JMJ
face
Emilio F. Aguinaldo
(1869-1964)
Strong Points
 Proclamation of the Philippine Independence
in Kawit, Cavite on June 12, 1898.
 Establishment of the Malolos Republic,
which had its congress, constitution, national
and local officialdom and Reorganization of
the provincial and municipal governments.
 Division of government into legislative,
executive and judiciary.
 Establishment of the Dictatorial Government
addressed to the problems regarding the
condition in the Philippines.
 Prepared a budget for the reestablishment
and improvement of education.
 Granted executive clemency to all Spanish
civilians being held prisoners and granted
permission for all foreigners, including
Spaniards, to freely engage in business in the
Philippines.
 Creation of Department of Foreign Affairs,
Navy and Commerce; Department of War
and Public Works; Department of Police and
Internal Order, Justice, Education and
Hygiene; and the Department of Finance,
Agriculture, and Manufacturing Industry.
Copyrights © 2012
RPTL
Weak Points
 There were a lot of Filipino casualties and
losses caused by the war, epidemics,
reconcentration camps, and on the economic
side as well.
 Filipino forces encountered disaster
everywhere without the military expertise of
Luna who was assassinated.
 Failed to storm Manila after marching from
Kawit to Bacoor, thereby giving the American
invaders a chance to grow in strength.
 Government failed to obtain any foreign
recognition.
 Filipinos resorted to guerrilla warfare with all
its devastating features and was finally
brought to an end when he was captured.
 He took an oath of allegiance to the United
States, was granted a pension from the U.S.
government, and retired to private life.
 Aguinaldo was arrested and, together with
others accused of collaboration with the
Japanese, was held for some months in
Bilibid Prison until released by presidential
amnesty for he was used by the Japanese as
an anti-American tool.
JMJ RPTL

Manuel L. Quezon
(1878-1944)

Strong Points Weak Points

 Established Commonwealth government
and created the national language institute
that proclaimed Tagalog to be the national
language’s basis
 Fought to secure the Tydings-McDuffie Law
in Washington.
 Failure of the initiation and implementation
of the policy for social justice and laws for
rural population’s improvement due to lack
of government funds to purchase landed
estates and resistance of big and powerful
landlords.

 Passed National Defense Law to provide
citizen army and the extension of free trade
for the Philippines to adjust to its economy.
 Passed Immigration Act for an annual
immigration quota of 500 due to problem
with Japanese and signed the women
suffrage law.
 The economy remained dependent to the
U.S. due to the Bell Trade Act, otherwise
known as the Philippine Trade Act, which
was a precondition for receiving war
rehabilitation grants from the United States.

 Looked into the problems of the landless

peasants and proposal for land reform.

 Engaged in free trade, creating the National

Economic council, and establishing
government companies for people’s
protection against merchants or producers’
exploitation; transportation and
communication’s improvement;
Strengthened certain agencies for the
improvement and extension of service to
people; and art and literature progress
through contests and competitions

Copyrights © 2012
JMJ RPTL

Copyrights © 2012
JMJ RPTL

Jose P. Laurel
(1891-1959)

Strong Points
 Made life for compatriots, oppressed by a Weak Points
harsh military regime, a little less difficult.
 The “Japanese Puppet” Republic.
 Exerted every effort to increase production
and bring consumers' goods under control.
 Denounced in some quarters as a war
 Prioritize the passage of Bill of Rights. collaborator or even a traitor, although his
indictment for treason was superseded by
 Issued an executive order organizing the
President Roxas' Amnesty Proclamation,
Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong
and evidenced by his subsequent electoral
Pilipinas (KALIBAPI) as the sole political
success.
organization to back the government.

 Philippine-Japanese Treaty of Alliance was

signed by Claro M. Recto, who was
appointed by Laurel as his Foreign Minister,
and Japanese Ambassador to Philippines
Sozyo Murata.
 Violated his Oath of Office and headed an
illegal government of the Philippines.
 Guerrilla activities and Japanese retaliatory
measures brought the peace and order
situation to a difficult point.

 The Philippines faced a crippling food

shortage which demanded much of Laurel's
attention.

 A sizable portion of the population actively

resisted his presidency, supporting the

Copyrights © 2012
JMJ RPTL

exiled Commonwealth government; that is  Declared the country under martial law in
not to say that his government didn't have 1944 through Proclamation No. 29, dated
forces against said resistance. September 21.

Copyrights © 2012
JMJ RPTL

Sergio S. Osmeña
(1878-1961)

Strong Points Weak Points

 Food distribution centers were set up, price  OsRox (Osmeña-Roxas) mission wasn’t
ceilings instituted and, characteristically, favored by Quezon due to some provision
financial aid sought from the United States. on military bases.

 Restored the Commonwealth government  Corruption on relief goods from UNRRA

during the war.
 Reorganized the government so that it will
be responsive to the immediate needs of  Many patriotic Filipinos objected to the
the people. unjust provision of the Bell-Trade Relations
law.
 Executive departments were restored and
the Department of Information was
restored.

 Pre-war bureaucracy was re-established and

Congress was convened.

 Enacted Commonwealth Act No. 672 -

rehabilitating the Philippine National Bank.

 Court of Appeals was abolished and its

appellate jurisdiction was transferred to the
Supreme Court, the members of which were
increased to eleven.

 Congress enacted C.A. No. 682 creating the

People's Court and the Office of Special
Prosecutors to deal with the pending cases
of "collaboration".

Copyrights © 2012
JMJ RPTL

Copyrights © 2012
JMJ
Manuel A. Roxas
(1892-1948)
Strong Points
 Ratification of the Bell Trade Act, the
inclusion of the Parity Amendment in the
constitution, and the signing of the 1947
Military Bases Agreement.
 He volunteers to serve the country
during war as food coordinator.
 Proclamation of Philippine
Independence by US President Harry
Truman and withdraw and surrender of all
rights of possession, supervision,
jurisdiction, control and sovereignty now
existing and exercise by USA in and over the
territory and people of the Philippines
 Proclaimed the Rice Share Tenancy Act
of 1933 effective throughout the country.
 Issued a Proclamation outlawing Huks'
movement, making it a crime to belong to
the same. The declaration was hailed by all
responsible and peace-loving elements.
 Enacted Republic Act No. 1946 (Tenant
Act) which provided for a 70–30 sharing
arrangements and regulated share-tenancy
contracts
Copyrights © 2012
RPTL
Weak Points
 Failed to win over the Huks to his side and
the country faced with a Communist unrest
in rural areas.
 He granted the US control of the military
and naval bases at Clark Air Base and Subic
Bay Naval Base in exchange for military aid
because of problems of national security
due to the looming Korean War.
 Problems of land tenure continued.
 Granted full amnesty to all so-called
Philippine collaborators, many of whom
were on trial or awaiting to be tried,
particularly former President Jose P. Laurel.
 His administration was marred by graft and
corruption; moreover, the abuses of the
provincial military police contributed to the
rise of the left-wing (Huk) movement in the
countryside. His heavy-handed attempts to
crush the Huks led to widespread peasant
disaffection.
 Failed to curb graft and corruption in the
government, as evidenced by the Surplus
War Property scandal, the Chinese
immigration scandal and the School
supplies scandal.
JMJ RPTL

Copyrights © 2012
JMJ
Elpidio R. Quirino
(1890-1956)
Strong Points
 Broke the back of the Huk movement
with the aid of ferocious military machinery
and the suspension of the writ of Habeas
Corpus.
 Ratification of the RP-US Mutual
Defense Treaty, growth of industrial
ventures, expanding irrigation, and
improvement of the road system.
 Establishment of rural banking and
setting up of the Central Bank of the
Philippines that the stabilized Philippine
currency.
 Signed into law the Magna Carta of
Labor and the Minimum Wage Law.
 Opened diplomatic and trade relations
with neighboring countries.
 Focused on agricultural productivity and
industrialization.
 Enlightened the people on the activities
of the Republic by the periodic radio
broadcasts from the Malacañan Palace.
Copyrights © 2012
RPTL
 Promote the smooth restructuring of
the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the
military reorganization.
Weak Points
 Basic social problems remained unsolved,
and his administration was tainted by
widespread graft and corruption.
 Unabated rampage of graft and corruption
in his government, as revealed in the
Tambobong-Buenavista scandal, the Import
Control Anomalies, the Caledonia Pile Mess
and the Textbook Racket.
 Wasteful spending of the people's money in
extravagant junkets abroad.
 Failure of government to check the Huk
menace which made travel in the provinces
unsafe, as evidenced by the killing of former
First Lady Aurora Quezon and her
companions on April 28, 1949 by the Huks
on the Bongabong-Baler road, Baler,
Tayabas.
 Economic distress of the times, aggravated
by rising unemployment rate, soaring prices
of commodities, and unfavorable balance of
JMJ RPTL

trade. Quirino's vaunted "Total Economic  Frauds and terrorism committed by the
Mobilization Policy" failed to give economic Liberal Party moguls in the 1947, 1949 and
relief to the suffering nation. 1951 elections.

Ramon F. Magsaysay
(1907-1957)

Strong Points people were given international recognition

 Successful in peace and order campaign in sports, culture and foreign affairs.
against the Huks and regained the trust of
 The Philippines ranked second in Asia's
the people to the government.
clean and well-governed countries.
 Policy of honest government, no friends or
Weak Points
relatives ever benefitted from his position.
 He was a close friend and supporter of the
 Created extensive irrigation systems and United States and a vocal spokesman
introduced modern agricultural methods against communism during the Cold War.
and approved the Agricultural Tenancy Act.
 Although the common people benefitted
 First Filipino president to wear Barong from the land distribution of the
Tagalog to promote Filipino culture. government, and tenants were given more
rights, the problems that were solved by the
 Established Southeast Asia Treaty government were just in the surface rather
Organization (SEATO). than the main problem. They put a solution
to a problem but not in the main one, in
 His administration was considered one of
Republic Act No. 1199 farmers were given a
the cleanest and most corruption-free; his
certain percentage of the distribution of
presidency was cited as the Philippines'
crop, so it put and minor solution to that
Golden Years.
but with the case of the tenurial system, it
 Trade and industry flourished, the Philippine wasn’t given notice.
military was at its prime, and the Filipino
 The relocation of the people from certain
places worked at first but eventually started

Copyrights © 2012
JMJ RPTL

a cultural dispute between the natives living

there and those who were relocated.

Copyrights © 2012
JMJ RPTL

Carlos P. Garcia
(1896-1971)

Strong Points Weak Points

 Filipino First Policy, an attempt to initiate
economic independence through dollar
exchange controls, which subsequently
brought about the rise of the fledgling
Filipino industrialist.
 Maligned in the press due to his perceived
anti-American policy.
 Rice and Corn Nationalization Bill and Anti-
graft Bill was veto

 Established the Dr. Jose Rizal Centennial
commission to preserve the writings of Rizal
for the next generations.
 He anchored his government on austerity,
severely simple, temperate spending
 Approved a bill outlawing the Communist
Party of the Philippines (signed into law as
Republic Act No. 1700).
 Acted on the Bohlen–Serrano Agreement
which shortened the lease of the US Bases
from 99 years to 25 years and made it
renewable after every five years.
 Accused corruption in the Philippine
Homesite and Housing Corporation (PHHC)
and Government Service Insurance System
(GSIS). He cuddled officials involved in the
anomalies.
 Enjoys acquiring expensive things like
planes and yachts despite anchoring
temperate government spending.
 The imports that were coming in the
country greatly outnumbered the exports
that we were shipping out of the country,
making the Philippines highly dependent on
foreign products that required dollars to
purchase.

Copyrights © 2012
JMJ RPTL

Copyrights © 2012
JMJ RPTL

Diosdado P. Macapagal
(1910-1997)

Strong Points
 Reset the celebration of Independence Day
from July 4th to the more politically
appropriate June 12th, when Aguinaldo
declared Philippine Independence from
Spain.
 Promised a socio-economic program
anchored on "a return to free and private
enterprise", placing economic development
in the hands of private entrepreneurs with
minimal government interference.
 Launched his version of Agrarian reform.
Weak Points
 The administration's campaign against
corruption was tested by Harry Stonehill, an
American expatriate with a $50-million
business empire in the Philippines, ties to
corruption within the government.
 Issues raised against the incumbent
administration were graft and corruption,
rise in consumer goods, and persisting
peace and order issues.

 Combat misdeeds in government.

 Partial relinquishment of exchange controls

in a move to stabilize the currency.

 Agricultural Land Reform Code of 1963

(Republic Act No. 3844) which provided for
the purchase of private farmlands with the
intention of distributing them in small lots
to the landless tenants on easy term of
payment.

Copyrights © 2012
JMJ RPTL

Copyrights © 2012
JMJ
Ferdinand E. Marcos
(1917-1989)
Strong Points
 Mobilized the manpower and resources of
the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
for action to complement civilian agencies
in such activities as infrastructure
construction; economic planning and
program execution; regional and industrial
site planning and development; community
development and others.
 Instituted a mandatory youth organization,
known as the Kabataang Barangay and
brought the "Green Revolution" to the
Philippines.
 Exports of timber products were among the
nation's top exports.
 The Kilusang Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran
(Movement for Livelihood and Progress)
economic program that aims to promote
the economic development of the
barangays by encouraging its residents to
engage in their own livelihood projects.
 Constructed CCP, Philippine Heart Center,
Lung Center, San Juanico Bridge and etc.
 Tried to increase the agricultural production
through a new strain of grain called “miracle
rice”.
Copyrights © 2012
RPTL
Weak Points
 Election was marked by massive violence,
vote-buying, and fraud on Marcos' part, and
Marcos used $56 million from the
Philippines' treasury to fund his campaign.
 Students in Manila mobilized enormous
numbers of people to attend protests
against U.S. imperialism and the "rise of
fascism" under Marcos. The protests later
became known as the First Quarter Storm.
 Marcos declared martial law on September
22, 1972, by virtue of Proclamation No.
1081, extending his rule beyond the
constitutional two-term limit. He justified
this by exaggerating threats of Communist
and Muslim insurgencies.
 Marcos wanted the Philippines to become
involved in the Vietnam War.
 Regime was marred by rampant corruption
and political mismanagement by his
relatives and cronies, which culminated
with the assassination of Benigno Aquino.
 Philippines' external debt rose from $360
million (US) in 1962 to $28.3 billion in 1986,
making the Philippines one of the most
indebted countries in Asia.
JMJ RPTL

Maria Corazon C. Aquino

(1933-2009)

Strong Points
 Creation of the Presidential Commission on
Good Government (PCGG), which was
tasked to go after the Marcos ill-gotten
wealth.
 Proclaimed the Freedom Constitution.
 Promulgated two landmark legal codes,
namely, the Family Code of 1987, which
reformed the civil law on family relations,
and the Administrative Code of 1987, which
reorganized the structure of the executive
branch of government.
 Declared that the presence of US Military
Forces in the Philippines was an affront to
national sovereignty. She ordered the
United States military to vacate U.S. Naval
Base Subic Bay and Clark Air Base.
 The grant amnesty of to all political
prisoners which set free about 459
detainees
Weak Points
 Electric blackouts became common in
Manila. The capital experienced blackouts
of seven to 12 hours, bringing numerous
businesses to a halt.
 Coup uprising by the left wing militant
soldier.
 Agrarian workers and farmers marched to
the historic Mendiola Street near the
Malacañang Palace to demand genuine land
reform from Aquino's administration.
 Faced series of natural disasters and
calamities like 1990 Luzon earthquake, 1991
volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo,
Tropical Storm Thelma and MV Doña Paz
sank.

 Regained democracy after 20 years of

Marcos regime.

Copyrights © 2012
JMJ
Fidel V. Ramos
(1928-)
Strong Points
 The Philippines experienced a period of
political stability and rapid economic growth
and expansion, as a result of his policies and
programs designed to foster national
reconciliation and unity.
 The Philippines was dubbed by various
internationally as Asia's Next Economic
Tiger.
 Enacted a law that would create an Energy
Department that would plan and manage
the Philippines' energy demands. Congress
not only created an Energy Department but
gave him special emergency powers to
resolve the power crisis.
 Implemented economic reforms intended to
open up the once-closed national economy,
encourage private enterprise, invite more
foreign and domestic investment, and
reduce corruption.
 Signed the final peace agreement between
the government and the Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) led by Nur Misuari
in 1996.
Copyrights © 2012
RPTL
 Women in National Building which gives
women equal economic opportunities in
national development efforts.
Weak Points
 His experience in handling migrant workers
protection.
 Charges of alleged massive corruption or
misuse of funds blemished the resulting
programs and various projects, one of which
was the Centennial Expo and Amphitheater
at the former Clark Air Base in Angeles City,
Pampanga, supposedly Ramos' pet project.
 Accused of corruption in the PEA-Amari
deal. The controversial deal involved the
acquisition of 158 hectares of reclaimed
land on Manila Bay that was to be
converted into so-called Freedom Islands.
The deal was forged in April 1995 as part of
the Ramos administration's Manila Bay
Master Development Plan (MBMDP).
 Tried to amend the country's 1987
constitution; a process popularly known to
many Filipinos as Charter Change or the so-
called "Cha-Cha".
JMJ
Joseph E. Estrada
(1937-)
Strong Points
 Declared an "all-out-war" against the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front and captured its
headquarters and other camps.
 Suspension of release of Php37 Billion pork
barrel
 Debt reduction of IMF-WB.
 President Estrada can move with more
speed in transforming Mindanao into a
progressive economic center.
 Land bank and DBP funds to small
enterprises.
 Slowing the economic growth to −0.6% in
1998 from a 5.2% in 1997. The economy
recovered by 3.4% in 1999 and 4% in 2000.
 Pro-poor president.
Copyrights © 2012
RPTL
Weak Points
 Severely criticized by the mainstream media
for cronyism, incompetence, and
corruption, supposedly causing it to lose the
confidence of foreign investors.
 Having a so-called midnight cabinet.
 Alleged P400 million payoff from jueteng
hidden in a bank account known as "Jose
Velarde" – a grassroots-based numbers
game, as well as P180 million from the
government price subsidy for the tobacco
farmers' marketing cooperative.
 His rumored mistresses and gifts of
mansions.
 His much-criticized drinking sprees and
midnight cabinet members.
 The first president to be impeached.
JMJ RPTL

Gloria M. Macapagal-Arroyo
(2001-)

Strong Points administration, expanding every quarter of

her presidency.
 Lead the People Power II to oust former
president Estrada.

 “Strong Republic” Nautical Highway allowed

nation to be more connected and greater
connectivity in terms of trade and
Weak Points
commerce, and to certain extent - tourism.
 Arrested following the filing of criminal
 Job Creation through infusion of fresh charges against her for electoral fraud.
capital in form of investments.
 Military uprising due to her corruption.
 Conventional infrastructure – emergence of
 Expensive travel abroad.
many domestic and international airports,
road construction, and strategically place
 ZTE deal
expressways in Southern and Central Luzon.
 Expensive highway construction (Macapagal
 Holiday economics. – moving holidays
Boulevard).
around for sake of boosting local tourism.
 Issued Presidential Proclamation 1017 (PP
 Relatively peaceful and orderly elections –
1017) and used it as basis in declaring a
2010 election is largely cleaner than 2004’s
state of emergency throughout the
controversial election.
Philippines to quell the military rebellion,
 Annual economic growth in the Philippines
stop lawless violence, and promote peace
averaged 4.5% during the Arroyo and stability.

Copyrights © 2012
JMJ RPTL

 A controversial expanded value added tax

(e-VAT) law, considered the centerpiece of
the Arroyo administration's economic
reform agenda, was implemented in
November 2005, aiming to complement
revenue-raising efforts that could plug the
country's large budget deficit.

Benigno S. Aquino III

(1960-)

Strong Points Aquino and the people, getting feedback

 Created the no ‘wang-wang’ policy,
strengthening the implementation of
Presidential Decree No. 96 and signed
Executive Order No. 1, creating the Truth
Commission.
 Reformed the education system in the
Philippines by shifting to K–12 education, a
12-year basic education cycle.
 Ordered the Department of Health (DOH) to
support and assist all regional hospitals and
health centers and intensify their efforts to
attend to the needs of dengue–inflicted
patients.
 Required all radio stations to broadcast a
minimum of four original Filipino musical
compositions every hour (EO No. 255).
 Launched his official presidential website
aims to create communication between
from the people, telling Aquino their woes
and grievances.
 Declared a moratorium on the cutting and
harvesting of timber in the natural and
residual forests and creating the Anti-Illegal
Logging Task Force.
Weak Points
 The Manila hostage crisis occurred. Aquino
expressed concern over the matter and gave
his condolences to the victims.
 Bishop Nereo Odchimar of Tandag, head of
the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP), said that Aquino might
face excommunication from the Catholic
Church for supporting the Reproductive
Health Bill, the plan to distribute and give
Filipino couples the choice to use
contraceptives for artificial birth control.

Copyrights © 2012
JMJ RPTL

 Critics have used to question his work ethic,

alleging his inaction on the issues of disaster
response and rising oil prices.

Copyrights © 2012