EMILIO AGUINALDO

Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy QSC PLH[c] (March 23, 1869[d]

February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, politician,and a military leader who is officially
recognized as the First President of the Philippines (18991901) and led Philippine forces first against
Spain in the latter part of the Philippine Revolution (18961897), and then in the SpanishAmerican
War (1898), and finally against the United States during the PhilippineAmerican War (18991901). He
was captured by American forces in 1901, which brought an end to his presidency.
In 1935 Aguinaldo ran unsuccessfully for president of the Philippine Commonwealth against Manuel
Quezon. After the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1941, he cooperated with the new rulers, even
making a radio appeal for the surrender of the American and Filipino forces on Bataan. He was arrested as
a collaborator after the Americans returned but was later freed in a general amnesty.

Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina (August 19, 1878 August 1,

1944) served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippinesfrom 1935 to 1944. He was the first
Filipino to head a government of the Philippines (as opposed to other historical states), and is considered
to have been the second president of the Philippines, after Emilio Aguinaldo (18971901).
Quezon was the first Senate president elected to the presidency, the first president elected through a
national election and the first incumbent to secure re-election (for a partial second term, later extended,
due to amendments to the 1935 Constitution). He is known as the "Father of the National Language".
During his presidency, Quezn tackled the problem of landless peasants in the countryside. Other major
decisions include reorganization of the islands' military defense, approval of recommendation for

government reorganization, promotion of settlement and development in Mindanao, dealing with the
foreign stranglehold on Philippine trade and commerce, proposals for land reform, and opposing graft and
corruption within the government. He established an exiled government in the U.S. with the outbreak of
the war and the threat of Japanese invasion.
It was during his exile in the U.S. that he died of tuberculosis at Saranac Lake, New York. He was buried
in the Arlington National Cemetery until the end of World War II, when his remains were moved
to Manila. His final resting place is the Quezon City Memorial Circle.

Jos Paciano Laurel y Garca, PLH (March 9, 1891

November 6, 1959) was a Filipino politician and judge. He was the president of the Second Philippine
Republic, a Japanese puppet state when occupied during World War II, from 1943 to 1945. Since the
administration of President Diosdado Macapagal (19611965), Laurel has been recognized as a legitimate
president of the Philippines. Jos Paciano Laurel y Garca was born on March 9, 1891 in the town
of Tanauan, Batangas. His parents were Sotero Laurel, Sr. and Jacoba Garca. His father had been an
official in the revolutionary government of Emilio Aguinaldo and a signatory to the 1898 Malolos
Constitution. The presidency of Laurel understandably remains one of the most controversial in
Philippine history. After the war, he would be denounced by the pro American sectors [who?] as a war
collaborator or even a traitor, although his indictment for treason was superseded by President Roxas'
Amnesty Proclamation. However, despite being one of the most infamous figures in Philippine history, he
is also regarded as a Pan-Asianist who supports independence. When asked if he was pro American or pro
Japanese, his answer would be pro Filipino.

Sergio Osmea, PLH, better known as Sergio Osmea, Sr. (9

September 1878 19 October 1961) was a Filipino politician who served as the fourth President of the
Philippines from 1944 to 1946. He was Vice President under Manuel L. Quezon, and succeeded as
President upon Quezon's sudden death in 1944, becoming the oldest officeholder at age 65. A founder
of Nacionalista Party, he was also the first Visayan to become President of the Philippines.
Prior to his accession in 1944, Osmea served as Governor of Cebu from 1906 to 1907, Member and
first Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives from 1907 to 1922, and Senator from the 10th
Senatorial District for thirteen years, in which capacity he served as Senate President pro tempore. In
1935, he was nominated to be the running-mate of Senate President Manuel L. Quezonfor the presidential
election that year. The tandem was overwhelmingly re-elected in 1941.
He was patriarch of the prominent Osmea family, which includes his son, former Senator Sergio
Osmea, Jr., and his grandsons, senators Sergio Osmea III and John Henry Osmea), ex-governor Lito
Osmea, and former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmea. Osmea became president of the Commonwealth
on Quezon's death in 1944. He returned to the Philippines the same year with General Douglas
MacArthur and the liberation forces. After the war, Osmea restored the Commonwealth government and
the various executive departments. He continued the fight for Philippine independence. For the
presidential election of 1946, Osmea refused to campaign, saying that the Filipino people knew of his
record of 40 years of honest and faithful service. He lost to Manuel Roxas, who won 54 percent of the
vote and became president of the independent Republic of the Philippines.

Manuel Acua Rxas (January 1, 1892 April 15, 1948)

was the fifth 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.
Roxas served as the President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines in a brief period, from May
28, 1946 to July 4, 1946 during which time Roxas helped prepared the groundwork for an
independent Philippines.
On May 8, 1946, prior to his inauguration, President-elect Roxas, accompanied by US High
Commissioner Paul V. McNutt, left for the United States.
On May 28, 1946, Roxas was inaugurated as the last President of the Commonwealth of the
Philippines. The inaugural ceremonies were held in the ruins of the Legislative Building (now part of
the National Museum of the Philippines) and were witnessed by about 200,000 people. [citation needed] In his
address, he outlined the main policies of his administration, mainly: closer ties with the United
States; adherence to the newly created United Nations; national reconstruction; relief for the
masses; social justice for the working class; the maintenance of peace and order; the preservation of
individual rights and liberties of the citizenry; and honesty and efficiency of government.

Elpidio Rivera Quirino (November 16, 1890 February 29,

1956) was a Chinese descent Philippine born politician, and the sixthPresident of the Philippines.
A lawyer by profession and the 6th Philippine president, Quirino entered politics when he became a
representative of Ilocos Sur from 1919 to 1925. He was then elected as senator from 19251931. In
1934, he became a member of the Philippine independence commission that was sent to
Washington, D.C., which secured the passage of TydingsMcDuffie Act to American Congress. In
1935, he was also elected to the convention that drafted the 1935 constitution for the newly
established Commonwealth. In the new government, he served as secretary of the interior and
finance under President Manuel Quezon's cabinet.
After World War II, Quirino was elected vice-president in the 1946 election, consequently the second
and last for the Commonwealth and first for the third republic. After the death of the incumbent
president Manuel Roxas in 1948, he succeeded the presidency. He won the president's office
under Liberal Party ticket, defeating Nacionalista vice president and former president Jos P.
Laurel as well as fellow Liberalista and former Senate President Jos Avelino.
The Quirino administration was generally challenged by the Hukbalahaps, who ransacked towns and
barrios. Quirino ran for president again in the 1953 presidential election, but was defeated
by Nacionalista Ramon Magsaysay.
After his term, he retired to his new country home in Novaliches, Quezon City, where he died of a
heart attack on February 29, 1956

Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay (August 31, 1907 March

17, 1957) was the seventh President of the Republic of the Philippines, serving from December 30,
1953 until his death in an aircraft disaster.
In the Election of 1953, Magsaysay was decisively elected president over the incumbent Elpidio
Quirino. He was sworn into office wearing the Barong Tagalog, a first by a Philippine president. He
was then called "Mambo Magsaysay".
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, that aimed to defeat communist-Marxist
movements in South East Asia, South Asia and the Southwestern Pacific.
During his term, he made Malacaang 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 Philippine Air Force (PAF): President Magsaysay asked what the operating costs per hour were
for that type of aircraft, then wrote a personal check to the PAF, covering the cost of his flight. He
restored the people's trust in the military and in the government.
His administration was considered one of the cleanest and most corruption-free in modern
Philippines history; the period of his presidency is often cited as the Philippines' Golden Years. Trade
and industry flourished, the Philippine military was at its prime, and the Filipino people were given
international recognition in sports, culture and foreign affairs. The Philippines placed second on a
ranking of Asia's clean and well-governed countries.

Carlos Polestico Garcia, commonly known as Carlos P. Garcia,

(November 4, 1896 June 14, 1971) was a Filipino teacher, poet, orator, lawyer, public official, political
economist, organized guerrilla and Commonwealth military leader, who was the eighth President of the
Philippines. Garcia entered politics in 1925, scoring an impressive victory to become Representative of
the Third District of Bohol. He was elected for another term in 1928 and served until 1931. He was
elected Governor of Bohol in 1933, but served only until 1941 when he successfully ran for Senate, but
he was unable to serve due to the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during the Second World War.
He assumed the office when Congress re-convened in 1945 after Allied liberation and the end of the war.
When he resumed duties as senator after the war, he was chosen Senate majority floor leader. [2] The press
consistently voted him as one of the most outstanding senators. Simultaneously, he occupied a position in
the Nacionalista Party. After his failed reelection bid, Garcia retired to Tagbilaran to resume as a
private citizen. On June 1, 1971, Garcia was elected delegate of the 1971 Constitutional Convention. The

convention delegates elected him as the President of the Convention. However, just days after his
election, on June 14, 1971, Garcia died from a fatal heart attack. He was succeeded as president of the
Convention by his former Vice-President, Diosdado Macapagal.[citation needed]
Garcia became the first layman to lie in state in Manila Cathedrala privilege until then limited to a
deceased Archbishop of Manilaand the first President to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.[

Diosdado Pangan Macapagal (September 28, 1910

April 21, 1997) was the ninth President of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965, and the sixth VicePresident, serving from 1957 to 1961. He also served as a member of the House of Representatives, and

headed the Constitutional Convention of 1970. He is the father of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was the
fourteenth President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010. A native of Lubao, Pampanga, Macapagal
graduated from the University of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas, after which he worked
as a lawyer for the government. He first won election in 1949 to the House of Representatives,
representing a district in his home province of Pampanga. In 1957, he became Vice-President under the
rule of President Carlos P. Garca, whom he defeated in the 1961 polls.
As President, Macapagal worked to suppress graft and corruption and to stimulate the Philippine
economy. He introduced the country's first land reform law, placed the peso on the free currency
exchange market, and liberalized foreign exchange and import controls. Many of his reforms, however,
were crippled by a Congress dominated by the rival Nacionalista Party. He is also known for shifting the
country's observance of Independence Day from July 4 to June 12, commemorating the day
President Emilio Aguinaldounilaterally declared the independence of the First Philippine Republic from
the Spanish Empire in 1898. He stood for re-election in 1965, and was defeated by Ferdinand Marcos,
who subsequently ruled for 21 years.
Under Marcos, Macapagal was elected president of the Constitutional Convention which would later draft
what became the 1973 Constitution, though the manner in which the charter was ratified and modified led
him to later question its legitimacy. He died of heart failure, pneumonia, and renal complications, in 1997,
at the age of 86. In the 1961 presidential election, Macapagal ran against Garcia's re-election bid,
promising an end to corruption and appealing to the electorate as a common man from humble
beginnings.[2] He defeated the incumbent president with a 55% to 45% margin. [4] His inauguration as the
president of the Philippines took place on December 30, 1961.

Marcos ran on a popular campaign as being a

bemedalled war hero emerging from World War II. In 1962, Marcos would claim to be the most
decorated war hero of the Philippines by garnering almost every medal and decoration that the Filipino
and American governments could give to a soldier.[26] Included in his 27 war medals and decorations are

that of the Distinguished Service Cross and the Medal of Honor.[26][37] However, the Liberal Party would
later confirm that many of his war medals were only acquired in 1962 to aid in his reelection campaign
for the Senate, not for his presidential campaign. [27] Marcos won the presidency in 1965. Marcos
declared martial law on September 22, 1972, by virtue of Proclamation 1081 which he signed on
September 21, 1972, extending his rule beyond the constitutional two-term limit. He justified this by
exposing the threats of Communist and Muslim insurgencies. [52] He would later tell historians that he
signed Proclamation No. 1081 as early as September 17.[53] Ruling by decree, he curtailed press
freedom and other civil liberties, closed down Congress and media establishments, and ordered the arrest
of opposition leaders and militant activists, including senators Benigno Aquino, Jr., Jovito
Salonga and Jose Diokno.[54][55] Marcos claimed that martial law was the prelude to creating his Bagong
Lipunan, a "New Society" based on new social and political values. In 1978, the position returned when
Ferdinand Marcos became Prime Minister. Based on Article 9 of the 1973 constitution, it had broad
executive powers, that would be typical of modern prime ministers in other countries. The position was
the official head of government, and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. All of the previous
powers of the President from the 1935 Constitution were transferred to the newly restored office of Prime
Minister. The Prime Minister also acted as head of the National Economic Development Authority. Upon
his reelection to the Presidency, Marcos was succeeded as Prime Minister by Cesar Virata in 1981.

Reluctant at first, Aquino was eventually prevailed upon to

heed the people's clamor, after one million signatures urging her to run for president were presented to
her. Despite this, the erstwhile favorite opposition candidate, Laurel, did not immediately give way to his
close friend's widow. Laurel was only convinced to run as Aquino's Vice Presidentupon the urging
of Jaime Cardinal Sin, the politically influential Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila. As a
compromise, Aquino agreed to run under Laurel's machinery, theUnited Nationalist Democratic
Organization (UNIDO), then the country's largest opposition party. With that, the Aquino-Laurel tandem
was formally launched to challenge Marcos and finally put an end to his two-decade rule. On February
22, 1986, disgruntled and reformist military officers led by then-Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and
GeneralFidel V. Ramos, surprised the entire nation and the international community when they announced
their defection from the Marcos government, citing strong belief that Aquino was the real winner in the
contested presidential elections. Enrile, Ramos, and the rebel soldiers then set up operations in Camp
Aguinaldo, the headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Camp Crame (headquarters of
the Philippine Constabulary) across Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA). Cardinal Sin appealed to the
public in a broadcast over Church-run Radio Veritas, and millions of Filipinos trooped to the part

of Epifanio De los Santos Avenue between the two camps to give their support and prayers for the rebels.
Immediately after assuming the presidency, President Aquino issued Proclamation 3, which established
a revolutionary government. She abolished the 1973 Constitution that was in force during Martial Law,
and by decree issued the provisional 1986 Freedom Constitution pending the ratification of a more
formal, comprehensive charter. This allowed her to exercise both executive and legislative powers until
the ratification of the 1987 Constitution and the restoration of Congress in 1987.[11]
Aquino promulgated two landmark legal codes, namely, the Family Code of 1987, which reformed
the civil law on family relations, and theAdministrative Code of 1987, which reorganized the structure of
the executive branch of government. Another landmark law that was enacted during her tenure was the
1991 Local Government Code, which devolved national government powers to local government units
(LGUs). The new Code enhanced the power of LGUs to enact local taxation measures and assured them
of a share in the national revenue. Aquino closed down the Marcos-dominated Batasang Pambansa to
prevent the new Marcos loyalist opposition from undermining her democratic reforms and reorganized
the membership of the Supreme Court to restore its independence.

Fidel Valdez Ramos AFP PLH GCMG (born

March 18, 1928), popularly known as FVR and Eddie, was the 12th President of the Philippines from
1992 to 1998. During his six years in office, Ramos was widely credited and admired by many for
revitalizing and renewing international confidence in the Philippine economy. Prior to his election as
President, Ramos served in the Cabinet of President Corazn Aquino, first as chief-of-staff of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP), chief of Integrated National Police, and later on, as Secretary of National
Defense from 1986 to 1991. In December 1991, Ramos declared his candidacy for President. However, he
lost the nomination of the then-dominant party Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) to House
Speaker Ramon Mitra, Jr. Days later, he bolted from the party LDP and cried foul and founded his own
party, the Partido Lakas Tao (People Power Party), inviting CebuGovernor Emilio Mario Osmea to be
his running mate as his Vice Presidential candidate. The party formed a coalition with the National Union
of Christian Democrats (NUCD) of Senator Raul Manglapus and the United Muslim Democrats of the
Philippines (UMDP) of Ambassador Sanchez Ali. Ramos and Osmea, together with Congressman (later

House Speaker) Jose de Venecia, campaigned for economic reforms and improved national security and
unity.
He won the seven-way race on May 11, 1992, narrowly defeating popular Agrarian Reform
Secretary Miriam Defensor Santiago. Despite winning, he garnered only 23.58% of the vote, the lowest
plurality in the country's history. The election results were marred by allegations of fraud. [5] These
allegations were resurrected when Wikileaks, in September 2011, released US Embassy reports
that Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi contributed Php5 million to finance Ramoss campaign. Philippine
election laws prohibit accepting contribution from foreigners. At the time of his assumption into power,
Ramos was the oldest person to become President of the Philippines at the age of 64. He was also the
first Protestant President of the country and the only Filipino officer in history to have held every rank in
the Philippine military from Second Lieutenant to Commander-in-Chief. The first few years of his
administration (19921995) were characterized by economic boom, technological development, political
stability and efficient delivery of basic needs to the people. During his time, he advocated party platforms
as outline and agenda for governance. As in his case, he was the first Christian Democrat to be elected in
the country, being the founder of Lakas-CMD (Christian-Muslim Democrats Party). He was one of the
most influential leaders and the unofficial spokesman of liberal democracy in Asia.

Estrada was elected President in 1998 with a wide

margin of votes separating him from the other challengers, and was sworn into the presidency on June 30,
1998. In 2000 he declared an "all-out-war" against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and captured its
headquarters and other camps.[2][3] However, allegations of corruption spawned an impeachment trial in
the Senate, and in 2001 Estrada was ousted by "People Power 2" after the prosecution walked out of the
impeachment court when the Senator-Judges voted "no" in the opening of the second envelope.
The EDSA 2 protests resulted from the concerted efforts of political, business, military, and church elites
who were displeased by Estrada's policies that included removal of sovereign guarantees on government
contracts.[4] In October 2000, the Daily Tribune reported about elite plans to "'constitutionally' oust
President Estrada under 'Oplan Excelsis."[5] Emil Jurado of the Manila Standard reported as early as 1999
about a PR demolition work designed to embarrass Estrada "by attributing to his administration all sorts
of perceived faults and scams with the end in view of covering up anomalies and scams also committed
during the Ramos administration." Former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo also admitted in an interview
with Nick Joaquin that he and then-Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson and certain military officials plotted

plans to oust Estrada in January 2001, with the alternative "plan B" being violent "with orders to shoot.
And not only in Metro Manila. Estrada was the first president to use a special name as his official address
name, combining his real family name, Ejercito, with his screen name, thus forming "Joseph Ejercito
Estrada".[15] Estrada was inaugurated on June 30, 1998 in the historical town
of Malolosin Bulacan province in paying tribute to the cradle of the First Philippine Republic. That
afternoon the new president delivered his inaugural address at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta. He
assumed office amid the Asian Financial Crisis and with agricultural problems due to poor weather
conditions, thereby slowing the economic growth to 0.6% in 1998 from a 5.2% in 1997. [16] The economy
recovered by 3.4% in 1999 and 4% in 2000.[17] In 2000 he declared an "all-out-war" against the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front and captured its headquarters and other camps.[2][3] However, allegations of
corruption spawned a railroaded impeachmenttrial in the Senate courtesy of house speaker Manuel Villar,
and in 2001 Estrada was ousted from a coup after the trial was aborted. Estrada returned to his old home
in San Juan. He maintained that he never resigned, implying that Arroyo's government was illegitimate.
The new government created a special court and charged him with plunder and had him arrested in April.
Filipino supporters marched to the EDSA Shrine demanding Estrada's release and his reinstatement as
president but were dispersed by high-grade teargas and warning shots from automatic rifles. On the
morning of May 1, the protesters marched straight to Malacaan Palace. Violence erupted and the
government declared a State of Rebellion. Many Filipino protesters were badly injured and arrested,
including politicians. The government called out the military and was able to quell the demonstration with
teargas and automatic rifles. The bloody uprising came to be known as EDSA III.
Estrada was initially detained at the Veteran's Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City and then
transferred to a military facility in Tanay, Rizal, but he was later transferred to a nearby vacation home,
virtually in house arrest. Under Philippine law, plunder had a maximum penalty of death, however the
death penalty was eventually repealed.

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (born April 5, 1947) is

a Filipino politician who served as the 14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, as
the 12th Vice President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, and as member of the House of
Representativesrepresenting the 2nd District of Pampanga since 2010. She was the country's
second female president (after Corazon Aquino), and the daughter of former President Diosdado
Macapagal. Arroyo is also the first duly elected female Vice President of the Philippines. [ The last quarter
of 2000 up to the first week of January 2001 was a period of political and economic uncertainty for the

Philippines. On January 16, 2001, the impeachment trial has also taken a new direction. Private
prosecutors walked out of the trial when pro-Estrada senators prevented the opening of an evidence (a
brown envelope) containing bank records allegedly owned by President Estrada. With the walk out, the
impeachment trial was not completed and the Filipinos eventually took to the street to continue the
clamor for President Estrada's resignation. From January 17 to 20, 2001, hundreds of thousands of
Filipinos gathered at Epifanio de los Santos Avenue(EDSA), the site of the original People Power
Revolution. The clamor for a change in the presidency gained momentum as various sectors of Philippine
society professionals, students, artists, politicians, leftist and rightist groups joined what became
known as EDSA II. Officials of the administration, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and
the Philippine National Police (PNP) also withdrew their support for President Estrada.
Days after leaving Malacaang Palace, President Estrada's lawyers questioned the legitimacy of Arroyo's
presidency before the Supreme Court. He reiterated that he did not resign as president and that at most,
Arroyo was just serving in an acting capacity. The high court, however, voted unanimously in upholding
the legitimacy of Arroyo's succession. As a consequence, Estrada no longer enjoys immunity from
charges being filed against him.
In the last week of April 2001, the Sandiganbayan ordered the arrest of Estrada and his son,
Senator Jinggoy Estrada, for plunder charges. A few days later, Estrada supporters protested his arrest,
gathered at the EDSA Shrine, and staged what they called, EDSA III comparing their actions to the
People Power revolution of 1986 and January 2001.
Thousands of protesters demanded the release of Estrada. Eventually, they also called for the ouster of
Arroyo and the reinstatement of the former. On May 1, 2001, they marched towards Malacaang to force
Arroyo to give in to their demands. Violence erupted when the protesters attempted to storm the
presidential palace and the military and police were forced to use their arms to drive them back. Arroyo
declared a state of rebellion because of the violence and prominent political personalities affiliated with
Estrada were charged and arrested. The so-called EDSA III was the first serious political challenge to the
Arroyo presidency.. article VII Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution explicitly states that the president of the
Philippines can only serve for one term. However, the same provision also implicitly states that a
president's successor who has not served for more than four years can still seek a full term for the
presidency. Although Arroyo falls under this category, she initially announced on December 30, 2002 that
she will no longer seek the presidency. She emphasized that she will devote her remaining months in
office to serving the people and improving the economy of the Philippines.
In October 2003, Arroyo changed her mind and announced that she will run for the May 2004 presidential
elections and seek a direct mandate from the people. She explained that, "there is a higher cause to change
society...in a way that nourishes our future". With her decision, the initial criticisms hurled against Arroyo
centered on her lack of word of honor.
As predicted by SWS exit polls, Arroyo won the election by a margin of over one million votes against
Poe. However, the congressional canvassing was quite contentious as opposition lawmakers in the
National Board of Canvassers argued that there were many discrepancies in the election returns and that
insinuations of cheating were raised. On June 23, 2004, Congress proclaimed Arroyo and Noli de
Castro as president and vice president, respectively. In November 2009, Arroyo formally declared her
intention to run for a seat in the House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of Pampanga,
making her the second Philippine President after Jose P. Laurel to pursue a lower office after the

expiration of their presidency.[28] A petition seeking to disqualify Arroyo from the race was dismissed by
the Comelec for lack of merit, a decision which was later affirmed by the Supreme Court. [29] With little
serious competition, she was elected to congress in May 2010 with a landslide victory. [30] After receiving
final military honors at the inauguration ceremony of incoming President Benigno Aquino III, she headed
straight to Pampanga for her own oath-taking as congresswoman. [31]
Despite being considered the strongest contender for Speaker of the House, Arroyo declined to seek the
position, hoping instead to take on a role similar to Sonia Gandhi, who was influential as merely the head
of her party.[32] On her first day as a lawmaker, Arroyo and her son Dato filed a resolution calling for
Congress to call a constitutional convention to propose amendments to the existing constitution.

Aquino is a fourth-generation politician: his greatgrandfather, Servillano "Mianong" Aquino, served as a delegate to the Malolos Congress; his
grandfather, Benigno Aquino, Sr., served as Speaker of the House of Representatives of the
Philippines from 1943 to 1944; and his parents were President Corazon Aquino and
Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. Aquino is a member of the Liberal Party.[8] In the Liberal Party,

Aquino held various positions such as Secretary General and Vice President for Luzon. Aquino is
theChairman of the Liberal Party. On November 26, 2008, the Liberal Party elected Mar Roxas, president
of the Liberal Party, as the standard-bearer of the Liberal Party forPresident of the Philippines in the thenupcoming 2010 presidential elections.[23]

Following the death and funeral of Aquino's mother, former President Corazon Aquino, many people
began calling on Aquino to run forPresident of the Philippines.[4] This groundswell of support became
known as the "Noynoy Phenomenon".[24]
On August 27, 2009, Edgardo "Eddie" Roces, son of the late Chino Roces, former publisher and owner
of The Manila Times, and a group of lawyers and activists formed the Noynoy Aquino for President
Movement (NAPM), a nationwide campaign to collect a million signatures in order to persuade Aquino to
run for president,[25] reminiscent of Roces' father, who on October 15, 1985, launched the Cory Aquino for
President Movement (CAPM), collecting more than one million signatures nationwide, asking Aquino's
mother to run against Ferdinand Marcos in the 1986 presidential snap elections. The Presidency of
Benigno S. Aquino III began at noon on June 30, 2010, when he became the fifteenth President of
the Philippines, succeeding Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo..

The presidential transition began on June 9, 2010, when the Congress of the Philippines proclaimed
Aquino the winner of the 2010 Philippine presidential elections held on May 10, 2010, proclaiming
Aquino as the President-elect of the Philippines.[6][7] The transition was in charge of the new presidential
residence, cabinet appointments and cordial meetings between them and the outgoing administration.
Aquino is the:

Third-youngest person to be elected president, and the fourth-youngest president after Emilio
Aguinaldo, Ramon Magsaysay andFerdinand Marcos.[3]

First president to be a bachelor and has no official consort, being unmarried and having no
children.[3]

Second president not to drink alcoholic beverages; the first president not to drink alcohol
was Emilio Aguinaldo.[3]

Eighth president to be a smoker.[3]

First graduate of Ateneo de Manila University to become president.[3]

Third president who will only hold office in Malacaang Palace, but not be a resident,
following Corazon Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos.[3]

First president to make Bahay Pangarap his official residence.[39][40]

Third president to use his second given name, Simeon, as his middle initial, as Manuel L.
Quezon and Jose P. Laurel did (Like his grandfather and father used his second name as well). [2][3][4]

Second president to be a child of a former president (Former President Corazon Aquino).

First president to be a former student of a former president (Former President Gloria MacapagalArroyo, the daughter of former President Diosdado Macapagal).