Contemporary Period

Post-War
The end of World War II, and in particular, the year 1946, was a watershed year for Filipinos in
the United States. Moreover, the 20 years from 1945-1965 were significant in both United States history
and Philippine history. World War II transformed the lives of Filipinos like no other event before, with
the exception of the Spanish-American War in 1898 which ended Spanish colonial rule and the
Philippine-American War, 1899-1913, the American conquest of the Philippines.

In 1946, the Philippines became an independent nation, Filipinos in the United States were able
to become naturalized citizens after many decades of struggle, which enabled them to vote and own
land, Filipino World War II veterans were denied benefits, and the final group of thousands of laborers
called sakadas were recruited to work on sugar plantations in Hawai’i. The Philippines had suffered great
loss of life and tremendous physical destruction by the time the war was over. An estimated 1 million
Filipinos had been killed, a large proportion during the final months of the war, and Manila was
extensively damaged.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Manila_%281945%29

The Philippines was demoralized by the war and suffering rampant inflation and shortages of
food and other goods, the Philippine people prepared for the transition to independence, which was
scheduled for July 4, 1946. A number of issues remained unresolved, principally those concerned with
trade and security arrangements between the islands and the United States. Yet in the months following
Japan's surrender, collaboration became a virulent issue that split the country and poisoned political life.

Beginning with independence in 1946, the church was a source of stability to the infant nation.
Throughout the period of constitutional government up to the declaration of martial law in 1972,
however, the church remained outside of politics; its largely conservative clergy was occupied almost
exclusively with religious matters.
 https://www.coursehero.com/file/86394910/Post-War-Contemporary-Period-8pdf/

The literary forms that were mostly used during the post-war period were fiction and poetry.
Most of them were written by people who were more educated in the English language. Movies were
also made popular during this period. Most of these are inspired by James Bond and some even include
soft porn images.

Martial Law

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Marcos_Declares_Martial_Law.jpg
 At 7:17 pm on September 23, 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos announced on television that
he had placed the entirety of the Philippines under martial law. This marked the beginning of a 14-year
period of one-man rule that would effectively last until Marcos was exiled from the country on February
25, 1986. Even though the formal document proclaiming martial law – Proclamation No. 1081, which
was dated September 21, 1972 – was formally lifted on January 17, 1981, Marcos retained essentially all
of his powers as dictator until he was ousted.

https://cpu.edu.ph/news/evoking-the-experiences-of-martial-law-in-remembrance-of-its-declaration/

The dictatorship of Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos in the 1970s and 1980s is
historically remembered for its record of human rights abuses, particularly targeting political opponents,
student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos
dictatorship. Based on the documentation of Amnesty International, Task Force Detainees of the
Philippines, and similar human rights monitoring entities, historians believe that the Marcos dictatorship
was marked by 3,257 known extrajudicial killings, 35,000 documented tortures, 77 'disappeared', and
70,000 incarcerations.

Literary forms were very limited and very strict due to the government back then. People that
were famous that openly criticized about the government, were arrested, molested or went missing.
There were new forms of literature that were formed, like Protests, Proletarian Literature, Prison
Literature and Circumvention.

His achievements were in the areas of infrastructure development, safeguarding the country
against communism, and international diplomacy. He built bridges, geothermal plants, hydro-electric
plants, universities, R&D in different sectors such as health and sciences, which we also enjoy today. He
all started these during his first term continuing until he left the Philippines. However, these are all
funded by loans and ODA’s. With the enormous number of infra’s and absence of audits, checks, and
balances, white elephant projects and corruption were rampant during this time. Marcos’ policies were
mostly correct, but the running and administration of those policies were inadequate or corrupt. They
didn't know that building a system is only half of the work, the other half is the running of that system.
After the foreigners built them, they were handed to incompetent or corrupt locals.

Since the 1972 declaration of martial law in the Philippines, the various Moslem ethnic groups in
the southern Philippines have waged an ongoing armed struggle against the central government.
Although the goals and the intensity of the fighting of this movement vary by region, ethnic group and
faction, Filipino Moslems are united in their desire for political recognition of ethnic regionalism and an
acute consciousness of being a minority in a largely Christian nation.

Modern Day or Present Period

https://www.opengovpartnership.org/stories/comments-and-observations-on-philippines-open-
government-partnership-report-under-the-2012-action-plan-for-philippine-center-for-investigative-
journalism/

The culture of the Philippines comprises a blend of traditional Filipino and Spanish Catholic
traditions, with influences from America and other parts of Asia. The Filipinos are family oriented and
often religious with an appreciation for art, fashion, music and food. Filipinos are also hospitable people
who love to have a good time. This often includes getting together to sing, dance, and eat. The annual
calendar is packed with festivals, many of which combine costumes and rituals from the nation’s pre-
Christian past with the Catholic beliefs and ideology of present day.
 These very unique cultures that shine the most of the Philippine Society include Competitive
Karaoke, Fiestas, Parties, Four-month Christmas, food, literature, music, arts, religion, ethnic groups,
tourist spots, celebrations and much more.