Philippine Story

Early History -The Negritos are believed to have migrated to the Philippines some
30,000 years ago from Borneo, Sumatra, and Malaya. The Malayans followed in
successive waves. These people belonged to a primitive epoch of Malayan culture,
which has apparently survived to this day among certain groups such as the
Igorots. The Malayan tribes that came later had more highly developed material
cultures.
In the 14th cent. Arab traders from Malay and Borneo introduced Islam into the
southern islands and extended their influence as far north as Luzon. The first
Europeans to visit (1521) the Philippines were those in the Spanish expedition
around the world led by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Other
Spanish expeditions followed, including one from New
Spain (Mexico) under Lpez de Villalobos, who in 1542
named the islands for the infante Philip, later Philip II.

Spanish Control - The conquest of the Filipinos by Spain did not begin in earnest
until 1564, when another expedition from New Spain, commanded by Miguel Lpez
de Legaspi, arrived. Spanish leadership was soon established over many small
independent communities that previously had known no central rule. By 1571,
when Lpez de Legaspi established the Spanish city of Manila on the site of a Moro
town he had conquered the year before, the Spanish foothold in the Philippines
was secure, despite the opposition of the Portuguese, who were eager to maintain
their monopoly on the trade of East Asia.
Manila repulsed the attack of the Chinese pirate Limahong in 1574. For centuries
before the Spanish arrived the Chinese had traded with the Filipinos, but evidently
none had settled permanently in the islands until after the conquest. Chinese trade
and labor were of great importance in the early development of the Spanish
colony, but the Chinese came to be feared and hated because of their increasing
numbers, and in 1603 the Spanish murdered thousands of them (later, there were
lesser massacres of the Chinese).
The Spanish governor, made a viceroy in 1589, ruled with the advice of the
powerful royal audiencia. There were frequent uprisings by the Filipinos, who
resented the encomienda system. By the end of the 16th cent. Manila had become
a leading commercial center of East Asia, carrying on a flourishing trade with
China, India, and the East Indies. The Philippines supplied some wealth (including
gold) to Spain, and the richly laden galleons plying between the islands and New
Spain were often attacked by English freebooters. There was also trouble from

other quarters, and the period from 1600 to 1663 was marked by continual wars
with the Dutch, who were laying the foundations of their rich empire in the East
Indies, and with Moro pirates. One of the most difficult problems the Spanish faced
was the subjugation of the Moros. Intermittent campaigns were conducted against
them but without conclusive results until the middle of the 19th cent. As the power
of the Spanish Empire waned, the Jesuit orders became more influential in the
Philippines and acquired great amounts of property.

Revolution, War, and U.S. Control - It was the opposition to the power of the
clergy that in large measure brought about the rising sentiment for independence.
Spanish injustices, bigotry, and economic oppressions fed the movement, which
was greatly inspired by the brilliant writings of Jos Rizal. In 1896 revolution
began in the province of Cavite, and after the execution of Rizal that December, it
spread throughout the major islands. The Filipino leader, Emilio Aguinaldo,
achieved considerable success before a peace was patched up with Spain. The
peace was short-lived, however, for
neither side honored its agreements,
and a new revolution was brewing
when the Spanish-American War
broke out in 1898.
After the U.S. naval victory in Manila
Bay on May 1, 1898, Commodore
George Dewey supplied Aguinaldo
with arms and urged him to rally the Filipinos against the Spanish. By the time
U.S. land forces had arrived, the Filipinos had taken the entire island of Luzon,
except for the old walled city of Manila, which they were besieging. The Filipinos
had also declared their independence and established a republic under the first
democratic constitution ever known in Asia. Their dreams of independence were
crushed when the Philippines were transferred from Spain to the United States in
the Treaty of Paris (1898), which closed the Spanish-American War.
In Feb., 1899, Aguinaldo led a new revolt, this time against U.S. rule. Defeated on
the battlefield, the Filipinos turned to guerrilla warfare, and their subjugation
became a mammoth project for the United Statesone that cost far more money
and took far more lives than the Spanish-American War. The insurrection was
effectively ended with the capture (1901) of Aguinaldo by Gen. Frederick Funston,
but the question of Philippine independence remained a burning issue in the
politics of both the United States and the islands. The matter was complicated by
the growing economic ties between the two countries. Although comparatively
little American capital was invested in island industries, U.S. trade bulked larger
and larger until the Philippines became almost entirely dependent upon the
American market. Free trade, established by an act of 1909, was expanded in
1913.
When the Democrats came into power in 1913, measures were taken to effect a
smooth transition to self-rule. The Philippine assembly already had a popularly

elected lower house, and the Jones Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1916,
provided for a popularly elected upper house as well, with power to approve all
appointments made by the governor-general. It also gave the islands their first
definite pledge of independence, although no specific date was set.
When the Republicans regained power in 1921, the trend toward bringing Filipinos
into the government was reversed. Gen. Leonard Wood, who was appointed
governor-general, largely supplanted Filipino activities with a semimilitary rule.
However, the advent of the Great Depression in the United States in the 1930s and
the first aggressive moves by Japan in Asia (1931) shifted U.S. sentiment sharply
toward the granting of immediate independence to the Philippines.

The Commonwealth - The Hare-Hawes Cutting Act, passed by Congress in 1932,

provided for complete independence of the islands in 1945 after 10 years of selfgovernment under U.S. supervision. The bill had been drawn up with the aid of a
commission from the Philippines, but Manuel L. Quezon, the leader of the
dominant Nationalist party, opposed it, partially because of its threat of American
tariffs against Philippine products but principally because of the provisions leaving
naval bases in U.S. hands. Under his influence, the Philippine legislature rejected
the bill. The Tydings-McDuffie Independence Act (1934) closely resembled the
Hare-Hawes Cutting Act, but struck the provisions for American bases and carried
a promise of further study to correct imperfections or inequalities.
The Philippine legislature ratified the bill; a constitution, approved by President
Roosevelt (Mar., 1935) was accepted by the Philippine people in a plebiscite (May);
and Quezon was elected the first president (Sept.). When Quezon was inaugurated
on Nov. 15, 1935, the Commonwealth of the Philippines was formally established.
Quezon was reelected in Nov., 1941. To develop defensive forces against possible
aggression, Gen. Douglas MacArthur was brought to the islands as military adviser
in 1935, and the following year he became field marshal of the Commonwealth
army.

World War II - War came suddenly to the Philippines on Dec. 8 (Dec. 7, U.S.
time), 1941, when Japan attacked without warning. Japanese troops invaded the
islands in many places and launched a pincer drive on Manila. MacArthurs
scattered defending forces (about 80,000 troops, four fifths of them Filipinos) were
forced to withdraw to Bataan Peninsula and Corregidor Island, where they
entrenched and tried to hold until the arrival of reinforcements, meanwhile
guarding the entrance to Manila Bay and denying that important harbor to the
Japanese. But no reinforcements were forthcoming. The Japanese occupied Manila
on Jan. 2, 1942. MacArthur was ordered out by President Roosevelt and left for
Australia on Mar. 11; Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright assumed command.
The besieged U.S.-Filipino army on Bataan finally crumbled on Apr. 9, 1942.
Wainwright fought on from Corregidor with a garrison of about 11,000 men; he

was overwhelmed on May 6, 1942. After his capitulation, the Japanese forced the
surrender of all remaining defending units in the islands by threatening to use the
captured Bataan and Corregidor troops as hostages. Many individual soldiers
refused to surrender, however, and guerrilla resistance, organized and coordinated
by U.S. and Philippine army officers, continued throughout the Japanese
occupation.
Japans efforts to win Filipino loyalty found expression in the establishment (Oct.
14, 1943) of a Philippine Republic, with Jos P. Laurel, former supreme court
justice, as president. But the people suffered greatly from Japanese brutality, and
the puppet government gained little support. Meanwhile, President Quezon, who
had escaped with other high officials before the country fell, set up a governmentin-exile in Washington. When he died (Aug., 1944), Vice President Sergio Osmea
became president. Osmea returned to the Philippines with the first liberation
forces, which surprised the Japanese by landing (Oct. 20, 1944) at Leyte, in the
heart of the islands, after months of U.S. air strikes
against Mindanao. The Philippine government was
established at Tacloban, Leyte, on Oct. 23.
The landing was followed (Oct. 2326) by the greatest
naval engagement in history, called variously the battle
of Leyte Gulf and the second battle of the Philippine
Sea. A great U.S. victory, it effectively destroyed the
Japanese fleet and opened the way for the recovery of
all the islands. Luzon was invaded (Jan., 1945), and
Manila was taken in February. On July 5, 1945, MacArthur announced All the
Philippines are now liberated. The Japanese had suffered over 425,000 dead in
the Philippines.
The Philippine congress met on June 9, 1945, for the first time since its election in
1941. It faced enormous problems. The land was devastated by war, the economy
destroyed, the country torn by political warfare and guerrilla violence. Osmeas
leadership was challenged (Jan., 1946) when one wing (now the Liberal party) of
the Nationalist party nominated for president Manuel Roxas, who defeated Osmea
in April.

The Republic of the Philippines - Manuel Roxas became the first president of
the Republic of the Philippines when independence was granted, as scheduled, on
July 4, 1946. In Mar., 1947, the Philippines and the United States signed a military
assistance pact (since renewed) and the Philippines gave the United States a 99year lease on designated military, naval, and air bases (a later agreement reduced
the period to 25 years beginning 1967). The sudden death of President Roxas in
Apr., 1948, elevated the vice president, Elpidio Quirino, to the presidency, and in a
bitterly contested election in Nov., 1949, Quirino defeated Jos Laurel to win a
four-year term of his own.

The enormous task of reconstructing the war-torn country was complicated by the
activities in central Luzon of the Communist-dominated Hukbalahap guerrillas
(Huks), who resorted to terror and violence in their efforts to achieve land reform
and gain political power. They were finally brought under control (1954) after a
vigorous attack launched by the minister of national defense, Ramn Magsaysay.
By that time Magsaysay was president of the country, having defeated Quirino in
Nov., 1953. He had promised sweeping economic changes, and he did make
progress in land reform, opening new settlements outside crowded Luzon island.
His death in an airplane crash in Mar., 1957, was a serious blow to national morale.
Vice President Carlos P. Garca succeeded him and won a full term as president in
the elections of Nov., 1957.
In foreign affairs, the Philippines maintained a firm anti-Communist policy and
joined the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization in 1954. There were difficulties with
the United States over American military installations in the islands, and, despite
formal recognition (1956) of full Philippine sovereignty over these bases, tensions
increased until some of the bases were dismantled (1959) and the 99-year lease
period was reduced. The United States rejected Philippine financial claims and
proposed trade revisions.
Philippine opposition to Garca on issues of government corruption and antiAmericanism led, in June, 1959, to the union of the Liberal and Progressive
parties, led by Vice President Diosdado Macapagal, the Liberal party leader, who
succeeded Garca as president in the 1961 elections. Macapagals administration
was marked by efforts to combat the mounting inflation that had plagued the
republic since its birth; by attempted alliances with neighboring countries; and by
a territorial dispute with Britain over North Borneo (later Sabah), which Macapagal
claimed had been leased and not sold to the British North Borneo Company in
1878.

Marcos and After - Ferdinand E. Marcos, who succeeded to the presidency after
defeating Macapagal in the 1965 elections, inherited the territorial dispute over
Sabah; in 1968 he approved a congressional bill annexing Sabah to the
Philippines. Malaysia suspended diplomatic relations (Sabah had joined the
Federation of Malaysia in 1963), and the matter was referred to the United
Nations. (The Philippines dropped its claim to Sabah in 1978.) The Philippines
became one of the founding countries of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) in 1967. The continuing need for land reform fostered a new Huk
uprising in central Luzon, accompanied by mounting assassinations and acts of
terror, and in 1969, Marcos began a major military campaign to subdue them. Civil
war also threatened on Mindanao, where groups of Moros opposed Christian
settlement. In Nov., 1969, Marcos won an unprecedented reelection, easily
defeating Sergio Osmea, Jr., but the election was accompanied by violence and
charges of fraud, and Marcoss second term began with increasing civil disorder.
In Jan., 1970, some 2,000 demonstrators tried to storm Malacaang Palace, the
presidential residence; riots erupted against the U.S. embassy. When Pope Paul VI

visited Manila in Nov., 1970, an attempt was made on his life. In 1971, at a Liberal
party rally, hand grenades were thrown at the speakers platform, and several
people were killed. President Marcos declared martial law in Sept., 1972, charging
that a Communist rebellion threatened. The 1935 constitution was replaced (1973)
by a new one that provided the president with direct powers. A plebiscite (July,
1973) gave Marcos the right to remain in office beyond the expiration (Dec., 1973)
of his term. Meanwhile the fighting on Mindanao had spread to the Sulu
Archipelago. By 1973 some 3,000 people had been killed and hundreds of villages
burned. Throughout the 1970s poverty and
governmental corruption increased, and Imelda
Marcos, Ferdinands wife, became more
influential.
Martial law remained in force until 1981, when
Marcos was reelected, amid accusations of
electoral fraud. On Aug. 21, 1983, opposition
leader Benigno Aquino was assassinated at
Manila airport, which incited a new, more
powerful wave of anti-Marcos dissent. After the Feb., 1986, presidential election,
both Marcos and his opponent, Corazon Aquino (the widow of Benigno), declared
themselves the winner, and charges of massive fraud and violence were leveled
against the Marcos faction. Marcoss domestic and international support eroded,
and he fled the country on Feb. 25, 1986, eventually obtaining asylum in the
United States.
Aquinos government faced mounting problems, including coup attempts,
significant economic difficulties, and pressure to rid the Philippines of the U.S.
military presence (the last U.S. bases were evacuated in 1992). In 1990, in
response to the demands of the Moros, a partially autonomous Muslim region was
created in the far south. In 1992, Aquino declined to run for reelection and was
succeeded by her former army chief of staff Fidel Ramos. He immediately launched
an economic revitalization plan premised on three policies: government
deregulation, increased private investment, and political solutions to the
continuing insurgencies within the country. His political program was somewhat
successful, opening dialogues with the Marxist and Muslim guerillas. However,
Muslim discontent with partial rule persisted, and unrest and violence continued
throughout the 1990s. In 1999, Marxist rebels and Muslim separatists formed an
alliance to fight the government.

Several natural disasters, including the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo on Luzon
and a succession of severe typhoons, slowed the countrys economic progress.
However, the Philippines escaped much of the economic turmoil seen in other East
Asian nations in 1997 and 1998, in part by following a slower pace of development
imposed by the International Monetary Fund. Joseph Marcelo Estrada, a former
movie actor, was elected president in 1998, pledging to help the poor and develop
the countrys agricultural sector. In 1999 he announced plans to amend the
constitution in order to remove protectionist provisions and attract more foreign
investment.
Late in 2000, Estradas presidency was buffeted by charges that he accepted
millions of dollars in payoffs from illegal gambling operations. Although his support
among the poor Filipino majority remained strong, many political, business, and
church leaders called for him to resign. In Nov., 2000, Estrada was impeached by
the house of representatives on charges of graft, but the senate, controlled by
Estradas allies, provoked a crisis (Jan., 2001) when it rejected examining the
presidents bank records. As demonstrations against Estrada mounted and
members of his cabinet resigned, the supreme court stripped him of the
presidency, and Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was sworn in as Estradas
successor.
Macapagal-Arroyo was elected president in her own right in May, 2004, but the
balloting was marred by violence and irregularities as well as a tedious votecounting process that was completed six weeks after the election.

PHILIPPINE STORY
Pre-Spanish Times
There are two theories on the origins of the
first Filipinos, the inhabitants of what will
later be called the Philippine Islands and eventually the Republic of the Philippines.
See the Early Inhabitants of the Philippine Islands.
In the beginning of the 3rd century, the inhabitants of Luzon island were in contact
and trading with East Asian sea-farers and merchants including the Chinese. In the
1400's the Japanese also established a trading post at Aparri in Northern Luzon.
In 1380, Muslim Arabs arrived at the Sulu Archipelago and established settlements
which became mini-states ruled by a Datu. They introduced Islam in the southern
parts of the archipelago including some parts of Luzon and were under the control
of the Muslim sultans of Borneo. They had a significant influence over the region
for a couple of hundreds years. The Malay Muslims remained dominant in these
parts until the 16th century.
Philippine History During the Spanish Colonial Times
In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer who was serving the Spanish
crown, landed in Samar Island on his voyage to circumvent the globe. He explored
the islands and named it Archipelago of San Lazaro. Magellan was killed during a
rebellion led by a Datu named Lapu Lapu in Mactan Island (adjacent to Cebu
Island). Spain continued to send expeditions to the island for financial gain and on
the fourth expedition, Commander Ruy Lopez de Villalobos, named the islands:
Philippines, after Prince Philip (later King Philip II), heir to the Spanish
throne. Spain ruled the Philippines for 356 years.
In 1565, King Philip II appointed Miguel Lopez de Legazpi as the first GovernorGeneral of the Philippines. Legazpi chose Manila to be it's capital because of it's
natural harbor. Spain's legacy was the conversion of the people to Catholicism and
the creation of the privileged landed class. Because of abuses and suppression of
the Spaniards, a Propaganda Movement emerged with the aims for equality
between Filipinos and Spaniards. The arrest of propagandist Dr. Jose Rizal and
execution in 1896 gave fresh momentum to Filipino rebels to
fight against Spain.
The secret society of the Katipunan, founded by Andres
Bonifacio attacked the Spanish Garrison in San Juan with little
success, while Katipuneros in Cavite Province headed by Emilio
Aguinaldo defeated the Guardia Civil in Cavite. Aguinaldo's
victories lead him to be elected as head of the Katipunan. The
factions of Bonifacio & Aguinaldo fought and lead to the trial and
execution of Bonifacio on Aguinaldo's orders. Aguinaldo later
drafted a constitution and established the Republic of Biak-na-

Bato in Bulacan province. In 1897, an impasse between the Spanish government

and Aguinaldo arose. After negotiations between the two sides, Aguinaldo
accepted an amnesty from the Spaniards and US$ 800,000.00 in exchange for his
exile to Hong Kong with his government.
Philippine History During the American Era
The Spanish-American war which started in Cuba, changed the history of the
Philippines. On May 1, 1898, the Americans led by U.S. Navy Admiral George
Dewey, in participation of Emilio Aguinaldo, attacked the Spanish Navy in Manila
Bay. Faced with defeat, the Philippines was ceded to the United States by Spain in
1898 after a payment of US$ 20 million to Spain in accordance with the "Treaty of
Paris" ending the Spanish-American War. On June 12, 1898, Filipinos led by Emilio
Aguinaldo declared independence. This declaration was opposed by the U.S. who
had plans of taking over the colony. And this led to a guerrilla war against the
Americans. In 1901, Aguinaldo was captured and declared allegiance to the United
States. On the same year, William Howard Taft was appointed as the first U.S.
governor of the Philippines. The U.S. passed the Jones Law in 1916 establishing an
elected Filipino legislature with a House of representatives & Senate. In 1934,
the Tydings-McDuffie Act was passed by the U.S. Congress, established the
Commonwealth of the Philippines and promised Philippine independence by 1946.
The law also provided for the position of President of the Commonwealth of the
Philippines. On the May 14, 1935 elections, Manuel L. Quezon won the position of
President of the Philippine Commonwealth.
In accordance with the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934, The Philippines was given
independence on July 4, 1946 and the Republic of the Philippines was born.
Philippine History During the Japanese Occupation
On December 8, 1941, the Japanese invades the Philippines hours after bombing
Pear Harbor in Hawaii. While the forces of Gen. Douglas MacArthurretreated to
Bataan, the Commonwealth government of President Quezon moved to Corregidor
Island. Manila was declared an open city to prevent further destruction. After the
fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942 and Corregidor, In March 1942, MacArthur & Quezon
fled the country and by invitation of President Roosevelt, the Commonwealth
government went into exile to Washington D.C. American and Filipino forces
surrendered in May 6, 1942. Soon a guerrilla war against the Japanese was fought
by the Philippine & American Armies while Filipinos were enduring the cruelty of
the Japanese military against civilians.
Prior to Quezon's exile, he advised Dr. Jose P. Laurel to head and
cooperate with the Japanese civilian government in the hope that
the collaboration will lead to a less brutality of the Japanese
towards the Filipinos. Rightly or wrongly, President Laurel and his
war time government was largely detested by the Filipinos.

In October 1944, Gen. MacArthur with President Sergio Osmea (who assumed
the presidency after Quezon died on August 1, 1944 in exile in Saranac Lake, New
York) returned and liberated the Philippines from the Japanese.
The Philippine Republic
On July 4, 1946, Manuel Roxas of the
Nationalista Party was inaugurated as the
first President of the Republic of the Philippines. Roxas died in April 1948. He was
succeeded by Elpidio Quirino. Both Roxas & Quirino had to deal with the
Hukbalahap, a large anti-Japanese guerrilla organization which became a militant
group that discredited the ruling elite. The group was eventually put down by Pres.
Quirino's Secretary of Defense, Ramon Magsaysay.
Magsaysay defeated Quirino in the 1953 elections. He was a popular president and
largely loved by the people. Magsaysay died in an airplane crash on March 17,
1957 and was succeeded by Carlos Garcia.
Diosdado Macapagal won the 1961 presidential elections and soon after he
changed history by declaring June 12 as independence day - the day Emilio
Aguinaldo declared independence in Cavite from Spain in 1898. Aguinaldo was the
guest of honour during the fist Independence Day celebrations in 1962.
Philippine History During the Martial Law Regime
Ferdinand E. Marcos won the presidency in 1965 and was the first
president to be re-elected for a second term in office. Marcos He
embarked on an ambitious public works program and maintained
his popularity through his first term. His popularity started to
decline after his re-election due to perceived dishonesty in the
1969 campaign, the decline in economic growth, government
corruption and the worsening peace & order. He declared Martial
Law in 1972 near the end of his second & final term in office. Staunch
oppositionist, Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino (later went on self exile to the U.S.)
& Senator Jose Diokno were one of the first to be arrested. During the Martial Law
years, Marcos held an iron grip on the nation with the support of the military.
Opposition leaders we imprisoned and the legislature was abolished. Marcos ruled
by presidential decrees.
Post Martial Law up to the Present Time
The 21-year dictatorial rule of Marcos with wife Imelda ended in 1986 following a
popular uprising that forced them to exile to Hawaii. Corazon "Cory" Aquino, the
wife of exiled and murdered opposition leader Benigno Aquino who was perceived
to have won a just concluded snap election was installed as president. Aquino
restored civil liberties, initiated the formation of a new constitution and the
restoration of Congress.

On September 16, 1991, despite the lobbying of Aquino, the

Senate rejected a new treaty that would allow a 10-year extension
of the US military bases in the country.
In the1992 elections, Pres. Aquino endorsed Secretary of
Defense Fidel Ramos as her successor, which Ramos won with a
slight margin over his rival, Miriam Defensor-Santiago. During the
Ramos presidency, he advocated "National Reconciliation" and laid
the ground work for the resolution of the secessionist Muslim rebels in the
southern Philippine Island of Mindanao. The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)
led by Nur Misuari, signed a peace agreement with the government. However a
splinter group, The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) led by Hashim Salamat
continued to fight for an Islamic state. Ramos worked for the economic stability of
the country and the improvement of the infrastructure facilities like
telecommunications, energy and transportation.
Joseph Ejercito Estrada, a popular actor, succeeded Ramos in 1998 with Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo (daughter of former President Diosdado Macapagal) as his VicePresident. Estrada's lack of economic & management skills plunged the economy
deeper as unemployment increased and the budget deficit ballooned. In October
2000, Estrada's close friend Luis "Chavit" Singson accused Estrada of receiving
millions of pesos from "Jueteng", an illegal numbers game. Soon after, Congress
impeached Estrada on grounds of bribery, graft and corruption, betrayal of public
trust and culpable violation of the constitution. His impeachment trial at the
Senate was however blocked by his political allies in the Senate. Shortly after the
evidence against Estrada was blocked at the Senate, thousands of people rallied
up at the EDSA Shrine, site of the People Power Revolution which ousted Marcos in
1986.
In January 2001, the Supreme Court declared Joseph Estrada unable to rule in
view of mass resignations from his government and declared Vice-President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo as his constitutional successor. To this date, Estrada remains
detained facing graft charges before the Sandigan Bayan, the Anti-graft court.
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, completed the remaining term of Estrada and run for reelection against Fernando Poe, Jr., another popular actor and a friend of Estrada in
May 2004. Arroyo with her running mate Noli de Castro was eventually proclaimed
the winners of the Presidential & Vice-Presidential elections. She has been
advocating a change from a Presidential form of government to a Parliamentary
form of government.
Arroyo's husband & son has been rumored to be receiving money
from gambling lords and this has tainted her reputation. A tape
recording of Arroyo talking with a commissioner on elections
surfaced establishing impropriety by Arroyo and suggesting that
she might have influenced the outcome of the last elections.
Demonstrations followed in June 2005 calling for Arroyo to resign.

On the eve of the anniversary of the "People Power Revolution" on February 24,
2006, the government took pre-emptive measures to quash alleged plots to
unseat Arroyo through massive rallies and a coup. Arroyo declared a "State of
Emergency" the next day mobilizing the police and the military averting any
destabilization moves. Note: Arroyo is has been under hospital arrest since 2011
for charges of electoral sabotage and misuse of public funds. She is detained at
the Veterans Memorial Hospital in Quezon City, Metro Manila.
May 14, 2007 - National Elections for Senators, Congressmen, Governors, Mayors
and local officials. Although there are instances of violence and allegations of
cheating specially in Mindanao, this elections is considered by many as one of the
most peaceful elections conducted in Philippines.
September 12, 2007 - Former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada is convicted of
plunder by the Sandiganbayan, the anti-graft court and is sentenced to 40 years
imprisonment. He is the first former president ever convicted of any crime in
Philippine history. Six weeks later, on October 26, Estrada was pardoned by
President Arroyo. Because of the pardon, Estrada was able to run for Mayor of
Manila and won. He is presently the city mayor of Manila.
Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III, affectionately called
"Noynoy" and "Pnoy", a former senator is the son of former
President Corazon C. Aquino and the late Senator Benigno Aquino.
He won the May 10, 2010 presidential elections and was
proclaimed president on June 30, 2010 at Rizal Park in Manila.
Former President Gloria Arroyo, was elected congresswoman for
the second district of Pampanga. This was the first computerized
national elections in Philippine history. Aquino is generally
perceived as honest with high public satisfaction ratings. Under his presidency, the
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Renato Corona was impeached in 2011 for
non-declaration of assets and prominent politicians like Senators and
Congressmen is being charged of corruption. Aquino continues his anti-corruption
crusade. Under the present constitution, Aquino cannot run for a second term. The
next presidential elections will be held in May 2016.