The code declared that it was State policy

To establish owner-cultivatorship and the economic family-size farm as the

basis of Philippine agriculture and, as a consequence, divert landlord capital
in agriculture to industrial development;
To achieve a dignified existence for the small farmers free from pernicious
institutional restraints and practices;
To create a truly viable social and economic structure in agriculture conducive
to greater productivity and higher farm incomes;
To apply all labor laws equally and without discrimination to both industrial
and agricultural wage earners;
To provide a more vigorous and systematic land resettlement program and
public land distribution; and
To make the small farmers more independent, self-reliant and responsible
citizens, and a source of genuine strength in our democratic society.
and, in pursuance of those policies, established the following
An agricultural leasehold system to replace all existing share tenancy
systems in agriculture;
A declaration of rights for agricultural labor;
An authority for the acquisition and equitable distribution of agricultural land;
An institution to finance the acquisition and distribution of agricultural land;
A machinery to extend credit and similar assistance to agriculture;
A machinery to provide marketing, management, and other technical services
to agriculture;
A unified administration for formulating and implementing projects of land
reform;
An expanded program of land capability survey, classification, and
registration; and
A judicial system to decide issues arising under this Code and other related
laws and regulations.
Maphilindo[edit]
Main article: Maphilindo

Maphilindo was a proposed nonpolitical confederation of Malaya, the

Philippines, and Indonesia. It was based on concepts developed during the
Commonwealth government in the Philippines by Wenceslao Vinzons and by
Eduardo L. Martelino in his 1959 book Someday, Malaysia".[164]
In July 1963, President Diosdado Macapagal of the Philippines convened a
summit meeting in Manila. Maphilindo was proposed as a realization of Jos
Rizal's dream of bringing together the Malay peoples. However, this was
perceived as a tactic on the parts of Jakarta and Manila to delay or prevent
the formation of the Federation of Malaysia. The plan failed when Indonesian
President Sukarno adopted his plan of Konfrontasi with Malaysia.[165]
Marcos era and martial law (19651986)[edit]
Main article: History of the Philippines (19651986)

The leaders of the SEATO nations in front of the Congress Building in Manila,
hosted by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on October 24, 1966. (L-R:)
Prime Minister Nguyen Cao Ky (South Vietnam), Prime Minister Harold Holt
(Australia), President Park Chung-hee (South Korea), President Ferdinand
Marcos (Philippines), Prime Minister Keith Holyoake (New Zealand), Lt. Gen.
Nguyn Vn Thiu (South Vietnam), Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn
(Thailand), President Lyndon B. Johnson (United States)
Macapagal ran for re-election in 1965, but was defeated by his former partymate, Senate President Ferdinand Marcos, who had switched to the
Nacionalista Party. Early in his presidency, Marcos initiated ambitious public
works projects and intensified tax collection which brought the country
economic prosperity throughout the 1970s. His administration built more
roads (including a substantial portion of the Pan-Philippine Highway) than all
his predecessors combined, and more schools than any previous
administration.[166] Marcos was re-elected president in 1969, becoming the
first president of the Philippines to achieve a second term. Opponents of
Marcos, however, blocked the necessary legislation to further implement his
expansive agenda. Because of this, optimism faded early in his second term
and economic growth slowed.[167] Crime and civil disobedience increased.
The Communist Party of the Philippines formed the New People's Army in
response to his shaky hold over the nation and the Moro National Liberation
Front continued to fight for an independent Muslim nation in Mindanao. An
explosion during the proclamation rally of the senatorial slate of the Liberal
Party on August 21, 1971 prompted Marcos to suspend the writ of habeas
corpus, which he restored on January 11, 1972 after public protests.
Martial law[edit]

Amidst the rising wave of lawlessness and the conveniently timed threat of a
looming Communist insurgency, Marcos declared martial law on September
21, 1972 by virtue of Proclamation No. 1081. The Nacionalista president,
ruling by decree, curtailed press freedom and other civil liberties, abolished
Congress, closed down major media establishments, ordered the arrest of
opposition leaders and militant activists, including his staunchest critics:
senators Benigno Aquino, Jr., Jovito Salonga and Jose Diokno.[168] The
declaration of martial law was initially well received, given the social turmoil
the Philippines was experiencing.[169] Crime rates plunged dramatically after
a curfew was implemented.[170] Many political opponents were forced to go
into exile.[citation needed]
A constitutional convention, which had been called for in 1970 to replace the
colonial 1935 Constitution, continued the work of framing a new constitution
after the declaration of martial law. The new constitution went into effect in
early 1973, changing the form of government from presidential to
parliamentary and allowing Marcos to stay in power beyond 1973. Marcos
claimed that martial law was the prelude to creating a "New Society" based
on new social and political values.[171] The economy during the 1970s was
robust, with budgetary and trade surpluses. The Gross National Product rose
from P55 billion in 1972 to P193 billion in 1980. Tourism rose, contributing to
the economy's growth. However, Marcos, his cronies, and his wife, Imelda
Romualdez-Marcos, willfully engaged in rampant corruption.[172]
Fourth Republic[edit]
Marcos officially lifted martial law on January 17, 1981. However, he retained
much of the government's power for arrest and detention. Corruption and
nepotism as well as civil unrest contributed to a serious decline in economic
growth and development under Marcos, whose own health faced obstacles
due to lupus. The political opposition decided to boycotted the 1981
presidential elections, which pitted Marcos against retired general Alejo
Santos, in protest over his control over the results.[168] Marcos won by a
margin of over 16 million votes, which constitutionally allowed him to have
another six-year term. Finance Minister Cesar Virata was evetually appointed
to succeed Marcos as Prime Minister.[173]
In 1983, opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr. was assassinated at the Manila
International Airport upon his return to the Philippines after a long period of
exile. This coalesced popular dissatisfaction with Marcos and began a
succession of events, including pressure from the United States, that
culminated in a snap presidential election in February 1986.[174] The
opposition united under Aquino's widow, Corazon Aquino. The official election
canvasser, the Commission on Elections (Comelec), declared Marcos the
winner of the election. However, there was a large discrepancy between the

Comelec results and that of Namfrel, an accredited poll watcher. The

allegedly fraudulent result was rejected by Corazon Aquino and her
supporters. International observers, including a U.S. delegation, denounced
the official results.[174] General Fidel Ramos and Defense Minister Juan
Ponce Enrile withdrew their support for Marcos. A peaceful civilian-military
uprising, now popularly called the People Power Revolution, forced Marcos
into exile and installed Corazon Aquino as president on February 25, 1986.
Fifth Republic (1986present)[edit]
Main article: History of the Philippines (1986present)
Further information: 198690 Philippine coup attempts
Administration of Corazon Cojuangco Aquino (19861992)[edit]

Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991.

Corazon Aquino immediately formed a revolutionary government to normalize
the situation, and provided for a transitional "Freedom Constitution".[175] A
new permanent constitution was ratified and enacted in February 1987.[176]
The constitution crippled presidential power to declare martial law, proposed
the creation of autonomous regions in the Cordilleras and Muslim Mindanao,
and restored the presidential form of government and the bicameral
Congress.[177] Progress was made in revitalizing democratic institutions and
respect for civil liberties, but Aquino's administration was also viewed as
weak and fractious, and a return to full political stability and economic
development was hampered by several attempted coups staged by
disaffected members of the Philippine military.[178]
Economic growth was additionally hampered by a series of natural disasters,
including the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo that left 700 dead and
200,000 homeless.[179] During the Aquino presidency, Manila witnessed six
unsuccessful coup attempts, the most serious occurring in December 1989.
[180] In 1991, the Philippine Senate rejected a treaty that would have
allowed a 10-year extension of the U.S. military bases in the country. The
United States turned over Clark Air Base in Pampanga to the government in
November, and Subic Bay Naval Base in Zambales in December 1992, ending
almost a century of U.S. military presence in the Philippines.
Administration of Fidel Valdez Ramos (19921998)[edit]
In the 1992 elections, Defense Secretary Fidel V. Ramos (a.k.a. Eddie),
endorsed by Aquino, won the presidency with just 23.6% of the vote in a field
of seven candidates. Early in his administration, Ramos declared "national

reconciliation" his highest priority and worked at building a coalition to

overcome the divisiveness of the Aquino years.[177] He legalized the
Communist Party and laid the groundwork for talks with communist
insurgents, Muslim separatists, and military rebels, attempting to convince
them to cease their armed activities against the government. In June 1994,
Ramos signed into law a general conditional amnesty covering all rebel
groups, and Philippine military and police personnel accused of crimes
committed while fighting the insurgents. In October 1995, the government
signed an agreement bringing the military insurgency to an end. A peace
agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), a major separatist
group fighting for an independent homeland in Mindanao, was signed in
1996, ending the 24-year old struggle. However, an MNLF splinter group, the
Moro Islamic Liberation Front continued the armed struggle for an Islamic
state. Efforts by Ramos supporters to gain passage of an amendment that
would allow him to run for a second term were met with large-scale protests,
leading Ramos to declare he would not seek re-election.[181] On his
Presidency the death penalty was revived in the light of the Rape-slay case of
Eileen Sarmienta and Allan Gomez in 1993 and the first person to be
executed was Leo Echegaray in 1999.
Administration of Joseph Ejercito Estrada (19982001)[edit]