LEt Reviewer: List of Philippine Presidents and their Contributions (2024)

List of Philippine Presidents and their Contributions

1.General Emilio Aguinaldo (January 23, 1899 – April 1, 1901)

The president of the first Philippine republic (1899). He started as a member of the Magdalo Chapter of the Katipunan in Cavite, then was elected president of the revolutionary government at the Tejeros Convention on March 22,1897, and, later, Biak-na-Bato Republic. He proclaimed Philippine independence at Kawit on June 12, 1898. His capture foreshadowed the end of large-scale armed resistance to American rule.

• first (and only) president of the First Republic (Malolo Republic)
• signed the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, creating a truce between the Spanish and Philippine revolutionaries
• known as the President of the Revolutionary Government
• led the Philippines in the Spanish-Philippine War and the American-Philippine War
• youngest president, taking office at age 28
• longest-lived president, passing away at 94

2. Manuel L. Quezon (November 15, 1935 – August 1, 1944)

The first Filipino president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines under American rule. He was president of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. For advocating Filipino-language amendments to the 1935 Constitution, he is known as the “Father of the National Language.”

• first Senate president elected as President of the Philippines
• first president elected through a national election
• first president under the Commonwealth
• created National Council of Education
• initiated women’s suffrage in the Philippines during the Commonwealth
• approved Tagalog/Filipino as the national language of the Philippines
• appears on the twenty-peso bill
• a province, a city, a bridge and a university in Manila are named after him
• his body lies within the special monument on Quezon Memorial Circle

3.Jose P. Laurel (October 14, 1943 – August 17, 1945)

The 3rd among Philippine presidents to assume office during the era of the Japanese occupation of World War II, Jose P. Laurel is the only Filipino president in his time to have been shot outside of combat.

• since the early 1960s, Laurel considered a legitimate president of the Philippines
• organized KALIBAPI (Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas, or Association for Service to the New Philippines), a provisional government during Japanese occupation
• declared Martial Law and war between the Philippines and the U.S./United Kingdom in 1944

4.Sergio Osmeña (August 1, 1944 – May 28, 1946)

Sergio Osmeña was the second president of the Commonwealth. During his presidency, the Philippines joined the International Monetary Fund.

• became president at 65, making him the oldest person to hold office
• first Visayan to become president
• joined with U.S. Gen. Douglas McArthur in Leyte on October 20, 1944 to begin restoration of Philippine freedom after Japanese occupation
• Philippine National Bank was rehabilitated and the country joined the International Monetary Fund during his presidency
• Bell Trade Act was approved by the U.S. Congress during his presidency
• appears on the 50-peso bill

5.Manuel Roxas (May 28, 1946 – April 15, 1948)

He was the fifth Philippine president but was considered as the third and last president under the Commonwealth era making him the next first leader of the Third Republic of the Philippines (R.P.). Shortlived as he served for some reason, he only assumed office for a very short period of 1 year, 10 months and 18 days to be exact.

• inaugurated as the first president of the new Republic after World War II
• reconstruction from war damage and life without foreign rule began during his presidency
• under his term, the Philippine Rehabilitation Act and Philippine Trade Act laws were accepted by Congress
• appears on the 100-peso bill

6. Elpidio Quirino (April 17, 1948 – December 30, 1953)

Elpidio Quirino served as vice president under Manuel Roxas. When Roxas died in 1948, Quirino became president.

• Hukbalahap guerrilla movement active during his presidency
• created Social Security Commission
• created Integrity Board to monitor graft and corruption
• Quezon City became capital of the Philippines in 1948

7. Ramon Magsaysay (December 30, 1953 – March 17, 1957)

President of the Philippines from 1953 to 1957. He had been President Quirino’s secretary of defense who was instrumental is suppressing the HUK rebellion. As president, he persuaded Congress to pass the Agricultural Tenancy Act (1954). It was during his term that the Retail Trade Nationalization Act was passed. He secured revisions in the Bell Trade Act and was the first president to revise the US Military Bases agreement to bring it more in line with Philippine interests.

• Hukbalahap movement quelled during his presidency
• chairman of the Committee on Guerrilla Affairs
• first president sworn into office wearing Barong Tagalog during inauguration
• presidency referred to as the Philippines' "Golden Years" for its lack of corruption
• Philippines was ranked second in Asia’s clean and well-governed countries during his presidency
• established National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA) among other agrarian reforms

8. Carlos P. Garcia (March 18, 1957 – December 30, 1961)

A lawyer, poet, and teacher, Carlos P. Garcia also served as a guerrilla leader during the Pacific War. Born in Bohol, Garcia serviced as vice president under Ramon Magsaysay and as secretary of Foreign Affairs for four years. He was among the founders of the Association for Southeast Asia (1963), the precursor of the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).He became president when Magsaysay died in 1957.

• known for “Filipino First Policy,” which favored Filipino businesses over foreign investors
• established the Austerity Program focusing on Filipino trade and commerce
• known as the “Prince of Visayan Poets” and the “Bard from Bohol”
• cultural arts was revived during his term
• was the first president to have his remains buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani

9. Diosdado Macapagal (December 30, 1961 – December 30, 1965)

Born in Lubao, Pampanga, Diosdado Macapagal was a lawyer and professor. His daughter Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was the 14th, and second female, president of the Philippines. It was during his presidency that Independence Day was moved from July 4 to June 12, the date when General Aguinaldo proclaimed Philippine independence in Cavite.

• established the first Land Reform Law, allowing for the purchase of private farmland to be distributed in inexpensive, small lots to the landless
• placed the Philippine peso on the currency exchange market
• declared June 12, 1898 to be Philippines’ Independence Day
• signed the Minimum Wage Law
• created the Philippine Veteran’s Bank

10. Ferdinand Marcos (December 30, 1965 – February 25, 1986)

Born in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, Ferdinand Edralin Marcos was a lawyer and Senate President for three years. He was president for 21 years. He ruled under martial law and his dictatorship was known for its corruption and brutality. Marcos was removed from office after the People Power Revolution.

• first president to win a second term
• declared Martial Law on Sept. 22, 1972
• increased the size of Philippine military and armed forces
• by 1980 the Philippine GNP was four times greater than 1972
• by 1986 the Philippines was one of the most indebted countries in Asia
• built more schools, roads, bridges, hospitals, and other infrastructure than all former presidents combined
• the only president whose remains are interred inside a refrigerated crypt

11. Corazon Aquino (February 25, 1986 – June 30, 1992)

President of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992. With Salvador Laurel as running mate, she led the opposition that overthrew the authoritarian government of Marcos, who went into exile after the successful People’s Power revolution of 1986. She first established a revolutionary government under the Freedom Constitution, later replaced by the Constitution of 1987, which served as the basis for reestablishing democracy

• first woman to be president of the Philippines or any Asian country
• restored democracy
• abolished the 1973 Marcos Constitution and ushered in the new Constitution of the Philippines
• reorganized the structure of the executive branch of government
• signed the Family Code of 1987, a major civil law reform, and 1191 Local Government Code, which reorganized the structure of the executive branch of government
• initiated charitable and social activities helping the poor and the needy
• named “Woman of the Year” in 1986 by Time magazine
• on the new 500-peso bill together with her husband Benigno Aquino
Received honors and awards including:
• 100 Women Who Shaped World History
• 20 Most Influential Asians of the 20th Century
• 65 Great Asian Heroes
• J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding

12. Fidel V. Ramos (June 30, 1992 – June 30, 1998)

A military general in his time when the former first female president resumed power over EDSA revolution, the popular name for this Philippine president is FVR. He was the chief-of-staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines during Cory's regime before he became president. A civil engineer by college career, Ramos is a PMA bred elite. He brought back economic growth and stability in the country in spite of the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997. He is the first and only non-Catholic (protestant) president of the Philippines.

• oversaw Philippine economic growth
• presided over celebrations of Philippine Independence Centennial in 1998
• received British Knighthood from the United Kingdom by Queen Elizabeth II (Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George)
• hosted the fourth Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Leader's Summit in the Philippines in 1996
• Philippine Stock Exchange became an international favorite during his presidency
• death penalty reinstated while he was in office
• signed peace agreement with the rebel Moro National Liberation Front

13. Joseph Estrada (June 30, 1998 – January 20, 2001)

Erap para sa mahirap is his popular slogan. Joseph Ejercity Estrada is the first film actor to become president of a country next to Ronald Reagan. His presidency was controversial. During his years in office economic growth was slow and he faced impeachment proceedings. He was ousted from the presidency in 2001. He was later convicted of stealing from the government but was pardoned. He ran unsuccessfully for president in 2010

• during his presidency Moro Islamic Liberation Front headquarters and camps were captured
• joined other leaders and politicians to try to amend the 1987 Constitution
• cited as one of the Three Outstanding Senators in 1989
• among the “Magnificent 12” who voted to terminate the agreement that allows for U.S. control of Clark Airbase and Subic Naval Base

14. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (January 20, 2001 – June 30, 2010)

President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2004. She served as vice president under President Estrada and became president when he was forced to step down for malfeasance, through the People’s Power II revolution. PGMA has confronted some of the same obstacles as did her father, President Diosdado Macapagal, when he tried to clean up corruption in government

• second female president of the country
• first and only female vice-president of the Philippines so far
• first president to take oath outside Luzon
• former Economics professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, where current president Benigno Aquino III was one of her students
• ex-classmate of former U.S. President Bill Clinton at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, where she maintained Dean’s list status
• oversaw higher economic growth than the past three presidents before her
• peso became the best-performing currency of the year in Asia in 2007
• eVAT Law was implemented under her term
• currently on the 200-peso bill

15. Benigno Aquino III (June 30, 2010 – 2016)

Popularly known as PNoy, he is the son of the first female Philippine president and of Asia – Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. Real name is Simeon Benigno Aquino III a.k.a. NoyNoy or PNoy joined the House of Representatives and the Senate before his presidency.

• created the no "wang-wang" (street siren) policy
• appointed statesman Jesse Robredo to serve as secretary of Interior and Local Government in 2010, where Robredo served until his death in 2012
• initiated K-12 education in the Philippines
• renamed the Office of the Press Secretary to Presidential Communications Operations Office and appointed new officers
• suspended allowances and bonuses to Government Owed and Controlled Corporation and Government Financial Institution board members
• oversaw 7.1% growth of the Philippine economy in 2012

16. Rodrigo Duterte ( June 30, 2016 – present )

Current president of the Philippines. Was elected to a six-year term in May 2016. Took office on June 30. Known by the nickname Digong. A lawyer and politician of Visayan descent from the southern island of Mindanao.

• Passport validity extension to ten years
• Driver’s license validity extension to five years
• Stiffer penalties for hospitals refusing to treat patients
• The indefinite ceasefire between the MNLF, MILF, CPP NDF and the government (held in Norway)
• RA 10931 promotes universal access to quality tertiary education by providing free tuition in state universities and colleges.
• Duterte also signed RA 10969 providing free irrigation service for local farmers who own eight hectares of land or less
• Other priority measures are RA 11032 on promoting ease of doing business and efficient delivery of government services,
• RA 10968 or an act institutionalizing the Philippine Qualifications Framework and RA 11035 or act institutionalizing the Balik Scientist program.
• President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signed into law Republic Act No. 10963, otherwise known as the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act,

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