SENIOR HIGHSCHOOL DEPARTMENT

Philippine Politics and Governance

A. Philippine History

1. PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD
The Philippines is considered Asía’s oldest democratic state, it’s
reach history before the spanish colonization, its involvement in
trades, its societal structure and its people’s struggle and triumph
only shows how diverse and resilient the Filipino people.

Like any postcolonial country, Philippine culture is a melting pot of

all its colonial masters with a base that consists of its long,
indigenous history. It is a culture that is difficult to pin down since
it is so diverse; the Western influences may appear to be dominant
but at close inspection, it is a mere skin over a pulsing archipelagic
culture. The country's many languages underline the numerous
narratives that exist in the Philippines, each language delineating
a locale. So much so that English is currency in the country, even
among the locals. origins. (https://global.ateneo.edu/life-and-
community/why-philippines/culture-and-history)

Maritime trade in Southeast Asia expanded in the early centuries

of the first millennium, with trade between China and the
Philippines becoming regular by the fifth century.

From the 7th to the 15th century, centers of trade emerged in the
country including the Kingdom of Namayan in Manila Bay, Cebu,
Iloilo, Butuan, the Sanfotsi Empire in Pangasinan, the Kingdoms of
Zabag and Wak-Wak in Pampanga, and Kingdom of Aparri which
specialized in trade with Japan and the Kingdom of Ryukyu in
Okinawa.

The majority of the political system in the early Philippines was led
by leaders called “Datus”, responsible for ruling autonomous
groups called “barangay” or “dulohan”.

The social structure was as follows:

Datu (ruling class, chief)
 Maginoo (noble people/families)
Maharlika (Warriors)
Timawa (freemen, tribespeople)
Alipin (slave – dependent class), which can be aliping namamahay
(serfs) or aliping saguiguilid (slaves)
Other areas called their leaders “benganganat” in Cagayan Valley,
“mingal” in Gaddang, “babacnang” in Ilocos, and “timuay” in
Zamboanga.

The Philippines is neither a patriarchal nor a matriarchal society

during the pre colonial period

Babaylan refers to the pre-colonial Philippine tradition of female

mystical healers whose spiritual connectedness was a source of
political and social power. Babaylan women serve as
intermediaries between spiritual and material worlds in their
communities. Their leadership roles are multi-fold: warrior, healer,
priestess and sage.

In certain instances, women were even thoroughly revered by men

because of the power and influence they yielded. It was a common
sign to see men walking behind women as a show of respect. As
well, just like men, women owned and inherited property, had
equal opportunity in almost all professions and craftsmanship and
also led their respective territories.

The indigenous Filipinos include several tribes that existed way

before the coming of the modern Filipinos. These tribes have been
traced almost 50,000 years back according to archaeological
evidence. It is important to notice that there are 2 major
subdivisions for the 134 indigenous Filipino tribes. They were
either highlanders or lowlanders. After colonization, the lowlanders
were majorly influenced in terms of culture erosion by the
colonizers. The highlanders, however, maintained the majority of
their culture even during and after colonization. This was majorly
influenced by the inaccessibility of the highlands that discouraged
the colonizers.
2. SPANISH COLONIAL PERIOD
Portugese explorer Ferdinand Magellan successfully led the
European expedition to Philippines in the service of the King of
Spain. On 31 March 1521 at Limasawa Island, Southern Leyte, as
stated in Pigafetta's Primo Viaggio Intorno El Mondo (First Voyage
Around the World).

The Legazpi expedition was the most successful as it resulted in

the discovery of the tornaviaje or return trip to Mexico across the
Pacific by Andrés de Urdaneta. This discovery started the Manila
galleon trade , which lasted two and a half centuries.

In 1570, Martín de Goiti having been dispatched by Legazpi to

Luzon2 , conquered the Kingdom of Maynila (now Manila). Legazpi
then made Maynila the capital of the Philippines and simplified its
spelling to Manila. His expedition also renamed Luzon Nueva
Castilla. Legazpi became the country's first governor-general.

The archipelago was Spain's outpost in the orient and Manila

became the capital of the entire Spanish East Indies. The colony
was administered through the Viceroyalty of New Spain (now
Mexico) until 1821 when Mexico achieved independence from
Spain. After 1821, the colony was governed directly from Spain.

The 3G’s God, Gold and Glory for Spain

During most of the Spanish colonial period, the Philippine

economy depended on the Galleon Trade which was inaugurated in
1565 between Manila and Acapulco, Mexico. Trade between Spain
and the Philippines was via the Pacific Ocean to Mexico (Manila to
Acapulco), and then across the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean
to Spain (Veracruz to Cádiz). Manila became the most important
center of trade in Asia between the 17th and 18th centuries.

In the later years of the 18th century, GovernorGeneral Basco

introduced economic reforms that gave the colony its first
significant internal source income from the production of tobacco
and other agricultural exports. In this later period, agriculture was
finally opened to the European population, which before was
reserved only for the natives.
During Spain’s 333 year rule in the Philippines, the colonists had
to fight off the Chinese pirates (who lay siege to Manila, the most
famous of which was Limahong in 1574), Dutch forces, Portuguese
forces, and indigenous revolts. Moros from western Mindanao and
the Sulu Archipelago also raided the coastal Christian areas of
Luzon and the Visayas.

The Filipino movement against Spanish authorities had both

violent and non-violent proponents. Jose Rizal was the most
prominent face of the moderate opposition to the Spanish rule who
advocated political reforms of The Philippines under Spain. Jose
Rizal was a man of incredible intellectual power, with amazing
artistic talent as well. He excelled at anything that he put his mind
to - medicine, poetry, sketching, architecture, sociology.

In August 1896, Katipunan, a nationalist Filipino society founded

by Andres Bonifacio, revolted.

On May 19 1898, Filipino radical revolutionary Emilio Aguinaldo

returned to the Philippines from self exile in Hong Kong aboard an
American naval ship and on May 24 took command of Filipino
forces. Filipino forces had liberated much of the country from the
Spanish.

On June 12, 1898 Aguinaldo issued the Philippine Declaration of

Independence declaring independence from Spain and later
established the First Philippine Republic.

On April 25, 1898, the Spanish–American War began with

declarations of war. On May 1, 1898, the Spanish navy was
decisively defeated in the Battle of Manila Bay by the Asiatic
Squadron of the U.S. Navy led by Commodore George Dewey
aboard the USS Olympia. Thereafter Spain lost the ability to
defend Manila and therefore the Philippines.

The Americans entered into a pact with the Spanish

governorgeneral in which they agreed to fight a mock battle before
surrendering Manila to the Americans. The Battle of Manila took
place on August 13 and Americans took control of the city. In the
Treaty of Paris (1898) ending the Spanish–American War, the
 Spanish agreed to sell the Philippines to the United States for $20
million.

3. THE AMERICAN OCCUPATION

The period of American colonialization of the Philippines was 48
years. It began with the cession of the Philippines to the U.S. by
Spain in 1898 and lasted until the U.S. recognition of Philippine
independence in 1946. After independence in 1946, many
Americans chose to remain in the Philippines while maintaining
relations with relatives in the US.

On August 14, 1898, two days after the capture of Manila, the U.S.
established a military government in the Philippines, with General
Wesley Merritt acting as military governor.[41] During military rule
(1898–1902), the U.S. military commander governed the
Philippines under the authority of the U.S. president as
commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces.

On December 21, 1898, President McKinley issued a proclamation

of benevolent assimilation.

On January 5, Aguinaldo issued a counter-proclamation

summarizing American violations of the ethics of friendship, and
stated that a takeover of the Visayas by the Americans would lead
to hostilities. Within the same day Aguinaldo replaced this
proclamation with another that directly protested American
infringement on "the sovereignty of these islands“

Meanwhile, Felipe Agoncillo, who had been commissioned by the

Philippine revolutionary government as minister plenipotentiary to
negotiate treaties with foreign governments, filed a request in
Washington for an interview with the president to discuss affairs in
the Philippines.

During this time General Elwell Stephen Otis acted as "Military

Governor of the Philippines“ as described by Aguinaldo.

The First and Second Philippine Commissions

Five person group to investigate conditions in the islands and
make recommendations.

First is known as the Schurman Commission; Jacob G. Schurman,

George Dewey, Charles H. Denby, Elwell S. Otis, Dean C.
Worcester.

The commission concluded that "the United States cannot

withdraw. ... We are there and duty binds us to remain. The
Filipinos are wholly unprepared for independence ... there being no
Philippine nation, but only a collection of different peoples.

Second Philippine Commission was known as the Taft Commission

The Second Philippine Commission (the Taft Commission),
appointed by McKinley on March 16, 1900, and headed by William
Howard Taft, was granted legislative as well as limited executive
powers it issued 499 laws, established a judicial system, including
a supreme court, drew up a legal code, and organized a civil
service.

On March 3, 1901, the U.S. Congress passed the Army

Appropriation Act containing (along with the Platt Amendment on
Cuba) the Spooner Amendment which provided the president with
legislative authority to establish of a civil government in the
Philippines.Up until this time, the president been administering
the Philippines by virtue of his war powers.

On July 1, 1901, civil government was inaugurated with William H.

Taft as the civil governor. Later, on February 3, 1903, the U.S.
Congress would change the title of Civil Governor to Governor-
General.

A highly centralized public school system was installed in 1901,

using English as the medium of instruction.

The 1902 Philippine Organic Act was a constitution for the Insular
Government, as the U.S. civil administration was known.

Philippine nationalists led by Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio

Osmeña enthusiastically endorsed the draft Jones Bill of 1912,
 which provided for Philippine independence after eight years, but
later changed their views, opting for a bill which focused less on
time than on the conditions of independence. The nationalists
demanded complete and absolute independence to be guaranteed
by the United States, since they feared that too-rapid
independence from American rule without such guarantees might
cause the Philippines to fall into Japanese hands. The Jones Bill
was rewritten and passed Congress in 1916 with a later date of
independence.

The law, officially the Philippine Autonomy Act but popularly

known as the Jones Law, served as the new organic act (or
constitution) for the Philippines. Its preamble stated that the
eventual independence of the Philippines would be American
policy.

The ultimate goal for the Philippines was independence. U.S.

President Theodore Roosevelt said as early as 1901, "We hope to do
for them what has never been done for any people of the tropics—
to make them fit for self-government after the fashion of really free
nations.“

Named after U.S. House Committee on Insular Affairs Chairman

William Atkinson Jones

The Tydings–McDuffie Act, officially the Philippine Independence

Act enacted March 24, 1934

The Tydings–McDuffie Act specified a procedural framework for the

drafting of a constitution for the government of the Commonwealth
of the Philippines within two years of its enactment.

4. THE COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT

The new government embarked on ambitious nation-building
policies in preparation for economic and political independence.

It was planned that the period 1935–1946 would be devoted to the

final adjustments required for a peaceful transition to full
 independence, a great latitude in autonomy being granted in the
meantime.

On May 14, 1935, an election to fill the newly created office of

president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines was won by
Manuel L. Quezon (Nacionalista Party),[110] and a Filipino
government was formed on the basis of principles superficially
similar to the U.S. Constitution. The commonwealth as established
in 1935 featured a very strong executive, a unicameral national
assembly, and a supreme court composed entirely of Filipinos for
the first time since 1901.

In 1939–1940, the Philippine Constitution was amended to restore

a bicameral Congress, and permit the re-election of President
Quezon, previously restricted to a single, six-year term.

Quezon's priorities were defense, social justice, inequality and

economic diversification, and national character. Tagalog was
designated the national language, women's suffrage was
introduced, and land reform mooted.

HOWEVER, the eventual independence of the Philippines was

postponed because of……….the Japanese attack on the
Philippines.

5. JAPANESE OCCUPATION
The commonwealth government by then had exiled itself to
Washington, DC, upon the invitation of President Roosevelt;
however many politicians stayed behind and collaborated with the
occupying Japanese. The Philippine Commonwealth Army
continued to fight the Japanese in a guerrilla war and were
considered auxiliary units of the U.S. Army. Several Philippine
Commonwealth military awards, such as the Philippine Defense
Medal, Independence Medal, and Liberation Medal, were awarded
to both the United States and Philippine Armed Forces.
After the Japanese invasion of the Philippines, President Manuel L.
Quezon had declared the national capital Manila an "open city",
and left it under the rule of Jorge B. Vargas, as mayor.

The Second Philippine Republic, under Jose P. Laurel, was

established as a puppet state.

General Masaharu Homma decreed the dissolution of the

Commonwealth of the Philippines and established the Philippine
Executive Commission (Komisyong Tagapagpaganap ng Pilipinas),
a caretaker government, with Vargas as its first chairman in
January 1942.

Three days after establishing the National Assembly, its inaugural

session was held at the pre-war Legislative Building and it elected
by majority Benigno S. Aquino as its first Speaker and José P.
Laurel as President of the Republic of the Philippines, who was
inaugurated on October 14, 1943, at the foundation of the
Republic.

On the same day, a Pact of Alliance was signed between the new
Republic and the Japanese government that was ratified two days
later by the National Assembly.

On September 21, 1944, Laurel placed the Republic under martial

law.[26][27] On September 23, 1944, the Republic officially
declared war against the United States and United Kingdom.[28]
Following the return of American-led Allied forces, the government
of the Second Republic evacuated Manila to Baguio.[29] The
republic was formally dissolved by Laurel in Tokyo on August 17,
1945 - two days after the Surrender of Japan.

In October 1944, MacArthur 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.

In October 1944, MacArthur 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.

6. THE AMERICANS..AGAIN
In October 1944, MacArthur 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 largest naval battle in history, according to gross tonnage

sunk, the Battle of Leyte Gulf, occurred when Allied forces began
liberating the Philippines from the Japanese Empire. Battles on the
islands entailed long fierce fighting and some of the Japanese
continued to fight after the official surrender of the Empire of
Japan on September 2.

After the war in the Philippines, the Commonwealth was restored,

and a one-year transitional period in preparation for independence
began. Elections followed in April 1946, with Manuel Roxas
winning as the first president of the independent Republic of the
Philippines and Elpidio Quirino winning as vice president.

The Commonwealth had its own constitution, which remained

effective after independence until 1973, and was self-governing
although foreign policy and military affairs would be under the
responsibility of the United States, and Laws passed by the
legislature affecting immigration, foreign trade, and the currency
system had to be approved by the United States president. Despite
maintaining ultimate sovereignty, in some ways the US
Government treated the Commonwealth as a sovereign state, and
the Philippines sometimes acted in a state capacity in international
relations.

The three presidents during the commonwealth period:

 Manuel L. Quezon
 Sergio Osmeña (Quezon’s VP, succeeded Quezon after his
death)
 Manuel Roxas
 On October 11, 1945, the Philippines became one of the founding
members of the United Nations. On July 4, 1946, the Philippines
was officially recognized by the United States as an independent
nation through the Treaty of Manila between the governments of
the United States and the Philippine, during the presidency of
Manuel Roxas.

However, the economy remained dependent on the U.S.[40] This

was 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.

7. AFTER THE AMERICANS (THE MANUEL ROXAS

ADMINISTRATION)
 The United States granted independence to the Philippines
on July 4, 1946
 "Tydings–McDuffie Act“--Philippine Independence Act, under
US Pres. Harry S. Truman
 The Roxas administration (1946–1948) began
 Rehabilitation fund was given by the US, BUT US Military
bases remains

Turtle Islands and Mangsee Islands was transferred by the United

Kingdom to the Philippines. (September 19, 1946)

Roxas did not stay long in office because of a heart attack as he

was speaking at Clark Air Base on April 15, 1948. He was
succeeded by his vice president Elpidio Quirino.

8. THE QUIRINO ADMINISTRATION

Quirino assumed the presidency on April 17, 1948, taking his oath
of office two days after the death of Manuel Roxas.

Quirino's administration faced a serious threat in the form of the

communist Hukbalahap movement. Though the Huks originally
had been an anti-Japanese guerrilla army in Luzon, communists
steadily gained control over the leadership, and when Quirino's
negotiation with Huk commander Luis Taruc broke down in 1948,
 Taruc openly declared himself a communist and called for the
overthrow of the government.

His five years as president were marked by notable postwar

reconstruction, general economic gains, and increased economic
aid from the United States. Basic social problems, however,
particularly in the rural areas, remained unsolved, and his
administration was tainted by widespread graft and corruption.

In 1953, in his second term, the Korean War began and resulted in
over 7,450 Filipino soldiers being sent to Korea under the
designation of the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea or
PEFTOK.

Although ill, Quirino ran for re-election in 1953, but he was

overwhelmingly defeated by Ramon Magsaysay.

9. THE MAGSAYSAY ADMINISTRATION

In the 1953 election, Magsaysay was elected president over the
incumbent Elpidio Quirino

He was sworn into office wearing the Barong Tagalog, a first by a

Philippine president.

During his term, he made Malacañang Palace literally a "house of

the people", opening its gates to the public.

On March 16, 1957, Magsaysay left Manila for Cebu City where he
spoke at three educational institutions. That same night, at about
1 a.m., he boarded the presidential plane "Mt. Pinatubo", a C-47,
heading back to Manila. In the early morning hours of March 17,
his plane was reported missing. It was late in the afternoon that
day that newspapers reported that the airplane had crashed on
Mount Manunggal in Cebu and that 25 of the 26 passengers and
crew aboard were killed.

Vice President Carlos P. Garcia, who was on an official visit to

Australia at the time, assumed the presidency to serve out the last
eight months of Magsaysay's term.
 An estimated 2 million people attended Magsaysay's burial on
March 22, 1957.

10. THE GARCIA ADMINISTRATION

Garcia assumed the presidency after Ramón Magsaysay died in a
plane crash on March 17, 1957, and was elected later the same
year, in the Election 1957, to a full term.

He was well known when he exercised the Filipino First policy

during his term in office. This policy heavily favored Filipino
businessmen over foreign investors. He was also responsible for
changes in retail trade which greatly affected the Chinese
businessmen in the country. He also made a program focused on
thriftiness.

At the end of his second term, he ran for re–election in the Election
1961 in November 1961, but was defeated by Diosdado Macapagal.

11. THE MACAPAGAL ADMINISTRATION

In the 1961 presidential election, Macapagal ran against Garcia
and defeated the incumbent president by a 55% to 45% margin.
Seeking to stimulate economic development, Macapagal took the
advice of supporters and allowed the Philippine peso to float on the
free currency exchange market. His reform efforts were blocked by
the Nacionalistas, who dominated the House of Representatives
and the Senate at that time. Nonetheless, his presidency achieved
growth and prosperity for the nation.

Among the most significant achievements of Macapagal as

president were the abolition of tenancy and accompanying land
reform program in the Agricultural Land Reform Code of 1963. He
also changed the date of celebration of Philippine independence
from July 4 to June 12

Later, Macapagal told author Stanley Karnow that the reason for
the change was that American embassy celebrations were visited
more than the Filipino reception on the July 4 American
independence day.
 Macapagal was defeated for re-election in 1965 by Senate
President Ferdinand Marcos, a former Liberal Party ally who
defected to the Nacionalista Party to challenge the incumbent
president.
12. THE MARCOS ADMINISTRATION
In 1965, Ferdinand Marcos won the presidential election and
became the 10th president of the Philippines. His first term was
marked with increased industrialization and the construction of
nationwide infrastructure

During the Vietnam War, Marcos strongly opposed sending

military forces to Vietnam.

In 1969, Marcos ran for a second term – the last one allowed him
under the 1935 constitution which was then in effect.

But Marcos' massive spending during the 1969 presidential

campaign had taken its toll and triggered growing public unrest.[9]
During the campaign, Marcos had spent $50 million for debt-
funded infrastructure, triggering the 1969 Philippine balance of
payments crisis.

Martial law (1972–1981)

The Plaza Miranda bombing, the alleged ambush of Enrile, and the
MV Karagatan landing were among the incidents used to justify
the imposition of martial law.

Presidential Proclamation No. 1081, proclaiming a state of martial

law in the Philippines on September 21, 1972

The 1986 Philippine presidential election was generally perceived

to be fraudulent, both locally and internationally. International
observers, including a U.S. delegation led by Senator Richard
Lugar, denounced the official results

Fearful of being overcome by Marcos' forces, Enrile sought help

from then-AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen Fidel Ramos, who was
also the chief of the Philippine Constabulary (now the Philippine
National Police). Ramos agreed and withdrew his support for the
government, siding with Enrile. Their respective forces barricaded
themselves in Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo which were near
each other on either side of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA)
in Quezon City.

AFTER MARTIAL LAW TO PRESENT

Corazon Aquino administration (1986–1992)

Fidel Ramos administration (1992–1998)

Joseph Estrada administration (1998–2001)

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo administration (2001–2010)

Benigno Aquino III administration (2010–2016)

Rodrigo Duterte administration (2016–2022)

Bongbong Marcos administration (2022–present)