippines was ranked second in Asia’s clean and well-governed countries during his
presidency
• established National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA) among other
agrarian reforms.

Carlos P. Garcia
A lawyer, poet, and teacher, Carlos P. Garcia also served as a guerrilla leader during the Pacific
War. Born in Bohol, Garcia served as vice president under Ramon Magsaysay and as secretary of
Foreign Affairs for four years. He became president when Magsaysay died in 1957.

Contributions and Achievements:

• known for the “Filipino First Policy,” which favored Filipino businesses over foreign investors
• established the Austerity Program focusing on Filipino trade and commerce.
• known as the “Prince of Visayan Poets” and the “Bard from Bohol”
• cultural arts were revived during his term
• was the first president to have his remains buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani

Diosdado Macapagal
Born in Lubao, Pampanga, Diosdado Macapagal was a lawyer and professor. His daughter
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was the 14th, and second female, president of the Philippines.

Contributions and Achievements:

• established the first Land Reform Law, allowing for the purchase of private farmland to be
distributed in inexpensive, small lots to the landless
• placed the Philippine peso on the currency exchange market
• declared June 12, 1898, to be the Philippines’ Independence Day
• signed the Minimum Wage Law
• created the Philippine Veteran’s Bank.

Ferdinand Marcos

Born in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, Ferdinand Edralin Marcos was a lawyer and Senate President for
three years. He was president for 21 years. He ruled under martial law and his dictatorship was known
for its corruption and brutality. Marcos was removed from office after the People Power Revolution.
Contributions and Achievements:
• the first president to win a second term
• declared Martial Law on Sept. 22, 1972.
• increased the size of the Philippine military and armed forces
• by 1980 the Philippine GNP was four times greater than in 1972
• by 1986 the Philippines was one of the most indebted countries in Asia
• built more schools, roads, bridges, hospitals, and other infrastructure than all former presidents
combined
• the only president whose remains are interred inside a refrigerated crypt.

Corazon Aquino
The first woman president of the Philippines and the first woman to become president of an
Asian country, Corazon Aquino was born in Paniqui, Tarlac. She was a prominent figure in the People
Power Revolution that brought down Ferdinand Marcos' dictatorship. Her husband, Benigno Aquino
Jr., was a senator during the Marcos regime and its strongest critic. He was assassinated while Marcos
was still in power.

Contributions and Achievements:

• first woman to be president of the Philippines or any Asian country
• abolished the 1973 Marcos Constitution and ushered in the new Constitution of the Philippines
• signed the Family Code of 1987, a major civil law reform, and 1191 Local Government Code,
which reorganized the structure of the executive branch of government
• initiated charitable and social activities helping the poor and the needy

Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel V. Ramos was the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines before he became
president. He was also a civil engineer. As president, he restored economic growth and stability in the
country, even during the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997. He is the first, and so far the only, non-Catholic
president of the Philippines.

Contributions and Achievements:

• oversaw Philippine economic growth
• presided over celebrations of Philippine Independence Centennial in 1998
• received British Knighthood from the United Kingdom by Queen Elizabeth II (Knight Grand Cross
of the Order of St. Michael and St. George)
• hosted the fourth Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Leader's Summit in the Philippines in 1996
• Philippine Stock Exchange became an international favorite during his presidency
• death penalty reinstated while he was in office
• signed a peace agreement with the rebel Moro National Liberation Front

Joseph Estrada
Known as Erap, Joseph Estrada was the first president who had been a famous film actor. His
presidency was controversial. During his years in office economic growth was slow and he faced
impeachment proceedings. He was ousted from the presidency in 2001. He was later convicted of
stealing from the government but was pardoned. He ran unsuccessfully for president in 2010.

Contributions and Achievements:

• during his presidency Moro Islamic Liberation Front headquarters and camps were captured
• joined other leaders and politicians to try to amend the 1987 Constitution
• cited as one of the Three Outstanding Senators in 1989
 • among the “Magnificent 12” who voted to terminate the agreement that allows for U.S. control of
Clark Airbase and Subic Naval Base.

Gloria Macapagal
Arroyo Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was the 14th, president of the Philippines (and the second
female president). The Oakwood Mutiny occurred during her term. Arroyo oversaw road and
infrastructure improvements and higher economic growth than presidents before her, but there was also
controversy. The so-called "Hello Garci" controversy involved recordings that allegedly captured
Arroyo ordering the rigging of the election that put her in office. In 2005 Arroyo faced impeachment
proceedings related to the recordings but the impeachment failed. After she had left office Arroyo faced
additional charges of election fraud and misuse of state funds.

Contributions and Achievements:

• second female president of the country
• first and only female vice-president of the Philippines so far
• first president to take oath outside Luzon
• former Economics professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, where current president Benigno
Aquino III was one of her students
• ex-classmate of former U.S. President Bill Clinton at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of
Foreign Service, where she maintained Dean’s list status
• oversaw higher economic growth than the past three presidents before her
• peso became the best-performing currency of the year in Asia in 2007
• E-VAT Law was implemented under her term
• currently on the 200-peso bill

Benigno Aquino III

Benigno Aquino III joined the House of Representatives and the Senate before his presidency.
He is the first president who is a bachelor; he is unmarried and has no children.

Contributions and Achievements:

• created the no "wang-wang" (street siren) policy
• appointed statesman Jesse Robredo to serve as secretary of Interior and Local Government in
2010, where Robredo served until his death in 2012
• initiated K-12 education in the Philippines
• renamed the Office of the Press Secretary to the Presidential Communications Operations Office
and appointed new officers
• suspended allowances and bonuses to Government-Owned and Controlled Corporation and
Government Financial Institution board members

Rodrigo R. Duterte
Rodrigo Roa Duterte born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong and Rody, is a Filipino
politician who is the 16th and incumbent President of the Philippines and the first from Mindanao to
hold the office. He is the chairperson of PDP–Laban, the ruling political party in the Philippines. Duterte
took office at age 71 on June 30, 2016, making him the oldest person to assume the Philippine
presidency; the record was previously held by Sergio Osmeña at the age of 65. Born in Maasin, Southern
Leyte, Duterte studied political science at the Lyceum of the Philippines University, graduating in 1968,
before obtaining a law degree from San Beda College of Law in 1972. He then worked as a lawyer and
was a prosecutor for Davao City, before becoming vice mayor and, subsequently, mayor of the city in
the wake of the Philippine Revolution of 1986. Duterte won seven terms and served as mayor of Davao
for over 22 years.