Presidents of the Philippines and their Achievements and Contributions
I this page, I’ e listed all the p eside ts of the Philippi es f o the fi st to the p ese t ti e
a d
compiled some of their notable achievements. This list starts from the ratification of the Philippine
Constitution in the First Republic – after the independence of the country in 1898. Thus, this list starts
from the ratification of 1899 constitution where Emilio Aguinaldo was the president of the Republic of
the Philippines. The dates followed by their names are the dates of their terms.
Presidents of the Philippines from past to present:
1
General Emilio Aguinaldo (January 23, 1899 – April 1, 1901)
To make it easier for you to master, always remember why Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo was on the 5-peso bill
(which is not used anymore, instead his head-profile is on the 5-peso coin) bearing the Philippine flag at
the ele atio of the Philippi e I depe de e Da , it’s e ause he as the fi st p eside t of the
Philippines First Republic (a.k.a. Malolos Republic).
Contributions and Achievements of Emilio Aguinaldo:
first president
youngest president – he e a e the ou t ’s leade at age
longest-lived president – he died when he was 94 (wow!)
one of the active leaders of KKK
signed the Pact of Biak na Bato
known as the President of the Revolutionary Government
he fought against the Spanish and American to retain our independence
2
Manuel L. Quezon (November 15, 1935 – August 1, 1944)
Notable facts about Manuel Luis Quezon is that, he is k o as the Fathe of Natio al La guage A a
g Wika g Pa a sa a d he died i “a a a Lake, Ne Yo k due to tu e ulosis. I’ e see his life-sized
wax statue inside the Quezon Memorial Circle, it was well crafted.
Contributions and Achievements of Manuel L. Quezon:
first Senate president elected as President of the Philippines
first president elected through a national election
first president under the Commonwealth
he created National Council of Education
he i itiated o e ’s suff age in the Philippines during the Commonwealth
he made Tagalog / Filipino as the national language of the Philippines
he appears on the twenty-peso bill
a province, a city, a bridge and a university in Manila were named after him
his body lies within the special monument on Quezon Memorial Circle
3
Jose P. Laurel (October 14, 1943 – August 17, 1945)
Laurel was the third to sit at the office during Japanese occupation of World War II. He was the only
Filipino president to have been shot outside of combat.
Contributions and Achievements of Jose P. Laurel:
he was considered as the legitimate president of the Philippines
he organized KALIBAPI (Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas).
he declared Martial Law in 1944
he and his family developed the establishment of Lyceum of the Philippines
4
Sergio Osmeña (August 1, 1944 – May 28, 1946)
Sergio Osmeña was the second president of the Commonwealth; he succeeded Quezon after his death.
Contributions and Achievements of Sergio Osmena:
he was 65 when he became president– making him the oldest president to hold office
he was the first Visayan to become president
he joined US Gen. Douglas McArthur in Leyte on October 20, 1944 starting the freedom of the
Philippines from the Japanese during World War II
during his time, the Philippine National Bank has been rehabilitated and the country joined the
International Monetary Fund
on his time, the Bell Trade Act was approved by the US Congress
Sergio Osmena appears on the 50 peso bill
5
Manuel Roxas (May 28, 1946 – April 15, 1948)
Roxas was the fifth president of the Philippines overall but he was considered as the third and last
president under the Commonwealth and the first of the Third Republic of the Philippines. He only sat in
the office for 1 year, 10 months and 18 days.
Contributions and Achievements of Manuel A. Roxas:
was inaugurated as the new and first president of the new Republic because the Philippines was finally
free after the WW II
in his time, the country has started reconstruction from war damage and the Philippines started
breathing without foreign rule
under his term, the Philippine Rehabilitation Act and Philippine Trade Act laws were accepted by the
congress
he is in the 100 peso bill
6
Elpidio Quirino (April 17, 1948 – December 30, 1953)
He was the vice president at Roxas time. He became president when the latter died in 1948.
Contributions and Achievements of Elpidio Quirino:
under his term Hukbalahap movement was active
he created Social Security Commission
he also created Integrity Board to monitor graft and corruption
in 1948, Quezon City was the capital of the Philippines
peso and dollar exchange rate at his time was 1 US = P2
7
Ramon Magsaysay (December 30, 1953 – March 17, 1957)
He was born in Iba, Zambales, was a military governor, and engineer. He died on a plane crash on Dec.
, oa di g the p eside tial pla e a ed Mt. Pi atu o
Contributions and Achievements of Ramon Magsaysay:
was a chairman of the Committee on Guerilla Affairs
was the first president sworn into office wearing Barong Tagalog in his inauguration
his p eside
as efe ed as the Philippi es’ Golde Yea s fo it as the lea est a d ze o-corruption
the Philippi es as a ked d i Asia’s lea a d ell-governed countries
he established National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA) among his agrarian
reforms
8
Carlos P. Garcia (March 18, 1957 – December 30, 1961)
Another lawyer, Carlos P. Garcia was a poet, teacher, and guerilla leader too. Born from Bohol, he was
the vice president of Magsaysay and secretary of Foreign Affairs for 4 years. He became president when
Magsaysay died in 1957.
Contributions and Achievements of Carlos P. Garcia
he as k o fo Filipi o Fi st Poli
he established the Austerity Program focusing on Filipino trade and commerce
as k o as the P i e of Visa a Poets a d the a d f o Bohol
cultural arts was revived during his term
was the first president to have his remains buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani
9
Diosdado Macapagal (December 30, 1961 – December 30, 1965)
He was born in Lubao, Pampanga, Diosdado Macapagal is the father of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the
14th and second woman president of the Philippines. He was a lawyer and a professor, too.
Contributions and Achievements of Diosdado Macapagal:
he established the first Land Reform Law
he placed the Philippines currency – peso, on the currency exchange market
he ade Ju e
as the Philippi es’ I depe de e Da
he signed the Minimum Wage Law
he signed the creation of the Philippine Vete a ’s Ba k
10
Ferdinand Marcos (December 30, 1965 – February 25, 1986)
Born from Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, Ferdinand Edralin Marcos was a lawyer and Senate President for 3 years.
He was president for 21 years and only quit office after the People Power Revolution. His wife, Imelda
Marcos became quite popular in the world too. His term was the most controversial and messy one
because of Martial Law and People Power although Marcos has contributed a lot of nice things in the
Philippines. He was one of the best and brightest presidents even though their family was rumored to
have embezzled public funds to Switzerland and other wealthy countries.
Contributions and Achievements of Ferdinand Marcos:
he was the first president to win a second term
he declared Martial Law on Sept. 22, 1972
he increased the size of Philippine military and armed forces
in 1980, GNP was 4 times greater than 1972
in 1986, the Philippines was one of the most indebted countries in Asia
he built more schools, roads, bridges, hospitals and infrastructures than all former presidents did
combined
is the only president whose remains interred inside a refrigerated crypt
Source: CC BY SA 2.0 by Philippinepresidency Flickr photostream
11
Corazon Aquino (February 25, 1986 – June 30, 1992)
The first woman president of the Philippines and the first woman president in Asia, Cory Aquino is the
wife of Benigno Aquino Jr. (who was assassinated during Marcos regime). She was born in Paniqui,
Tarlac
Contributions and Achievements of Corazon Aquino:
as a ed Wo a of the Yea i
Ti e agazi e
first woman president of the Philippines and Asia
she’s k o to i g a k de o a i the ou t
she abolished 1973 Marcos Constitution brought the new Constitution of the Philippines
she reorganized the structure of the executive branch of government
signed the Family Code of 1987 and 1191 Local Government Code
she always initiated charitable and social activities helping the poor and the needy
she’s ee ited as a ode -day Joan of Arc by many
she is in the new 500 peso bill together with her husband Ninoy Aquino
she has received great honors and awards such as one of:
100 Women Who Shaped World History
20 Most Influential Asians of the 20th Century
65 Great Asian Heroes
a recipient of J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding
Source: CC BY SA by Philippinepresidency Flickr Photostream
12
Fidel V. Ramos (June 30, 1992 – June 30, 1998)
FVR was the chief-of-staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines before he became president. Unknown
to a , he’s also a i il e gi ee . He ought a k e o o i g o th and stability in the country in spite
of the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997. He is the first and only non-Catholic president of the Philippines.
Contributions and Achievements of Fidel V. Ramos
du i g his ti e, the Philippi es as ited as Asia’s Ne t Economic Tiger because he brought back
economic growth
the Philippines celebrated Centennial Independence in 1998
he’s the o l Filipi o ho e ei ed B itish K ighthood f o the U ited Ki gdo , esto ed Quee
Elizabeth II (Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George)
he led the 4th APEC Summit held in the Philippines
his Philippi es
isio
ade the Philippi e “to k E ha ge o e of the est i the o ld i the id90s
Death Penalty was reinstated at his time
he signed peace talks and agreement with the MNLF
13
Joseph Estrada (June 30, 1998 – January 20, 2001)
Known as Erap, he was the first president who was a famous film actor. His governance had so many
downs due to controversies, impeachment and slow economic growth. I think he’s the fi st p eside t
who has been impeached and the second one who was forced to leave the office because of People
Power III in Edsa. Philippine economy was at its worst because of leadership uncertainty.
Co t i utio s a d A hie e e ts of Joseph E ap Est ada:
du i g his ti e, the MILF’s head ua te s a d a ps e e aptu ed
he joined other leaders and politicians who supported against the Charter Change
was cited as one of the Three Outstanding Senators in 1989
as a o g the Mag ifi e t
ho oted for the termination of the Philippines and US Military Bases
Agreement from Clark Airbase and Subic Naval Base
Source: CC BY Piercing Pens Flickr Photostream
14
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (January 20, 2001 – June 30, 2010)
Gloria Arroyo, daughter of ex-president Diosdado Macapagal, was the second female president of the
Philippines. She was 14 when she moved and lived in the Malacanang Palace. Oakwood Mutiny occurred
on her term. There were also lots of messy controversies against Gloria like impeachments and the Hello
Garci disgrace but Gloria has known to have contributed big record for road, bridges infrastructures and
higher economic growth than the past 3 presidents term did. Amid the 2008 global financial crisis, the
Philippines still had an impressive GDP growth and it was so hard to keep it afloat but she did.
Contributions and Achievements of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo:
second female president of the country
first and only female vice-president of the Philippines so far (to date)
first president to had oath taking outside Luzon
an ex-professor of Economics at the Ateneo de Manila University where Noynoy Aduino was one of her
students
an ex- lass ate of fo e U“ p eside t Bill Cli to at Geo geto U i e sit ’s Walsh “ hool of Fo eig
Service where she ai tai ed Dea ’s list status
she regained higher economic growth than the past 3 presidents before her
Philippine economy grew at its fastest in 3 decades in 2007, GDP exceeding 7% growth
US ex-p eside t Bill Cli to ited Glo ia’s tough de isio s because of her brilliant strategy to make the
country's economy back in shape amidst the 2008 global financial crisis
Peso became the best performing currency of the year in Asia in 2007
eVAT Law was implemented under her term
she is currently in the 200 peso bill
Source: CC BY Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Flickr Photostream
15
Benigno Aquino III (June 30, 2010 – present)
Son of the first female president of the Philippines and Asia – Corazon Aquino, Benigno Aquino III
Aquino a.k.a. NoyNoy joined the House of Representatives and the Senate before his presidency. He is
the first president who is a bachelor, unmarried and has no children.
Contributions and Achievements of Benigno Aquino III:
he created the no wang-wang policy and this was practiced on his inaugural address
he assigned the notable Jesse Robredo as the secretary of DILG in 2010.
he initiated the K-12 education in the Philippines
he renamed the Office of the Press Secretary into Presidential Communications Operations Office and
appointed new officers
he signed an EO about suspension of allowances and bonuses of GOCCs and GFIs board members
has paved peace in Mindanao thru the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement
in 2012, the Philippine economy grew 7.1% besting other South East Asian countries
List of Presidents of the Philippines
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Malacañan Palace, the official residence of the president
The President of the Philippines is the head of state governing the country. According to the Philippine
government, the office has been held by politicians who were inaugurated as President of the
Philippines following the ratification of a constitution that explicitly declared the existence of thePhilippines.
For leaders of the Philippines prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, see Datu. For leaders during the Spanish
colonial period and prior to the ratification of the 1935 constitution, see Governor-General of the Philippines.
The King of Spain was the head of state during the Spanish era (1565–1898) and the President of the United
States was the head of state during the American era (1898–1946). Note that the presidents under
the Commonwealth of the Philippines were under United States sovereignty, and that the president of the
Second Republic is considered to have been running a puppet government of the Japanese during World War
II although this puppet government of José P. Laurel during the Japanese occupation was officially considered
independent by the Japanese. Thus the Philippines had threePresidents during that war - one de facto and
two de jure, and two at the same time.[1]
Emilio Aguinaldo was president of the short-lived Malolos Republic between 1899 and 1901. Although the
republic never received foreign recognition, Filipinos consider Aguinaldo to be their first president. [2]
The colors in the following chart indicate the political party or coalition of each President at Election Day or at
the time of ascendancy.
Contents
[hide]
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1 Legend
2 List of Presidents
o
2.1 Notes
3 Timeline
4 Statistics
5 Unofficial Presidents of the Philippines
6 References
7 See also
8 External links
Legend[edit]
The following color-coding is applied to the table and the timeline below:


KALIBAPI

Lakas

KBL




Liberal
Nacionalista
NPC


PDP-LABAN
UNIDO
Independent
LAMP
List of Presidents[edit]
President
(Birth–Death)
1
Took
office
Left
office
January
Emilio
April 1,
[L
[L 2]
Aguinaldo 23, 1899
1901
1]
(1869–1964)
Party
Vice
President
Ter
m
Era
None; formerly
the Magdalo
faction of
theKatipunan[L 3]
None[L 4]
—
First Republic
(Malolos
Republic)
Abolished; occupied by the US Civil Governors of the Philippine Islands from July 4, 1901 to
November 15, 1935.
2
Manuel L.
Novembe August 1,
Quezon
Nacionalista
Sergio
1
Insular
Government
Commonwealt
(1878–1944)
r 15, 1935
1944[L 5]
Osmeña
h
2
3
José P.
Laurel
(1891–1959)
4
Sergio
Osmeña
(1878–1961)
August
October
17, 1945[L
14, 1943
6]
August 1,
1944
May 28,
1946
KALIBAPI[L 7]
(Caretaker government
under Japanese
occupation)
None[L 8]
—
Nacionalista
Vacant
2
Second
Republic
Commonwealt
h
(Restored)
5
Manuel
Roxas
(1892–1948)
May 28,
1946
April 15,
1948[L 9]
Liberal
Elpidio
Quirino
3
Third Republic
Vacant
6
Elpidio
Quirino
(1890–1956)
April 17, December
1948
30, 1953
Liberal
Fernando
Lopez
4
7
Ramon December March 17,
Magsaysay 30, 1953 1957[L 10]
(1907–1957)
Nacionalista
Carlos P.
Garcia
5
Vacant
8
Carlos P.
Garcia
(1896–1971)
9
March 18, December
1957
30, 1961
Diosdado December December
Macapagal 30, 1961 30, 1965
(1910–1997)
1
0
Nacionalista
Diosdado
Macapagal
6
Liberal
Emmanuel
Pelaez
7
Nacionalista
Fernando
Lopez
8
9
Ferdinand December February
25, 1986[L
Marcos
30, 1965
11]
(1917–1989)
1
0
Second
Dictatorship
"The New Society"
Vacant
KBL
10
Fourth
Republic
Arturo
Tolentino
11
1
1
1
2
Corazon
Aquino
(1933–2009)
Fidel V.
Ramos
(1928– )
February
June 30,
25, 1986[L
1992
12]
June 30,
1992
June 30,
1998
PDPLABAN / UNID
O
Salvador
Laurel
Lakas
Joseph
Estrada
12
Fifth Republic
1
3
Joseph
Estrada
(1937– )
January
June 30,
20, 2001[L
1998
13]
LAMP
Gloria
Macapagal
-Arroyo
13
Vacant
1
4
Gloria
Macapagal January
20, 2001
-Arroyo
Lakas / KAMPI
June 30,
2010
Teofisto
Guingona,
Jr.
(1947– )
Lakas-Kampi
Noli de
Castro
14
1
5
Benigno
Aquino III
(1960– )
June 30,
2010
Incumben
t
(Term
expires June
30, 2016)
Liberal
Jejomar
Binay
15