and, in pursuance of those policies, established the following

1. An agricultural leasehold system to replace all existing share tenancy systems in agriculture;
2. A declaration of rights for agricultural labor;
3. An authority for the acquisition and equitable distribution of agricultural land;
4. An institution to finance the acquisition and distribution of agricultural land;
5. A machinery to extend credit and similar assistance to agriculture;
6. A machinery to provide marketing, management, and other technical services to agriculture;
7. A unified administration for formulating and implementing projects of land reform;
8. An expanded program of land capability survey, classification, and registration; and
9. A judicial system to decide issues arising under this Code and other related laws and
regulations.
Maphilindo[edit]
Main article: Maphilindo
Maphilindo was a proposed nonpolitical confederation of Malaya, the Philippines, and Indonesia. It
was based on concepts developed during the Commonwealth government in the Philippines
by Wenceslao Vinzons and by Eduardo L. Martelino in his 1959 book Someday, Malaysia".[164]
In July 1963, President Diosdado Macapagal of the Philippines convened a summit meeting in
Manila. Maphilindo was proposed as a realization of Jos Rizal's dream of bringing together the
Malay peoples. However, this was perceived as a tactic on the parts of Jakarta and Manila to delay
or prevent the formation of the Federation of Malaysia. The plan failed when Indonesian
President Sukarno adopted his plan of Konfrontasi with Malaysia.[165]

Marcos era and martial law (19651986)[edit]

Main article: History of the Philippines (19651986)

The leaders of the SEATO nations in front of the Congress Building in Manila, hosted by Philippine President
Ferdinand Marcos on October 24, 1966. (L-R:) Prime Minister Nguyen Cao Ky (South Vietnam), Prime Minister
Harold Holt (Australia), President Park Chung-hee (South Korea), President Ferdinand Marcos (Philippines),
Prime Minister Keith Holyoake (New Zealand), Lt. Gen. Nguyn Vn Thiu (South Vietnam), Prime Minister
Thanom Kittikachorn (Thailand), President Lyndon B. Johnson (United States)

Macapagal ran for re-election in 1965, but was defeated by his former party-mate, Senate
President Ferdinand Marcos, who had switched to the Nacionalista Party. Early in his presidency,
Marcos initiated ambitious public works projects and intensified tax collection which brought the
country economic prosperity throughout the 1970s. His administration built more roads (including a
substantial portion of the Pan-Philippine Highway) than all his predecessors combined, and more
schools than any previous administration.[166] Marcos was re-elected president in 1969, becoming the
first president of the Philippines to achieve a second term. Opponents of Marcos, however, blocked
the necessary legislation to further implement his expansive agenda. Because of this, optimism
faded early in his second term and economic growth slowed.[167] Crime and civil disobedience
increased. The Communist Party of the Philippines formed the New People's Army in response to his
shaky hold over the nation and the Moro National Liberation Front continued to fight for an
independent Muslim nation in Mindanao. An explosion during the proclamation rally of the senatorial
slate of the Liberal Party on August 21, 1971 prompted Marcos to suspend the writ of habeas
corpus, which he restored on January 11, 1972 after public protests.

Martial law[edit]
Amidst the rising wave of lawlessness and the conveniently timed threat of a looming Communist
insurgency, Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972 by virtue of Proclamation No. 1081.
The Nacionalista president, ruling by decree, curtailed press freedom and other civil liberties,
abolished Congress, closed down major media establishments, ordered the arrest of opposition
leaders and militant activists, including his staunchest critics: senators Benigno Aquino, Jr., Jovito
Salongaand Jose Diokno.[168] The declaration of martial law was initially well received, given the
social turmoil the Philippines was experiencing.[169] Crime rates plunged dramatically after a curfew
was implemented.[170] Many political opponents were forced to go into exile.[citation needed]

A constitutional convention, which had been called for in 1970 to replace the colonial 1935
Constitution, continued the work of framing a new constitution after the declaration of martial law.
The new constitution went into effect in early 1973, changing the form of government from
presidential to parliamentary and allowing Marcos to stay in power beyond 1973. Marcos claimed
that martial law was the prelude to creating a "New Society" based on new social and political
values.[171] The economy during the 1970s was robust, with budgetary and trade surpluses.
The Gross National Product rose from P55 billion in 1972 to P193 billion in 1980. Tourism rose,
contributing to the economy's growth. However, Marcos, his cronies, and his wife, Imelda
Romualdez-Marcos, willfully engaged in rampant corruption.[172]

Fourth Republic[edit]
Marcos officially lifted martial law on January 17, 1981. However, he retained much of the
government's power for arrest and detention. Corruption and nepotism as well as civil unrest
contributed to a serious decline in economic growth and development under Marcos, whose own
health faced obstacles due to lupus. The political opposition decided to boycotted the 1981
presidential elections, which pitted Marcos against retired general Alejo Santos, in protest over his
control over the results.[168] Marcos won by a margin of over 16 million votes, which constitutionally
allowed him to have another six-year term. Finance Minister Cesar Virata was eventually appointed
to succeed Marcos as Prime Minister.[173]
In 1983, opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr. was assassinated at the Manila International
Airport upon his return to the Philippines after a long period of exile. This coalesced popular
dissatisfaction with Marcos and began a succession of events, including pressure from the United
States, that culminated in a snap presidential election in February 1986.[174] The opposition united
under Aquino's widow, Corazon Aquino. The official election canvasser, the Commission on
Elections (Comelec), declared Marcos the winner of the election. However, there was a large
discrepancy between the Comelec results and that of Namfrel, an accredited poll watcher. The
allegedly fraudulent result was rejected by Corazon Aquino and her supporters. International
observers, including a U.S. delegation, denounced the official results. [174] General Fidel Ramos and
Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile withdrew their support for Marcos. A peaceful civilian-military
uprising, now popularly called the People Power Revolution, forced Marcos into exile and installed
Corazon Aquino as president on February 25, 1986.

Fifth Republic (1986present)[edit]

Main article: History of the Philippines (1986present)
Further information: 198690 Philippine coup attempts

Administration of Corazon Cojuangco Aquino (19861992)[edit]

Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991.

Corazon Aquino immediately formed a revolutionary government to normalize the situation, and
provided for a transitional "Freedom Constitution".[175] A new permanent constitution was ratified and
enacted in February 1987.[176] The constitution crippled presidential power to declare martial law,
proposed the creation of autonomous regions in the Cordilleras and Muslim Mindanao, and restored
the presidential form of government and the bicameral Congress.[177] 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.[178]
Economic growth was additionally hampered by a series of natural disasters, including the 1991
eruption of Mount Pinatubo that left 700 dead and 200,000 homeless.[179] During the Aquino
presidency, Manila witnessed six unsuccessful coup attempts, the most seriousoccurring in
December 1989.[180] In 1991, the Philippine Senate rejected a treaty that would have allowed a 10year extension of the U.S. military bases in the country. The United States turned over Clark Air
Base in Pampanga to the government in November, and Subic Bay Naval Base in Zambales in
December 1992, ending almost a century of U.S. military presence in the Philippines.

Administration of Fidel Valdez Ramos (19921998)[edit]

In the 1992 elections, Defense Secretary Fidel V. Ramos (a.k.a. Eddie), endorsed by Aquino, won
the presidency with just 23.6% of the vote in a field of seven candidates. Early in his administration,
Ramos declared "national reconciliation" his highest priority and worked at building a coalition to
overcome the divisiveness of the Aquino years.[177] He legalized the Communist Party and laid the
groundwork for talks with communist insurgents, Muslim separatists, and military rebels, attempting
to convince them to cease their armed activities against the government. 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 peace agreement
with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), a major separatist group fighting for an independent
homeland in Mindanao, was signed in 1996, ending the 24-year old struggle. However, an MNLF

splinter group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front continued the armed struggle for an Islamic state.
Efforts by Ramos supporters to gain passage of an amendment that would allow him to run for a
second term were met with large-scale protests, leading Ramos to declare he would not seek reelection.[181] On his Presidency the death penalty was revived in the light of the Rape-slay case of
Eileen Sarmienta and Allan Gomez in 1993 and the first person to be executed was Leo
Echegarayin 1999.

Administration of Joseph Ejercito Estrada (19982001)[edit]

Joseph Estrada, a former movie actor who had served as Ramos' vice president, was elected
president by a landslide victory in 1998. His election campaign pledged to help the poor and develop
the country's agricultural sector. He enjoyed widespread popularity, particularly among the poor.
[182]

Estrada assumed office amid the Asian Financial Crisis. The economy did, however, recover from

a low 0.6% growth in 1998 to a moderate growth of 3.4% by 1999. [183][184][185][186][187][188] Like his
predecessor there was a similar attempt to change the 1987 constitution. The process is termed as
CONCORD or Constitutional Correction for Development. Unlike Charter change under Ramos and
Arroyo the CONCORD proposal, according to its proponents, would only amend the 'restrictive'
economic provisions of the constitution that is considered as impeding the entry of more foreign
investments in the Philippines. However it was not successful in amending the constitution.
On March 21, 2000 President Estrada declared an "all-out-war" against the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF) after the worsening secessionist movement in Midanao [189][190]The government later
captured 46 MILF camps including the MILF's headquarters', Camp Abubakar.[189][191][192] In October
2000, however, Estrada was accused of having accepted millions of pesos in payoffs from illegal
gambling businesses. He was impeached by the House of Representatives, but his impeachment
trial in the Senate broke down when the senate voted to block examination of the president's bank
records. In response, massive street protests erupted demanding Estrada's resignation. Faced with
street protests, cabinet resignations, and a withdrawal of support from the armed forces, Estrada
was forced from office on January 20, 2001.

Administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (20012010)[edit]

Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (the daughter of President Diosdado Macapagal) was
sworn in as Estrada's successor on the day of his departure. Her accession to power was further
legitimized by the mid-term congressional and local elections held four months later, when her
coalition won an overwhelming victory.[172] Arroyo's initial term in office was marked by fractious
coalition politics as well as a military mutiny in Manila in July 2003 that led her to declare a monthlong nationwide state of rebellion.[172] Later on in December 2002 she said would not run in the July
30, 1996 presidential election, but she reversed herself in October 2003 and decided to join the race
anyways.[172] 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 could be maintained. [193] The tape sparked protests
calling for Arroyo's resignation.[193] Arroyo admitted to inappropriately speaking to an election official,
but denied allegations of fraud and refused to step down.[193] Attempts to impeach the president failed
later that year. Halfway through her second term, Arroyo unsuccessfully attempted TP PUSH for an
overhaul of the constitution to transform the present presidential-bicameral republic into a federal
parliamentary-unicameral form of government, which critics describe would be a move that would
allow her to stay in power as Prime Minister.[194] Numerous other scandals (such as theMaguindanao
massacre, wherein 58 people were killed, and the unsuccessful NBN-ZTE Broadband Deal) took
place in the dawn of her administration. She formally ended her term as president in 2010 (wherein
she was succeeded by Senator Benigno Aquino III) and ran for a seat in congress the same year
(becoming the second president after Jose P. Laurel to run for lower office following the presidency).

Administration of Benigno Simeon Aquino III[edit]

Main article: Presidency of Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Aquino III began his presidency on June 30, 2010, the fifteenth President of the Philippines.
He is a bachelor and the son of former Philippines president Corazon C. Aquino. His administration
claimed to be focused on major reforms that would bring greater transparency, reduced poverty,
reduced corruption, and a booming market which will give birth to a newly industrialized nation.
However, just as with his predecessor, Aquino's administration has been marked with a mix of
success and scandal since his inauguration, beginning with the 2010 Manila hostage crisis that
caused deeply strained relations between Manila and Hong Kong for a time (affecting major events
such asWikimania 2013). The Sultanate of Panay, founded in 2011, was recognized by
the Lanao Advisory Council in 2012. Tensions regarding Sabah due to the Sultanate of Sulu's claim
gradually rose during the early years of his administration. Standoffs in Sabah between
The Sultanate of Sulu's Royal Army and the Malaysian forces struck in 2013. In 2012 the Framework
Agreement on the Bangsamoro was signed to create the Bangsamoro Government in Mindanao. In
response, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters(BIFF) was assembled by religious extremists
with the goal of seceding from the Philippines. In 2013, the Zamboanga City was attacked by a
faction of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) under Prof. Nur Misuari, and in the same
year, Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) struck the country, leading to massive rehabilitation efforts by
foreign world powers sending aid, inevitably devolving into chaos following the revelations that the
administration and that the government had not been properly handing out the aid packages and
preference for political maneuvering over the safety of the people, leading to mass deterioration of
food and medical supplies.