2. THE NEW FOUND
REPUBLIC
Achievements | Reforms | Downfalls
3. MANUEL QUEZON
• Manuel Luis Quezón y Molina (August 19, 1878 –
August 1, 1944) served as president of the
Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to
1944. He was the first Filipino to head a
government of the Philippines (as opposed to
other historical states). Quezón is considered by
most Filipinos to have been the second president
of the Philippines, after Emilio Aguinaldo (1897–
1901).
• Quezón was the first Senate president elected to
the presidency, the first president elected
through a national election, and the first
incumbent to secure re-election (for a partial
second term, later extended, due to amendments
to the 1935 Constitution). He is known as the
"Father of the National Language".
4. ACHIEVEMENTS
• He studied law at the University of Sto. Tomas • The “ Star of Baler “ shone as the First President
and passed the bar examinations in 1903. He of the Commonwealth after his brilliant
became the fiscal of his home province and was performance as the First Senate President. He
soon elected governor. was steadfast in his vision to deliver the masses
from the shackles of colonialism which
• In the 1907 election, he ran for the Philippine
intensified his efforts to secure independence
Assembly under the Nacionalista Party, won by
for his country. Such vision culminated in the
a large majority, and became the majority floor
establishment of political stability within the
leader.
framework of the 1935 Constitution, the
• In 1909, he was elected Resident Commissioner formulation of policies to ensure the social well-
to Washington, D.C., a post he held until 1916. being of the people, and the adjustment of the
His most significant achievement was the national economy to the challenges of
passage of the Jones Act that provided for the independent nationhood. He was a dynamic
grant of Philippine independence. Filipino leader and a true friend of the poor and
the oppressed whom he loved and cared so
• He was elected senator in 1916 and eventually
well. Quezon is one of the most illustrious sons
became Senate President. He headed the first
Independence Mission to the U.S. Congress, and our country has ever produced.
brought home the Tydings-McDuffie
Independence Law in 1934.
5. REFORMS
• Government Reorganization
• Social justice program
• Economy
• Agrarian reform
• Educational reforms
• Women's suffrage
• National language
• Council of State
6. DOWNFALL
The Commonwealth Government was
interrupted by the Japanese invasion of 1941.
Quezon and his government were forced to go
into exile in the U.S. He died on August 1, 1944,
in New York.
LEGACY:
A province, a city, a bridge, a private
university in Manila and many streets are
named after him. The highest honor
conferred by the Republic of the
Tomb of President Manuel Quezon,
Philippines is the Quezon Service Cross. He
Inside Quezon Memorial, Quezon City is also memorialized on Philippine
currency. He appears on the Philippine
twenty peso bill. He also appears on two
commemorative one peso coins, one
alongside Frank Murphy and another with
Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
7. JOSE P. LAUREL
• José Paciano Laurel was born on March 9, 1891 in the
town of Tanauan, Batangas. His parents were Sotero
Laurel, Sr. and Jacoba García. His father had been an
official in the revolutionary government of Emilio
Aguinaldo and a signatory to the 1898 Malolos
Constitution.
• While a teen, Laurel was indicted for attempted murder
when he almost killed a rival suitor of his girlfriend.
While studying and finishing law school, he argued for
and received an acquittal.
• Laurel received his law degree from the University of
the Philippines College of Law in 1915, where he
studied under Dean George A. Malcolm, whom he
would later succeed on the Supreme Court. He then
obtained a Master of Laws degree from University of
Santo Tomas in 1919. Laurel then attended Yale Law
School, where he obtained a Doctorate of Law.
8. ACHIEVEMENTS
• He was elected by the National Assembly as
President of the Republic on September 25,
1943 and inducted on October 14, 1943. This
unicameral assembly was created through the
sponsorship of the Japanese authorities.
• Laurel’s controversial Presidency during the
Japanese Occupation (1943 - 1945)
overshadowed his achievements as legislator,
jurist, writer, and administrator in the pre-war
struggle for independence. As an elected
senator and later delegate to the
Constitutional Convention, he distinguished
himself for his advocacy of women’s suffrage
and his sponsorship of the Bill of Rights of the
Constitution. He also became an associate
justice of the Supreme Court.
9. FAILURES
• Economy. During Laurel's tenure as President, hunger was the main worry. Prices of essential
commodities rose to unprecedented heights. The government exerted every effort to increase
production and bring consumers' goods under control. However, Japanese rapacity had the better
of it all. On the other hand, guerrilla activities and Japanese retaliatory measures brought the
peace and order situation to a difficult point. Resorting to district-zoning and domiciliary searches,
coupled with arbitrary asserts, the Japanese made the mission of Laurel's administration
incalculably exasperating and perilous.
• Food shortage. During his presidency, the Philippines faced a crippling food shortage which
demanded much of Laurel's attention. Rice and bread were still of availability but the sugar supply
was gone. Laurel also resisted in vain Japanese demands that the Philippines issue a formal
declaration of war against the United States. There were also reports during his presidency of the
Japanese military carrying out rape and massacre towards the Filipino population.
• KALIBAPI. Telling of Laurel's ambivalent and precarious position is the following anecdote. In 1944,
Laurel issued an executive order organizing the Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas
(KALIBAPI) as the sole political organization to back the government. An attempt was made to
organize a women's section of the KALIBAPI, and Laurel hosted several women leaders in
Malacañang Palace to plead his case. After he spoke, a university president, speaking in behalf of
the group, responded, "Mr. President, sa kabila po kami". ("Mr. President, we are on the other
side.") Laurel joined the others assembled in hearty laughter and the KALIBAPI women's section
was never formed.
10. RETIREMENT & DEATH
• Laurel considered his election to the Senate as a vindication of his reputation. He declined to
run for re-election in 1957. He retired from public life, concentrating on the development of
the Lyceum of the Philippines established by his family.
• During his retirement, Laurel stayed in a 3-story, 7-bedroom mansion dubbed as "Villa
Pacencia", erected in 1957 at Mandaluyong and named after Laurel's wife. The home was
one of three residences constructed by the Laurel family, the other two being located in
Tanauan and in Paco, Manila (called "Villa Peñafrancia). In 2008, the Laurel family sold "Villa
Pacencia" to Senate President Manny Villar and his wife Cynthia.
• On November 6, 1959, Laurel died at the Lourdes Hospital, in Manila, from a massive heart
attack and a stroke. He is buried in Tanuan.
11. SERGIO OSMENA
• Sergio Osmeña was born in Cebu to Juana
Osmeña y Suico, who was reportedly only 14
years of age when she gave birth to him. Owing
to the circumstances of his birth, the identity of
his father had been a closely guarded family
secret.
• Though an illegitimate child – Juana never
married his father – he didn't allow this aspect
to affect his standing in society. The Osmeña
family, a rich and prominent clan of Chinese
Filipino heritage with vast business interests in
Cebu, slowly warmed up to him as he
established himself as a prominent figure in local
society.
12. ACHIEVEMENTS
• Osmena was a notable figure in the struggle for independence. A lawyer, he
espoused the cause of independence through peaceful means as editor of the
Cebu newspaper El Nuevo Dia (New Day), which he founded in 1900. He served as
fiscal of Cebu and Negros Oriental. He was appointed governor of Cebu in 1904
and elected to the same post in 1906.
• In 1907, he was elected as representative of Cebu and later became speaker of the
first Philippine Assembly. In 1922, he was elected as senator. He headed important
government missions to the U. S.
• Osmena returned to the Philippines on October 20, 1944, together with Gen.
Douglas MacArthur. In February 1945, he took the reins of government.
13. REFORMS
• Restoration of the Commonwealth
• Government reorganization
• Rehabilitation of the Philippine National Bank
• People's court
• United Nations Charter
• Foreign Relations Office
• International banking
• Bell Trade Act
14. POST-PRESIDENCY & DEATH
• After his defeat in the election,
Osmeña retired to his home in Cebu.
He died of old age at the age of 83 on
19 October 1961 at the Veteran's
Memorial Hospital in Quezon City. He
is buried in the Manila North
Cemetery, Manila.
A statue of President Osmeña in front
of the Osmeña Museum in Cebu City.
15. MANUEL ROXAS
• He was popularly known as the “First
President of the Third Republic.” He won
the elections by a slim margin. He was
inaugurated on July 4, 1946, the day the
U.S. government granted political
independence to its colony.
• Roxas was born in Capiz (now Roxas City),
studied law at UP and graduated with
honors in 1913. He topped the Bar
examinations in the same year, was
employed as private secretary to Chief
Justice Cayetano Arellano, and taught law
in 1915-1916.
16. ACHIEVEMENTS
• His political career started when he was • The short-lived Roxas administration
appointed as a member of the Capiz (1946 - 1948) embarked on a course that
municipal council. In 1919, he was elected resulted in what were considered as his
as governor of Capiz. He was elected as greatest achievements, namely: the
congressman in 1922, and in 1935, he was ratification of the Bell Trade Act; the
chosen as a delegate to the Constitutional inclusion of the Parity Amendment in the
Convention. He was elected as a senator Constitution; and the signing of the 1947
in 1941 and eventually became Senate Military Bases Agreement.
president.
17. REFORMS
• Economy
• Reconstruction after the war
• Agrarian reform
• Amnesty proclamation
• HUKS outlawed
• Treaty of General Relations
One of the last pictures of President Manuel Roxas.
• United States military bases
• Parity Rights Amendment
18. CONTROVERSIES
• His administration was marred by graft and corruption; moreover, the abuses of
the provincial military police contributed to the rise of the left-wing (Huk)
movement in the countryside. His heavy-handed attempts to crush the Huks led to
widespread peasant disaffection.
• The good record of Roxas administration was marred by two failures: the failure to
curb graft and corruption in the government, as evidenced by the Surplus War
Property scandal, the Chinese immigration scandal and the School supplies
scandal; and the failure to check and stop the communist Hukbalahap movement.
19. DEATH
• Roxas did not finish his term that was expected to end by 1950 because he died of
myocardial infarction. On the night of April 15, 1948, Roxas died at Clark Field,
Pampanga. In the morning of his death Roxas delivered a speech before the US
Thirteenth Air Force, in which he said:
“ If war should come, I am certain of one thing–probably the only thing of which I can be
certain–and it is this: That America and the Philippines will be found on the same side,
and American and Filipino soldiers will again fight side by side in the same trenches or in
the air or at sea in the defense of justice, freedom and other principles which we both
loved and cherished. ”
• After the speech, he felt dizzy and was brought to the residence of Major General
E.L. Eubank, where he died that same night.
• On April 17, 1948, two days after Roxas' death, Vice-President Elpidio Quirino took
the oath of office as President of the Philippines, per line of succession.
20. ELPIDIO QUIRINO
• Elpidio Quirino was a native of Caoayan, Ilocos Sur although
born in Vigan, Ilocos Sur to Don Mariano Quirino of
Caoayan, Ilocos Sur and Doña Gregoria Mendoza Rivera of
Agoo, La Union.
• Quirino spent his early years in Aringay, La Union. He
studied and graduated his elementary education to his
native Caoayan, where he became a barrio teacher. He
received secondary education at Vigan High School, then
went to Manila where he worked as junior computer in the
Bureau of Lands and as property clerk in the Manila police
department. He graduated from Manila High School in 1911
and also passed the civil service examination, first-grade.
• Quirino attended the University of the Philippines. In 1915,
he earned his law degree from the university's College of
Law, and was admitted to the bar later that year. He was
engaged in the private practice of law.
21. ACHIEVEMENTS
• His political career started with his election as a representative of Ilocos Sur in 1919, then as
a senator in 1925, and again reelected in 1931. President Quezon appointed him as secretary
of finance and then secretary of the interior in the Commonwealth Government. As Roxas’
Vice President, he served concurrently first as secretary of finance and later as secretary of
foreign affairs.
• The Quirino administration (1948 - 1953) focused on two objectives:
1) to regain faith and confidence in the government; and
2) to restore peace and order.
He was more successful in the second objective – breaking the back of the Hukbalahap
Movement in Central Luzon.
• In addition, he was credited with sponsoring the growth of industrial ventures, expanding
irrigation, improving the road system, and setting up the Central Bank and rural banking. It
was also during his term that the RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty was approved on August 30,
1951.
22. REFORMS
• Amongst all his reforms & policies the most notable of all is :
– Social Program. President Quirino, almost immediately after assuming office, started a
series of steps calculated to effectively ameliorate the economic condition of the
people.[2] After periodic surprise visits to the slums of Manila and other backward
regions of the country, President Quirino officially made public a seven-point program
for social security, of which:
• Unemployment insurance
• Old-age insurance
• Accident and permanent disability insurance
• Health insurance
• Maternity insurance
• State relief
• Labor opportunity
– President Quirino also created the Social Security Commission, making Social Welfare
Commissioner Asuncion Perez chairman of the same.This was followed by the creation
of the President's Action Committee on Social Amelioration, charges with extending aid,
loans, and relief to the less fortunate citizens. Both the policy and its implementation
were hailed by the people as harbingers of great benefits.
23. FAILURES & DOWNFALL
• However, much as he tried to become a good president, Quirino failed to win the
people's affection. Several factors caused the unpopularity of his administration,
namely:
– Unabated rampage of graft and corruption in his government, as revealed in the
Tambobong-Buenavista scandal, the Import Control Anomalies, the Caledonia Pile Mess
and the Textbook Racket;
– Wasteful spending of the people's money in extravagant junkets abroad;
– Failure of government to check the Huk menace which made travel in the provinces
unsafe, as evidenced by the killing of former First Lady Aurora Quezon and her
companions on April 28, 1949 by the Huks on the Bongabong-Baler road, Baler, Tayabas
(now part of Aurora province).
– Economic distress of the times, aggravated by rising unemployment rate, soaring prices
of commodities, and unfavorable balance of trade. Quirino's vaunted "Total Economic
Mobilization Policy" failed to give economic relief to the suffering nation.
– Frauds and terrorism committed by the Liberal Party moguls in the 1947, 1949 and 1951
elections.
24. POST-PRESIDENCY & DEATH
• Following his failed bid for re-
election, Quirino retired from
politics to private life in 1953. He
offered his dedication to serve the
Filipino people, he became the
Father of Foreign Service.
• He died of a heart attack on
February 29, 1956. He was buried
at Manila South Cemetery in
Makati.
Photograph of President Truman in the Oval Office,
evidently receiving a cane as a gift from the President of the
Philippines, Elpidio Quirino, as another man (probably the
Filipino Ambassador to the U.S., Joaquin Elizalde) looks on.
25. RAMON MAGSAYSAY
• Ramón del Fierro Magsaysay (31 August 1907 –
17 March 1957) was the seventh President of
the Republic of the Philippines, serving from 30
December 1953 until his death in a 1957 aircraft
disaster.
• An automobile mechanic, Magsaysay was
appointed military governor of Zambales after
his outstanding service as a guerilla leader
during the Pacific War. He then served two
terms as Liberal Party congressman for Zambales
before being appointed as Secretary of National
Defense by President Elpidio Quirino.
• He was elected President under the banner of
the Nacionalista Party. He was the first
Philippine President born during the 20th
century.
26. ACHIEVEMENTS
• He was largely famous for his success in the peace campaign. He defeated Quirino in the
1953 presidential elections by an unprecedented margin of votes.
• Popularly known as “the guy,” Magsaysay was born in Iba, Zambales. He took up mechanical
engineering at UP but ended up with a commerce degree from Jose Rizal College. He took a
job as a mechanic in the bus company Try-Tran and rose to become its branch manager. He
attained fame as an able guerilla leader in World War II and was subsequently named by
MacArthur as military governor of Zambales during the liberation. He was elected twice as a
congressman after the war. He was instrumental in having the U.S. Congress pass the G.I. Bill
of Rights, which accorded benefits to the Filipino war veterans. But his national prominence
resulted from being appointed defense secretary in the Quirino administration, successfully
fighting the Huks, and for being the friend of the common tao.
• Many regard Magsaysay as the President whose heart truly bled for the common man. He
toured the barrios, opened up Malacanang to the public, solicited and acted upon their
complaints, built artesian wells and roads. He had Congress pass the Agricultural Tenancy Act
of 1954, providing greater protection to tenants.
27. REFORMS
• President's Action Body
• Agrarian reform
• HUKBALAHAP
• SEATO
• Defense Council
• Laurel-Langley Agreement
At Malacañang Palace, 1955. Clockwise, from top left:
Senator Edmundo Cea, Former President José P. Laurel
Sr., Senator Primicias, Senate President Eulogio A.
• Bandung Conference Rodriguez, Sr., President Ramón F. Magsaysay, &
House Speaker José B. Laurel Jr.
• Reparations agreement
28. DEATH
• Magsaysay's term that was to end on 30 December
1957 was cut short by a plane crash. On 16 March
1957, Magsaysay left Manila for Cebu City where he
spoke at three educational institutions. That same
night, at about 1 am, he boarded the presidential
plane "Mt. Pinatubo", a C-47, heading back to Manila.
In the early morning hours of 17 March, the plane was
reported missing. By late afternoon, newspapers had
reported the airplane had crashed on Mt. Manunggal
in Cebu, and that 36 of the 56 aboard were killed (the Tomb of President Magsaysay at the
Manila North Cemetery.
actual number on board was 25, including Magsaysay).
Only newspaperman Néstor Mata survived. Vice-
President Carlos García, who was on official visit to
Australia at the time, assumed the presidency to serve
out the last eight months of Magsaysay's term.
• An estimated 5million people attended Magsaysay's
burial on 31 March 1957.He was posthumously
referred to by the people the "Idol of the Masses". He
is the most recent Philippine head of state to die in-
office.
Monument at the crash site in Manunggal,
Balamban, Cebu
29. CARLOS P. GARCIA
• Carlos Polistico García (November 4, 1896 – June 14, 1971) was a
Filipino teacher, poet, orator, lawyer, public official, political
economist and guerrilla leader. He became the eighth President
of the Philippines.
• García was born in Talibon, Bohol to Policronio García and
Ambrosia Polistico (who were both natives of Bangued, Abra).
• García grew up with politics, with his father serving as a
municipal mayor for four terms. He acquired his primary
education in his native Talibon, then took his secondary
education in Cebu Provincial High School. Initially, he pursued his
college education at Silliman University in Dumaguete City,
Negros Oriental, and later studied at the Philippine Law School
(now Philippine College of Criminology) where he earned his law
degree in 1923. He was among the top ten in the bar
examination.
• Rather than practice law right away, he worked as a teacher for two years at Bohol Provincial High School.
He became famous for his poetry in Bohol, where he earned the nickname "Prince of Visayan Poets" and
the "Bard from Bohol".
30. ACHIEVEMENTS
• García grew up with politics, with his father serving as a municipal mayor for four
terms. He acquired his primary education in his native Talibon, then took his
secondary education in Cebu Provincial High School. Initially, he pursued his
college education at Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, and
later studied at the Philippine Law School (now Philippine College of Criminology)
where he earned his law degree in 1923. He was among the top ten in the bar
examination.
• Rather than practice law right away, he worked as a teacher for two years at Bohol
Provincial High School. He became famous for his poetry in Bohol, where he
earned the nickname "Prince of Visayan Poets" and the "Bard from Bohol".
• Garcia’s administration (1957 - 1961) was anchored in his austerity program. It
was also noted for its Filipino First policy – an attempt to boost economic
independence.
31. POST-PRESIDENCY & DEATH
• After his failed re–election bid, García
retired to Tagbilaran to live as a
private citizen. On June 1, 1971,
García was elected delegate of the
1971 Constitutional Convention. The
convention delegates elected him as
the President of the Convention.
However, just days after his election,
on June 14, 1971, García died from a
fatal heart attack. He was succeeded
as president of the Convention by his
former Vice President, Diosdado
Macapagal.
Grave of Philippine President Carlos P. Garcia and his wife,
First Lady Leonila Garcia at the Libingan ng mga Bayani
• García became the first president to
have his remains lie in-state at the
Manila Cathedral and the first
president to be buried at the Libingan
ng mga Bayani.
32. DIOSDADO MACAPAGAL
• Diosdado Pangan Macapagal (September 28, 1910 –
April 21, 1997) was the ninth President of the
Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth
Vice President, serving from 1957 to 1961. He also
served as a member of the House of Representatives,
and headed the Constitutional Convention of 1970. He
is the father of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who served
as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to
2010.
• A native of Lubao, Pampanga, Macapagal graduated
from the University of the Philippines and University
of Santo Tomas, after which he worked as a lawyer for
the government. He first won election in 1949 to the
House of Representatives, representing a district in his
home province of Pampanga. In 1957 he became vice
president in the administration of President Carlos P.
Garcia, and in 1961 he defeated Garcia's re-election
bid for the presidency.
33. ACHIEVEMENTS
• As president, Macapagal worked to suppress graft and corruption and to stimulate
the Philippine economy. He introduced the country's first land reform law, placed
the peso on the free currency exchange market, and liberalized foreign exchange
and import controls. Many of his reforms, however, were crippled by a Congress
dominated by the rival Nacionalista Party.
• He is also known for shifting the country's observance of Independence Day from
July 4 to June 12, commemorating the day Filipino patriots declared independence
from Spain in 1898.
• During the Marcos administration, Macapagal was elected president of the
Constitutional Convention which would later draft what became the 1973
constitution, though the manner in which the charter was ratified and modified
led him to later question its legitimacy.
34. REFORMS
• Major legislation signed
– Republic Act No. 3512 – An Act Creating A Fisheries Commission Defining Its Powers,
Duties and Functions, and Appropriating Funds Therefor.
– Republic Act No. 3518 – An Act Creating The Philippine Veterans' Bank, and For Other
Purposes.
– Republic Act No. 3844 – An Act To Ordain The Agricultural Land Reform Code and To
Institute Land Reforms In The Philippines, Including The Abolition of Tenancy and The
Channeling of Capital Into Industry, Provide For The Necessary Implementing Agencies,
Appropriate Funds Therefor and For Other Purposes.
– Republic Act No. 4166 – An Act Changing The Date Of Philippine Independence Day
From July Four To June Twelve, And Declaring July Four As Philippine Republic Day,
Further Amending For The Purpose Section Twenty-Nine Of The Revised Administrative
Code.
– Republic Act No. 4180 – An Act Amending Republic Act Numbered Six Hundred Two,
Otherwise Known As The Minimum Wage Law, By Raising The Minimum Wage For
Certain Workers, And For Other Purposes.
35. NOTABLE MOVES
• Sabah claim
– President Diosdado Macapagal on the
bridge of the USS Oklahoma City in 1962
– On September 12, 1962, during
President Diosdado Macapagal's
administration, the territory of North
Borneo, and the full sovereignty, title It was revoked in 1989 because succeeding
and dominion over the territory were Philippine administrations have placed the
ceded by the then reigning Sultan of claim in the back burner in the interest of
Sulu, HM Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. pursuing cordial economic and security
Kiram I, to the Republic of the relations with Kuala Lumpur. To date,
Philippines. The cession effectively gave Malaysia continues to consistently reject
the Philippine government the full Philippine calls to resolve the matter of
authority to pursue their claim in Sabah's jurisdiction to the International Court
international courts. The Philippines of Justice. Sabah sees the claim made by the
broke diplomatic relations with Philippines' Moro leader Nur Misuari to take
Malaysia after the federation had Sabah to International Court of Justice (ICJ) as
included Sabah in 1963. a non-issue and thus dismissed the claim.
36. NOTABLE MOVES
• Maphilindo
– In July 1963, President Diosdado Macapagal convened a summit meeting in Manila in
which a nonpolitical confederation for Malaya, the Philippines, and Indonesia,
Maphilindo, was proposed as a realization of Jose Rizal's dream of bringing together the
Malay peoples, seen as artificially divided by colonial frontiers.
– Maphilindo was described as a regional association that would approach issues of
common concern in the spirit of consensus. However, it was also perceived as a tactic
on the parts of Jakarta and Manila to delay, or even prevent, the formation of the
Federation of Malaysia. Manila had its own claim to Sabah (formerly British North
Borneo),and Jakarta protested the formation of Malaysia as a British imperialist plot.
The plan failed when Sukarno adopted his plan of konfrontasi with Malaysia. The
Konfrontasi, or Confrontation basically aims at preventing Malaysia to attain
independence. The idea was inspired onto President Sukarno by the Partai Komunis
Indonesia (PKI), or literally the Indonesian Communist Party. The party convinced
President Sukarno that the Formation of Malaysia is a form of neo-colonization and will
later affect tranquility in Indonesia. The subsequent development of ASEAN almost
certainly excludes any possibility of the project ever being revived.
37. FAILURE & CONTROVERSY
• The administration's campaign against corruption was tested by Harry
Stonehill, an American expatriate with a $50-million business empire in
the Philippines. Macapagal's Secretary of Justice, Jose W. Diokno
investigated Stonehill on charges of tax evasion, smuggling,
misdeclaration of imports, and corruption of public officials.
• Diokno's investigation revealed Stonehill's ties to corruption within the
government. Macapagal, however, prevented Diokno from prosecuting
Stonehill by deporting the American instead, then dismissing Diokno from
the cabinet. Diokno questioned Macapagal's actions, saying, "How can the
government now prosecute the corrupted when it has allowed the
corrupter to go?" Diokno later served as a Senator of the republic.
38. POST-PRESIDENCY
• Macapagal announced his retirement from politics following his 1965 loss to Marcos. In
1971, he was elected president of the constitutional convention that drafted what became
the 1973 constitution. The manner in which the charter was ratified and later modified led
him to later question its legitimacy. In 1979, he formed the National Union for Liberation as a
political party to oppose the Marcos regime.
• Following the restoration of democracy in 1986, Macapagal took on the role of elder
statesman, and was a member of the Philippine Council of State.[5] He also served as
honorary chairman of the National Centennial Commission, and chairman of the board of
CAP Life, among others.
• In his retirement, Macapagal devoted much of his time to reading and writing.[5] He
published his presidential memoir, authored several books about government and
economics, and wrote a weekly column for the Manila Bulletin newspaper.
• Diosdado Macapagal died of heart failure, pneumonia and renal complications at the Makati
Medical Center on April 21, 1997. He is buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.