This article covers the history of thecurrent Philippine republican state following the1986 People Power Revolution, known as theFifth Philippine Republic.
The return of democracy and government reforms beginning in 1986 were hampered by national debt, government corruption,coup attempts,disasters, a persistentcommunist insurgency,[1] and a military conflict withMoro separatists.[2] DuringCorazon Aquino's administration, U.S. forces withdrew from thePhilippines, due to the rejection of theU.S. Bases Extension Treaty,[3][4] and leading to the official transfer to the government ofClark Air Base in November 1991 andSubic Bay in December 1992.[5][6] The administration also faced a series of natural disasters, including theeruption of Mount Pinatubo in June 1991.[7][8]
After introducing a constitution that limited presidents to a single term, Aquino did not stand for re-election.[9] Aquino was succeeded byFidel V. Ramos. During this period the country's economic performance remained modest, with a 3.6%[10] percent GDP growth rate.[11] Political stability and economic improvements, such as the peace agreement with theMoro National Liberation Front in 1996,[12] were overshadowed by the onset of the1997 Asian financial crisis.[13][14]
Ramos' successor,Joseph Estrada assumed office in June 1998 and under his presidency the economy recovered from −0.6% growth to 3.4% by 1999.[15][16][17] The government announced a war against theMoro Islamic Liberation Front in March 2000 and attacked various insurgent camps, including their headquarters.[18][19] In the middle of ongoing conflict with theAbu Sayyaf,[20] accusations of alleged corruption, and astalled impeachment process,Estrada was overthrown by the2001 EDSA Revolution and he was succeeded by hisVice President,Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on January 20, 2001.[21]
InArroyo's 9-year administration, her rule was tainted by graft and political scandals like theHello Garci scandal pertaining to the alleged manipulation of votes in the2004 presidential elections.[22][23][24][25] On November 23, 2009, 34 journalists and several civilians weremassacred in Maguindanao.[26][27]
Benigno Aquino III won the2010 national elections and served as the15thpresident of the Philippines.[28] TheFramework Agreement on the Bangsamoro was signed on October 15, 2012, as the first step of the creation of an autonomous political entity namedBangsamoro.[29] However, aclash that took place inMamasapano,Maguindanao killed 44 members of thePhilippine National Police-Special Action Force and put the efforts to pass theBangsamoro Basic Law into law in an impasse.[30][31] Tensions regarding territorial disputes in easternSabah and theSouth China Sea escalated.[32][33][34] In 2013, two more years were added to the country's ten-year schooling system for primary and secondary education.[35] In 2014 theEnhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, was signed, paving the way for the return ofUnited States Armed Forces bases into the country.[36][37][38][39]
FormerDavao City mayorRodrigo Duterte won the2016 presidential election, becoming the first president fromMindanao.[40] On July 12, 2016, thePermanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines in itscase against China's claims in the South China Sea.[41] After winning the Presidency, Duterte launched an intensified anti-drug campaign and took steps to deal with to fulfill a campaign promise of wiping out criminality in six months.[42] As of February 2019, the death toll for thePhilippine Drug War is 5,176.[43][44][45][46] In 2017, he oversaw thebattle of Marawi against insurgent groups, and therehabilitation of the city. The implementation of theBangsamoro Organic Law led to the creation of the autonomousBangsamoro region in Mindanao.[47][48]
Former senatorBongbong Marcos won the2022 presidential election, 36 years after thePeople Power Revolution which led to his family's exile inHawaii. He wasinaugurated on June 30, 2022.[49]
With thePeople Power Revolution,Corazon Aquino's assumption into power marked the restoration of democracy in the country. Aquino immediately formed a revolutionary government to normalize the situation, and provided for a transitional "Freedom Constitution" that restored civil liberties and dismantled the heavilyMarcos-ingrained bureaucracy— abolishing theBatasang Pambansa and relieving all public officials.[50]
The Aquino administration likewise appointed a constitutional commission that submitted a new permanent constitution that was ratified and enacted in February 1987.[51] The constitution crippled presidential power to declare martial law, proposed the creation of autonomous regions in theCordilleras andMuslim Mindanao, and restored the presidential form of government and the bicameral Congress.[52]
Progress was made in revitalizing democratic institutions and respect for civil liberties, but Aquino's administration was also viewed as weak and fractious, and a return to full political stability and economic development was hampered by several attempted coups staged by disaffected members of the Philippine military.[53] Aquino privatized many of the utilities the government owned, such as water and electricity. This practice was viewed by many as Aquino catering to oligarchic as well U.S. interests, losing the government's power of regulation.
Economic growth was additionally hampered by a series of natural disasters. In June 1991,Mount Pinatubo inCentral Luzonerupted, after being dormant for 600 years. It was the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. It left 700 dead and 200,000 homeless, and cooled global weather by 1.5 °C (34.7 °F).[54][55][56][57]
On September 16, 1991, despite lobbying by President Aquino, the Philippine Senate rejected a treaty that would have allowed a 10-year extension of the U.S. military bases in the country. The United States turned overClark Air Base inPampanga to the government in November,[6] andSubic Bay Naval Base inZambales in December 1992, ending almost a century of U.S. military presence in the Philippines.[5]
In the 1992 elections, Defense SecretaryFidel V. Ramos (Lakas-NUCD), endorsed by Aquino, won by just 23.6% of the vote, overMiriam Defensor Santiago (PRP),Eduardo Cojuangco, Jr. (NPC), House SpeakerRamon Mitra (LDP), former First LadyImelda Marcos (KBL), Senate PresidentJovito Salonga (LP) and Vice PresidentSalvador Laurel (NP).
Early in his administration, Ramos declared "national reconciliation" his highest priority. He legalized the Communist Party and created the National Unification Commission (NUC), chaired by lawyerManuel C. Herrera, to lay the groundwork for talks with communist insurgents, Muslim separatists, and military rebels. In June 1994, Ramos signed into law a general conditional amnesty covering all rebel groups, and Philippine military and police personnel accused of crimes committed while fighting the insurgents. In October 1995, the government signed an agreement bringing the military insurgency to an end.
A standoff with China occurred in 1995, when the Chinese military built structures on Mischief Reef in the disputedSpratly Islands claimed by the Philippines asKalayaan Islands.
Ramos was heavily criticized for his liberal economic policies,[58] such as passing an oil-deregulation law, thus inflating prices of gasoline products.[59] Ramos was also criticized for alleged corruption in his handling of the Philippine Centennial Exposition and the PEA-AMARI land deal, in which Ramos allegedly received kickbacks amounting to millions of pesos.[60]
A peace agreement with theMoro National Liberation Front (MNLF) under Nur Misuari, a major Muslim separatist group fighting for an independent Bangsamoro homeland inMindanao, was signed in 1996, ending the 24-year-old struggle. However an MNLF splinter group, theMoro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) under Salamat Hashim continued the armed Muslim struggle for an Islamic state.
The 1998 elections were won by former movie actor and Vice PresidentJoseph Ejercito Estrada (PMP-LAMMP) with overwhelming mass support, with close to 11 million votes. The other ten candidates included his closest rival and administration candidate, House SpeakerJose De Venecia (Lakas-NUCD-UMDP) with 4.4 million votes, SenatorRaul Roco (Aksyon Demokratiko), formerCebu governorEmilio Osmeña (PROMDI) andManila mayorAlfredo Lim (LP).
Estrada assumed office amid theAsian Financial Crisis. The economy did, however, recover from it. From a low −0.6% growth in 1998 to a moderate growth of 3.4% by 1999.[61][62][63][64][65][66] Like his predecessor there was a similar attempt to change the 1987 Constitution under a process termed as CONCORD or Constitutional Correction for Development. Unlike the proposed changes under Ramos and Arroyo, the CONCORD proposal, according to its proponents, would only amend the 'restrictive' economic provisions of the constitution that are considered as impediments to the entry of more foreign investments in the Philippines. However, Estrada was not successful in amending the constitution.
On March 21, 2000, President Estrada declared an "all-out-war" against theMoro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) after the worsening secessionist movement in Mindanao.[67][68] The government later captured 46 MILF camps including the MILF's headquarters: Camp Abubakar.[69][70][71]
In October 2000,Ilocos Sur governorLuis "Chavit" Singson, a close friend of Estrada, accused the President of receiving collections fromjueteng, an illegal numbers game.
On November 13, 2000, the House of Representatives impeached Estrada on grounds of bribery, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the constitution. His impeachment trial in the Senate began on December 7, but broke down on January 17, 2001, after 11 senators allied with Estrada successfully blocked the opening of confidential bank records that would have been used by the prosecution to incriminate the President. In response, millions of people massed up at the EDSA Shrine, where in 1986 thePeople Power Revolution had oustedMarcos, demanding Estrada's immediate resignation in what became known as "EDSA II". Estrada's cabinet resigned en masse and the military and police withdrew their support. On January 20, theSupreme Court of the Philippines declared the presidency vacant and swore in Vice PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo as the country's 14th President. Estrada and his family evacuated theMalacañan Palace soon after.
Nevertheless, Estrada himself stood before the Supreme Court on grounds that he did not resign, but just went on an indefinite leave. The Supreme Court upheld the legitimacy of Arroyo with finality on March 2, 2001.
Vice PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo (the daughter of the late PresidentDiosdado Macapagal) was sworn in as Estrada's successor on the day of his departure. Estrada and his allies later challenged the legitimacy of Arroyo's government, arguing that the transfer of power to Arroyo was unconstitutional because he did not resign from office, but the Supreme Court twice upheld Arroyo's legitimacy. After Estrada was arrested on plunder charges in April 2001, thousands of his supporters staged an "EDSA III" to demand his reinstatement through rallies, but by the early morning of May 1, the protesters marched to Malacañang Palace and attempted to storm the premises. The attempt failed when authorities arrived to quell the uprising outside Malacañang's gates. Arroyo's accession to power was further legitimated by the mid-term congressional and local elections held in May 2001, when her coalition won an overwhelming victory.[72]
Arroyo's initial term in office was marked by fractious coalition politics as well asa military mutiny in Manila in July 2003 that led her to declare a month-long nationwide state of rebellion.[72] Although she had declared in December 2002 that she would not contest the May 2004 presidential election, citing a need to heal divisiveness, she reversed herself in October 2003 and decided to run.[72] She was re-elected and sworn in for her own six-year term as president on June 30, 2004.
In 2005, a tape of a wiretapped conversation surfaced bearing the voice of Arroyo apparently asking an election official if her margin of victory can be maintained.[73] The tape sparked protests calling for Arroyo's resignation.[73] Arroyo admitted to inappropriately speaking to an election official, but denied allegations of fraud and refused to step down.[73] Attempts to impeach the president failed later that year.
Toward the end of her term, Arroyo spearheaded a controversial plan for an overhaul of the constitution to transform the presentunitary andpresidentialrepublic with abicameral legislature into afederalparliamentary government with aunicameral legislature.[74]
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On June 9, 2010, at theBatasang Pambansa Complex, inQuezon City, theCongress of the Philippines proclaimed Aquino as thePresident-elect of the Philippines,[75] following the2010 election with 15,208,678 votes,[76] whileJejomar Binay, the former mayor ofMakati, was proclaimed as theVice President-elect of the Philippines with 14,645,574 votes,[77] defeatingrunner-up for the vice presidency Mar Roxas, the standard-bearer of theLiberal Party for vice president.
Thepresidential transition began when Aquino won the2010 Philippine presidential election.[76] The transition was in charge of the new presidential residence, cabinet appointments and cordial meetings between them and theoutgoing administration.
On May 11, 2010, outgoingPresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo signed an administrative order, creating the Presidential Transition Cooperation Team.[78] Arroyo instructed outgoingExecutive SecretaryLeandro Mendoza to lead the transition team.[78] The transition team was created "to ensure peaceful, orderly and [efficient] transition on the 30th of June".[78] On June 9, 2010, the transition team started informal meetings with the Aquino transition team.[79]
On June 16, 2010, Aquino organized his transition team in a letter to outgoingPresidential Management Staff Secretary Elena Bautista-Horn.[80] Aquino appointed the members of his transition team; defeated runner-up for the vice presidencyMar Roxas, incomingExecutive SecretaryPaquito Ochoa, Jr., formerSecretary of EducationFlorencio Abad, formerSecretary of FinanceCesar Purisima, and Julia Abad, daughter of Florencio Abad and Aquino's chief of staff.[80]
The presidential residence of Aquino is theBahay Pangarap (English: House of Dreams),[81] located inside of Malacañang Park,[82] at the headquarters of thePresidential Security Group across thePasig River fromMalacañan Palace.[81][83] Aquino is the first president to makeBahay Pangarap his official residence.[84][85] Aquino refused to live inMalacañan Palace, theofficial residence of thePresident of the Philippines, or in Arlegui Mansion, the residence of former presidentsCorazon Aquino andFidel V. Ramos, stating that the two residences are too big,[81] and also stated that his small family residence at Times Street in Quezon City would be impractical, since it would be a security concern for his neighbors.[83]
Aquino named long-time friend,Paquito Ochoa, Jr., asExecutive Secretary.[86][87] Aquino appointedCorazon Soliman asSecretary of Social Welfare & Development, a position she once held under the Arroyo administration but later resigned in 2005.[87] On June 22, 2010,Leila de Lima accepted the offer to join the cabinet and later took over the helm of theDepartment of Justice on July 2, 2010.[88] On July 15, 2010,Vice PresidentJejomar Binay was appointed as chairman of HUDCC.[89] On June 24, 2010, Br.Armin LuistroFSC, president ofDe La Salle University, accepted the post ofSecretary of Education after meeting with the school's stakeholders.[90] On June 27, 2010, Aquino reappointed incumbentSecretary of Foreign AffairsAlberto Romulo.[91]
On June 29, 2010, Aquino officially named the members of his Cabinet, with Aquino himself asSecretary of the Interior and Local Government.[86] Aquino also announced the formation of atruth commission that will investigate various issues including corruption allegations against outgoing PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo. Aquino named formerChief JusticeHilario Davide, Jr. to head thetruth commission.[92]
The inauguration of PresidentBenigno Aquino III and Vice PresidentJejomar Binay was held at theQuirino Grandstand inLuneta Park,Manila on June 30, 2010.[93] The oath of office was administered byAssociate Justice of the Supreme Court of the PhilippinesConchita Carpio-Morales, who officially accepted Aquino's request to swear him into office,[94] reminiscent of the decision of his mother, who in 1986, was sworn into the presidency by Associate JusticeClaudio Teehankee.[95] Aquino refused to allowChief Justice of the Supreme Court of the PhilippinesRenato Corona to swear him into office, due to Aquino's opposition to the appointment of Corona by outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.[96] Aquino was congratulated by the PresidentBarack Obama of the United States,Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, and the government of Australia.[97]
In 2013, the government announced it was drawing up a new framework for potential peace talks with theNew People's Army.[98]
In 2015, aclash which took place in Mamasapano, Maguindanao killed 44 members of thePhilippine National Police-Special Action Force, resulting in efforts to pass theBangsamoro Basic Law reaching an impasse.[99][100]
Davao City mayorRodrigo Duterte ofPDP–Laban won the2016 presidential election by a landslide, garnering 39.01% or 16,601,997 of the total votes, becoming the firstMindanaoan to become president. On the other hand,Camarines Sur3rd District representativeLeni Robredo won with the second-narrowest margin in history, against SenatorBongbong Marcos.[101] On May 30, theCongress had proclaimed Rodrigo Duterte, despite his absence, as president-elect and Leni Robredo as vice president-elect.[102]
Thepresidential transition of Rodrigo Duterte began when Duterte won the2016 Philippine presidential election. The transition was in charge of the new presidential residence, cabinet appointments and cordial meetings between them and theoutgoing administration.
Duterte's presidency began followinghis inauguration on June 30, 2016, at theRizal Ceremonial Hall of theMalacañang Palace in Manila, which was attended by more than 627 guests.[103]
On July 12, 2016, thePermanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines in itscase against China's claims in the South China Sea.[41] On August 1, 2016, the Duterte administration launched a 24-hour complaint office accessible to the public through a nationwide hotline, 8888, and change the nationwideemergency telephone number from 117 to911.[104][105] By October 2016, one hundred days after Duterte took office, the death toll for thePhilippine Drug War passed 3,000 people.[106] As of February 2019, the death toll for thePhilippine Drug War is 5,176.[107][108][109][110]
In middle of October to November 2016, President Duterte announced numerous times his shift to ties with China and Russia. The president also blasted the United States andBarack Obama, as well as the United Nations and UN Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon, numerous times in various live interviews and speeches while in the Philippines, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei, and Laos.[111][112][113][114][115][116]
On November 8, 2016, the Supreme Court of the Philippines ruled in favor of the burial of the late president and dictatorFerdinand Marcos in theLibingan ng mga Bayani, the country's official cemetery for heroes, provoking protests from various groups.[117]
Duterte initiated the "Build, Build, Build" program in 2017 that aimed to usher the Philippines into a new "golden age of infrastructure"[118] and was expected to create more jobs and business opportunities, which, in turn, would sustain the country's economic growth and accelerate poverty reduction.[119] The construction industry needs two million more workers to sustain the program.[120][121] The program is made up of numerous projects in various sectors, such as air, rail, and road transport as well as other public utilities and infrastructures.[122][123] The country is expected to spend $160 billion to $180 billion up to 2022 for the public investments in infrastructure.[124] The program has been linked to supporting recovery fromthe COVID-19 pandemic.[125]
In 2017, Duterte signed theUniversal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which provides for free tuition and exemption from other fees in public universities and colleges for Filipino students, as well as subsidies for those enrolled in private higher education institutions. He also signed 20 new laws, including the Universal Health Care Act, the creation of theDepartment of Human Settlements and Urban Development, establishing a national cancer control program, and allowing subscribers to keep their mobile numbers for life.[126]
Duterte signed laws creating thePhilippine Space Agency and the departments ofhousing and urban development, andmigrant workers. He institutionalized anational identification system and thePantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, raised theage of sexual consent to 16, criminalizedchild marriage, simplified theadoption process, and launched thePublic Utility Vehicle Modernization Program.
Duterte initiated liberal economic reforms by amending the Foreign Investment Act of 1991 and the Public Service Act to attract foreign investors, and reformed the country's tax system by signing theTax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law and the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act while raisingsin taxes on non-essential goods. He took measures to eliminatecorruption,red tape, andmoney laundering by establishing thefreedom of information under the Executive branch, signing the Ease of Doing Business Act, creating the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, and strengthening the Anti-Money Laundering Act. In agricultural policy, he liberalized rice imports by signing the Rice Tariffication Law to stabilize rice prices, granted free irrigation to small farmers, signed the Sagip Saka Act, and created atrust fund for coconut farmers.
Duterte signed the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act. He signed the automatic enrollment of all Filipinos under the government's health insurance program through the Universal Health Care Act, signed the Philippine Mental Health Law, signed a law establishingMalasakit Centers in public hospitals, ordered the full implementation of theReproductive Health Law,banned smoking in public places nationwide, and set a price cap on select medicines. Heoversaw theCOVID-19 pandemic in the country, implementingstrict lockdown measures causing in 2020 a 9.5% contraction in the country'sGDP, which eventually recovered to 5.6% in 2021 following gradual reopening of the economy and implementing anationwide vaccination drive.
Duterte's domestic approval rating has been relatively high throughout his presidency.
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Former SenatorFerdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. won the2022 Philippine presidential elections in the largest electoral victory since thefifth republic began in 1987, garnering 31,629,783 votes or 58.77% of the popular vote.[127] He defeated then-incumbent vice presidentLeni Robredo who was running theopposition's ticket for the presidency.[128] Marcos was proclaimed as the president-elect during the joint-session of congress on May 25, 2022, at theBatasang Pambansa Complex.[129] He was joined by members of the Marcos family, including the former first ladyImelda Marcos, and members of the Duterte family including then vice-president-electSara Duterte, who was also proclaimed during the same session.[130]
The presidential transition began when then-outgoing president Rodrigo Duterte signed on Administrative Order No. 47 which establishes the Presidential Transition Committee (PTC) and its internal transition committees in the executive departments and agencies of the executive branch. This precedent was done “to ensure a peaceful, orderly, and smooth transfer of powers to the next duly elected president.”[131]
The PTC was headed by Executive SecretarySalvador Medialdea. The PTC had begun official communiques to ensure the smooth transition of power by the Marcos camp. The meetings with the PTC however wouldn't occur until May 11 when then Marcos’ spokespersonVic Rodriguez announced that the Marcos camp and the Palace began informal meetings.[132]
Marcos’ presidency began followinghis inauguration on June 30, 2022, at the footsteps of theNational Museum of Fine Arts inManila. The inauguration was broadcast live on cable television and various streaming platforms such as YouTube and Facebook. Nearly twenty-one international leaders and dignitaries attended the inauguration includingChinese vice presidentWang Qishan[133] andSecond gentleman of the United StatesDouglas Emhoff.[134]
In terms of domestic policy, Marcos’ presidency aimed to mitigate the insinuating damages post-COVID-19. As the virus subsided, his presidency was credited to returning to normalcy. One of his major policies was the signing of Republic Acts No.11953 and11954 or the New Agrarian Emancipation Act and the Maharlika Investment Fund Act of 2023, respectively. The R.A. 11953 was signed into law that freed nearly 600,000 farmers from debt thru principal loans and financial burdens.[135] Meanwhile, R.A. 11954 was signed as the first sovereign-fund in the country, primarily controlled by the state.[136] R.A. 11954 was particularly provoked in controversy due to the past-dealings of the Marcos family during their first stay in Malacañang during his father's rule.
His domestic policies stimulated the regrowth of the Philippine economy and subsiding the lowest inflation rate in years.[137] However, his domestic policies did not answer directly the damages caused by shortages in sugar[138] and the increasing prices in rice grains.[139]
In foreign policy, Marcos took a tougher role with China and returned to the United States, revitalizing the deteriorating partnership between Manila andWashington D.C. from his predecessor's stern remarks and words against the then-Obama andTrump presidencies.[140] Marcos took a linear approach with theBiden administration's efforts in helping the Philippines in its ongoingstandoff with China in the South China Sea and promoted Western Investment opportunities to the Philippines.[141] This would materialize to billions of dollars in investment pledges in the country's economy and military.
His administration had been provoked for its shady dealings with certain legislative agendas and the building rift between him andVice President Sara Duterte-Carpio which began with the controversy surrounding Duterte-Carpio's office spending spree of $2.3 million in just eleven days.[142] These controversies prolonged as the divide between the Marcos and Duterte families began unraveling ahead of the2025 midterm elections.[143] The confidential funds issue in particular took a toll on public approval ratings for the president and vice president with double-digit declines being experienced.
Marcos remains in power with his term to expire in 2028.
Two US Navy personnel and one Philippine Marine soldier were killed when a land mine exploded along a road in Indanan, Sulu Tuesday morning, an official said. The American fatalities were members of the US Navy construction brigade, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. told GMANews.TV in a telephone interview. He did not disclose the identities of all three casualties.and
Former president is formally accused of electoral fraud after government rushed to court as she tried to leave country
President Corazon Aquino's government is overwhelmed by broken bridges, buried homes and lost crops.
Many complain that under President Fidel Ramos's liberal economic policies, entrenched business clans have been tightening their hold on major industries.
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