Diosdado Macapagal | |
|---|---|
 Macapagal in 1962. | |
| 9th President of the Philippines | |
| In office December 30, 1961 – December 30, 1965 | |
| Vice President | Emmanuel Pelaez |
| Preceded by | Carlos P. Garcia |
| Succeeded by | Ferdinand Marcos |
| 5th Vice President of the Philippines | |
| In office December 30, 1957 – December 30, 1961 | |
| President | Carlos P. Garcia |
| Preceded by | Carlos P. Garcia |
| Succeeded by | Emmanuel Pelaez |
| Member of theHouse of Representatives fromPampanga's1st district | |
| In office December 30, 1949 – December 30, 1957 | |
| Preceded by | Amado Yuzon |
| Succeeded by | Francisco Nepomuceno |
| 2nd President of the1971 Philippine Constitutional Convention | |
| In office June 14, 1971 – January 17, 1973 | |
| President | Ferdinand Marcos |
| Preceded by | Carlos P. Garcia |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| 5thPresident of the Liberal Party | |
| In office December 30, 1957 – January 21, 1961 | |
| Preceded by | Eugenio Pérez |
| Succeeded by | Ferdinand Marcos |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Diosdado Pangan Macapagal (1910-09-28)September 28, 1910 |
| Died | April 21, 1997(1997-04-21) (aged 86)[1] Makati, Philippines |
| Resting place | Libingan ng mga Bayani,Taguig,Metro Manila, Philippines 14°31′11″N121°2′39″E / 14.51972°N 121.04417°E /14.51972; 121.04417 |
| Political party | Liberal (1949–1997) |
| Other political affiliations | UNIDO (1980–1988) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4, includingArturo andGloria |
| Relatives |
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| Alma mater | |
| Profession |
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| Signature |  |
Diosdado Pangan Macapagal Sr.GCrM,KGCR (Tagalog:[djosˈdadomakapaˈɡal];[2] September 28, 1910 – April 21, 1997) was the ninthpresident of the Philippines, serving from 1961 to 1965. He served as the 5thvice president from 1957 to 1961 underCarlos P. Garcia. He also served as a member of theHouse of Representatives, and headed theConstitutional Convention of 1970. He was the father ofGloria Macapagal Arroyo, who followed his path as President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010. Diosdado Macapagal Sr is one of the few presidents with doctoral degrees, earning a Doctors of Civil Law degree and a PHD in Economics degree fromUniversity of Santo Tomas.
Known as "The Poor Boy From Lubao", he was a native ofLubao, Pampanga. Macapagal graduated from theUniversity of the Philippines andUniversity of Santo Tomas, both inManila, after which he worked as a lawyer for the government. He first won the election in 1949 to the House of Representatives, representing the1st district in his home province ofPampanga. In 1957, he became vice president under the rule of PresidentCarlos P. Garcia, whom he later defeated in the1961 election.
As president, Macapagal worked to suppress graft and corruption and to stimulate the growth of 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 rivalNacionalista Party. He is also known for shifting the country's observance ofIndependence Day from July 4 to June 12, commemorating the day PresidentEmilio Aguinaldo unilaterally declared the independence of theFirst Philippine Republic from theSpanish Empire in 1898. He stood for re-election in1965 but was defeated byFerdinand Marcos.
Under Marcos, Macapagal was elected president of the 1970 constitutional convention that would later draft what became the1973 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, andrenal complications, in 1997, at the age of 86.
Macapagal was also a poet in the Spanish language, though his poetic oeuvre was eclipsed by his political biography.[citation needed]
Diosdado Macapagal was born on September 28, 1910, at Barrio San Nicolas inLubao,Pampanga. He was the third of five children in a poor family.[3] His father was Urbano Romero Macapagal, a poet who wrote in the localPampangan language, and his mother was Romana Pangan Macapagal, daughter of Atanacio Miguel Pangan (a formercabeza de barangay of Gutad,Floridablanca, Pampanga) and Lorenza Suing Antiveros. Urbano's mother, Escolástica Romero Macapagal, was a midwife and schoolteacher who taughtcatechism.[4]
Diosdado is a distant descendant of DonJuan Macapagal, a prince ofTondo, who was a great-grandson of the last reigninglakan of Tondo,Lakan Dula.[5] He is also related to well-to-do Licad family through his mother Romana, who was a second cousin of María Vitug Licad, grandmother of renowned pianist,Cecile Licad. Romana's own grandmother, Genoveva Miguel Pangan, and María's grandmother, Celestina Miguel Macaspac, were sisters. Their mother, María Concepción Lingad Miguel, was the daughter of José Pingul Lingad and Gregoria Malit Bartolo.[6]
Diosdado's family earned extra income by raising pigs and accommodating boarders in their home.[4] Due to his roots in poverty, Macapagal would later become affectionately known as the "Poor Boy from Lubao".[7] Diosdado was also a reputed poet in the Spanish language although his poetic work was eclipsed by his political career.
Macapagal excelled in his studies at local public schools, graduatingvaledictorian from Lubao Elementary School, andsalutatorian atPampanga High School.[8] He finished his pre-law course at theUniversity of the Philippines Manila, then enrolled atPhilippine Law School in 1932, studying on a scholarship and supporting himself with a part-time job as an accountant.[4][8] While in law school, he gained prominence as an orator and debater.[8] However, he was forced to quit schooling after two years due to poor health and a lack of money.[4]
Returning to Pampanga, he joined boyhood friendRogelio de la Rosa in producing and starring inTagalogoperettas patterned after classic Spanishzarzuelas.[4] It was during this period that he married his friend's sister, Purita de la Rosa, in 1938.[4] He had two children with de la Rosa, Cielo and Arturo.[7]
Macapagal raised enough money to continue his studies at theUniversity of Santo Tomas.[4] He also gained the assistance of philanthropist Don Honorio Ventura, the secretary of the interior at the time, who financed his education.[9] He also received financial support from his mother's relatives, notably from the Macaspacs, who owned large tracts of land in barrio Sta. Maria, Lubao, Pampanga. After receiving hisBachelor of Laws degree in 1936, he was admitted to thebar, topping the 1936 bar examination with a score of 89.95%.[8] He later returned to his alma mater to take up graduate studies and earn aMaster of Laws degree in 1941, aDoctor of Civil Law degree in 1947, and a PhD in economics in 1957. His dissertation had "Imperatives of Economic Development in the Philippines" as its title.[10]
After passing the bar examination, Macapagal was invited to join an American law firm as a practicing attorney, a particular honor for a Filipino at the time.[11] He was assigned as a legal assistant to PresidentManuel L. Quezon inMalacañang Palace.[8] During theJapanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II, Macapagal continued working in Malacañang Palace as an assistant to PresidentJosé P. Laurel, while secretly aiding the anti-Japanese resistance during the Allied liberation country from the Japanese.[8]
After the war, Macapagal worked as an assistant attorney with one of the largest law firms in the country,Ross, Lawrence, Selph and Carrascoso.[8] With the establishment of the independentThird Republic of the Philippines in 1946, he rejoined government service when PresidentManuel Roxas appointed him to theDepartment of Foreign Affairs as the head of its legal division.[7] In 1948, PresidentElpidio Quirino appointed Macapagal as chief negotiator in the successful transfer of theTurtle Islands in theSulu Sea from the United Kingdom to the Philippines.[8] That same year, he was assigned as second secretary to thePhilippine Embassy in Washington, D.C.[7] In 1949, he was elevated to the position of counselor on legal affairs and treaties, at the time the fourth-highest post in the Philippine Foreign Office.[12]
On the urging of local political leaders of Pampanga province, President Quirino recalled Macapagal from his position in Washington to run for a seat in theHouse of Representatives representing the1st district of Pampanga.[3] The district's incumbent, RepresentativeAmado Yuzon, was a friend of Macapagal, but was opposed by the administration due to his support by communist groups.[3] After a campaign that Macapagal described as cordial and free of personal attacks, he won a landslide victory in the1949 election.[3] He was re-elected in the1953 election, and served as a representative in the2nd and3rd Congress.
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At the start of the 1950 legislative session, the members of the House of Representatives elected Macapagal as chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and was given several foreign assignments.[12] He was a Philippine delegate to theUnited Nations General Assembly multiple times, taking part in debates over communist aggression withAndrei Vishinsky andJacob Malik of the Soviet Union.[12] He also took part in negotiations for theUS–RP Mutual Defense Treaty, theLaurel–Langley Agreement, and theJapanese Peace Treaty.[8] He authored the Foreign Service Act, which reorganized and strengthened the Philippineforeign service.[7]
As a representative, Macapagal authored and sponsored several laws of socio-economic importance, particularly aimed at benefiting rural areas and the poor. Amongst the legislation that Macapagal promoted, was the Minimum Wage Law, Rural Health Law, Rural Bank Law, the Law on Barrio Councils, the Barrio Industrialization Law, and a law nationalizing the rice and corn industries.[8] He was consistently selected by the Congressional Press Club as one of the Ten Outstanding Congressmen during his tenure.[8] In his second term, he was named most outstanding lawmaker of the 3rd Congress.[8]
In1955, Macapagal ran for a Senate seat but he lost and placed 9th.
In theMay 1957 general elections, theLiberal Party drafted Congressman Macapagal to run for vice president as the running-mate ofJosé Y. Yulo, a formerspeaker of the House of Representatives. Macapagal's nomination was particularly boosted by Liberal Party presidentEugenio Pérez, who insisted that the party's vice presidential nominee have a clean record of integrity and honesty.[3] While Yulo was defeated by Carlos P. Garcia of theNacionalista Party, Macapagal was elected vice president in an upset victory, defeating the Nacionalista candidate,José B. Laurel, Jr., by over eight percentage points. A month after the election, he was chosen as the president of the Liberal Party.[9]
As the first ever Philippine vice president to be elected from a rival party of the president, Macapagal served out his four-year vice presidential term as a leader of theopposition. The ruling party refused to give him aCabinet position in the Garcia administration, which was a break from tradition.[8] He was offered a position in the Cabinet only on the condition that he switch allegiance to the ruling Nationalista Party, but he declined the offer and instead played the role of critic to the administration's policies and performance.[7] This allowed him to capitalize on the increasing unpopularity of the Garcia administration. Assigned to performing only ceremonial duties as vice president, he spent his time making frequent trips to the countryside to acquaint himself with voters and to promote the image of the Liberal Party.[7]
| Presidential styles of Diosdado Macapagal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | His Excellency |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Alternative style | Mr. President |
In the1961 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.[4] He defeated the incumbent president by a 55% to 45% margin.[7] His inauguration as the president of the Philippines took place on December 30, 1961.[13] Thechief justice of theSupreme Court administered the oath of office. The Bible that Macapagal used was later used by his daughterGloria when she took her oath as Vice President in 1998 and as President in 2004.
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| Population | |
|---|---|
| 1961 | 29.20 million |
| Gross Domestic Product (1985 constant prices) | |
| 1962 |  ₱234,828 million |
| 1965 | ₱273,769 million |
| Growth rate, 1962–65 | 5.5 % |
| Per capita income (1985 constant prices) | |
| 1962 | ₱8,042 |
| 1965 | ₱8,617 |
| Total exports | |
| 1962 | ₱46,177 million |
| 1965 | ₱66,216 million |
| Exchange rates | |
| 1 US$ =₱3.80 1Ph₱ =US$0.26 | |
| Sources:Philippine Presidency Project Malaya, J. Eduardo; Malaya, Jonathan E. (2004)....So Help Us God: The Presidents of the Philippines and Their Inaugural Addresses. Manila: Anvil Publishing. | |
In his inaugural address, Macapagal promised a socio-economic program anchored on "a return to free and private enterprise", placing economic development in the hands of private entrepreneurs with minimal interference.[7]
Twenty days after the inauguration, exchange controls were lifted and thePhilippine peso was allowed to float on the free currency exchange market. The currency controls were initially adopted by the administration ofElpidio Quirino as a temporary measure, but continued to be adopted by succeeding administrations. The peso devalued from₱2.64 to the U.S. dollar, and stabilized at₱3.80 to the dollar, supported by aUS$300 million stabilization fund from theInternational Monetary Fund.[7]
To achieve the national goal of economic and social progress with prosperity reaching down to the masses, there existed a choice of methods. First, there was the choice between the democratic and dictatorial systems, the latter prevailing in communist countries. On this, the choice was easy as Filipinos had long been committed to the democratic method.[14] With the democratic mechanism, however, the next choice was betweenfree enterprise and the continuing of the controls system. Macapagal stated the essence of free enterprise in layman parlance in declaring before Congress on January 22, 1962, that "the task of economic development belongs principally to private enterprise and not to the government.[14]
Before independence there was free enterprise in the Philippines under PresidentsManuel Quezon,Sergio Osmeña andManuel Roxas. In 1950, President Elpidio Quirino deviated from free enterprise launching as a temporary emergency measure the system of exchange and import controls. The controls system was carried out by President Magsaysay and Garcia.[14]
The first fundamental decision Macapagal had to make was whether to continue the system of exchange controls of Quirino, Magsaysay and Garcia or to return to the free enterprise of Quezon, Osmena and Roxas.[14] It had been his view since he was a congressman for eight years that the suitable economic system for Filipinos was free enterprise. So on January 21, 1962, after working for 20 straight hours he signed a Central Bank decree abolishing exchange controls and returning the country to free enterprise.[14]
During the 20 days available to make a decision on the choice between controls and free enterprise, between his inauguration as president and before the opening ofCongress, Macapagal's main adviser was Andres Castillo, governor of theCentral Bank.
Further reform efforts by Macapagal were blocked by the Nacionalistas, who dominated the House of Representatives and the Senate at that time. Nonetheless, Macapagal was able to achieve steady economic progress, and annual GDP growth averaged at 5.53% for 1962–65.[7]
The removal of controls and the restoration of free enterprise was intended to provide only the fundamental setting in which Macapagal could work out economic and social progress.[14] A specific and periodic program for the guidance of both the private sector and the government was an essential instrument to attain the economic and social development that constituted the goal of his labors.[14]
Such a program for his administration was formulated under his authority and direction by a group of able and reputable economic and business leaders the most active and effective of which was Sixto Roxas III. From an examination of the planned targets and requirements of the Five-Year program – formally known as the Five-Year Socio-Economic Integrated Development Program – it could be seen that it aimed at the following objectives.[14]
Free enterprise was restored with decontrol. The Five-Year Economic Program had been prescribed. Land reform abolishing tenancy had been launched. These were essential foundations for economic and social progress for the greatest number.[14]
The essential foundations having been laid, attention must then be turned to the equally difficult task of building the mainedifice by implementing the economic program. Although the success of Macapagal's Socio-Economic Program in free enterprise inherently depended on the private sector, it would be helpful and necessary for the government to render active assistance in its implementation by the citizens.[14]
Such role of the government infree enterprise, in the view of Macapagal, required it (1) to provide the social overhead like roads, airfields and ports that directly or proximately promote economic growth, (2) to adopt fiscal and monetary policies salutary to investments, and most importantly (3) to serve as an entrepreneur or promote of basic and key private industries, particularly those that require capital too large for businessmen to put up by themselves. Among the enterprises he selected for active government promotion wereintegrated steel,fertilizer,pulp, meatcanning and tourism.[14]
LikeRamon Magsaysay, President Diosdado Macapagal came from the masses. He savored calling himself the "Poor boy from Lubao".[15] Ironically, he had little popularity among the masses.[15] This could be attributed to an absence any charismatic appeal owing to his stiff personality.[15] But despite this, Macapagal had certain achievements.[15] Foremost of these was the Agricultural Land Reform Code of 1963 (Republic Act No. 3844) which provided for the purchase of private farmlands with the intention of distributing them in small lots to the landless tenants on easy terms of payment.[15] It is a major development in history ofland reform in the Philippines,
In comparison with previous agrarian legislation, the law lowered the retention limit to 75 hectares, whether owned by individuals or corporations. It removed the term "contiguous" and established theleasehold system.[15] The share-tenancy or thekasama system was prohibited.[15] It formulated abill of rights that assured agricultural workers the right to self-organization and to aminimum wage. It also created an office that acquired and distributed farmlands and a financing institution for this purpose.[15] The major flaw of this law was, however, that it had several exemptions, such as ort (big capitalplantations established during theSpanish andAmerican periods); fishponds, saltbeds, and lands primarily planted tocitrus,coconuts,cacao,coffee,durian, and other similar permanent trees; landholdings converted toresidential,commercial,industrial, or other similar non-agricultural purposes.[15]
It was viewed that the 75-hectare retention limit was just too high for the growing population density. Moreover, this law merely allowed the transfer of thelandlordism from one area to another.[15] This was because landlords were paid in bonds, which he could use to purchase agricultural lands.[15] Likewise, the farmer was free to choose to be excluded from leasehold arrangements if he volunteered to give up the landholdings to the landlord.[15]
Within two years after the law was implemented, no[15] land was being purchased under its terms and conditions caused by thepeasants' inability to purchase the land.[15] Besides, thegovernment seemed lacking of strong political will, as shown by the Congress' allotment of only one million Philippine pesos for the implementation of this code. At least₱200 million was needed within a year from the enactment and implementation of the code, and₱300 million in the next three years for the program to be successful. However, by 1972, the code had benefited only 4,500 peasants covering 68 estates, at the cost of₱57 million to the government. Consequently, by the 1970s, farmers ended up tilling less land, with their share in the farm also being less.[15] They incurred more debts, depending on the landlord,creditors, andpalay buyers. Indeed, during the administration of Macapagal, the productivity of thefarmers further declined.[15]
One of Macapagal's major campaign pledges had been to clean out the government corruption that had proliferated under former President Garcia.[16] The administration also openly feuded with Filipino businessmenFernando Lopez andEugenio Lopez, brothers who had controlling interests in several large businesses.[7] The administration alluded to the brothers as "Filipino Stonehills who build and maintain business empires through political power, including the corruption of politicians and other officials".[17] In the1965 election, the Lopezes threw their support behind Macapagal's rival,Ferdinand Marcos, with Fernando Lopez serving Marcos' running mate.[17]
The Administration's campaign against corruption was tested byHarry Stonehill, an American expatriate with a $50-million business empire in the Philippines.[16] Macapagal's secretary of justice,Jose W. Diokno investigated Stonehill on charges of tax evasion, smuggling, misdeclaration of imports, and corruption of public officials.[16] Diokno's investigation revealed Stonehill's ties to corruption within the government. Macapagal, however, prevented Diokno from prosecuting Stonehill by deporting the American instead, then dismissing Diokno from the cabinet. Diokno questioned Macapagal's actions, saying, "How can the government now prosecute the corrupted when it has allowed the corrupter to go?"[16] Diokno later served as a senator.
Macapagal appealed to nationalist sentiments by shifting the commemoration of Philippine independence day. On May 12, 1962, he signed a proclamation which declared Tuesday, June 12, 1962, as a special public holiday in commemoration of the declaration of independence from Spain on that date in 1898.[18] The change became permanent in 1964 with the signing of Republic Act No. 4166.[19] For having issued his 1962 proclamation, Macapagal is generally credited with having moved the celebration date of the Independence Day holiday.[20][21] Years later, Macapagal told journalistStanley Karnow the real reason for the change: "When I was in the diplomatic corps, I noticed that nobody came to our receptions on theFourth of July, but went to the American Embassy instead. So, to compete, I decided we needed a different holiday."[22]
American historian Joseph Scalice alternatively argued that Macapagal's decision to move Independence Day from July 4 to June 12 stemmed from the souring of relations with the United States. On July 29, 1961, Carlos P. Garcia authorized the importation of 4.5 million kilos of US Virginia tobacco. On December 23, 1961, the Philippine Supreme Court ruled against a suit by local Virginia tobacco growers that prayed for the blocking of the importation. However, after becoming president, Macapagal declared the importation illegal and instructed theBureau of Customs to destroy the US tobacco shipments impounded in the docks of Manila.
US House Committee on Agriculture ChairHarold D. Cooley threatened to block a bill remunerating $72 million worth of war damages to the Philippines if the tobacco cannot be imported. Macapagal offered a compromise in which every kilo of imported US tobacco would be exchanged for four kilos of exported Philippine tobacco. Despite the Philippine Supreme Court overturning Macapagal's order and directing that the tobacco be allowed entry to the country, the war damages bill was terminated by the US House of Representatives on May 9, 1962.
Together with the Stonehill scandal, the Americans' refusal to pay war damages led to Macapagal canceling a state visit to the US. In 1962, he instead met withFrancisco Franco in Spain, where Macapagal delivered a speech about the Philippines having "historic ties" with its "mother country".[23]
On September 12, 1962, during President Diosdado Macapagal's administration, the territory of easternNorth Borneo (nowSabah), and the full sovereignty,[24][25] title and dominion over the territory were ceded by heirs of theSultanate of Sulu, Sultan Muhammad Esmail E. Kiram I, to the Republic of the Philippines.[26] The cession effectively gave the Philippine government the full authority to pursue their claim in international courts. The Philippines broke diplomatic relations with Malaysia after the federation had included Sabah in 1963.[27][28] It was revoked in 1989 because succeeding Philippine administrations have placed the claim in the back burner in the interest of pursuing cordial economic and security relations withKuala Lumpur.[29] To date, Malaysia continues to consistently reject Philippine calls to resolve the matter of Sabah's jurisdiction to theInternational Court of Justice.[30][unreliable source?] Sabah sees the claim made by the Philippines' Moro leader Nur Misuari to take Sabah to International Court of Justice (ICJ) as a non-issue and thus dismissed the claim.[31]
In July 1963, President Diosdado Macapagal convened a summit meeting in Manila in which a nonpolitical confederation for Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia,Maphilindo, was proposed as a realization ofJosé Rizal's dream of bringing together the Malay peoples, seen as artificially divided by colonial frontiers.[3]Maphilindo was described as a regional association that would approach issues of common concern in the spirit of consensus. However, it was also perceived as a tactic on the parts ofJakarta andManila to delay, or even prevent, the formation of theFederation of Malaysia. Manila had its own claim toSabah (formerlyBritish North Borneo),[3] and Jakarta protested the formation of Malaysia as aBritish imperialist plot. The plan failed whenSukarno adopted his plan of "konfrontasi" with Malaysia. The Konfrontasi, or Confrontation basically aimed at preventing Malaysia from attaining independence. The idea was inspired onto President Sukarno by the Partai Komunis Indonesia (PKI), or literally theIndonesian Communist Party. The party convinced President Sukarno that the formation of Malaysia is a form ofneo-colonization and would affect tranquility in Indonesia. The subsequent development ofASEAN almost certainly excludes any possibility of the project ever being revived.[3]
Before the end of his term in 1965, President Diosdado Macapagal persuaded Congress to send troops toSouth Vietnam. However this proposal was blocked by the opposition led by Senate PresidentFerdinand Marcos who deserted Macapagal'sLiberal Party and defected to theNacionalista Party.[32]
The US government's active interest in bringing other nations into the war had been part of US policy discussions as early as 1961. PresidentLyndon Johnson first publicly appealed for other countries to come to the aid of South Vietnam on April 23, 1964–in what was called the "More Flags" program.[32] Chester Cooper, former director of Asian affairs for the White House, explained why the impetus came from the United States instead of from the Republic of South Vietnam: "The 'More Flags' campaign ... required the application of considerable pressure for Washington to elicit any meaningful commitments. One of the more exasperating aspects of the search…was the lassitude …... of the Saigon government. In part ... the South Vietnam leaders were preoccupied with political jockeying. ... In addition, Saigon appeared to believe that the program was a public relations campaign directed at the American people."[32]
The senatorial election was held on November 12, 1963. Macapagal'sLiberal Party (LP) won four out of the eight seats up for grabs during the election – thereby increasing the LP's Senate seats from eight to ten.
Towards the end of his term, Macapagal decided to seek re-election to continue seeking reforms which he claimed were stifled by a "dominant and uncooperative opposition" in Congress.[7] With Senate President Ferdinand Marcos, a fellow member of the Liberal Party, unable to win his party's nomination due to Macapagal's re-election bid, Marcos switched allegiance to the rival Nacionalista Party to oppose Macapagal.[7]
Among the issues raised against the incumbent administration were graft and corruption, rise in consumer goods, and persisting peace and order issues.[7] Macapagal was defeated by Marcos in theNovember 1965 polls.
Macapagal announced his retirement from politics following his 1965 loss to Marcos. In 1971, he was elected president of theconstitutional convention that drafted what became the1973 Constitution. The manner in which the charter was ratified and later modified led him to later question its legitimacy. In 1979, he formed the National Union for Liberation as a political party to oppose the Marcos regime.
Following the restoration of democracy in 1986, Macapagal took on the role of elder statesman, and was a member of thePhilippine Council of State.[8] He also served as honorary chairman of the National Centennial Commission, and chairman of the board of CAP Life, among others.
In his retirement, Macapagal devoted much of his time to reading and writing.[8] He published his presidential memoir, authored several books about government and economics, and wrote a weekly column for theManila Bulletin newspaper.
Diosdado Macapagal died of heart failure,pneumonia andrenal complications at theMakati Medical Center on April 21, 1997.[1] He was accorded astate funeral and was interred at theLibingan ng mga Bayani on April 27, 1997.[33][34]
In 1938, Macapagal married Purita de la Rosa. They had two children, Cielo Macapagal-Salgado (who would later become vice governor of Pampanga) andArturo Macapagal. Purita died in 1943. Jose Eduardo Diosdado Salgado Llanes, is the eldest great grandson of Macapagal.[35]
On May 5, 1946, Macapagal marriedEva Macapagal, with whom he had two children,Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (who would later become president of the Philippines) and Diosdado Macapagal, Jr.
On September 28, 2009, Macapagal's daughter, PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo, inaugurated the President Diosdado Macapagal Museum and Library, located at his home town ofLubao, Pampanga.[36][37]
PresidentBenigno S. Aquino III declared September 28, 2010, as a special non-working holiday in Macapagal's home province of Pampanga to commemorate the centennial of his birth.[38]
He is featured in the200-peso note of the New Design Series (June 12, 2002 – 2013) and New Generation Currency (December 16, 2010–present).[citation needed]
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These house the personal books and memorabilia of Macapagal.
| Year | Office | Party | Votes received | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | P. | Swing | |||||
| 1949 | Representative (Pampanga–1st) | Liberal | — | 1st | — | Won | ||
| 1953 | — | 1st | — | Won | ||||
| 1955 | Senator of the Philippines | 1,454,200 | 28.82 | 9th | — | Lost | ||
| 1957 | Vice President of the Philippines | 2,189,197 | 46.55 | 1st | — | Won | ||
| 1961 | President of the Philippines | 3,554,840 | 55.05 | 1st | — | Won | ||
| 1965 | 3,187,752 | 42.88 | 2nd | — | Lost | |||
Philippines:
: Grand Cross of theGawad Mabini (GCrM) – (1994)
: Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of the Knights of Rizal (KGCR).[39]
Taiwan:_-_ribbon_bar.gif)
Grand Cordon of theOrder of Brilliant Jade (May 2, 1960)[40]
Japan:
Grand Cordon of the SupremeOrder of the Chrysanthemum (1962)
Spain:
Knight of the Collar of theOrder of Isabella the Catholic (June 30, 1962)
Italy:
Knight Grand Cross with Collar of theOrder of Merit of the Italian Republic (July 1962)
Vatican:
Knight with Collar of theOrder of Pius IX (July 9, 1962)
Pakistan:
Recipient of theNishan-e-Pakistan (July 11, 1962)
Sovereign Military Order of Malta:
Collar of theOrder pro merito Melitensi
Thailand:_ribbon.svg)
Knight of theOrder of the Rajamitrabhorn (July 9, 1963)
West Germany:
Grand Cross Special Class of theOrder of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (November 1963)Named after Diosdado Macapagal:
Diosdado P. Macapagal, 86, who as president of the Philippines from 1961 to 1965 introduced his nation's first tentative land reform law before being defeated for reelection by Ferdinand Marcos, died April 21 at a hospital here after a heart attack.
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
| House of Representatives of the Philippines | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theHouse of Representatives fromPampanga's1st district 1949–1957 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Vice President of the Philippines 1957–1961 | Succeeded by |
| President of the Philippines 1961–1965 | Succeeded by | |
| President of the 1971 Philippine Constitutional Convention 1971–1973 | Position abolished | |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | President of theLiberal Party 1957–1961 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Liberal nominee forVice President of the Philippines 1957 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Liberal nominee forPresident of the Philippines 1961,1965 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
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