GENERAL EMILIO FAMY AGUINALDO

President of the First Philippine Republic

Birthdate: March 22, 1869
Died: February 6, 1964
Term: 1898-1901
He was 29 years old when he became Chief of State, first as head of thedictatorship he
thought should be established upon his return to Cavite in May 1898 from voluntary exile in
Hongkong, and then a month later as President of the Revolutionary Government that Apolinario
Mabini had persuaded him should instead be instituted. Aguinaldos presidential term formally
began in 1898 and ended in April 1, 1901, when he took an oath of o to theUnited States a week
after his capture in Palanan, Isabela. His term also featured the setting up of the Malolos
Republic, which has its own Congress, Constitution, and national and local officialdom proving
Filipinos also had the capacity to build. Aguinaldo is best remembered for the proclamation of
Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898, in Kawit, Cavite.
MANUEL LUIS QUEZON

First President of the Commonwealth

Birthdate: August 19, 1887
Died: August 1, 1944
Term: 1935-1944
He won the elections held in September 1935 to choose the head of the Commonwealth
Government. It was a government made possible by the Tydings-McDuffie Law, which Quezon
secured from the U.S. He had a bachelor of arts degree, studied law, and landed fourth place in
the 1903 Bar examinations. He served in the revolution, fighting in Tarlac, Pampanga, and
Bataan, and ended up with the rank of major. He was appointed provincial fiscal of Mindoro and
Tayabas, his home province. He was elected governor of Tayabas in 1905 and in 1907, first
assemblyman from the province to the First Philippine National Assembly. In 1909, he was
appointed resident commissioner to the U.S. and when he finished his term after eight years, he
returned to the Philippines to become President of the Philippine Senate, created by the Jones
Law. He was also top man of the ruling Nacionalista Party.
SERGIO OSMENA

Second President of the Commonwealth

Birthdate: September 9, 1878
Died: October 19, 1961
Term: 1944-1946
He was elected Vice President of the Philippines in 1935 and succeeded Quezon to the
Presidency in-exile. Osmena was a notable figure in the struggle for independence. A lawyer, he
espoused the cause of independence through peaceful means as editor of the Cebu newspaper El
Nuevo Dia (New Day), which he founded in 1900. He served as fiscal of Cebu and Negros
Oriental. He was appointed governor of Cebu in 1904 and elected to the same post in 1906. In
1907, he was elected as representative of Cebu and later became speaker of the first Philippine
Assembly. In 1922, he was elected as senator. He headed important government missions to the
U. S. Osmena returned to the Philippines on October 20, 1944, together with Gen. Douglas
MacArthur. In February 1945, he took the reins of government.
JOSE LAUREL

President of the Japanese Sponsored Republic

Birthdate: March 9, 1891
Died: November 6, 1959
Term: 1943-1945
Became the President of the Philippines during the Japanese occupation of Worl War II.
He was elected by the National Assembly as President of the Republic on September 25, 1943
and inducted on October 14, 1943. This unicameral assembly was created through the
sponsorship of the Japanese authorities.
Laurels controversial Presidency during the Japanese Occupation (1943 - 1945) overshadowed
his achievements as legislator, jurist, writer, and administrator in the pre-war struggle for
independence. As an elected senator and later delegate to the Constitutional Convention, he
distinguished himself for his advocacy of womens suffrage and his sponsorship of the Bill of
Rights of the Constitution. He also became an associate justice of the Supreme Court.
MANUEL ACUNA ROXAS

Last President of the Commonwealth

Birthdate: may 28, 1946
Died: April 15,1948
Term:
He was popularly known as the First President of the Third Republic. He won the
elections by a slim margin. He was inaugurated on July 4, 1946, the day the U.S. government
granted political independence to its colony. Roxas was born in Capiz (now Roxas City), studied
law at UP and graduated with honors in 1913. He topped the Bar examinations in the same year,
was employed as private secretary to Chief Justice Cayetano Arellano, and taught law in 1915-
1916. His political career started when he was appointed as a member of the Capiz municipal
council. In 1919, he was elected as governor of Capiz. He was elected as congressman in 1922,
and in 1935, he was chosen as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. He was elected as a
senator in 1941 and eventually became Senate president. The short-lived Roxas administration
(1946 - 1948) embarked on a course that resulted in what were considered as his greatest
achievements, namely: the ratification of the Bell Trade Act; the inclusion of the Parity
Amendment in the Constitution; and the signing of the 1947 Military Bases Agreement. Roxas
was not able to complete his presidential term; he died from a heart attack at Clark Air base on
April 15, 1948.
ELPIDIO QUIRINO

Second President, Third Republic of the Philippines

Birthdate: November 16, 1890
Died: February 28, 1956
Term: 1948-1953
Political leader and second president of the Independence Republic of the Philippines.
Being the Vice President, he took over the Presidency after Roxas death. And, he managed to
retain the position after winning over Laurel in the infamous fraud-tainted 1949 elections.
Quirino was born in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, finished law studies at UP in 1915, and hurdled the Bar
examinations in the same year. His political career started with his election as a representative of
Ilocos Sur in 1919, then as a senator in 1925, and again reelected in 1931. President Quezon
appointed him as secretary of finance and then secretary of the interior in the Commonwealth
Government. As Roxas Vice President, he served concurrently first as secretary of finance and
later as secretary of foreign affairs.
The Quirino administration (1948 - 1953) focused on two objectives: 1) to regain faith and
confidence in the government; and 2) to restore peace and order. He was more successful in the
second objective breaking the back of the Hukbalahap Movement in Central Luzon. In
addition, he was credited with sponsoring the growth of industrial ventures, expanding irrigation,
improving the road system, and setting up the Central Bank and rural banking. It was also during
his term that the RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty was approved on August 30, 1951.
RAMON MAGSAYSAY

Third President of the Third Republic of the Philippines

Birthdate: August 31, 1907
Died: March 17, 1957
Term: 1953-1957
Best known for successfully defeating the communist led Hukbalahap Movement. Idol of
the masses, champion of democracy, and freedom fighter.
Popularly known as the guy, Magsaysay was born in Iba, Zambales. He took up mechanical
engineering at UP but ended up with a commerce degree from Jose Rizal College. He took a job
as a mechanic in the bus company Try-Tran and rose to become its branch manager. He attained
fame as an able guerilla leader in World War II and was subsequently named by MacArthur as
military governor of Zambales during the liberation. He was elected twice as a congressman after
the war. He was instrumental in having the U.S. Congress pass the G.I. Bill of Rights, which
accorded benefits to the Filipino war veterans. But his national prominence resulted from being
appointed defense secretary in the Quirino administration, successfully fighting the Huks, and for
being the friend of the common tao.
Many regard Magsaysay as the President whose heart truly bled for the common man. He toured
the barrios, opened up Malacanang to the public, solicited and acted upon their complaints, built
artesian wells and roads. He had Congress pass the Agricultural Tenancy Act of 1954, providing
greater protection to tenants.
Death came to Magsaysay when his plane crashed at Mount Pinatubo in the early morning of
March 17, 1957.
CARLOS POLESTICO GARCIA

Fourth President of the Third Republic of the Philippines

Birthdate: November 4, 1957
Died: June 14, 1971
Term: 1957-1961
Famous for his austerity program and policy. He maintained the storng tradition ties with
the United States and sought closer relation with non-communist Asian Countries.
He presided over the eight months of Magsaysays remaining term and went on to win the 1957
elections, the noisiest and the most expensive in Philippine history.
Garcia hailed from Talibon, Bohol. He finished his law studies at the Philippine Law School in
Manila. He passed the Bar examinations and was among the top ten.
His election as Bohol representative to the National Assemblly in 1952 marked his entry into
Philippine politics and public service one of the longest ever. He was again reelected as a
representative. In 1931, he started the first of this three terms as governor of Bohol. In 1941, he
was elected as a senator, but it was only in 1945 that he took office because of World War II. He
was again reelected as a senator and in 1953, he became Vice President to Magsaysay. He was
appointed in a concurrent capacity as secretary of foreign affairs.
Garcias administration (1957 - 1961) was anchored in his austerity program. It was also noted
for its Filipino First policy an attempt to boost economic independence.
DIOSDADO MACAPAGAL

Fifth President of the Third Republic of the Philippines

Birthdate:
Died:
Term: 1961-1965
Poet, political, lawyer, diplomat, statesman, economist and intellectual. He was born to
poverty but rose due to diligence and brilliance.
He presided over the eight months of Magsaysays remaining term and went on to win the 1957
elections, the noisiest and the most expensive in Philippine history.
Garcia hailed from Talibon, Bohol. He finished his law studies at the Philippine Law School in
Manila. He passed the Bar examinations and was among the top ten.
His election as Bohol representative to the National Assemblly in 1952 marked his entry into
Philippine politics and public service one of the longest ever. He was again reelected as a
representative. In 1931, he started the first of this three terms as governor of Bohol. In 1941, he
was elected as a senator, but it was only in 1945 that he took office because of World War II. He
was again reelected as a senator and in 1953, he became Vice President to Magsaysay. He was
appointed in a concurrent capacity as secretary of foreign affairs.
Garcias administration (1957 - 1961) was anchored in his austerity program. It was also noted
for its Filipino First policy an attempt to boost economic independence.
FERDINAND EDRALIN MARCOS

Sixth and last President of the Third Republic of the Philippines

Birthdate: September 11, 1917
Died: September 28, 1989
Term: 1981-1986
Philippine lawyer and politiian who ruled by martial law and was ousted by a peaceful
People Power Revolution in 1986.
He defeated Macapagal in the 1965 presidential elections. And the two-decade era of Marcos
(1965 - 1986) began.
Marcos was born in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte. He was a consistent scholar, took up Law at UP, and
graduated cum laude in 1939. At 19, he was charged with the murder of a political enemy of his
father. Thrown in jail, he reviewed for the nearing Bar examinations and topped it. Defeated at a
lower court, he argued his own case in an appeal before the Supreme Court and won an acquittal.
He joined the guerilla forces at the outbreak of war.
Marcos entered politics with an eye to eventually capturing the presidency. In his maiden
campaign in 1949, he said: Elect me your congressman now and Ill give you an Ilokano
President in 20 years. He won that election and was returned thrice to Congress as Ilocos
Nortes congressman. In 1959, he was elected to the Philippine Senate and in 1963, he became
its president. Completing the presidential term in 1969, he won a reelection . In 1972, he
declared martial law. The rest is history.
CORAZON COJUANGCO AQUINO

First President of the Fifth Republic of the Philippines and the first woman president of the
Philippines
Birthdate: January 25, 1933
Died:
Term: 1985-1992
President from 1986 to 1992, she is associated with the EDSA Revolt. No one could have
imagined that Cory Aquino would become a president of the Philippines. Although she was born
to the landed class in Tarlac, her background was so disparate from the patterns that cut
presidential figures. In 1946, her family left for the U.S. and she enrolled at Ravenhill Academy
in Philadelphia. She finished her junior and senior years at Notre Dame College in New York. In
1949, she entered Mount Saint Vincent College also in New York where she finished a Bachelor
of Arts course, major in French .
In 1953, she returned to the Philippines to take up law at the Far Eastern University. But, the
following year, she met and married Benigno Ninoy Aquino. Subsequently, she became content
to live in her husbands shadow and took the role of wife and mother to her five children.
However, Ninoys assassination in 1983 swept aside this role and catapulted her to the top
position of the country after the tumultuous events which followed the EDSA revolution in
February 1986.
She refused to run for reelection in the 1992 presidential elections; but instead endorsed and
worked very hard for her chosen candidate Fidel V. Ramos.
FIDEL VALDEZ RAMOS

Second President of the Fifth Republic of the Philippines

Birthdate: March 18, 1928
Term: 1992-1998
As head of the State his administration center piece program is the Philiipines 2000;
which aim to uplift the Philippines as a newly industialized country by the year 2000.
He was the military hero of the February 1986 Philippine People Power Revolution and victor of
the first multiparty presidential elections in 1992, thus becoming the 12th President of the
Republic of the Philippines.
Ramos was born on March 18, 1928, and grew up in Lingayen, Pangasinan. His father - Narciso
Ramos - was a lawyer, a crusading journalist, a five-term legislator of the House of
Representatives, and later, secretary of foreign affairs.
The Ramos administration has anchored its governance on the philosophy of People
Empowerment as the engine to operationalize economic growth, social equity, and national
solidarity. It is focusing on a five-point program: peace and stability; economic growth and
sustainable development; energy and power generation; environmental protection; and a
streamline democracy.
The six-year term of Ramos (1992 - 1998) is looked upon with much hope and optimism not
only because of his clear vision of the future but also because of his hands-on leadership style in
meeting the challenges faced by the country. Because of his leadership, the Philippines is
expected to attain full political stability, sustained economic development and social justice by
the turn of the 21st century.
JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA

Third President of the Fifth Republic of the Philippines

Birthdate: April 19,1937
Term: 1998-2001
Filipino film actor and director, later politician. He resigned after the impeachment trial
against him collapsed. Erap para sa mahirap is his popular slogan. Joseph Ejercity Estrada is the
first film actor to become president of a country next to Ronald Reagan. Because of his winning,
all sorts of showbiz politicians sprouted like happy mushrooms in the arena. His governance had
been through to numerous controversies and characterized by impeachments, slow economic
growth and was later on convicted guilty of plunder case. The first president who was literally
impeached and the second to flee the country by virtue of forced leave of office he was later on
replaced by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in aid of the People Power III in EDSA. Philippine
economy was at its worst because of his proven corrupt leadership
GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO

Fourth President of the Fifth Republic of the Philippines

Birthdate: April 5, 1947
Term: 2001-2010
The daugter of the late President Diosdado Macapagal. The second woman to be swept
into the Presidency by a peaceful People Power Revolution (EDSA II)
Gloria Arroyo, a Capampangan native and daughter of ex-president Diosdado Macapagal,
became the second female Philippine president. She was 14 back when she became familiar,
moved and lived in the Malacanang Palace as the daughter of the president.
The Oakwood Mutiny is her most popular seige during her tenure and is one of the first serious
attempts to overthrow her uprooted claim to power thru EDSA revolution. With controversies
and impeachments during her term, Gloria also got involved in the popular Hello Garci scandal
which was one of the biggest obvious unproven disgrace to a president.
BENIGNO Noynoy S. AQUINO III

15TH President of the Republic of the Philippines

Birthdate: February 8, 1960
Term: 2010-2015

Popularly known as PNoy, he is the son of the first female Philippine president
and of Asia Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. Real name is Simeon Benigno Aquino
III a.k.a. NoyNoy or PNoy joined the House of Representatives and the Senate
before his presidency.

He is the first bachelor Philippine president who is still unmarried to this day, May 10, 2014. He
is the only Philippine president I saw who had no idiot board and "codigo" of his speech during
SONA.

4 years of term led him to become popular with his mouth-stiff decisions and his SONA (state of
the nation address) promises, PNoy is an idol to many but a failure to the militant group critics.
His family is part owner of Hacienda Luisita which had been to the longest controversial Land
Reform Law subject to this day.
RODRIGO Digong DUTERTE

16th President of the Republic of the Philippines

Birthdate: March 28, 1945
Term: 2016-present
Rodrigo Duterte was born on March 28, 1945, in Maasin, Southern Leyte, Philippines.
The son of a regional governor, he graduated from law school in 1972 and joined the City
Prosecution Office of Davao City. Duterte became Davao City mayor in 1988, and was reelected
six times after forging a reputation for being tough on crime. He earned a decisive victory in his
country's 2016 presidential election, but soon drew criticism for his support of extrajudicial
killings and threats to cut diplomatic ties with the U.S. Duterte's rise from the legal ranks to
politician began when he was named special counsel at the City Prosecution Office of Davao
City in 1977. He became assistant city prosecutor two years later, and in 1986 he was elected
vice mayor of Davao City. That same year, President Ferdinand Marcos was ousted in the
"People Power Revolution," fueling an increase in crime that was particularly rampant in Davao
City. Elected mayor in 1988, Duterte sought to crack down on criminal activity by imposing a
strict curfew and drinking laws. Additionally, he permitted the actions of a vigilante "death
squad" often referred to as the "Davao Death Squad" and Duterte Death Squad that
reportedly killed more than 1,000 suspected drug dealers and gang members over a 20-year span.