LET Reviewer in Philippine Government and Constitution with

Taxation part 2
Philippine Government and Constitution
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Elements of State
People
Territory
Government
Sovereignty
internal
external
Origin of States
Devine Right Theory
Necessity or Force Theory
Paternalistic Theory
Social Contract Theory

Origin of State
There are several theories on the origin of state, but it is not known exactly which is of them is the correct
one.

1. Divine right theory - state is of divine creation and the ruler is ordained by God to govern the people.

2. Necessity or force theory - state is created through force, by strong warriors who imposed their will
upon the weak.

3. Paternalistic theory - state comes from the expansion of family, under the authority of the father.
Family grew into a clan, then developed into tribe which broadened into a nation, and a nation became a
state.

4. Social contract theory - states have been formed by deliberate and voluntary compact among the people
to form a society and organize government for their common good.

State distinguished from nation

State is a political concept while nation is an ethnic concept.
State is not subject to external control while nation may or may not be.
A single state may consist of one or more nations or people and conversely, a single nation may be made
up of several states.
Purpose and Necessity of Government
1. Advancement of the public welfare

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Consequence of absence
Forms of Government
As to number of persons exercising sovereign powers:
Monarchy
absolute
limited
Aristocracy
Democracy
1. direct or pure democracy
2. Indirect, representative, or republican
As to extent of powers exercise by the central or national government:
Unitary government
Federal Government
As to relationship between the executive and the legislative branches of the government:
Parliamentary government
Presidential government

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THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PHILIPPINES IN TRANSITION

The pre-Spanish government
Unit of government
Datu
Social classes in the government
nobility
freemen
serfs
slaves
Early Laws
Maragtas Code
Kalantiaw Code
Government during the Spanish period
Spains title to the Philippines
Spanish Colonial government
Government in the Philippines unitary
The Governor-General
The Judiciary
Government during the Revolutionary era
The Katipunan government
The Biak-na-bato republic
The Dictatorial Government
The Revolutionary Government
The First Philippine Republic

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Governments during the American regime

The Military Government
The Civil Government
The Commonwealth Government of the Philippines

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Government during the Japanese occupation

The Japanese Military Administration
The Philippine Executive Commissions
The Japanese-sponsored Republic of the Philippines
The Provisional Government of 1986
Revolutionary
De jure./ de facto the first is one constituted or founded in accordance with the existing constituted not in
accordance with the procedure provided in an existing constitution of the sate, while the other is not so
constituted or founded but has the general support of the people and effective control of the territory over
which it exercises its powers.
Constitutional and transitory
Democratic
Powers
The Provisional Constitution

CONCEPT OF CONSTITUTION
Nature and purpose or function of constitution
1. Serves as the supreme or fundamental law
2. Establishes basic framework and underlying principles of government
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Kinds of Constitution
As to their origin and history
Conventional or enacted
Cumulative or evolved
Written
Unwritten
Rigid or inelastic
Flexible or elastic
as to their form
As to manner of amending them:
Requisites of a good written constitution
As to form, a good written constitution should be:
Brief
Broad
Definite
As to contents, it should contain at least three sets of provisions:
That dealing with the framework of government and its powers, and defining the electorate. This group of
provisions has been called the constitution of government.
That setting forth the fundamental rights of the people and imposing certain limitations on the powers of
the government as a means of securing the enjoyment of these rights. This group has been referred as to
the constitution of liberty.
That pointing out the mode or procedure for amending or revising the constitution. This group has been
called the constitution of sovereignty

CONSTITUTIONS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

The 1935 Constitution
The 1973 Constitution
Parts of the 1987 Constitution
Preamble
Article 1 National Territory
Article II Declaration of Principles and State Policies
Article III Bill of Rights
Article IV Citizenship
Article V Suffrage
Article VI Legislative Department
Article VII Executive Department
Article VIII Judicial Department
Article IX Constitutional Commission
Article X Local Government
Article XI Accountability of Public Officers
Article XII National Economy and Patrimony
Article XIII Social Justice and Human Rights
Article XIV Education, Science and Technology, Arts, Culture and Sports
Article XV The Family
Article XVI General Provisions
Article XVII Amendments or Revisions
Article XVIII Transitory Provisions
AGRARIAN REFORM IN THE PHILIPPINES
A. The agrarian problem
1. The Philippines agrarian problem
2. Right to own property, universal but limited
3. A historico-political survey of the agrarian problem and agrarian legislation
B. Imperative of Agrarian Reform
1. Necessity of agrarian reform in the Philippines
2. Objections to agrarian reforms
3. Components of agrarian reform
4. Arguments for the land to the tiller program
5. Companion measures to land distribution
6. Role of the farmer in agrarian reform
7. Role of the landlord in agrarian reform
C. Constitutional Provisions Relevant to Agrarian Reform
1. Promotion of just and dynamic order
2. Expropriation of private property
3. Promotion of social justice
D. Bill of Rights for Agricultural Labor
1. Exercise of right to self-organization

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CARP
Coverage
Improvement of Tenurial and Labor Relation
Agricultural Leasehold and lease rental determination
Production sharing plan
Land Acquisition and Redistribution
Compulsory acquisition of private lands
Qualified beneficiaries
Compensation
Corporate farms
Support Services
GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF TAXATION
Concepts, Nature, and Characteristics of Taxation and Taxes
Purpose and importance of taxation
Essential characteristics of tax
Theory and basis of taxation
Nature of power of taxation
NATIONAL TAXES
Income Tax
Estate Tax
Donors Tax
Value Added Tax
Percentage Taxes
Excise Tax
Documentary Stamp Tax
Custom Duties
Travel Tax
Energy Tax
Private Motor Vehicle Tax

PRACTICE TEST
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Philippine Government with New Constitution

1. All of the following constitute the meaning of political science except:
A basic knowledge and understanding of the state.
It is primarily concerned with the association of human beings into a political community.
Common knowledge every events taking place in the society.
It deals with the relationship among men and groups which are subject to the control by the state.
2. It refers to the community of persons more or less numerous, permanently occupying a definite portion of
territory, having a government of their own to which the great body of inhabitants render obedience, and
enjoying freedom from external control.
Sovereignty
Nation
Citizenship
State
3. It refers to the agency through which the will of the state is formulated, expressed and carried out.
Government

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Sovereignty
Constitution
Laws
4. What are the four elements of state?
A. people, territory, sovereignty, government
B. people, constitution, territory, government
C. government, law, peace, territory
D. constitution, people, land, independence
5. What theory asserts that the early states must have been formed by deliberate and voluntary compact
among the people to form a society and organize government for their common good?
Necessity Theory
Devine Right Theory
Social Contact Theory
Social Compact Theory
6. Government exists and should continue to exist for the benefit of the people.
The statement is a general truth.
The statement is just an assumption.
The statement is a fallacy.
There is no basis for judgment.
7. What are the forms of government in which the political power is exercised by a few privilege class.
Oligarchy and Aristocracy
Aristocracy and Monarchy
Theocracy and Fascism
Democracy and Tyranny
8. The pre-colonial Philippines has no established government. Its villages and settlements were
called barangays.
Only the first statement is true and correct.
Only the second statement is true and correct.
Both statements are true and correct.
Both statements are untrue and incorrect.
9. There were four social classes of people in the pre-colonialbarangays. They were the nobles, freemen,
serfs, and the slaves.
Only the first statement is true and correct.
Only the second statement is true and correct.
Both statements are true and correct.
Both statements are untrue and incorrect.
10. What are the two known written codes during the pre-Spanish era in the Philippines?
Maragtas and Kalantiaw Codes
Sumakwil and Sulayman Codes
Panay and Subanon Codes
Hammurabi and Ur Nammu Codes
11. Under the Spanish colonial government, who directly governed the Philippines?
The Governor-General
The Viceroy of Mexico
The Royal Audiencia

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The King of Spain

12. What is the first city to be established in 1565 in the Philippines?
Manila
Davao
Cebu
Iloilo
13.The government which Spain established in the Philippines was defective. It was a government for the
Spaniards and not for the Filipinos.
Only the first statement is true and correct.
Only the second statement is true and correct.
Both statements are true and correct.
Both statements are untrue and incorrect
14. What was the secret society founded in 1896 that precipitated the glorious revolution against the
Spaniards.
The Katipunan
The Kalahi
The Biak na Bato Republic
The Ilustrado
15. Arranged the sequence of governments during the revolutionary era:
1. The Dictatorial Government
2. The Revolutionary Government
3. The Biak-na-Bato Republic
4. The First Philippine Republic
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4132
1234
16. Arranged according to its establishment during the American Regime:
1. The Commonwealth Government
2. The Military Government
3. The Civil Government
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17. What was the civil government established during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines?
The Japanese Imperial Government
The Philippine Republic
The Puppet Government of Japan
The Philippine Executive Commission
18. The Constitution used by the Philippine government from the commonwealth period until 1973.
The Malolos Constitution
The Biak-na-Bato Constitution
The 1935 Constitution

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The 1901 Constitution

19. What kind of government was installed under the 1973 Constitution under the Marcos regime?
Modified Presidential system
Modified Parliamentary system
Military system
Bicameral system
20. A de facto government acquires a de jure status when it gains wide acceptance from the people and
recognition from the community of nations.
The statement is true and valid.
The statement is an assumption.
The statement is a fallacy.
The statement is doubtful.
21. It is defined as written instrument by which the fundamental powers of the government are established,
limited and defined and by which these powers are distributed among the several departments or branches
for their and useful exercise for the benefit of the people.
Laws
Statutes
Constitution
Ordinances
22. There is no Constitution that is entirely written or unwritten.
The statement is true and correct.
The statement is incorrect.
The statement is partially correct.
There is no basis to conclude.
23. Requisites of a good written constitution.
Brief
Broad
Definite
All of the given options
24. Who has the authority to interpret the constitution?
Private individual
Courts
Legislative and Executive departments of the government
All of the given options
25. We, the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty God , in order to build a just and
humane society and establish a government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote our
common good, conserve and develop our patrimony, and secure to ourselves and our posterity the
blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and the regime of truth, justice, freedom,
equality and peace, do ordain and promulgate this Constitution.
What part of Constitution is this?
General Provision
Amendments
Preamble
National Patrimony
Economics, Taxation, Land Reform, and Cooperative

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1. The problem of scarcity _____.

A. arises only in poor countries.
B. exists because the price of goods is too high.
C. exists because of limited resources.
D. will eventually be solve by better planning.
2. If an individual is to maximize the utility received from the consumption, he or she should spend all
available income This statement assumes ________.
that saving is impossible.
that the individual is not satiated in all goods.
that no goods are inferior.
both A and B.
3. An individuals demand curve
A. represents the various quantities that the consumer is willing to purchase of a good at various
price levels.
B. is derived from an individuals indifference curve map.
C. will shift if preferences, price of other goods, or income change.
D. all of the above.
4. What is a firm?
A president, some vice presidents, and some employees
Any organization that wants to make a profit.
Any accumulation of productive assets.
Any organization that turns inputs into outputs
5. If more and more labor is employed while keeping all other inputs constant, the marginal physical
productivity of labor _____.
will eventually increase.
will eventually decrease.
will eventually remain constant.
cannot tell from the information provided.
6. In general, microeconomic theory assumes that the firms attempt to maximize the difference between
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total revenue and accounting costs.
price and marginal cost.
total revenues and economic costs.
economic costs and average cost.
7. In a competitive market, efficient allocation of resources is characterized by ________.
a price greater than the marginal cost of production.
the possibility of further mutually beneficial transactions.
the largest possible sum of consumer and producer surplus.
a value of consumer surplus equal to that of producer surplus.
8. Price controls _______.
are always popular with consumers because they lower prices.
create shortages.
increase producer surplus because firms can now sell a greater quantity of a good at a lower price.
are necessary to preserve equity.
9. The excess burden of tax is ____.
The amount of which the price of a good increases

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The loss of consumer and producer surplus that is not transferred elsewhere.
The amount y which a persons after-tax income decrease as a result of the new tax.
The welfare costs to firms forced to leave the market due to an inward shift of the demand curve.
10. In the opening of the free trade, if world prices of a good are less than domestic prices of that same
good, _________.
domestic consumers will experience a loss of surplus.
domestic prices will drop to the world price level.
all domestic producers of that good will try to find another market because they cant compete with foreign
producers.
domestic producers will increase the quantity supplied in order to crowd out the foreign produced goods.
11. It states that as the price of the commodities increase the amount of goods the consumer is willing to
purchase decrease and as the price of the commodities decrease the willingness of the consumer to buy
increases and other factor remain constant.
Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility
Law of Gravity
Law of Supply
Law of Demand
12. A deliberate attempt to recognize and transform existing agrarian system with the intention of improving
the distribution of agricultural incomes and thus fostering rural development.
Millennium Development Plan
C. Water Reform
Land Reform
D. Development Goals
13. What is the process by which the productive capacity of the economy is increased over time to bring
about rising levels of national output and income?
Economic growth
C. Economic development
Industry
D. Employment
14. A system whereby the determination of exchange rate is left solely to the market forces.
Foreign exchange liberalization
Import liberalization
Terms of trade
Foreign investment
15. All are possible results when a high population growth rate continues in the Third World except
growth of slums
spread of diseases due to poverty and poor sanitation
not enough schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, etc.
increased Gross National Product
16. Which of the following is the nature of power of taxation?
It is inherent in sovereignty.
It is legislative in nature.
It is subject to constitutional and inherent limitations.
All of the above
17. A kind of tax based on the rate of which decreases as the tax base or bracket increases.
Progressive
C. Regressive
Graduated
D. Proportional
18. Agrarian reform program, Philippine experience is a success.
The statement is generally true.
The statement is doubtful.

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The statement is untrue.

There is no basis to conclude.
19. It is also known as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL)
Presidential Decree # 2
Presidential Decree # 27
Republic Act 6657
Republic Act 5766
20. The Cooperatives Development Program of the government is designed primarily to support the
agrarian reform program. It aims to achieve a dignified existence for the small farmers free from pernicious
institutional restraints and practices.
Only the first statement is true and correct.
Only the second statement is true and correct.
Both statements are true and correct.
Both statements are untrue and incorrect.

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Answer Key to Practice Tests

Philippine Government with Constitution
C
D
A
A
C
A
A
C
C
A
D
C
C
A
B
B
D
C
B
A
C
A
D
D

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Economics, Taxation, CARP

1. C
2. D
3. D
4. D
5. B
6. C
7. C
8. B
9. B
10. B
11. D
12. B
13. A
14. A
15. D
16. D
17. C
18. C
19. C
20. C

25. C
Early History: The Philippine archipelago was settled at least 30,000 years ago, when migrations from the
Indonesian archipelago and elsewhere are believed to have occurred. Additional migrations took place
over the next millennia. Over time, social and political organization developed and evolved in the widely
scattered islands. The basic unit of settlement was the barangay (a Malay word for boat that came to be
used to denote a communal settlement). Kinship groups were led by a datu (chief), and within the
barangay there were broad social divisions consisting of nobles, freemen, and dependent and landless
agricultural workers and slaves. Over the centuries, Indo-Malay migrants were joined by Chinese traders.
A major development in the early period was the introduction of Islam to the Philippines by traders and
proselytizers from the Indonesian islands. By A.D. 1500, Islam had been established in the Sulu
Archipelago and spread from there to Mindanao; it reached the Manila area by 1565. In the midst of the
introduction of Islam came the introduction of Christianity, with the arrival of the Spanish.
Spanish Control: Ferdinand Magellan was the first European recorded to have landed in the Philippines*.
He arrived in March 1521 during his circumnavigation of the globe. He claimed land for the king
of Spain but was killed by a local chief. Following several more Spanish expeditions, the first permanent
settlement was established in Cebu in 1565. After defeating a local Muslim ruler, the Spanish set up their
capital at Manila in 1571, and they named their new colony after King Philip II of Spain. In doing so, the
Spanish sought to acquire a share in the lucrative spice trade, develop better contacts with China and
Japan, and gain converts to Christianity. Only the third objective was eventually realized. As with other
Spanish colonies, church and state became inseparably linked in carrying out Spanish objectives. Several
Roman Catholic religious orders were assigned the responsibility of Christianizing the local population.
The civil administration built upon the traditional village organization and used traditional local leaders to
rule indirectly for Spain. Through these efforts, a new cultural community was developed, but Muslims
(known as Moros by the Spanish) and upland tribal peoples remained detached and alienated.
Trade in the Philippines centered around the Manila galleons, which sailed from Acapulco on the west
coast of Mexico (New Spain) with shipments of silver bullion and minted coin that were exchanged for
return cargoes of Chinese goods, mainly silk textiles and porcelain. There was no direct trade with Spain
and little exploitation of indigenous natural resources. Most investment was in the galleon trade. But, as
this trade thrived, another unwelcome element was introducedsojourning Chinese entrepreneurs and
service providers.
During the Seven Years War (175663), British East India Company forces captured Manila. Although
the Philippines was returned to Spain at the end of the war, theBritish occupation marked the beginning of
the end of the old order. Rebellions broke out in the north, and while the Spanish were busy fighting the
British, Moros raided from the south. The Chinese community, resentful of Spanish discrimination,
supported the British with laborers and armed men. The restoration of Spanish rule brought reforms
aimed at promoting the economic development of the islands and making them independent of subsidies
from New Spain. The galleon trade ceased in 1815, and from that date onward the Royal Company of the
Philippines, which had been chartered in 1785, promoted direct and tariff-free trade between the islands
and Spain. Cash crops were cultivated for trade with Europe and Latin America, but profits diminished
after Spains Latin American colonies became independent in the 1810s and 1820s. In 1834 the Royal

Company of the Philippines was abolished, and free trade was formally recognized. With its excellent
harbor, Manila became an open port for Asian, European, and North American traders. In 1873 additional
ports were opened to foreign commerce, and by the late nineteenth century three cropstobacco, abaca,
and sugardominated Philippine exports.
Rise of Nationalism: Also in the late nineteenth century, Chinese immigration, now with official approval,
increased, and Chinese mestizos became a feature in Filipino social and economic life. So, too, did the
growing Filipino native elite class of ilustrados (literally, enlightened ones), who became increasingly
receptive to liberal and democratic ideas. Conservative Catholic friars continued to dominate the Spanish
establishment, however. They resisted the inclusion of native clergy and were economically secure, with
their large land holdings and control of churches, schools, and other establishments. Despite the bias
against native priests, brothers, and nuns, some members of Filipino religious orders became prominent
to the point of leading local religious movements and even insurrections against the establishment.
Additionally, ilustrados returning from education and exile abroad brought new ideas that merged with folk
religion to spur a national resistance.
One of the early nationalist leaders was Jos Rizal, a physician, scientist, scholar, and writer. His
writings as a member of the Propaganda Movement (intellectually active, upper-class Filipino reformers)
had a considerable impact on the awakening of the Filipino national consciousness. His books were
banned, and he lived in self-imposed exile. Rizal returned from overseas in 1892 to found the Liga Filipina
(Philippine League), a national, nonviolent political organization, but he was arrested and exiled and the
league dissolved. One result was the split of the nationalist movement between the reform-minded
ilustrados and a more revolutionary and independence-minded plebeian constituency. Many of the latter
joined the Katipunan, a secret society founded by Andres Bonifacio in 1892 and committed to winning
national independence. By 1896, the year the Katipunan rose in revolt against Spain, it had 30,000
members. Although Rizal, who had again returned to the Philippines, was not a member of the Katipunan,
he was arrested and executed on December 30, 1896, for his alleged role in the rebellion. With Rizals
martyrdom, the rebels, led by Emilio Aguinaldo as president, were filled with new determination. Spanish
troops defeated the insurgents, however, and Aguinaldo and his government went into exile in Hong Kong
in December 1897.
When the Spanish-American War broke out in April 1898, Spains fleet was easily defeated at Manila.
Aguinaldo returned, and his 12,000 troops kept the Spanish forces bottled up in Manila until U.S. troops
landed. The Spanish cause was doomed, but the Americans did nothing to accommodate the inclusion of
Aguinaldo in the succession. Fighting between American and Filipino troops broke out almost as soon as
the Spanish had been defeated. Aguinaldo issued a declaration of independence on June 12, 1898.
However, the Treaty of Paris, signed on December 10, 1898, by the United States and Spain, ceded the
Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the United States, recognized Cuban independence, and gave
US$20 million to Spain. A revolutionary congress convened at Malolos, north of Manila, promulgated a
constitution on January 21, 1899, and inaugurated Aguinaldo as president of the new republic two days
later. Hostilities broke out in February 1899, and by March 1901 Aguinaldo had been captured and his
forces defeated. Despite Aguinaldos call to his compatriots to lay down their arms, insurgent resistance
continued until 1903. The Moros, suspicious of both the Christian Filipino insurgents and the Americans,
remained largely neutral, but eventually their own armed resistance had to be subjugated, and Moro
territory was placed under U.S. military rule until 1914.

United States Rule: U.S. rule over the Philippines had two phases. The first phase was from 1898 to
1935, during which time Washington defined its colonial mission as one of tutelage and preparing the
Philippines for eventual independence. Political organizations developed quickly, and the popularly
elected Philippine Assembly (lower house) and the U.S.-appointed Philippine Commission (upper house)
served as a bicameral legislature. The ilustrados formed the Federalista Party, but their statehood
platform had limited appeal. In 1905 the party was renamed the National Progressive Party and took up a
platform of independence. The Nacionalista Party was formed in 1907 and dominated Filipino politics until
after World War II. Its leaders were not ilustrados. Despite their immediate independence platform, the
party leaders participated in a collaborative leadership with the United States. A major development
emerging in the post-World War I period was resistance to elite control of the land by tenant farmers, who
were supported by the Socialist Party and the Communist Party of the Philippines. Tenant strikes and
occasional violence occurred as the Great Depression wore on and cash-crop prices collapsed.
The second period of United States rulefrom 1936 to 1946was characterized by the establishment
of the Commonwealth of the Philippines and occupation by Japan during World War II. Legislation passed
by the U.S. Congress in 1934 provided for a 10-year period of transition to independence. The countrys
first constitution was framed in 1934 and overwhelmingly approved by plebiscite in 1935, and Manuel
Quezon was elected president of the commonwealth. Quezon later died in exile in 1944 and was
succeeded by Vice President Sergio Osmea. Japan attacked the Philippines on December 8, 1941, and
occupied Manila on January 2, 1942. Tokyo set up an ostensibly independent republic, which was
opposed by underground and guerrilla activity that eventually reached large-scale proportions. A major
element of the resistance in the Central Luzon area was furnished by the Huks (short for Hukbalahap, or
Peoples Anti-Japanese Army). Allied forces invaded the Philippines in October 1944, and the Japanese
surrendered on September 2, 1945.
Early Independence Period: World War II had been demoralizing for the Philippines, and the islands
suffered from rampant inflation and shortages of food and other goods. Various trade and security issues
with the United States also remained to be settled before Independence Day. The Allied leaders wanted to
purge officials who collaborated with the Japanese during the war and to deny them the right to vote in the
first postwar elections. Commonwealth President Osmea, however, countered that each case should be
tried on its own merits. The successful Liberal Party presidential candidate, Manual Roxas, was among
those collaborationists. Independence from the United States came on July 4, 1946, and Roxas was
sworn in as the first president. The economy remained highly dependent on U.S. markets, and the United
States also continued to maintain control of 23 military installations. A bilateral treaty was signed in March
1947 by which the United States continued to provide military aid, training, and matriel. Such aid was
timely, as the Huk guerrillas rose again, this time against the new government. They changed their name
to the Peoples Liberation Army (Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan) and demanded political participation,
disbandment of the military police, and a general amnesty. Negotiations failed, and a rebellion began in
1950 with communist support. The aim was to overthrow the government. The Huk movement dissipated
into criminal activities by 1951, as the better-trained and -equipped Philippine armed forces and
conciliatory government moves toward the peasants offset the effectiveness of the Huks.
Populist Ramn Magsaysay of the Nacionalista Party was elected president in 1953 and embarked on
widespread reforms that benefited tenant farmers in the Christian north while exacerbating hostilities with

the Muslim south. The remaining Huk leaders were captured or killed, and by 1954 the movement had
waned. After Magsaysays death in an airplane crash in 1957, he was succeeded by Vice President
Carlos P. Garcia. Garcia was elected in his own right the same year, and he advanced the nationalist
theme of Filipinos First, reaching agreement with the United States to relinquish large areas of land no
longer needed for military operations. In 1961 the Liberal Party candidate, Diosdado Macapagal, was
elected president. Subsequent negotiations with the United States over base rights led to considerable
anti-American feelings and demonstrations. Macapagal sought closer relations with his Southeast Asian
neighbors and convened a summit with the leaders of Indonesia and Malaysia in the hope of developing a
spirit of consensus, which did not emerge.
The Marcos Era: Nacionalista Party leader Ferdinand Marcos came to dominate the political scene for the
next two decades, beginning with his election to the presidency in 1965. During his first term, Marcos
initiated ambitious public works projects that improved the general quality of life while providing generous
pork-barrel benefits for his friends. Marcos perceived that his promised land reform program would
alienate the politically all-powerful landowner elite, and thus it was never forcefully implemented. He
lobbied strenuously for economic and military aid from the United States while resisting significant
involvement in the Second Indochina War (195475). In 1967 the Philippines became a founding member
of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Marcos became the first president to be
reelected (in 1969), but early in his second term economic growth slowed, optimism faded, and the crime
rate increased. In addition, a new communist insurgency, this timestarting in 1968led by the new
Communist Party of the Philippines-Marxist-Leninist and its military arm, the New Peoples Army, was on
the rise. In 1969 the Moro National Liberation Front was founded and conducted an insurgency in Muslim
areas. Political violence blamed on leftists, but probably initiated by government agents provocateurs, led
Marcos to suspend habeas corpus as a prelude to martial law.
Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972, and did not lift it until January 17, 1981. During
this time, he called for self-sacrifice and an end to the old society. However, in the New Society Marcoss
cronies and his wife, former movie actress Imelda Romualdez-Marcos, wilfully engaged in rampant
corruption. With her husbands support, Imelda Marcos built her own power base. She became governor
of Metropolitan Manila and minister of human settlements. The previously nonpolitical armed forces
became highly politicized, with high-ranking positions being given to Marcos loyalists. In 1979 the United
States reaffirmed Philippine sovereignty over U.S. military bases and continued to provide military and
economic aid to the Marcos regime. When martial law was lifted in 1981 and a New Republic
proclaimed, little had actually changed, and Marcos easily won reelection.
The beginning of the end of the Marcos era occurred when his chief political rival, Liberal Party leader
Benigno Ninoy Aquino, who had been jailed by Marcos for eight years, was assassinated as he
disembarked from an airplane at the Manila International Airport on August 21, 1983, following medical
treatment in the United States. Marcos cronies were charged with this crime but were acquitted. Aquino,
however, became a martyr and his murder the focus of popular indignation against a corrupt regime. The
Catholic Church, a coalition of old political opposition groups, the business elite, the left wing, and even
factions of the armed forces all began to exert pressure on the regime. There also was foreign pressure
and, feeling confident with the support given by the Reagan White House, Marcos called a snap
presidential election for February 7, 1986. When the Marcos-dominated National Assembly proclaimed
Marcos the winner, Cardinal Jaime Sin and key military leaders (including Minister of Defense Juan Ponce

Enrile and acting Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Fidel V. Ramos) rallied around
the apparent majority vote winner, Aquinos widow, Corazon Cojuango Aquino. The People Power
Movementa popular uprising of priests, nuns, ordinary citizens, and children, supported by defecting
military unitsousted Marcos on the day of his inauguration (February 25, 1986) and brought Aquino to
power in an almost bloodless revolution.
The Aquino Years and Beyond: Corazon Aquino had wide popular support but no political organization.
Her vice president, Salvador H. Doy Laurel, had an organization but little popular support. Enrile and
Ramos also had large stakes in what they saw as a coalition government. The coalition unraveled quickly,
and there were several attempts, including unsuccessful military coups, to oust Aquino. She survived her
fractious term, however, and was succeeded in the 1992 election by Ramos, who had served loyally as
chief of staff of the armed forces and secretary of national defense under Aquino.
President Ramos worked at coalition building and overcoming the divisiveness of the Aquino years.
Mutinous right-wing soldiers, communist insurgents, and Muslim separatists were convinced to cease
their armed activities against the government and were granted amnesty. In an act of reconciliation,
Ramos allowed the remains of Ferdinand Marcoshe had died in exile in the United States in 1989to
be returned to the Philippines for burial in 1993. Efforts by supporters of Ramos to gain passage of an
amendment that would allow him to run for a second term were met with large-scale protests supported
by Cardinal Sin and Corazon Aquino, leading Ramos to declare he would not run again.
Joseph Estrada, who had served as Ramoss vice president and enjoyed widespread popularity, was
elected president in 1998. Within a year, however, Estradas popularity declined sharply amid allegations
of cronyism and corruption and failure to remedy the problems of poverty. Once again, street rallies
supported by Cardinal Sin and Corazon Aquino took place. Then, in 2000 Senate investigators accused
Estrada of having accepted bribes from illegal gambling businesses. Following an abortive Senate
impeachment trial, growing street protests, and the withdrawal of support by the armed forces, Estrada
was forced out of office on January 20, 2001.
Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (the daughter of the late President Diosdado Macapagal) was
sworn in as Estradas successor on the day of his departure. Her accession to power was further
legitimated by the mid-term congressional and local elections, when her coalition later won an
overwhelming victory, but the elections were fraught with allegations of coercion, fraud, and vote buying.
Macapagal-Arroyos initial term in office was marked by fractious coalition politics as well as a military
mutiny in Manila in July 2003 that led her to declare a month-long nationwide state of rebellion, as a result
of which charges were filed against more than 1,000 individuals. Macapagal-Arroyo had declared in
December 2002 that she would not contest the May 2004 presidential election, but she reversed herself in
October 2003 and decided to run. She was reelected and sworn in for her own six-year term as president
on June 30, 2004. With this new mandate, she was able to move with greater assurance on the political
and economic reform agenda that had stalled during her first term in office.

The Tiaong Historical Notable

Claro M. Recto
Claro M. Recto was born in Tiaong, February 8, 1890.
Graduated from Ateneo de Manila maxima cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts
degree.
Bachelor of Laws, University of Sto Tomas, Class Valedictorian, 1913
A politician and lawyer, jurist, poet, playwright, essayist, and one of the
foremost statesmen of his generation.
The award-winning one-act comedy, La ruta de Damasco (1913), followed by
Solo entre las sombras (1917) established his reputation as a dramatist.
Admitted to the United States Supreme Court Bar, 1924
Founded the Partido Democrata, and in 1928, temporarily retired from
politics to practice and teach law, a move he eventually found tedious and
restrictive.
Senator of the Philippines: 1931-1935, 1941-1946, 1953-1960.
Supreme Court Associate Justice 1935-1936.
In 1957, failed in his bid for the Philippine presidency running against then
Vice President Carlos Garcia.
Zobel Prize Winner for literature.
A nationalist, he was one of the most vocal proponents for Philippine
autonomy.
The father of the Philippine Constitution and the last Filipino justice
appointed by an American president.
Known as the Great Dissenter because of his positions on foreign policies of
different Philippine presidents.
Considered the "finest mind of his generation," molding his contemporaries
and succeeding generations through his speeches and writing, and in his
wake, a political climate and legacy of nationalism that inspired icons of
nationalism like Taada, Diokno, Constantino, Salonga.
Died October 2, 1960, Rome, Italy