This document summarizes the history of the Philippines from independence in 1946 until the late 20th century. It discusses the seven presidents who governed during this time period, the economic and social challenges the country faced, and hopes for its continued development. Key points included Manuel Roxas establishing the central bank, the rise of Ferdinand Marcos and the end of continuous presidential terms, and ongoing issues like rapid urbanization, unemployment, and corruption.

1. A Young Republic
Cedrick Abadines
Angelo Gustilo
Joshua Pontillas

2. Prospects for Growth

3. 7 Presidents that governed the Philippines
since Independence in 1946
• Manuel Roxas (1946-1948)
• Elpidio Quirino (1948-1954)
• Ramon Magsaysay (1954-1957)
• Carlos P. Garcia (1957-1962)
• Diosdado Macapagal (1962-1966)
• Ferdinand E. Marcos (1966-1986)

4. Ferdinand Marcos
1. Twisted the Constitution to perpetuate himself in POWER
2. There was no continuity of presidential policies
3. He might introduce his own special programs during his term

5. Manuel Roxas
• The government tried force to defeat communism
• Two pieces of Legislation were approved
1. Tenancy Act – which provided a 70% share of profits
for the landlord and 30% for the tenant
2. Charter – which establish the Central Bank of the
Philippines

6. Manuel Roxas
After Liberation, people, in reaction to years of deprivation,
had a fit of spending for items they had missed during war.
The few dollars available in the country were dissipated in
luxury items like nylon, stockings and lipstick for the ladies.

7. Elpidio Quirino
• The Huks shifted from a parliamentary to a military struggle
• Government policies were ineffectual
• The Government directed that one had to obtain a license to exchange pesos into
dollars with which to import goods. What resulted? An underground peso-dollar
exchange.
• Some “businessmen” even put up “dummy” plants and factories
• A shift in emphasis was made and the government encouraged exports through the
production of agricultural goods

8. Ramon Magsaysay
• Ramon Magsaysay proved to be the bright light in this gloomy postwar
period
• A “President for the People”
• A democratic government should “satisfy the needs of the common man”
• His famous utterance was “He who has less in life should have more in
law”

9. Death of Magsaysay
March 17, 1957
His plane crashed against a mountain. The lighting system malfunctioned and the pilot had no
clear perception of depth
All died except one
Nestor Mata – Newspaper reporter who thrown out on impact

10. Death of Magsaysay
The unprecedented numbers that lined up to pay their last respects
to their dead president and accompany the funeral cortege to his
final resting place was eloquent testimony of the pain that gripped
the entire nation
They had seen what a good government was, but , like an enjoyable
dream, it quickly ended and the Filipinos woke up to harsh reality

11. Carlos P. Garcia
• Automatically took office as president for the remaining years of Magsaysay’s
term
• He was, however, not another Magsaysay
• His political rivals mercilessly attacked him in the press describing him, with
some exaggeration, as “ignorant, venal and inefficient”
• Garcia had promised to share with his supporters the Japanese war reparations
fund of $300 million in the form of ships and industrial machinery

12. Carlos P. Garcia
• President Garcia decreed that exporters should obtain import licenses
before they could exchange their Philippine pesos to dollars
•The Licenses quickly became a source of illegal wealth
• Those who had import licenses obtained U.S. dollars and traded them in the
Black Market at twice the legal exchange rate
• As for infrastructure and industrial machinery, no one cared about these

13. Garcia’s successor was Diosdado Macapagal, who in turn was succeeded by
Ferdinand Marcos. Macapagal is still with us, and the memory of Marcos’s
presidency is still too fresh and perhaps painful to many Filipinos. We have to
wait a little while longer and allow time to give us the proper prespective
before we can make an objective assessment of their accomplishments as
presidents of the Philippines.

14. Contemporary Problems

15. Greater Manila Population
0
1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
5,000,000
1968 1990
Series 1
Series 1

16. Contemporary Problems
• Squatter Families
• City Streets have become too narrow for the number of cars used
• School getting too small for the burgeoning student population
• Business too slow for the rapidly expanding labor force
• 31 out of every 300 adults were unemployed, or working less than eight hours daily

17. To supplement their income, many engaged in:
Petty retail business, vending cigarettes, newspapers, flower garlands, lottery tickets etc.
In 1990, Filipinos continued to face very much the same problems

18. For the Philippines has remained a poor
country
• Many well-trained college graduates migrate to foreign countries where they can earn better
salaries
• Existence of fake diploma syndicates who provide forged diplomas for those who wish to
“qualify” for better-paying job in the country or elsewhere
• An ambitious candidate is willing to spend millions during the electoral campaigns in the hoe
that, after election, he can have a hefty share of the profit (legal or otherwise) of being in
government

19. Mockery of Philippine elections
Votebuying
Flying voters
Terrorism
Dishonest Tallies

20. People have yet to be educated in their responsibilities, that
democracy is indeed government for the people if it is by the
people. To succeed, Philippine democracy need intelligent
cooperation from its citizens.

21. Pledge for the Future
And because Philippine independence was won through peaceful legal means, the Filipinos have
committed their lives and their country’s future, as Rizal dreamed, to constitutional processes

22. Through Carlos P. Romulo, the Philippines pledged to uphold the dignity and equality of all human
beings, their right to lead a free life, to choose one’s religion. This was not an empty promise. It was
a deeply held belief born of the experience that has made the Philippines a nation.
Will this pledge continue to inspire future generations?

23. A half century after 4 July 1946 and nearly a century after
12 June 1988, the Philippines is still a young nation. But the
new republic is slowly making its own contribution to the
shaping of a more just and more human World

24. A Young Republic
End of slide
Thank you for your attention 