SOCIAL SCIENCE
The Social Science component
to the Licensure Examination for Teachers includes Philippine Government New
Constitution with Human Rights; Philippine History; Basic Economics, Taxation,
Agrarian Reform; Society, Culture with Family Planning; Rizal and Other Heroes;
Philosophy of Man; Arts; General Psychology; Information and Communication
Technology
PHILIPPINE HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT
The Philippines as a nation has passed through several stages
and has been under different colonial rule in the course of its history.
Discussed hereunder is the evolution of the Philippines together with the
different forms of government that had been implemented by the different
colonizers.
THE PRE-SPANISH GOVERNMENT
Before the Spaniards came to the Philippines there were
settlements composed of villages called barangay consisting of more or less 100
families. Every barangay was virtually a State for it possessed the four basic
elements of the state.
Each barangay was ruled by a
datu. He is the chief executive, law-giver, chief judge and military head. He
was assisted by the council of Elders called the Maginoos which served as his
advisers. In form the government in a barangay is monarchial nature with the
datu as the monarch.
Social classes in the barangay are divided into four: the
nobility or the maharlika; the freemen or the timawa; the serfs or the aliping
namamahay; and the slaves or aliping saguiguilid.
The early laws were both written and unwritten. The written
were promulgated by the datus. The two known written laws are the Maragtas Code
written by Datu
Sumakwel in 1250 AD and the Kalantiaw Code written by Datu Kalantiaw is 1433 AD both in Panay. The unwritten laws can be seen in Filipino culture, but the authenticity of the Code of Kalantiaw is doubtful.
The name Kalantiaw was heard first in an article entitled Civilizacion prehispana written by Manuel Rtigas and published in Renancimiento Filipino in July of 1913. It was mentioned in the said article that Daty Kalantiaw built a fort in Galangin, negros which was destroyed by an earthquake in the year A.D 435 he was also said to have enacted 16 laws in 1433 he used to govern his constituents.
Kalantiaws prominence started in 1914 when a certain Jose Marco donated five manuscripts to the Philippine Library & Museum which included Las antiguas leyendes de la Isla de Negros, a two volume leather bound to work which was supposedly written by a Friar Jose Maria Pavon between 1838 and 1839. Jose Marco has no definitive explanation where how and when he got Fr. Pavons manuscripts.
The Code of Kalantiaw was presumed to be one of the six documents that were supposedly translated before the arrival of the Spaniard in the Philippines. The Original Code was claimed to have been discovered in the possession of a Panay datu in 1614. In 1839 when Pavon wrote the documents the original copies were supposedly in hands of a certain Don Marcelio ORfila of Zaragoza. Howeever, when the Philippine government asked he government of spain for the return of the original Code of Kalantiaw in 1966, the descendants of Marcelio Orfila cannot be located and no records of that person or his descendants could be found in the city of Zaragoza.
To further confound the already confusing issue, Henry Otley Beyer, former head of the Anthropology Department of the University of the Philippines related a story to a certain colleague name Mauro Garcia. Otley Beyer told his friend that around 1840 a certain Fr. Pavon the parish priest of Hiammaylan, Negros was on possession of some important documents that supposedly forces Jose Marco’s father wh was the looters , stole what they thought was a chest of coins or jewelries.
When the chest was opened they
discovered that it was full of papers which were apparently the Pavon
Manuscripts.
When Marco explained the origin of the manuscripts to the
Philippine Studies Program at the University of Chicago in 1954, he declared
that the manuscripts were handed to him by an old cook who once worked at the
convent in Himamaylan where Pavon had lived. He added that the cook who was the
one who had stolen the manuscripts during the looting of the convenient in 1899
sold rthem to Marco in 1913, but this tory remains unverified to this day.
Modern historians no longer believed the authenticity of the
Pavon Manuscripts or the story of the Jose Marco. One major reasons to reject
the authenticity of the Code of Kalantiaw is the inadequacy of historical
evidence that would support its existence. More ever, there are no written or
pictorial documents from that time in Philippine history that will even suggest
the existence of the Code. There are also no documents from other countries
that mention the existence of great ruler banned Kalantiaw. On the other hand
the punishments in the cide were so barbaric and not regelctive of the humane
nature of ancient customs at that time allowed even the most serious
lawbreakers just to pay a fine or be placed into servitude for a period of time
in cases of debt.
The second reason is the lack of evidence for a Kalantiaw
legend. Many ardent admirers of the Datu, who disdain all historical evidence
to contrary, claim that he has long been a part of Visayan culture and
heritage. This is simply not true .
The Spaniards never recorded
any Filipino legend about Kalantiaw. If they were aware of such legend they had
no reason to suppress it because those Spaniards who were sympathetic to the
Filipinos could have presented the mere existence of the Code as proof that
their ancestors were civilized, just as many Filipinos do today, while
detractors could have pointed to the maniacal Datu himself as proof of their
savagery.
Even eminent scholars like Scott who doused his investigation
by tracing the original source of every reference to the pre-Hispanic history
of the Philippines in the available college text books in use at that time was
not convinced in the existence of the Code. Scott examined the original
documents available during his time and searched almost all archives to find
out the truth about Kalantiaw but Scott found out that Jose E. Marco
contributions to Philippine historiography appear to be deliberate fabrications
with no historic validity. There is therefore no present evidence that any
Filipino ruler by the name of Kalantiaw ever existed or that the Kalantiaw
penal code is any older than 1914.
For these and other causes, there is no compelling reason
supported by tangible evidence to believe the existence of this code or to
include the study of the code in Philippine history classes (Duka, 2008)
THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT
Spain’s title to the Philippines was based, on the discovery
of the Philippines by Ferdinand Magellan on march 16, 1521 and consummated by
the conquest of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi forty-five years later, Spain kept the
Philippines for almost four centuries until 1898 when the Philippines was ceded
by Spain to the United States by Virtue of the Treaty of Paris.
The Philippines was governed by the King of Spain through Mexico from 1565, to 1821, When Mexico gained its independence, the Philippines was ruled directly by Spain through the council of Indies from 1821 to 1837. In 1837, legislation for the Philippines was temporarily performed by the Council of Ministers. From 1863, the Ministry of Ultramar exercised general power of supervisions over Philippine affairs.
The Spanish government in the Philippines was centralized structure and national in scope. The barangays were consolidated into pueblos (towns) and headed by a govern adorcillo popularly called as Capitan and the towns into provinces headed by Gubernator who represents the Governor-General in the province. Cities governed under special Charters were created. Each of these cities had an Ayuntamiento or Cabildo (city council) Cebu was the first city to be established in 1565 in the Philippines. These second Manila in 1571.
The powers of government was exercised by the Governor-General
and ably assisted by the Board of Authorities and the Council of
Administration. The first Spanish governor-general was Miguel Lopez de Legaspi
and the last was Gen.Diego delos Rios.
To strengthen the judicial
system, Spain established the Royal Audiencia in 1583 in Cebu and Vigan, which
exercised appellate jurisdiction over criminal cases coming from the
surrounding areas. In 1886, the Courts were established in the town level.
Special courts were also
organized.
THE REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT
During the Spanish period, several forms of de facto government were established.
Among them were:
The Katipunan-The Katipunan was a secret society that precipitated the Philippine revolution against Spain on August 26, 1896. The Katipunan was organized by Andres BOnifacio. The central government of the Katipunan was vested in the Supreme Council. A Provincial Council was established in each province. A Popular Council was established in the town level. The judicial power was exercised by a Judicial Council or the Sangguniang Hukuman. After the execution of Bonifacio, another government was established by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo who acted as the first President of the Philippine Republic by virtue of the election in the Tejeros Convention on March 22, 1897.
The Biak-na-Bato Republic- On November 1, 1897 a republic was established by Gen. Aguinaldo in Biak na Bato. It had a Constitution which was to take effect for two years only. The republic lasted up to December 15, 1897, with the conclusion of the Pact of Biak na Bato.
The Dictatorial Government – Following the outbreak of the Spanish-American War on April 25, 1898, Gen. Aguinaldo established the Dictatorial Government on May 24, 1898. The most important achievements of the government were the proclamation of Philippine Independence at Kuwait, Cavite on June 12, 1898 and the reorganization of the local governments.
The Revolutionary Government – On June 23, 1898, Gen. Aguinaldo established the Revolutionary Government replacing the doctorial government. The aim of the new government was to struggle for the independence of the Philippines, until all nations including Spain expressly recognize it and to prepare the country for the establishment of a real republic.
The First Philippine Republic – On September 15, 1898, a
revolutionary congress of Filipino representatives met in Malolos, Bulacan and
framed the so-called Malolos Constitution. The Constitution established a free
and independent Philippine Republic which was inaugurated on January 23, 1899
with Gen. Aguinaldo as President. The Republic was not recognized by the family
of nations. It was nevertheless an organized government because it actually
existed from January 23, 1899 to March 23, 1901. In February 1899, the United
States annexed the Philippines as a result of the Spanish- American War and in
April 1901, Gen. Aguinaldo was captured.
THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
There were three kinds of government implemented by the Americans during their period:
The Military Government – The American military rule in the
Philippines started on April 14, 1898 the day after the capture of Manila. The
existence of war gave the President of the United States the power to establish
a Military government. His authority was delegated to the military governor who
exercised, as long as the war lasted, all powers of government – executive,
legislative, and judicial. The three American Military governors were: Gen.
Wesley Merrit, Gen. lElwell Otis and the last was Gen. Arthur Mc Arthur.
The Civil Government – The sponger Amendment ended the military regime in the Philippines. On July 4, 1901 a Civil government was inaugurated headed by a Civil Governor. On February 6, 1905, the title was changed to Governor-General, who exercised legislative powers.
He remained as President of the Philippines Commission, the sole lawmaking body of the government from 1901 to 1916. The Philippine commission acted as the upper house of the legislative branch with the Philippine Assembly serving as the lower house. With the passage of the Jones Law in 1916, these two bodies gave way to the Philippine legislature.
The Philippines was represented in the United States by two Resident Commissioners where elected by the Philippine Legislature. These Commissioners had seats in the United States of Representatives, receiving the same emoluments and other privileges as the American members of threat body, but without the right to vote.
The first Civil Governor was Judge William H. Taft (1901-1903). He was succeeded by Luke F. Wright (1904-1906) who was the first American to enjoy the title of Governor-General of the Philippines. The last Governor-General was Frank Murphy (1933-1935) who was also the first High Commissioner of the United States to the Philippines upon the inauguration of the Commonwealth government of the Philippines.
The Commonwealth Government- The next stage in the political development of the Filipinos was the establishment of the Commonwealth government of the Philippines the Filipinos was the establishment of the Commonwealth government of the Philippines
pursuant to an act of the
United States Congress on March 24, 1934, commonly known as the
Tydings-Mcduffie Law.
The law provided for a transition period of ten years during which the Philippine Commonwealth would operate until July 4, 1946, where in the independence of the Philippines would be proclaimed and established. The new government of the Philippines was inaugurated on November 15, 1935, following the first national election under the 1935 constitution held on September 12, 1935 with Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmeña as President and Vice President respectively.
The Commonwealth government of the Philippines was republican in form under the presidential type. The legislative power was vested in a unicameral National Assembly and later in a bicameral Congress composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Judicial power was vested in the Supreme Court and inferior courts provided by law. The government of the Commonwealth was automous in nature. The Filipinos had almost complete control over the domestic affairs, the United States retaining control only over matters involving foreign affairs.
During World War II, the
Commonwealth government functioned in exile in Washington from May 13, 1942 to October
3, 1944. I was reestablished in Manila on February 27, 1945 when Gen. Douglas
McArthur turned over to President Osmeña the full powers and responsibilities
of the Commonwealth government under the 1935 Constitution.
THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT
The Japanese Military
Administrator was established in Manila on January 3, 1942, one day after its
occupation. The Japanese High Command immediately terminated the sovereignty of
the United States over the Philippines.
A Civil government known as the Philippine Executive Commission was established with Jorge B. Vargas as its chairman. The Commission exercised both the executive and the legislative power. However, laws enacted were subjected to the approval of the Commander-in-chief of the Japanese forces. The Judiciary continued in the same manner as it had traditionally enjoyed independence.
On October 14, 1943, the so
called Japanese sponsored Republic of the Philippines was inaugurated with Jose
P. Laurel as President. Like the Commission, the ultimate source of its
authority was the Japanese military authority and government. On August
17,1945, President Laurel dissolved the Republic.
THE THIRD PHILIPPINE REPUBLIC
When the Philippines was
finally liberated from the hands of the Japanese, the Third Philippine Republic
was inaugurated on July 4 1946 with Manuel A. Roxas as president and Elpidio
Quirino as Vice President. Roxas died on April 16 1948, paving the way for the
Quirino presidency which lasted until 1953.
Quirino was followed by Ramon
Magsaysay, who was not able to finish his term when he died in a plane crash on
March 17, 1957. Carlos Garcia succeeded Magsaysay.
Garcia was followed by Diosdado Macapagal who served the country for only term. Macapagal was defeated by Ferdinand Marcos in the presidential election of 1965.
The Marcos Years. Marcos took his oath of office on December 30 1965. He was reelected in 1969, due to his outstanding performance as chief executive. However, before the end of his second term, Marcos made serious efforts to amend the 1935 Constitution which was in effect at that time. A Constitutional Convention was created which drafted the 1973 Constitution. But even before the framing of this charter was finished, Marcos issued Proclamation No. 1081 which placed the entire archipelago under Martial Law. By virtue of this declaration, the Congress was abolished, the opposition leader disappeared.
Marcos assumed the executive, legislative, and even judicial powers of the government. He virtually controlled all the aspects of the Philippine politics through his Presidential Decrees and through the Batasang Pambansa.
The Aquino Presidency. On February 7, 1986, Marcos called for a snap presidential election which was marked by rampant cheating presumably on both the administration candidates led by Marcos for President and Arturo Tolentino for Vice President and the opposition candidates led by Corazon Aquino for President and Salvador Laurel for Vice President.
This event led to the so
called EDSA Peoples Revolution from February 22-25, 1986 that paved the way for
the downfall of the 20years of Marcos presidency. Corazon Aquino was inducted
as the first lady President of the Philippines on February 25,1986 in Club
Filipino, San Juan, Matro Manila. Aquino issued Proclamation No. 3 on March 25,
1986 promulgating the Freedom Constitution. Thereafter, on June 2, 1986, she
appointed a Constitutional Commission composed of fifty members which drafted
the 1987 Constitution.
On February 2, 1987 the people
voted to ratify the Charter, thereby legalizing the restoration of democratic
government and institutions in the country. This was followed Ramos, the former
Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and the anointed successor of Corazon Aquino
was elected president.
Ramos Administration
On May 11, 1992, the first presidential elections under the 1987 Constitution were held. The elections were generally peaceful and resulted in the lawful and orderly transfer of the presidency. Ramos earlier joined the Majority LDP party but bolted when he lost in the part nomination for president. Thereafter he formed his own Lakas- NUCD Party and went on to will by just 23.6% of the vote, over Miriam Defensor- Santiago of the Peoples Reform Party (PRP), Eduardo Cojuangco, Jr. of the Nationalist Peoples Coalition , House Speaker Ramon Mitra of the Laban ng Demokratikong
Pilipino (LDP), former First lady Imelda Marcos of the Kilusang Bagong Lipiunan (KBL), Senate President jovito Salonga of the Liberal Part(LP) and Vice President Salvador Laurel of the Nationalista Party (NP)
President Fide Ramos took his oath to as the 12th President of the Republic of the Philippines on June 30, 1992at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park. Early in his administration, Ramos declared “national reconciliation” as his highest priority. He legalized the communist party and created the National Unification Commission (NUC) to lay the groundwork for talks with the communist and other insurgent groups.
Ramos, learning from the
experiences under the Aquino government, focused his efforts on the restoration
of peace and order and the stabilization of the economy. Ramos has made big
stride in bringing about a new social and political order by actively reaching
out to even political opponents and insurgents to unite the nation behind a
common vision. His framework of governance is sustainable development; energy
and power generation; environmental protection; and a streamlined bureaucracy.
The Estrada Presidency
On May 11, 1998, the former
movie star, former Senator and the Vice President during the Ramos
administration, Jose Marcelo Ejercito also know by his screen name Joseph
Estrada won in the second democratic presidential election since the EDSA
revolution. He bested Jose De Venecia of Lakas NUCD, Raul Roco of Aksyon
Demokratiko, Juan Ponce Enrile, an independent candidate, Alfredo Lim of the
Liberal Party, Miriam Santiago of the People’s Reform Party, Imelda Marcos of
the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, Cebu Governor Emilio Osmena of PROMDI, sweepstakes
Chairman Manuel Morato of Partido Bansang Marangal and Santiago Dumlao of
Kilusan Para sa pambansang Pagbabago.
Estrada was the popular choice for President and not the preferred candidate of the outgoing President. On June 30, 1998, Estrada took his oath of office as the 13th President of the Republic of the Philippines in Barasoain Church, Malolos, Bulacan, the same place where Emilio Aguinaldo took his oath as the first president of the Philippines a hundred years ago.
When Estrada delivered his inaugural speech at the Rizal Park later that day, mostly in the Tagalog language, the people especially his supporters – the masa, were ecstatic specially when he promised that in his administration “walang kumpare, walang kamag anak …huwag ninyo akong subukan.” Estrada’s popularity started its decline in the middle 1999, as mounting allegations of cronyism and a badly managed attempt to change the constitution to attract more foreign investment led to a sharp drop ratings.
On June 19, 2000, Estrada was
accused by the chairman of the Securities Exchange Commission Perfecto Yasay of
pressuring him to clear a friend accused in the country’s worst insider trading
scandal. Yasay was later forced to quit and the stock market flounders.
Then on April 23,2000, the Abu Sayyaf Muslim extremist group abducted 21 hostages from seven nations from the nearby Malaysia resort of Sipadan and brought them to Jolo, Sulu two days later. The crisis frightened foreign investors and puts Estrada under pressure for months as foreign governments expressed concern over the safety of the hostages.The situation worsened when Estrada’s friend, Ilocos Sur Governor Luis “Chavit” Singson revealed on October 9,2000, that Estrada was receiving bribes from the jueteng lords all over the country ,pocketing more than 400 million pesos in bribes from illegal gambling syndicates and about 130 million pesos in kickbacks from tobacco excise taxes meant for his province.
Estrada of course denied the accusations but announces an end to state sponsored gambling and privatized a government –run casino firm. On October 18, 2000 the opposition legislators filed an impeachment complaint against Estrada in the House of Representatives over the scandal as thousands of anti-Estrada activists led by former president Corazon Aquino called for Erap’s resignation.
Estrada thereafter, announced sweeping reforms in government and offered Arroyo the country’s top economic post as a gesture of reconciliation. Arroyo rejected the offer, saying he should step down to prevent an economic collapse.
Estrada was adamant and vowed
that he will not resign and will defend himself in Congress. Estrada’s key
supporters in Congress, Senate President Franklin Drilon and House of
Representatives Speaker Manuel Villar, quit the ruling coalition with 45 other
legislators on November 3, 2000. On November 4, 2000 Vice President Gloria
Arroyo, the leaders of the Catholic Church and other key member of the opposition
lead some 60,000 people in a peaceful protest in Manila calling for Estrada’s
resignation.
Arroyo Assumed Presidency
In the morning of Sunday,
January 20, 2001, the fourth day since EDSA People Power 2 started, the
militant groups marched from EDSA towards Malacanang Palace against the
admonition of Cardinal Sin. The Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Hilario
Davide declared the the office of the president was vacant.
At noon, Vice President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo took her oath of office before Chief Justice Davide in the
presence of the crowd at EDSA, becoming the 14th president of the Republic of
the Philippines. At around two o’clock in the afternoon, Estrada released a
letter saying he had “strong and serious doubts about the legality and constitutionality
of her proclamation as president”, but saying he would give up his office to
avoid being an obstacle to healing the nation.
Thereafter, Estrada, First
Lady Luisa Ejercito and their children left Malacanang via the palace gate at
the Pasig River. General Angelo Reyes was in Malacanang to secure the safe exit
of the deposed President and his family.
Amidst the chaos, Estrada and his wife were still smiling, Waving to reporters and shaking hands with the remaining members of the Cabinet and other palace employees.
On April 4, 2001 Ombudsman Aniano Desierto charged Estrada with perjury before the Sandiganbayan for filing a false Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) for the year 1999.
Estrada was accused of
declaring a net worth of only P35 million, when evidence indicated that he had amassed
billions of pesos from jueteng payoffs, tax kickbacks and questionable business
deals. On April 18, 2001, the Ombudsman file a case against Estrada, his son
Jinggoy and several others before the Sandiganbayan for violating Republic Act
No. 7080 or the Anti Plunder Law.
May 1, 2001 Rebellion
From the time of Estrada’s
arrest on April 25, 2001, his supporters from all over the country converged at
the EDSA Shrine, the site of the EDSA People Power 2 that toppled Joseph
Estrada from Malacanang on January 20, 2001. Agitated by the political allies
of Estrada like Senators Miriam Santiago, Juan Ponce Enrile, Gregorio Honasan,
Ernesto Maceda, Pamfilo Lacson, Tessie Oreta, John Osmena, Nikki Coseteng, Tito
Sotto and Robert Jaworski the throngs of angry mob marched towards Malacanang
Palace on May1, 2001 to demand the ouster of Arroyo.
At least two police officers
and one protester were killed and 16 others have been taken to hospital when
supporters of Joseph Estrada tried to storm the gates of Malacanang. Riot
police managed to clear the area after a few hours, but not before more
protesters were injured.
Arroyo declared a state of rebellion within Metro Manila, to try to quell the demonstrations and restore peace and order. The police identified the opposition leaders believed to have encourage the crowds to attack the presidential palace.
These included Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, Gregorio Honasan and Miriam Defensor- Santiago and former Ambassador Ernesto Maceda and former PNP Chief Panfilo Lacson. All are seeking a senate seat in the May 14, electios.
The government ordered their
arrest but only Enrile and Maceda were apprehended but they were able to post
bail and were thereafter released from detention.
The Oakwood Rebellion
In the early hours of July 27, 2003 the Glorieta shopping complex and the Oakwood Premier hotel in Makati City were taken over by a group of young rebel soldiers and officers who organized themselves into the Magdalo group. Their spokesman, Lt. SG. Antonio Trillanes of the Philippine Navy, accused the government of staging bombings in Davao City and pinning the blame on the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in order to label the group a terrorist organization and secure military aid from United States.
The rebels also demanded the
resignation of Col. Victor Corpus, the chief of Intelligence Service of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) and AFP Chief of Staff General Narcisco
Abaya. After a 24-hour standoff, the Makati siege was lifted with the rebel
troops peacefully returning to their barracks. The rebel troops agreed to go
back to the barrack after marathon meeting with former AFP Chief of Staff Roy
Cimatu and middle lever officers from the Navy and the Scout Rangers.
2004 National Elections
On May 14, 2004, the Filipinos trooped to the polling precincts once more to choose their leaders from the president down to the municipal councilors. Arroyo won the presidential derby by 12,905,808 votes over movie actor and Estrada’s friend Fernando Poe, Jr., Senator Panfilo Lacson, Raul Roco and Evangelist Eduardo Villanueva, amidst charges of massive fraud, vote buying and violence especially in the rural areas, while Arroyo’s running mate, newscaster turned senator Manuel “Noli” De Castro won the vice presidential race over Loren Legarda and Herminio Aquino.
On June 30, 2004, Gloria Arroyo took her oath of office as president of the Republic of the Philippines for the second time but this time in her own right as duly elected by the Filipino people. She was inaugurated on the island of Cebu, the first Philippine President to be inaugurated there.
This was done in gratitude for the support given to her by the people of Cebu during the election. Fernando Poe, Jr. filed an electoral protest against Arroyo before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal of the Supreme Court, but during the pendency of his protest, Poe died early in the morning of December 14, 2004 after he was rushed to St. Luke’s Hospital in Quezon City the night before.
Poe, fell into a coma after a massive stroke over the weekend and never recovered. Poe’s lawyers filed a petition before the Supreme Court to substitute Susan Roces, Poe’s wife and continue the protest; however, the Highest Tribunal dismissed on March 29, 2005 the petition and the electoral protest lodged by the deceased actor. Scandals and corruption rocked the arroyo government.
These include the “Garci recordings”, various human right violations which prompted the United Nations to send Philip Alston, the United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings who reported that there are compelling reasons supported by evidence that human rights violations including extra judicial killings were done by the military, the National Broadband Network –ZTE scandals among others.
These led to the filing of
three impeachment cases in the three consecutive years against Gloria Arroyo.
However, the impeachment cases did not prosper due to the fact that majority of
the members of the House of Representatives were faithful allies of Gloria
Arroyo.
Estrada was Convicted and Pardoned
On September 12, 2007, Joseph Estrada was convicted of Plunder by the Sandiganbayan and was sentenced to reclusion Perpetua (imprisonment for 20years and one day to forty years). However, even before he could serve his first day of imprisonment, Gloria Arroyo granted former president Joseph Estrada’s application for pardon on October 25, 2007.
Arroyo invoked “National unity, the rule of law, justice with accountability “as the guideposts she used in deciding to grant pardon to her ousted predecessor due to plunderer. The pardon was given a little more than a month after Estrada was convicted by the Sandiganbayan and sentenced to reclusion Perpetua, which carries a jail term of 20 years and a day to 40 years.
Aroyo said that she was aware that her decision would be “debated, welcomed, criticized and given all sorts of meanings and motives,” but stressed freeing the nation from bitter political rivalry has been her administration’s agenda sincere she assumed office. Arroyo also invoked Estrada’s wish to be with his ailing 102-year-old mother, Mary Ejercito.
The 2010 National Elections
On May 10, 2010, The Filipino people once again went to the polling places to exercise their right of suffrage and choose their next leaders from the President to the municipal and city councilors. The 2010 national elections was the first time when the counting of the ballots was done by Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines pursuant to the Election Automation Law (Republic Act No. 9369).
The candidates for president were Benigno Simeon Aquino III, of the Liberal Party, Manuel VIllar of the Nacionalista Party, Joseph Ejercito Estrada of the Partido ng Masang Pilipino, Gilberto Teodoro of Lakas – Kampi, Eduardo Villanueva of Bangon Pilipinas, Richard Gordon of Bagumbayan Party, John Carlos Delos Reyes of Ang Kapatiran Party, Nicanor Perlas, an independent candidate and Jamby Madrigal, another independent candidate.
While the candidates for vice
president were Manuel Roxas of the Liberal Party, Loren Legarda of the Nationalist
Party, Jejomar Binay of the Partido ng Masang Pilipino, Eduardo Manzano of
Lakas- Kampi, Perfecto Yasay of Bangon Pilipinas, Bayani Fernando of Bagumbayan
Party, Dominador Chipeco of Ang Kapatiran Party and Jose Sonza of Kilusang
Bagong Lipunan. After the votes have been counted, Senator Benigno Simeon
Aquino III, emerged as the winner in the presidential race while Makati Mayor Jejomar
Binay, emerged as the Vice President.
Their term of office will start on June 30, 2010 and will end on June 30, 2016. The 2016 national elections saw the victory of a city mayor into the office of the President.
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Roa
Duterte bested four other candidates for the highest office- Manuel Roxas III
of the then ruling Liberal Party, Grace Liamanzares Poe,Vice President Jejomar
Binay and Senator Miriam Santiago. While Congresswoman Maria Leonor Gerona
Robredo was elected Vice President but her victory was under election protest
filed by one of the losing candidates for Vice President Senator Ferdinand
Marcos Jr.