Biography of

A Prominent
Filipino
Members: Moneque Ela BSA 1A
Gonzaga
Jameuel Elanga
Liane Joy Encarnacion
 José Rizal Biography
Activist, Journalist, Poet, Doctor
 On June 19, 1861, José Protacio Rizal
Mercado y Alonzo Realonda was born in
Calamba Laguna, Philippines. A brilliant
student who became proficient in multiple
languages. José Rizal studied medicine in
Manila in 1882, he travelled to Spain to
complete his medical degree.
 
While in Europe, José Rizal became part of the
Propaganda Movement, connecting with other
Filipinos who wanted reform. He also wrote his
first novel, Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not/The
Social Cancer), a work that detailed the dark
aspects of Spain's colonial rule in the Philippines,
with particular focus on the role of Catholic
friars. The book was banned in the Philippines,
though copies were smuggled in. Because of this
novel, Rizal's return to the Philippines in 1887
was cut short when he was targeted by police.
Rizal returned to Europe and continued to write
releasing his follow-up novel, El Filibusterismo
(The Reign of Greed) in 1891. He also published
articles in La Solidaridad, a paper aligned with
the Propaganda Movement. The reforms Rizal
advocated for did not include independence—he
called for equal treatment of Filipinos, limiting
the power of Spanish friars and representation
for the Philippines in the Spanish Cortes (Spain's
parliament).
 
Rizal returned to the Philippines in 1892, feeling
he needed to be in the country to effect change.
Although the reform society he founded, the Liga
Filipino (Philippine League), supported non-
violent action, Rizal was still exiled to Dapitan, on
the island of Mindanao. During the four years
Rizal was in exile, he practiced medicine and
took on students.
 Ramon Magsaysay Biography
President (non-U.S.) (1907–1957)
Ramon Magsaysay became the seventh
president of the Philippines in 1953, and is
credited with restoring law and order during the
Philippine crisis of the 1950s.
Born in the Philippines on August 31, 1907,
Ramon Magsaysay was the seventh president of
the Philippines (1953–57), best known for
successfully defeating the communist-led
Hukbalahap (Huk) movement in his country and
his popular appeal. He died in his country in
1957.
Ramon Magsaysay was born Ramon del Fierro
Magsaysay in Iba, a city in the Philippines, on
August 31, 1907. After attending the University
of the Philippines, Magsaysay transferred to the
Institute of Commerce at José Rizal College
(1928-1932), where he received a bachelor's
degree in commerce.
At the start of World War II, Magsaysay joined
the motor pool of the 31st Infantry Division of
the Philippine army. He was promoted to
captain, and was involved in clearing the
Zambales coast of the Japanese before to the
landing of American forces there.
Magsaysay was elected to the Philippine House
of Representatives in 1946, and was later re-
elected to a second term. During both terms, he
was chairman of the House National Defense
Committee.
Magsaysay was elected to the Philippine House
of Representatives in 1946, and was later re-
elected to a second term. During both terms, he
was chairman of the House National Defense
Committee.
Magsaysay did manage to enact agrarian reform,
giving some 90,000 acres to 4,500 indigent
families for settlement/farming purposes. He
also set up a process to hear and address citizen
grievances, and maintained a reputation for
incorruptibility throughout his presidency, all of
which went a long way toward ensuring his
popularity.
 Sadly, Ramon Magsaysay's term came to an
abrupt end on March 17, 1957, when his presidential
plane crashed, killing Magsaysay and 24 other
passengers. An estimated 5 million people attended
Magsaysay's burial on March 31, 1957, and
afterward, he was referred to in the Philippines as
the "Idol of the Masses."
In his honor, the Ramon Magsaysay Award,
considered "Asia's Nobel Prize," was established in
1957. In the spirit of Ramon Magsaysay's leadership,
the award recognizes integrity and courage among
individuals and organizations in Asia.
 Rodrigo Roa Duterte
President (2016-present)
Rodrigo Duterte was born on March 28, 1945, in
Maasin, Southern Leyte, Philippines. The son of a
regional governor, he graduated from law school in
1972 and joined the City Prosecution Office of Davao
City. Duterte became Davao City mayor in 1988, and
was reelected six times after forging a reputation for
being tough on crime. He earned a decisive victory in
his country's 2016 presidential election, but soon
drew criticism for his support of extrajudicial killings
and threats to cut diplomatic ties with the U.S.
Prone to misbehavior, Duterte was twice
expelled from elementary school. He managed
to channel his temper somewhat by the time he
attended Lyceum of the Philippines University,
where he was influenced by Communist Party of
the Philippines founder José María Sison.
Duterte went on to study law at San Beda
College, earning his degree in 1972 despite
claims that he shot a classmate.
Duterte's rise from the legal ranks to
politician began when he was named
special counsel at the City Prosecution
Office of Davao City in 1977. He
became assistant city prosecutor two
years later, and in 1986 he was
elected vice mayor of Davao City.
That same year, President Ferdinand Marcos was
ousted in the "People Power Revolution," fueling
an increase in crime that was particularly rampant
in Davao City. Elected mayor in 1988, Duterte
sought to crack down on criminal activity by
imposing a strict curfew and drinking laws.
Additionally, he permitted the actions of a
vigilante "death squad" — often referred to as
the "Davao Death Squad" and “Duterte Death
Squad” — that reportedly killed more than 1,000
suspected drug dealers and gang members over a
20-year span.
Nicknamed the "Punisher" for his controversial
methods, Duterte nevertheless was successful in
reducing crime. Furthermore, he was credited
with helping to make Davao City cleaner by
enforcing a smoking ban, and for his LGBT-
friendly measures. His popularity was such that
he served seven terms as mayor, sidestepping
term limits with stints as a congressman and
vice mayor, and drew huge ratings with a weekly
television program.
After initially dismissing the idea he
would run for president, Duterte
reversed course and threw his hat into
the race in late 2015. Among other
promises, he said he would establish a
new federal parliamentary government
and revive the country's steel industry.
Duterte was married to former flight
attendant Elizabeth Zimmerman from
1973 until an annulment was granted
in 2000. Two of their three children,
Paolo and Sara, followed their father
into politics. Additionally, Duterte has
a daughter with his common-law wife,
Honeylet Avanceña.
 Ferdinand Marcos Biography
President Dictator (1917–1989)
Known for running a corrupt,
undemocratic regime, Ferdinand
Marcos was the president of the
Philippines from 1966 to 1986 before
fleeing to the United States.
Ferdinand Marcos, born on September
11, 1917, in Ilocos Norte province, was
a member of the Philippine House of
Representatives (1949-1959) and
Senate (1959-1965) before winning the
presidential election. After winning a
second term, he declared martial law
in 1972, establishing with wife Imelda
an autocratic regime based on
widespread favoritism that eventually
lead to economic stagnation and
recurring reports of human rights
violations.
Marcos held onto the presidency until
1986, when his people rose against his
dictatorial rule and he was forced to flee.
He died on September 28, 1989 in exile in
Honolulu, Hawaii. Marcos held onto the
presidency until 1986, when his people
rose against his dictatorial rule and he
was forced to flee. He died on September
28, 1989 in exile in Honolulu, Hawaii.
When the Marcoses went into exile,
they took with them a reported $15
million. However, the government of
the Philippines was aware Marcos had
collected a far larger fortune. The
country's supreme court estimated he
had amassed $10 billion while in
office.  
Marcos wed singer and beauty queen 
Imelda Romualdez in 1954 after an 11-
day courtship, with the couple going
on to have three children: Maria
Imelda "Imee" (b. 1955), Ferdinand
"Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (b. 1957) and
Irene (b. 1960). The Marcoses later
adopted a fourth child, Aimee.
Marcos was inaugurated on December
30, 1965. His first presidential term
was notable for his decision to send
troops into the fray of the Vietnam
War, a move he had previously
opposed as a Liberal Party senator. He
also focused on construction projects
and bolstering the country's rice
production.
Marcos decreed martial law in 1972, with Imelda
eventually becoming an official who often
appointed her relatives to lucrative governmental
and industrial positions. (She would later be
known for accumulating upward of 1,000 pairs of 
shoes along with Manhattan luxury real estate.)
These acts were part of Marcos’ state-imposed
"crony capitalism," by which private businesses
were seized by the government and handed over
to friends and relatives of regime members, later
leading to much economic instability.
Though making domestic headway
over time with infrastructure projects
and harvesting, Marcos' administration
bolstered the military by huge
numbers (recruiting unqualified
personnel), curtailed public discourse,
took over the media and
imprisoned political opponents,
students and denouncers at will.
Marcos also oversaw a 1973 national
referendum that allowed him to hold power
indefinitely. Preceding a visit by 
Pope John Paul II, martial law ended in
January 1981. Marcos, serving as both
president and prime minister by this point,
resigned from the latter post, still retaining
the power to implement laws at his command
and imprison dissenters without due process.
In June 1981, he would win presidential
reelection for another six years, with his
political opponents boycotting the vote. 
On August 21, 1983, the previously jailed
Benigno Aquino Jr. returned from his long
exile to offer the Philippine people a new
face of hope, but he was shot and
killed as he stepped off the plane in
Manila. Countrywide demonstrations
followed in the wake of the killing. Marcos
launched a civilian-based independent
commission whose findings implicated
military personnel in Aquino's
assassination, although it has since been
suggested that Marcos or his wife had
ordered the murder.
Marcos managed to defeat Aquino and
retain the presidency, but his victory
was deemed by many to be fraudulent.
As word spread of the rigged election,
a tense standoff ensued between
supporters of Marcos and those of
Aquino, with thousands upon
thousands of citizens taking to the
streets to support a non-violent
military rebellion.
With his health failing and support for
his regime fading fast, on February 25,
1986, Ferdinand Marcos and much of
his family were airlifted from the
Manila presidential palace, going into
exile in Hawaii. Evidence was later
uncovered showing that Marcos and
his associates had stolen billions from
the Philippine economy. 
During World War II, Ferdinand Marcos
served as an officer with his country's
armed forces, later claiming that he was
also a top figure in the Filipino guerrilla
resistance movement. (U.S.
governmental records eventually
revealed these assertions to be false.) At
the end of the war, when the American
government granted the Philippines
independence on July 4, 1946, the
Philippine Congress was created.
After working as a corporate attorney,
Marcos campaigned and was twice
elected as representative to his
district, serving from 1949 to 1959. In
1959, Marcos took a seat in the
senate, a position he would hold until
he ran for and won the presidency in
1965 on the Nationalist Party ticket.