CFLM 200 Character Formation,

Nationalism &Patriotism
CHAPTER 2:

❑Japanese Occupation and the Second Republic (1941-1945)

❑Third Republic (1946-1972)
oRadical Nationalism

❑Martial Law and the Fourth Republic (1972-1986)

❑The Fifth Republic (1986-PRESENT)
DISCUSSION
JAPANESE OCCUPATION AND (1941-1945)
THE SECOND REPUBLIC
Japan launched a surprise attack on the Clark Air Base in Pampanga
on December 8, 1941, just ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Aerial bombardment, which destroyed most of the American aircraft in
the islands, was followed by landings of ground troops on Luzon. The
defending Philippine and United States troops were under the
command of General Douglas MacArthur. Under the pressure of superior
numbers, the defending forces withdrew to the Bataan Peninsula and to
the island of Corregidor at the entrance to Manila Bay. On January 2,
1942, General MacArthur declared the capital city, Manila, an open city
to prevent its destruction. The Philippine defense continued until the final
surrender of United States-Philippine forces on the Bataan Peninsula in April
1942 and on Corregidor in May of the same year.
The Philippine Executive Commission was established in 1942 with Jorge B. Vargas as its first
chairman. The PEC was created as the temporary care-taker government of the Greater Manila
area and eventually of the whole Philippines during the Japanese occupation of the country
during World War II. On May 6, 1943, Japanese Premier Hideki Tojo during a visit to the
Philippines pledged to establish the Republic of the Philippines. This pledge of Tojo prompted
the "KALIBAPI," to call for a convention on June 19, 1943, and twenty of its members were
elected to form the Preparatory Commission for Independence. The commission tasked to draft
a constitution for the Philippine Republic and elected head was José P. Laurel. The Preparatory
Commission presented its draft Constitution on September 4, 1943, and three days later, the
"KALIBAPI" general assembly ratified the draft Constitution.
The Japanese-sponsored establishment of the Republic of the Philippines was proclaimed
on October 14, 1943, with José P. Laurel being sworn in as president. On the same day,
a "Pact of Alliance" was signed between the new Philippine Republic and the Japanese
government that was ratified two days later by the National Assembly. The Philippine
Republic was immediately recognized by Japan, and in the succeeding days by
Germany, Thailand, Manchukuo, Burma, Croatia and Italy while neutral Spain sent its
"greetings."
In October 1944, General Douglas MacArthur, the overall commander of American
forces in thePacific, had gathered enough additional troops and supplies to begin the
retaking of the Philippines, landing with Sergio Osmeña who had assumed the
Presidency after Quezon's death. The battles entailed long fierce fighting; some of the
Japanese continued to fight until the official surrender of the Empire of Japan on
September 2, 1945. The Second Republic was dissolved earlier, on August 14. After
their landing, Filipino and American forces also undertook measures to suppress the Huk
movement, which was founded to fight the Japanese Occupation.
THIRD REPUBLIC (1946-1972)
General Douglas MacArthur to Carlos Romulo at the recognition of the independence of
the Philippines. On July 4, 1946, representatives of the United States of America and
of the Republic of the Philippines signed a Treaty of General Relations between the two
governments. The treaty provided for the recognition of the independence of the
Republic of the Philippines as of July 4,1946, and the relinquishment of American
sovereignty over the Philippine Islands.
From 1946 to 1961, the Philippines observed Independence Day on July 4. However, on
May 12, 1962, President Diosdado Macapagal issued Presidential Proclamation No. 28
proclaiming June 12, 1962, as a special public holiday throughout the Philippines. In
1964, Republic Act No. 4166 changed the date of Independence Day from July 4 to
June 12 and renamed the July 4 holiday as Philippine Republic Day.

But in the hearts of eighteen million Filipinos, the American flag now flies more
triumphantly than ever.
President Manuel Roxas addressing the crowd after the flag-raising ceremony on July 4, 1946

Despite eventual success of Filipinos to claim political and social independence, a new type of
colonialism rose in the country. It is known as neocolonialism. Neocolonialism is defined as the
practice of using economic, linguistic, and cultural forces to control a country (usually former
European colonies in Africa or Asia) in lieu of direct military or political control. Since most of the
country was ravaged by the Second World War, the Philippines depended mainly on the United
States to restore her industries and businesses. The country only began to build local industries to
reduce economic dependence on foreign nations during the term of President Ferdinand Marcos.
Nationalism in the real sense remained stuck up in a false Filipinistic posture. Examples of
governmental efforts to enforce nationalistic policies began with former President Ramon
Magsaysay sworn into office wearing the Barong Tagalog, a first by any Philippine president. It
was fervently followed by the nationalist program "Filipino First Policy" of Carlos P. Garcia.
I. RADICAL NATIONALISM
After World War II, the Hukbalahap (Filipino: Hukbong Bayan Laban sa mga Hapon) guerillas
continued the revolutionary struggle to establish a Communist government in the Philippines.
Nationalism in the real sense remained stuck up in a false Filipinistic posture. The radical wing of
the nationalists, led by peasant leader Luis Taruc, renamed themselves as the Hukbong
Magpalaya ng Bayan (English: Army to Liberate the People). At its heyday, the Huk movement
commanded an estimated 170,000 armed troops with a base of at least two million civilian
supporters. Ramon Magsaysay, which was then the Secretary of National Defense during the
Quirino administration, was instrumental in halting the Communist movement.
In 1964, Jose Maria Sison co-founded the Kabataang Makabayan (Patriotic Youth) with Nilo S.
Tayag. This organization rallied the Filipino youth against the Vietnam War, against the Marcos
presidency, and corrupt politicians. On December 26, 1968, he formed and chaired the Central
Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), an organization within the
Communist Party founded on Marxist–Leninist-Mao Zedong Thought, stemming from his own
experiences as a youth leader and a labor and land reform activist. This is known as the "First
Great Rectification" movement where Sison and other radical youths criticized the existing
Party's leadership and failure. The reformed CPP included Maoism within the political line as
well as the struggle for a National Democratic Revolution in two-stages, consisting of a
protracted people's war as its first part to be followed by a socialist revolution.
Radical nationalism in the Philippines emphasized the Philippine Revolution under
Bonifacio as unfinished and henceforth continued, under working class leadership.
Writers such as Teodoro Agoncillo and Renato Constantino advocated patriotism by
means of revisiting Filipino history in a Filipino perspective.
 MARTIAL LAW
AND (1972-1986)

THE FOURTH REPUBLIC

"MARTIAL LAW UNDER FERDINAND
MARCOS"
The Third Philippine Republic established in 1946 after World War II ended with the declaration
of Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos shortly before what was supposed to be the end of his
last allowable term under the 1935 Constitution of the Philippines.

On September 22, 1972, then-Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile was reportedly ambushed by
communists in San Juan, killing his driver but leaving him unscathed. The Enrile ambush was
widely believed to have been faked. The assassination attempt, the growing threat of the New
People's Army, and citizen unrest, were used by Marcos as justification to declare Proclamation
No. 1081, which he signed on September 17 (postdated to September 21), the same day.
Ruling by decree, Marcos suspended the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus and
dissolved other civil liberties such as freedom of the press, padlocked Congress and
universities, and arrested student activists and opposition leaders, including senators
Benigno Aquino Jr. and Jose W. Diokno.

Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos was a period marked by massive government
corruption, cronyism, economic recession, and gross violations of human rights.
NATIONALIST FORMS IN THE
OPPOSITION
The media reports of the time just before the declaration of Martial Law classified the various
Nationalist civil society groups opposing Marcos into two categories. The "moderates", which
included church groups, civil libertarians, and nationalist politicians, were those who wanted to
create change through political reforms. The "radicals", including a number of labor and student
groups, wanted broader, more systemic political reforms. However, Marcos' actions during that
time radicalized many otherwise "moderate" opposition members, with key incidents including:
"First Quarter Storm" protests of 1970; the February 1971 Diliman Commune; the August 1971
suspension of the writ of habeas corpus in the wake of the Plaza Miranda bombing; the
September 1972 declaration of martial law; the 1980 murder of Macli-ing Dulag; and the August
1983 assassination of Ninoy Aquino.
MARCOS NATIONALIST PROPAGANDA
Marcos developed a Ferdinand Marcos' cult of personality as a way of holding on to
power for a further 14 years. Among Marcos' rationalizations for the declaration of
martial law were the linked ideologies of the "bagong lipunan" ("new society") and of
"constitutional authoritarianism," claiming there was a need to "reform society" by
placing it under the control of a "benevolent dictator" in a "constitutional authority"
which could guide the undisciplined populace through a period of chaos.
Marcos supported the ideology of "constitutional authoritarianism" with various exercises in
social engineering, united under the banner of the "bagong lipunan." He Philippine education
system underwent a major period of restructuring in after the declaration of Martial Law in
1972, in which the teaching of civics and history was reoriented so that it would reflect values
which supported the Bagong Lipunan and its ideology of constitutional authoritarianism. His
administration also took control of the mass media to silence public criticism and produced an
array of propaganda materials – including speeches, books, lectures, slogans, and numerous
propaganda songs – to promote it.
Marcos cast a propaganda image himself as King, and of his wife Imelda as Queen, in the vein of early
Philippine Barangay settlements and the Maharlika warrior class, as well as the mythological Adam and
Eve figures of "Malakas and Maganda.“

To support this, Marcos and Imelda spent a big part of the government budget on grandiose
construction projects, a propaganda technique eventually labelled the Marcoses' "edifice complex".
This included "designer hospitals" meant to project the administration's "state of the art" status, and
cultural edifices such as the National Arts Center and the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex,
which cast the Marcoses as patrons of the arts. The first years of martial law saw an increase in military
hardware and personnel in the Philippines, as well as a short-lived boost in agricultural productivity. By
encouraging the use of recently invented "miracle" rice variant IR8 the administration was able to raise
rice production (which increased 42% in 8 years), to decrease dependence on food importation during
the early years of Martial Law, although the gains collapsed in the 1980s when the farm credit system
under Marcos' Masagana 99 program ran out of money after having become a vehicle of political
patronage.
To help finance his administration's projects, the Marcos government borrowed large
amounts of money from international lenders. Thus, proving that the country was not
yet fully independent economically. The 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.
THE FIFTH REPUBLIC (1986-PRESENT)
From February 22–25, 1986, many demonstrations against Marcos took place on a
long stretch of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue. The event, known as the People Power
Revolution, involved many famous figures such as Archbishop Jaime Sin, Lt. Gen. Fidel
Ramos and Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile. Finally, on February 25, the Marcos
family was transported by U.S. Air Force HH-3E rescue helicopters to Clark Air Base
to Angeles City, Pampanga, about 83 kilometers north of Manila, before boarding
US Air Force DC-9 Medivac and C-141B planes bound for Andersen Air Force Base
in Guam, and finally to Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii where Marcos arrived on
February 26. Many people around the world rejoiced and congratulated Filipinos they knew.
Corazon Aquino succeeded as president of the Philippines.
In 1986, Aquino adopted Original Pilipino Music (OPM, defined as "any musical composition
created by a Filipino, whether the lyrics be in Pilipino, English or in any other language or
dialect") by requiring hourly broadcasts of OPM songs on all radio programs having musical
formats in order to conserve, promote and popularize the nation's historical and cultural heritage
and resources, as well as artistic creations, and to give patronage to arts and letters. Singers
like Regine Velasquez, Randy Santiago, Ogie Alcasid, Gary Valenciano, Manilyn Reynes, Donna
Cruz and others are contributed to the President's implementation of Filipino music over the
airwaves. Stations like DZOO-FM, DWLS, etc., are adopted hourly OPMs effectively after the
implementation. Aquino also encouraged the tourism sector to boost the national economy. Under
her six-year term, the Department of Tourism launched a program called The Philippines: Fiesta
Islands of Asia in 1989, offers tourist visits in the country to show their natural wonders, to protect their
indigenous peoples, to preserve heritage sites and to contribute historical importance. In 1987, then
President Corazon C. Aquino penned Executive Order No. 118 creating the Presidential Commission on
Culture and Arts. Five years later, in 1992, this presidential directive was enacted into law—Republic Act
7356, creating the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
On June 12, 1998, the nation celebrated its centennial year of independence from
Spain. The celebrations were held simultaneously nationwide by then President Fidel
V. Ramos and Filipino communities worldwide. A commission was established for the
said event, the National Centennial Commission headed by former Vice President
Salvador Laurel presided all events around the country. One of the major projects of
the commission was the Expo Pilipino, a grand showcase of the Philippines' growth as
a nation for the last 100 years, in the Clark Special Economic Zone (formerly Clark
Air Base) in Angeles City, Pampanga.
During his term, President Joseph Estrada ordered to the National Telecommunications
Commission (NTC) to adopt a Filipino language-based radio format known as masa—
named for his icon term Masa (or Masses). All radio stations adopted the masa format in
1998.[citation needed] Many stations continued to use the masa format after President
Estrada left the presidency in 2001 because the masa format resonated with listeners.
Some in the radio industry decry the effects masa formatting has had.
On August 14, 2010, President Benigno Aquino III directed the Department of
Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the NTC to fully implement Executive
Order No. 255, issued on July 25, 1987, by former Philippines President Corazon
Aquino, requiring all radio stations to broadcast a minimum of four original Filipino
musical compositions in every clock hour of programs with a musical format.
On April 13, 2012, The Manila Times, the oldest English language newspaper in the
Philippines, published an editorial titled "Unpatriotic editing and reporting," taking
the Filipino journalistic community to task for their reporting of what it described as
"confrontation between our Philippine Navy and 'law enforcement' ships of the
People's Republic of China" in the Spratly Islands. The editorial opined that Philippine
reports should state that disputed territories are Philippine territory, and
characterized those who refer to disputed territories as "being claimed by the
Philippines" as "unpatriotic writers and editors".
On February 14, 2013, National Book Store, the Philippines' largest bookstore chain,
has withdrawn Chinese-made globes, which reflect China's nine-dotted line
encompassing the South China Sea, from its shelves. Department of Foreign Affairs
spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a statement that, "[National Bookstore] has taken
a patriotic position to proactively support the Philippine government in advancing
Philippine foreign policy objectives." He said the decision to pull out the globes came
after a dialogue with the bookstore management, which claimed they were unaware
of the “misinformation” contained in the educational materials.
THANK YOU! Questions?