READING IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

1. BEGINNING OF THE PHILIPPINE
THIRD REPUBLIC
Prepared by:
Althea Faith B. Villarba
Ma. Erich J. Labrague
Sidney J. Delos Angeles

2. THE RESTORATION OF THE
COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT
• The Commonwealth was the culmination of efforts to secure a definitive timetable for the withdrawal of American sovereignty over the Philippines. Early on, at the start of the American
occupation, the United States had established local governments with local elected town and provincial officials. Afterward came a gradual expansion of national legislative
representation, beginning with the Philippine Assembly (or Lower House) in 1907. It was not until the Jones Law of 1916 that the pledge of eventual independence—once Filipinos were
ready for self-governance—was made. The Jones Law led to the creation of an all-Filipino legislature composed of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives. However, the
position of Chief Executive—the Governor-General—and what was considered the most important cabinet portfolio—Public Instruction (precursor to the Department of Education)—
were reserved for American officials appointed by the President of the United States. Half of the Philippine Supreme Court was reserved for Americans as well. Independence Missions
from 1919 onwards were periodically sent to the U.S. Congress and the White House to lobby for and negotiate independence. In 1931, the OsRox Mission (which stands for “Osmeña
and Roxas”) successfully lobbied for the enactment of the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act, which was passed over President Herbert Hoover’s veto in 1932. This was, however, rejected by the
Philippine Legislature. In 1934, a new mission (the QuAquAl Mission, made up of Quezon, Benigno Aquino Sr., and Rafael Alunan) negotiated the Tydings-McDuffie or the Philippine
Independence Act, which set a ten-year transition period to be known as the Commonwealth of the Philippines, followed by the recognition of the independence of the Philippines by
the United States. The Tydings-McDuffie Act established the parameters for the preparatory period. Some powers of supervision were reserved to the United States, as well as foreign
diplomacy and currency. In all other respects, the Philippines became self-governing.
• On February 27, 1945, General Douglas McArthur, solemnly declared that in behalf of the Government of the United States, “The full powers and responsibilities under
Constitution restored to the Commonwealth of the Philippines whose seat is here reestablished as provided by law”. This declaration is the culmination of the restoration
of the Philippine Commonwealth which begun on October 23,1944 in Tacloban, Leyte with Sergio Osmeña as President, shortly after McArthur’s return to the Philippines.
McArthur escaped to Australia from Corregidor on March 11,1942 to avoid capture by Japanese Forces. At the ceremonies in Malacañang, President Osmeña declared that
the executive and judicial branches of the government would be reestablished immediately. By executive order, he not only restored all of the executive departments as
they existed before the war, with some necessary modifications, but also called on “ all duty elected members of our Congress who have remained steadfast in their
allegiance to our Government during the period of the enemy occupation, to be in readiness to meet in Manila as soon as conditions permit of the reestablishment of the
Legislative Branch.

3. THE PRESIDENTS OF THE THIRD
REPUBLIC AND THEIR
ACHIEVEMENTS
1. MANUEL A. ROXAS ( July 4,1946-Apr. 15.1948)- He
was the first President of the 3rd Republic. He was born on
January 1,1892 and originally came from Roxas City, Capiz.
ACHIEVEMENTS
 Bell trade Act
 War-damage Act
 Under his term, the Philippine Rehabilitation Act and
Philippine Trade Law were accepted by the Congress
 Master of Economics
 Appears on the 100 Peso bill

4. THE PRESIDENTS OF THE THIRD
REPUBLIC AND THEIR
ACHIEVEMENTS
2. ELPIDIO R. QUIRINO (Apr. 17,1948-Dec. 30,1953)-
He was the second President of the 3rd Republic. Born
on November 16,1890 and was originally from Vigan,
Ilocos Sur..
ACHEIVEMENTS
HUKBALAHAP( Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon)movement is
active during his administration.
Created Social Security Commission
Created Integrity Board to monitor graft and corruption

5. THE PRESIDENTS OF THE THIRD
REPUBLIC AND THEIR
ACHIEVEMENTS
3. RAMON D. MAGSAYSAY (Dec. 30, 1961-Mar. 17,1957)- He
was the third President of the 3rd Republic. He was born on August
31,1907 and was originally from Vigan, Ilocos Sur. He died during
his term on March 17, 1957 because of plane accident.
ACHIEVEMENTS
His Presidency referred to as the “Golden Years” of the Philippines
HUKBALAHAP movement quelled during his presidency
Philippines was ranked 2nd in Asia’s clean and well-governed countries
during his presidency.
The first President who sworn into office wearing Barong Tagalog during
Inauguration.

6. THE PRESIDENTS OF THE THIRD
REPUBLIC AND THEIR
ACHIEVEMENTS
4. CARLOS P. GARCIA (Mar. 18,1957-Dec. 30,1961)-He was
the fourth President of the 3rd Republic. He was born on
November 4,1896 and was originally from Talibon,Bohol.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Known for “Filipino First Policy”, which favored Filipino
businesses over foreign investors.
Established the Austerity Program on Filipino trade and
commerce
Cultural arts was revived during his term

7. THE PRESIDENTS OF THE THIRD
REPUBLIC AND THEIR
ACHIEVEMENTS
5. DIOSDADO P. MACAPAGAL (Dec. 30,1961-Dec.
30,1965)- He was the fifth and last President of the 3rd
Republic. He was born on September 28,1910 and was
originally from Lubao, Pampanga.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Signed the Minimum wage law
Created the Philippine Veterans Bank
Established the first Land Reform Law,allowing for the
purchase of private farmland to be distributed in
inexpensive small lots to the landless.

8. MARCOS ERA AND THE DECLARATION
OF MARTIAL LAW
• At 7:15 p.m. on September 23, 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos announced on television that he had placed the entirety of the Philippines under
martial law. This marked the beginning of a fourteen-year period of one-man rule that would effectively last until Marcos was exiled from the country on
February 25, 1986.Even though the formal document proclaiming martial law—Proclamation No. 1081, which was dated September 21, 1972—was
formally lifted on January 17, 1981, Marcos retained essentially all of his powers as dictator until he was ousted. The Sunday edition of the Philippines
Daily Express on September 24, 1972, was the only newspaper published after the announcement of martial law on September 23, the evening prior.
While the period of Philippine history in which Marcos was in power actually began seven years earlier, when he was first inaugurated president of the
Philippines in late 1965,this article deals specifically with the period where he exercised dictatorial powers under martial law[1] and the period in which
he continued to wield those powers despite technically lifting the proclamation of martial law in 1981. When he declared martial law in 1972, Marcos
claimed that he had done so in response to the "communist threat" posed by the newly founded Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), and the
sectarian "rebellion" of the Muslim Independence Movement (MIM). Opposition figures of the time, such as Lorenzo Tañada, Jose W. Diokno, and Jovito
Salonga, accused Marcos of exaggerating these threats, using them as a convenient excuse to consolidate power and extend his tenure beyond the two
presidential terms allowed by the 1935 constitution. After Marcos was ousted, government investigators discovered that the declaration of martial law
had also allowed the Marcoses to hide secret stashes of unexplained wealth that various courts[5] later determined to be "of criminal origin".[11] This
nine-year period in Philippine history is remembered for the administration's record of human rights abuses,[12][13] particularly targeting political
opponents, student activists, journalists, religious workers, farmers, and others who fought against the Marcos dictatorship.[14] Based on the
documentation of Amnesty International, Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, and similar human rights monitoring entities,[15] historians believe that
the Marcos dictatorship was marked by 3,257 known extrajudicial killings, 35,000 documented tortures, 77 "disappeared", and 70,000 incarcerations.

9. PRES. FERDINAND MARCOS,SR.
The 10th President of the Philippines
A lawyer and a dictator
He ruled the Philippines from Dec. 30,1965
to February 25, 1986.
Born on September 11,1917 and was
originally from Sarrat, Ilocos Norte

10. FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MARTIAL LAW IN THE
PHILIPPINES
• 1 Extensive human rights violations
• The nine-year military rule ordered by then President Ferdinand Marcos in 1972 unleashed a wave of crimes under international law and grave human rights violations, including tens of thousands
of people arbitrarily arrested and detained, and thousands of others tortured, forcibly disappeared, and killed. During the martial law era (1972-1981), and during the remainder of President
Marcos’ term, Amnesty International documented extensive human rights violations which clearly showed a pattern of widespread arrests and detention, enforced disappearances, killings and
torture of people that were critical of the government or perceived as political opponents. In an interview with the organization in 1975, President Marcos told Amnesty International that over
50,000 people had been arrested and detained under martial law from 1972-1975; those arrested included church workers, human rights defenders, legal aid lawyers, labour leaders and journalists.
Amnesty International also documented a pattern of torture in interviews with prisoners from that time. In 1981, the organization released further research on enforced disappearances and
extrajudicial executions that took place from 1976 onwards.
• 2. Clear pattern
• Many other civil society organizations have also documented similar crimes under international law and human rights violations during martial law, including the Task Force Detainees of the
Philippines, the International Commission of Jurists, the Lawyers Committee for International Human Rights, and the Foundation for Worldwide People Power. The United Nations Working Group
on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances also presented a damning report to the then Human Rights Commission after a visit to the country in 1990. Reports made by these groups corroborate
the findings of Amnesty International that there was a clear pattern of extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and other ill-treatment, enforced disappearances and other
human rights violations committed by the government during this period.
• 3. Lack of accountability
• Given the immensity and pervasiveness of violations, keeping records of violations, including precise figures, remains a difficult and unfinished task to this day. One of the reasons why it is difficult
to ascertain the exact number of human rights violations is the lack of accountability and genuine processes of truth-telling to seek more detailed information and contribute to the fight against
impunity. Nevertheless, there have been credible efforts to make information about what happened during martial law more accessible to the public, including online such as through the Martial
Law Museum, the Martial Law Chronicles Project, and the Bantayog ng mga Bayani.
• 4. Historical revisionism
• A lack of justice and accountability can lead to further human rights violations and erasure of the horrors of the past fuels attempts to revise history. Amnesty International believes that all those
suspected of criminal responsibility for crimes under international law or other human rights violations should be brought to justice in fair trials, regardless of when and where the crimes were
committed. There should be no amnesties, pardons or similar measures of impunity for such crimes if such measures prevent the emergence of the truth, a final judicial determination of guilt or
innocence and full reparation for victims and their families. International law states that no time limits should apply to crimes under international law, irrespective of the date of their commission.
• 5. Justice remains elusive
• Reparations remain elusive for many victims and their families who are unable to prove the violations that they or their relatives experienced during martial law, in the absence of documentation
and other requirements. The Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board – created by the government to “receive, evaluate, process, and investigate” reparation claims made by victims of human rights
abuses during martial law, and which ceased its work in 2018 – received as many as 75,000 claimants, but only over 11,000 of these were recognized following the board’s assessment. Funds used
to compensate the victims came from Marcos’ Swiss deposits, after Courts found that such funds were obtained by President Marcos through corruption. Amnesty International continues to call for
truth, justice and reparations to be afforded for all victims of martial law, including continued efforts from the government to go after all those responsible of the atrocities committed during

11. THE DOWNFALL OF MARCOS AND RETURN OF THE
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT
• The assassination of Benigno Aquino as he returned to Manila in August 1983 was generally thought to have been the work of
the military; it became the focal point of a renewed and more heavily supported opposition to Marcos’s rule. By late 1985
Marcos, under mounting pressure both inside and outside the Philippines, called a snap presidential election for February 1986.
Corazon C. Aquino, Benigno’s widow, became the candidate of a coalition of opposition parties. Marcos was declared the official
winner, but strong public outcry over the election results precipitated a revolt that by the end of the month had driven Marcos
from power. Aquino then assumed the presidency.
• Aquino’s great personal popularity and widespread international support were instrumental in establishing the new government.
Shortly after taking office, she abolished the constitution of 1973 and began ruling by decree. A new constitution was drafted
and was ratified in February 1987 in a general referendum; legislative elections in May 1987 and the convening of a new
bicameral congress in July marked the return of the form of government that had been present before the imposition of martial
law in 1972.
• Euphoria over the ouster of Marcos proved to be short-lived, however. The new government had inherited an enormous
external debt, a severely depleted economy, and a growing threat from Moro and communist insurgents. The Aquino
administration also had to weather considerable internal dissension, repeated coup attempts, and such natural disasters as a
major earthquake and the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo. The resumption of active partisan politics, moreover, was the
beginning of the end of the coalition that had brought Aquino to power. Pro-Aquino candidates had won a sweeping victory in
the 1987 legislative elections, but there was less support for her among those elected to provincial and local offices in early
1988. By the early 1990s the criticisms against her administration—i.e., charges of weak leadership, corruption, and human
rights abuses—had begun to stick.

12. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!