INDEPENDENCE

AND THE THIRD

REPUBLIC
 Inauguration of the
Philippine Republic
• "Let history record this event in the sweep of
democracy through the earth as foretelling the
end of mastery over peoples by power of force
alone the end of empire as the political chain
which binds the unwilling weak to the unyielding
strong.“ –MacArthur
• "A nation is born. Long live the Republic of the
Philippines! May God bless and prosper the
Filipino people, keep them safe and free.” -
President Harry S. Truman
 Postwar Problems of
the Republic
• The war had ravaged the land, leaving in its wake burned
cities and towns, ruined farms and factories, blasted roads
and bridges, shattered industries and commerce, and
thousands of victims.
• Economic rehabilitation was the first and greatest problem of
the new Republic.
• The cultural rehabilitation of the nation
• The war had paralyzed the educational system
• The financial poverty of the government
• Peace and order
• The moral and spiritual fiber of the people had been
debased by the war
 Losses from World
War Il
"The Philippines was without question the most completely
destroyed and dislocated battleground of war.“
-American Ambassador Paul V. McNutt

I. Physical damages (private and public property lost)

Il. Loss of human lives
Ill. Goods and services commandeered by Japanese forces
The Roxas Administration (1946-48)
 The Roxas Administration
(1946-48)

Three cardinal principles of the Philippine

policy:
1. adherence to and support of the ideals
and objectives of the United Nations,
2. preservation of intimate and special
relations with the United States, and
3. maintenance of friendly relations with the
other nations of the world, except the
communist nations.
 The Roxas Administration
(1946-48)

First treaties and agreements with the

United States:
(1) Treaty of General Relations with the
United States
(2) The War Surplus property Agreement
(3) The Military Bases Agreement
(4) The Military Assistance Agreement
 The Roxas Administration
(1946-48)

Two failures of Roxas Administration

(1) The failure to curb graft and corruption
in the government, "Surplus War
Property Scandal", the "Chinese
Immigration Quota Scandal" and the
"School Supplies Scandal"
(2) the failure to check the communistic
Huk Movement.
The Quirino Administration (1948-53)
 The Quirino
Administration (1948-53)

Two main objectives of his administration:

• economic reconstruction of the nation
and
• restoration of the faith and confidence
of the people in the government.
 The Quirino
Administration (1948-53)

Quirino Administration Achievements:

➢ PACSA (President's Action Committee on
Social Amelioration)
➢ Labor-Management Advisory Board
➢ ACCFA (Agricultural Credit Cooperatives
Financing Administration)
➢ Rural Banks
➢ Revival of President Quezon's "fireside chats"
 The Quirino
Administration (1948-53)

• November 8, 1947- the first local

election under the Republic
• November 8, 1949- the first national
election under the Republic
• During the Quirino administration the
Huks gained formidable strength
The Magsaysay Administration (1953-57)
 The Magsaysay
Administration (1953-57)
• "Savior of Democracy in the Philippines" and "Man of
the Masses“
• he restored the people's faith and confidence in the
government
• to improve the conditions of the barrios
• prohibited the indiscriminate slaughter of carabaos, the
farmer's best friend
• He minimized extravagant receptions and social parties
in Malacañang
• imposed a high moral standard for public officials
• He had a high concept delicadeza,
• he popularized the use of Barong Tagalog in official and
social functions
 The Magsaysay
Administration (1953-57)

Achievements of Magsaysay Administration

➢ SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty
Organization) was established in Manila
➢ The Laurel-Langley Agreement
➢ Reparations Agreement with Japan
➢ San Francisco Treaty
Garcia Succeeds
Magsaysay
(1957-61)
 Garcia Succeeds
Magsaysay
(1957-61)

1. Strengthening of democracy in the

Philippines.
2. Revival of Filipino culture.
3. Adoption of the "Filipino First" Policy.
4. Creation of Dr. Jose Rizal Centennial
Commission.
5. Fostering international goodwill and
friendship.
 The
Macapagal
Administration
(1961-65)
 The Macapagal
Administration (1961-65)

Macapagal Administration’s Achievement:

1. Agricultural Land Reform Code
2. The propagation of the Filipino language
3. The date of "Independence Day”
4. The official filing of the claim of the
Republic of the Philippines over Sabah
(North Borneo)
5. Formation of MAPHILINDO
 Marcos
Becomes
President
"This nation can be great again."
 Marcos Becomes
President

Among the achievements of President Marcos' during his first term (1965-1969)
1. Stabilization of government finance.
2. Greater production of rice by promoting the cultivation of "miracle
rice" and other fast growing rice seeds, the construction of more
irrigation systems, and giving financial and technical assistance to
the farmers.
3. Building of more roads and bridges, schoolhouses, and other public
works. The Philippine National Railways was also improved to foster
land transportation.
4. Intensive drive against smuggling, crime syndicates, and the
communist New People's Army (NPA).
5. Holding of the Manila Summit Conference.
 President Marcos'
Second Term (1969)
Problems Encountered:
• Economic recession,
• The prevalence of dirty politics,
• The rampage of graft and corruption in the
government,
• The widening gap between the rich and the
poor,
• The impotency of the 1935 Philippine
Constitution to cope with the new socio-
economic problems of the times; and
• The rising tides of crime, communism, and
subversion
 Student Power and
Demonstrations
The objectives of the student activists were:
(1) a good government without dirty politics;
(2) social justice through land reform;
(3) lower prices for prime commodities and jobs for
the jobless;
(4) improvement of the educational system;
(5) a new constitution to replace the obsolete 1935
Philippine Constitution.
 Movement to Change the
Constitution
Reasons for Change:
1. it was a relic of colonialism, for it was drafted during the American
regime and was an imitation of the U.S. Constitution;
2. too much powers given to the President may spawn a dictator;
3. imbalance among the three branches of government — legislative,
executive, judicial;
4. lack of a provision regarding presidential election protests;
5. its Parity Amendment was a memento of American imperialism;
6. the COMELEC (Commission on Elections) was not granted
adequate powers to prevent election anomalies;
7. the GAO (General Auditing Office) was virtually a watchdog without
teeth; and
8. it had no provision on local autonomy.
The Visit of Pope Paul VI
"Plaza Miranda Massacre"
Suspension of
the Writ of
Habeas
Corpus
Proclamation No. 880
The Local
Elections
of 1971

Liberal Party
Nationalista Party
Restoration of Habeas Corpus
 The Drift to Tyranny
Crises which precipitated the imposition of Martial
Law:
1. The Plaza Miranda massacre
2. Militant students, workers, intellectuals and
religious caused a wave of demonstrations
and rallies
3. Terrorist bombings of public and private
property and residences
4. Assassination attempts on President Marcos
and other national leaders were alleged