1.

) Manuel Acua Roxas

He was the 5th President of the Philippines who served from 1946
until his death in 1948. He briefly served as the third and last
President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from May 28,
1946 to July 4, 1946, subsequently becoming the First President of
the independent Third Philippine Republic after the United States
ceded its sovereignty over the Philippines.

Early life:
Born on January 1, 1892 to Gerardo Roxas Sr. and Rosario Acuna in Capiz City (renamed as
Roxas City in 1949). Manuel Roxas' ancestry can be traced back to Antonio Roxas y Ureta,
brother of Domingo Roxas. Antonio Roxas married Lucina Arroyo and would have a son
named Juan Pablo Roxas y Arroyo, who in turn had a son named Caetano Arroyo, the father
of Antonio Roxas. Antonio was the father of Gerardo Roxas.
Education:
Manuel started his elementary education at the Capiz Elementary School but continued it in
Saint Joseph's College in Hong Kong. He took his secondary education in Manila High School
where he graduated with the highest honors in 1909. In 1913, he achieved his Bachelor of
Laws degree from the University of the Philippines and placed first in the Bar examinations
of the same year.
Career history:
Before he started in government service he was a practicing lawyer and was a professor of
law at the Philippine Law School and National University.
In 1913, upon learning Manuel's excellent records, former Chief Justice Cayetano L. Arellano
offered him to be his secretary of the Supreme Court.
As a politician:
Manuel began his political career in 1917, when he was appointed as municipal councilor of
Capiz. From just being a councilor, he was elected as Governor of the province in 1919 and
served as such until 1921. After his term as governor he was elected to represent their
province to the 7th, 8th, and 9th Philippine Legislature (1922-1934) where he was the
Speaker of the House of Representatives. However, Roxas, along with Manuel Quezon and
others including Jose P. Laurel, resigned in protest of American Governor-General Leonard

Wood, who was rejecting bills passed by the Philippine legislature. He went with Sergio
Osmea to the US in 1933 to secure passage of the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Law. He was one of
the delegates in the drafting of the 1935 Constitution. He also served as a member of the
national Assembly from 1935 to 1938 and as Secretary of Finance under the Quezon
Administration from 26 November 1938 to 28 August 1941. On 18 November 1941, he was
elected as senator and later became the Senate president. During that time, he was also a
reserve Major in the Philippine Army, a liaison officer and aide-to-camp to General Douglas
MacArthur, then later promoted to Colonel and then Brigadier General. During World War II,
he, like Jose Laurel, was marked as collaborators even if he secretly supported the guerilla
movement. After liberation, he ran for presidency where he had President Sergio Osmea
(Nacionalista Party) and Hilario Moncado (Partido Modernista) as adversaries. He won and
on 4 July 1946, Philippine's Independence was gained and Manuel became the first
president of the Third Republic of the Philippines.
Achievements and Contributions:
During his term as president, he ratified the Bell Trade Act, included the Parity Amendment
in the Constitution and signed the 1947 Military Bases Agreement. It was during his term
the government was damaged by graft and corruption which caused distrust from the
people. Furthermore, abuse from the military and police added to the existing problems with
the left-wing Huks, the members of the HukBaLaHap (Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon).
Manuel Roxas attempted to crush these Huks but only created widespread anger among the
peasants. His administration demonstrated decisively that political sovereignty without
economic independence encourages reaction, perpetuation of social injustices, and
exploitation.
He encouraged the Filipinos to help themselves and put into practice the Bayanihan spirit in
improving the communities. He appears on the 100 peso bill.
Death:
On 15 April 1948, while giving a speech at the Clark Air Force Base, Manuel Roxas had a
heart attack. He died at the age of 56. He was buried in Manila North Cemetery, Santa Cruz,
Manila, Philippines. He was succeeded by his vice president, Elpidio Quirino.
2.) Elpidio Rivera Quirino

He was the 6th President of the Philippines and

2nd President of the Third Republic. Upon his ascent, Quirino
brought with him tremendous experience as public servant, having
been a cabinet member, a representative, and a senator during
previous regimes. Quirino served as president from April 17, 1948
to December 30, 1953.

Early Life:
Born on November 16, 1890 in Vigan, Ilocos Sur to Mariano Quirino and Gregoria Rivera, a
Spanish-mestiza, Quirino spent his early years in Aringay, La Union.
Education:
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, earning
his law degree and practicing law until he was elected as member of the Philippine House of
Representatives from 1919 to 1925, then as senator from 1925 to 1931. He then served as
secretary of finance and secretary of the interior in the Commonwealth government.
In 1934, Quirino was a member of the Philippine Independence mission to Washington D.C.,
headed by Manuel Quezon that secured the passage in the United States Congress of the
Tydings-McDuffie Act. This legislation set the date for Philippine independence by 1945.
Official declaration came on July 4, 1946.
During the Japanese invasion during World War II, he became a leader of the underground
rebellion and was captured and imprisoned. He suffered the execution of his wife, Alicia
Syqua, and three of his five children by the Japanese conquerors.
After the war, Quirino continued public service, becoming president pro tempore of the
senate. In 1946, he was elected first vice president of the independent Republic of the
Philippines, serving under Manuel Roxas. He also served as secretary of state.
Presidency:

Quirino assumed the presidency on April 17, 1948, taking his oath of office two days after
the death of Manuel Roxas. The next year, he was elected president on his own right for a
four-year term as the candidate of the Liberal Party. Quirino's administration faced a serious
threat in the form of the communist Hukbalahap (Huk) movement. Though the Huks
originally had been an anti-Japanese guerrilla army in Luzon, communists steadily gained
control over the leadership, and when Quirino's negotiation with Huk commander Luis Taruc
broke down in 1948, Taruc openly declared himself a Communist and called for the
overthrow of the government. His six years as president were marked by notable postwar
reconstruction, general economic gains, and increased economic aid from the United States.
Basic social problems, however, particularly in the rural areas, remained unsolved, and his
administration was tainted by widespread graft and corruption allegations. The political
rivalry between the Liberal and Nacionalista Parties was no help either, as it made people
more distant with the government than before. Although ill, Quirino ran for re-election in
1953, but he was overwhelmingly defeated by Magsaysay. Today, several decades after the
Quirino Administration, a reassessment of his administration showed that the country did
gain and strengthen its economy during his term. Some now see him as one of the best
presidents the country has had.
Social program:

Enhancing President Manuel Roxas' policy of social justice to alleviate the lot of the common
mass, President Quirino, almost immediately after assuming office, started a series of steps
calculated to effectively ameliorate the economic condition of the people. 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, to wit:
1. Unemployment insurance
2. Old-age insurance
3. Accident and permanent disability insurance
4. Health insurance
5. Maternity insurance
6. State relief
7. 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.

Post Presidency and Death:

Official Malacaang Portrait of Elpidio Quirino Following his failed bid for re-election, Quirino
retired to private life in Quezon City, Manila. He died of a heart attack on February 29,
1956. His death anniversary is observed on February 28.
3.) Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay

He was the 7th President of the Philippines and 3rd President of

the Third Republic from December 30, 1953 to March 17, 1957.
Magsaysay, hailed by his countrymen as the 'Champion of the
Masses', was commanding yet charismatic, and his grounded
approach to leadership drew the 'common people' close to him.

Early Life and Career:

He was born on August 31, 1907 in Iba, Zambales to Exequiel Magsaysay, a blacksmith, and
Perfecta del Fierro, a schoolteacher. Of Visayan descent, he nonetheless was ethnically
affiliated with the Ilocanos of Iba and considered himself as one of them. He went to high
school at Zambales Academy (ZA).

In 1927 he enrolled at the University of the Philippines. He took up a pre-law course and
later shifted to engineering, all the while working as a chauffeur to support himself.
However, he did not finish his course due to illness. Eventually he studied commerce at Jose
Rizal College, graduating in 1931. Just out of college he started to work as chief mechanic
for the Try Tran Bus Company in Manila. He first met his future wife, Luz Banzon, at the
office of Try Tran, when she was picking up the payment for a bus company that her father
had sold to Try Tran. They married on June 10, 1933.

On April 23, 1946, Magsaysay was elected as an Independent to the Philippine House of
Representatives. In 1948, President Roxas chose Magsaysay to go to Washington as
Chairman of the Committee on Guerilla Affairs, to help to secure passage of the Rogers Bill,
giving considerable benefits to Philippine veterans. In the so-called "dirty election" of 1949,
he was re-elected to a second term in the House of Representatives. During both terms he
was Chairman of the House National Defense Committee.
Presidency:
He was sworn into office wearing the Barong Tagalog, a first by a Philippine president.
As president, he was a close friend and supporter of the United States and a vocal
spokesman against communism during the Cold War. He led the foundation of the Southeast

Asia Treaty Organization also known as the Manila Pact of 1954, which aimed to defend
South East Asia, South Asia and South-western Pacific from communism. He was also
known for his integrity and strength of character.
During his term, he made Malacang Palace literally a "house of the people", opening its
gates to the public.
One example of his integrity followed a demonstration flight aboard a new plane belonging
to the Philippines Air Force (PAF). President Magsaysay asked what the operating costs per
hour were for that type of aircraft, and then wrote a personal check to the PAF, covering the
costs for his flight.
Contributions and Achievements:

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 Asias clean and well-governed countries during his
presidency
established National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA) among
other agrarian reforms

Death:
On March 16, 1957 Magsaysay left Manila for Cebu City where he spoke at three educational
institutions. That same night, at about 1 a.m., he boarded the presidential plane "Mt.
Pinatubo", a C-47, heading back to Manila. In the early morning hours of March 17, his
plane was reported missing. It was late in the afternoon that day that newspapers reported
that the airplane had crashed on Mt. Manunggal in Cebu, and 26 of the 27 passengers and
crew aboard were killed; only newspaperman Nestor Mata survived.
An estimated 2 million people attended Magsaysay's burial on March 22, 1957. He was
survived by first lady/wife Luz Banzon-Magsaysay (1915-2004) with 3 children: Teresita (b.
1934), Milagros (b. 1936) and former congressman, and now senator Ramon Magsaysay, Jr.
(b. 1938)
4.) Carlos P. Garcia

He was the 8th President of the Philippines and Fourth President

of the Third Republic. His administration was known for its
"Filipino First" policy, which put the interests of the Filipino people
above those of foreigners and of the ruling party.

Early Life and Career:

He was born on November 4, 1896 in Talibon, Bohol to Policronio Garcia and Ambrosia
Polistico (who were both natives of Bangued, Abra). He grew up with politics, with his father
serving as a municipal mayor for four terms.
Garcia acquired his primary education in his native Talibon, and then took his secondary
education in Cebu Provincial High School. He briefly took law courses at Silliman University
in Dumaguete City. He then studied in Philippine Law School and earned his 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".

He started his political career in 1925, scoring an impressive victory running for
congressman representing the third district of Bohol. He was elected for another term, but
served only until 1931 when he successfully ran for governor of Bohol. He served as
provincial governor for two terms. He became a member of the congress in 1946, and was
elected three times to the senate for three consecutive terms from 1941 to 1953.

Presidency:
He assumed the presidency after Ramon Magsaysay who died in a plane crash on March
17,1957, and was re-elected later the same year, in the Election 1957, for another full term.
During his administration, he acted on the BohlenSerrano Agreement which shortened the
lease of the US Bases from 99 years to 25 years and made it renewable after every five
years.
Contributions and Achievements:

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

Post-presidency and Death:

After his failed reelection bid, Garcia then retired to private life, living as a private citizen in
Tagbilaran City, Bohol. On June 1, 1971, Garcia was elected delegate of the 1971
Constitutional Convention and chosen as its president. However, he died of a heart attack on
June 14, 1971 at the age of seventy-four.
He is featured as the lone star in the Bohol provincial flag as the only Philippine President
produced by the province.
5.) Diosdado Pangan Macapagal

He was a Filipino statesman who served as 9th President of

the Philippines and Fifth President of the Third Republic. He
was elected in 1961, defeating the re-election bid of Carlos P.
Garcia. He did not win in his own re-election bid in 1965,
losing to Ferdinand Marcos. He was also known by his
nickname "The Incorruptible".
He was born on September 28, 1910 in Lubao, Pampanga, to Urbano Macapagal and
Romana Pangan. He graduated valedictorian in the Lubao Elementary School, graduated
with second highest rating in the Pampanga High School. His family was poor (hence his
nickname "poor boy from Lubao"), but with the help of Honorio Ventura, the Secretary of
Interior at that time, he studied law and graduated in the University of Santo Tomas and
pursued and earned the postgraduate degree of Doctor of Civil Law and Ph.D. in Economics
in the same university.

He finished his law degree in 1936 and was the bar topnotcher when he took the bar
examination in the same year with a rating of 89.95%. He worked as a lawyer for an
American employer in Manila, and was assigned as a legal assistant to President Manuel L.
Quezon.

During the Japanese occupation of World War II, Macapagal served as support to the antiJapanese task force and as an intelligence liaison to the US guerillas. It was during this
period that his first wife, Purita Dela Rosa died. He had two children with Purita Dela Rosa,
Cielo and Arturo. Cielo later on became vice-governor of Pampanga. He later married
Evangelina Macaraeg, the mother of current Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

In 1948 he served as second secretary to the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC. At the
urging of then-Pampanga governor Joe Lingad.

Presidency:

Seeking to stimulate economic development, Macapagal took the advice of supporters and
allowed the Philippine peso to float on the free currency exchange market. His reform efforts
were blocked by the Nacionalistas, who dominated the House of Representatives and the
Senate at that time. Nonetheless, and was able to achieve growth and prosperity for the
nation.

Contributions and Achievements:

Abolition of tenancy and accompanying land reform program in the Agricultural Land
Reform Code of 1963 and 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 Veterans Bank
He likewise changed the date of celebration of Philippine independence from July 4 to
June 12, the latter date having been the day when in 1898, Emilio Aguinaldo
declared independence from Spain).

Post-presidency and Death:

In 1971, Macapagal was elected president of the constitutional convention that drafted what
became the 1973 constitution.

In 1979 Macapagal formed the National Union for Liberation to oppose the Marcos regime.
In his retirement, Macapagal devoted much of his time to reading and writing. He authored
several books, 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.

6.) Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr.

He
was
10th
President
of
the
Philippines
6th President of the 3rd Republic and 1st President of the 4th
Republic. He was the only president to stay in office for more
than twenty years (1965 to 1986). Dubbed as the country's
"strongman," he holds the distinction of being the first and
only Philippine President to be re-elected in office and the last
Philippine Senate President to be elected to the highest office
of the land the Philippine Presidency.
Early Life and Education:

He was born on September 11, 1917 in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, the eldest among the three
children of Mariano Marcos, a lawyer and an Assemblyman of Ilocos Norte and Josefa
Quetulio Edralin, a teacher. Named by his parents after King Ferdinand of Spain, he was
baptized as an Aglipayan by Bishop Gregorio Aglipay himself. He was of mixed Ilocano
(Filipino ethnic group), Chinese and Japanese ancestry.

He started his primary education in Sarrat Central School, transferred to Shamrock

Elementary School (Laoag), and completed his primary education in 1929 at the Ermita
Elementary School (Manila) when his father was elected as an Assemblyman in the
Philippine Congress. He entered and finished his secondary education at the University of
the Philippines High School from 1929 to 1933.

From 1933 to 1936, he enrolled in a Liberal Arts course at the University of the Philippines.
During his college years, Ferdinand was a champion debater, boxer, swimmer, wrestler and
team captain of the University Rifle and Pistol Team (UP-RPT). After having been a battalion
commander with the rank of cadet major, he was commissioned as third lieutenant in the
Philippine Constabulary Reserve in 1937.

Military career:

During World War II Marcos was an officer with the Philippine armed forces, serving as a
combat intelligence officer of the 21st Infantry Division and fought in Bataan from 1941 to
1942. In his biography written by Hartzell Spence, Marcos was said to have played heroic
roles in different battle fields during the war, including having been captured and tortured by
the Japanese when they lost some battles in Bataan. He also claimed to have been one of
the guerrilla leaders in Luzon and that his greatest exploit was the Battle of Besang Pass.
His consequent claims of being an important figure in the guerrilla movement in the war
became a vital factor in his political career. However, the United States Government archives
later revealed that he actually played little or no part in anti-Japanese activities during the
war.

Presidency:

A veteran member of the Liberal Party founded by Roxas, Marcos sought the party
nomination for president in 1961, but gave way to Diosdado Macapagal as Liberal Party
presidential candidate on the agreement that Macapagal will support his candidacy in 1965.
He served as Macapagal's campaign manager and was elected president of the Liberal Party.
In April 1964, he broke with the Liberal Party and turned to Nacionalista by Jose B. Laurel Jr.
after incumbent Philippine president and party chairman Macapagal refused to honor their
agreement and decided to run for reelection. He then ran as the Nationalist Party candidate
and won the presidency in 1965. In 1969 he was reelected, the first Philippine president to
serve a second term. Concentrating on agriculture, industry, and education, the country's
economy grew during his first term. However, his administration was troubled by increasing
student demonstrations and violent urban-guerrilla activities perpetrated by the growing
communist movement.
In November 1965, Ferdinand Marcos was elected 10th President of the Republic of the
Philippines. During his inauguration on December 30, 1965, he vowed to fulfill the nation's
"mandate for greatness" and to be a "leader of the people."
He served as president from 1965 to 1969 during his first term and was re-elected in 1969.
Three years later, he declared Martial Law. He stayed in office since then until 1981 the
same year he lifted Martial Law. He was again re-elected for a term of six years but only
served from 1981 to 1986 due to a snap presidential election. He was proclaimed winner of
the elections by the National Assembly in 1986, but was deposed from office through a
peaceful people's revolt, now popularly called the 1986 People Power Revolution.

Contributions and Achievements:

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.

Death:

Marcos died in Honolulu on the morning of September 28, 1989, of kidney, heart, and lung
ailments.

Marcos was interred in a private mausoleum at Byodo-In Temple on the island of Oahu,
visited daily by the Marcos family, political allies and friends. His remains are currently
interred inside a refrigerated crypt in Ilocos Norte, where his son, Ferdinand, Jr., and eldest
daughter, Imee have since become the local governor and representative, respectively.

Presidents of the Third

Republic of the Philippines

Submitted by:
Gozum, Diorella Angela N.
Saturday / 10:30am-1:30pm