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List of presidents of the Philippines facts for kids

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Malacañang Palace (local img)
Malacañang Palace in Manila is the official residence of the president. Built in 1750, it has become a prominent symbol of and metonym for the office.

Under the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines, the president of the Philippines (Filipino: [pangulo ng Pilipinas] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) is both the head of state and the head of government, and serves as the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces. The president is directly elected by qualified voters to a six-year term and must be "a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, a registered voter, able to read and write, at least forty years of age on the day of the election, and a resident of the Philippines for at least ten years immediately preceding such election". Any person who has served as president for more than six years is barred from eligibility. Upon resignation, or removal from office, the vice president assumes the post.

History

Emilio Aguinaldo became the inaugural president of the Philippines under the Malolos Republic, considered the First Philippine Republic. He held that office until 1901 when he was captured by United States forces during the Philippine–American War (1899–1902). The American colonization of the Philippines abolished the First Republic, which led to an American governor-general exercising executive power.

In 1935, the United States, pursuant to its promise of full Philippine sovereignty, established the Commonwealth of the Philippines following the ratification of the 1935 Constitution, which also restored the presidency. The first national presidential election was held, and Manuel L. Quezon (1935–44) was elected to a six-year term, with no provision for re-election, as the second Philippine president and the first Commonwealth president. In 1940, however, the Constitution was amended to allow re-election but shortened the term to four years. A change in government occurred three years later when the Second Philippine Republic was organized with the enactment of the 1943 Constitution, which Japan imposed after it occupied the Philippines in 1942 during World War II. José P. Laurel acted as puppet president of the new Japanese-sponsored government; his de facto presidency, not legally recognized until the 1960s, overlapped with that of the president of the Commonwealth, which went into exile. The Second Republic was dissolved after Japan surrendered to the Allies in 1945; the Commonwealth was restored in the Philippines in the same year with Sergio Osmeña (1944–46) as president.

Manuel Roxas (1946–1948) followed Osmeña when he won the first post-war election in 1946. He became the first president of the independent Philippines when the Commonwealth ended on July 4 of that year. The Third Republic was ushered in and would cover the administrations of the next five presidents, the last of which was Ferdinand Marcos (1965–86), who performed a self-coup by imposing martial law in 1972. The dictatorship of Marcos saw the birth of the New Society (Filipino: [Bagong Lipunan] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) and the Fourth Republic. His tenure lasted until 1986 when he was deposed in the People Power Revolution. The current constitution came into effect in 1987, marking the beginning of the Fifth Republic.

Of the individuals elected as president, three died in office: two of natural causes (Manuel L. Quezon and Manuel Roxas) and one in a plane crash (Ramon Magsaysay, 1953–57). The longest-serving president is Ferdinand Marcos with 20 years and 57 days in office; he is the only president to have served more than two terms. The shortest is Sergio Osmeña, who spent 1 year and 300 days in office.

Two women have held the office: Corazon Aquino (1986–92), who ascended to the presidency upon the successful People Power Revolution of 1986, and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001–10), who, as vice president, ascended to the presidency upon Estrada's resignation and was elected to a full six-year term in 2004.

Presidents

# Portrait Name
(Lifespan)
Party Term Election Vice president Era
1
Emilio Aguinaldo ca. 1919 (Restored).jpg
Emilio Aguinaldo
(1869–1964)
None January 23, 1899 – March 23, 1901

(2 years, 59 days)

1899 None First Republic
None August 14, 1898 – July 4, 1902

(3 years, 324 days)

None U.S. Military Government
July 4, 1901 – November 15, 1935

(34 years, 134 days)

U.S. Insular Government
2
ML Quezon.jpg
Manuel L. Quezon
(1878–1944)
Nacionalista Party
Nationalist Party
November 15, 1935 – August 1, 1944

(8 years, 260 days)

1935 Sergio Osmeña Commonwealth
1941
3
Jose P. Laurel (cropped).jpg
Jose P. Laurel
(1891–1959)
KALIBAPI
Association for Service to the New Philippines
October 14, 1943 – August 17, 1945

(1 year, 307 days)

1943 None Second Republic
4
Sergio Osmena photo.jpg
Sergio Osmeña
(1878–1961)
Nacionalista Party
Nationalist Party
August 1, 1944 – May 28, 1946

(1 year, 300 days)

1941 Vacant Commonwealth
5
Manuel Roxas 2.jpg
Manuel Roxas
(1892–1948)
Liberal Party May 28, 1946 – April 15, 1948

(1 year, 323 days)

1946 Elpidio Quirino
Third Republic
6
Elpidio R Quirino.jpg
Elpidio Quirino
(1890–1956)
Liberal Party April 17, 1948 – December 30, 1953
(5 years, 257 days)
Vacant
1949 Fernando Lopez
7
Ramon-Magsaysay-01.jpg
Ramon Magsaysay
(1907–1957)
Nacionalista Party
Nationalist Party
December 30, 1953 – March 17, 1957

(3 years, 77 days)

1953 Carlos P. Garcia
8
Carlos P Garcia photo.jpg
Carlos P. Garcia
(1896–1971)
Nacionalista Party
Nationalist Party
March 18, 1957 – December 30, 1961
(4 years, 287 days)
Vacant
1957 Diosdado Macapagal
9
Diosdado Macapagal photo.jpg
Diosdado Macapagal
(1910–1997)
Liberal Party December 30, 1961 – December 30, 1965

(4 years, 0 days)

1961 Emmanuel Pelaez
10
Ferdinand E Marcos (cropped).jpg
Ferdinand Marcos
(1917–1989)
Nacionalista Party
Nationalist Party
December 30, 1965 – February 25, 1986
(20 years, 57 days)
1965 Fernando Lopez
1969
None Marcos dictatorship
1973
1977
New Society
Kilusang Bagong Lipunan
New Society Movement
1981 Vacant Fourth Republic
11
Corazon Aquino 1986.jpg
Corazon Aquino
(1933–2009)
United Nationalist Democratic Organization February 25, 1986 – June 30, 1992
(6 years, 126 days)
1986 Salvador Laurel Provisional Government
Independent Fifth Republic
12
Ramos Pentagon.jpg
Fidel V. Ramos
(1928–2022)
Lakas–NUCD
People Power-National Union of Christian Democrats
June 30, 1992 – June 30, 1998

(6 years, 0 days)

1992 Joseph Estrada
13
President Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada, Argentine President Menem (cropped).jpg
Joseph Estrada
(born 1937)
Laban ng Makabayang Masang Pilipino
Struggle of the Patriotic Filipino Masses
June 30, 1998 – January 20, 2001

(2 years, 204 days)

1998 Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
14
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo WEF 2009-crop.jpg
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
(born 1947)
Lakas–CMD
People Power-Christian Muslim Democrats
January 20, 2001 – June 30, 2010

(9 years, 161 days)

Vacant
Teofisto Guingona Jr.
2004 Noli de Castro
15
Benigno "Noynoy" S. Aquino III.jpg
Benigno Aquino III
(1960–2021)
Liberal Party June 30, 2010 – June 30, 2016

(6 years, 0 days)

2010 Jejomar Binay
16
President Rodrigo Duterte portrait (cropped).jpg
Rodrigo Duterte
(born 1945)
PDP–Laban
Philippine Democratic Party-People's Power
June 30, 2016 – June 30, 2022

(6 years, 0 days)

2016 Leni Robredo
17
Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr (cropped).jpg
Bongbong Marcos
(born 1957)
Partido Federal ng Pilipinas
Federal Party of the Philippines
June 30, 2022 – incumbent

(1 year, 272 days)

2022 Sara Duterte

Timeline

Bongbong MarcosRodrigo DuterteBenigno Aquino IIIGloria Macapagal ArroyoJoseph EstradaFidel RamosCorazon AquinoFerdinand MarcosDiosdado MacapagalCarlos P. GarciaRamon MagsaysayElpidio QuirinoManuel RoxasSergio OsmeñaJosé P. LaurelManuel L. QuezonEmilio Aguinaldo


Unofficial presidents

Andrés Bonifacio is considered by some historians to be the first president of the Philippines. He was the third Supreme President (Spanish: Presidente Supremo; Tagalog: Kataastaasang Pangulo) of the Katipunan secret society. Its Supreme Council, led by the Supreme President, coordinated provincial and district councils. When the Katipunan went into open revolt in August 1896 (the Cry of Balintawak), Bonifacio transformed it into a revolutionary government with him as president. While the term Katipunan remained, Bonifacio's government was also known as the Tagalog Republic (Tagalog: Republika ng Katagalugan; Spanish: Republica Tagala). (Although the word Tagalog refers to a specific ethnicity, Bonifacio used it to denote all indigenous people in the Philippines in place of Filipino which had colonial origins.)

Some historians contend that including Bonifacio as a past president would imply that Macario Sakay and Miguel Malvar y Carpio should also be included. Miguel Malvar y Carpio continued Emilio Aguinaldo's leadership of the First Philippine Republic after the latter's capture until his own capture in 1902. Macario Sakay revived the Tagalog Republic in 1902 as a continuation of Bonifacio's Katipunan. They are both considered by some scholars as "unofficial presidents". Along with Bonifacio, Malvar and Sakay are not recognized as presidents by the Philippine government.

Emilio Aguinaldo is officially recognized as the first president of the Philippines, but this is based on his term of office during the Malolos Republic, later known as the First Philippine Republic. Prior to this Aguinaldo had held the presidency of several revolutionary governments which are not counted in the succession of Philippine republics.

Manuel L. Quezon delegated his presidential duties to José Abad Santos, the then Chief Justice, when the former fled the Philippines amidst Japanese occupation of the islands to establish a government-in-exile. He is believed to have in effect become the acting president of the Philippine Commonwealth though no legal document has been retrieved detailing the official transfer of the title of President to Abad Santos.

List

Portrait Name
Lifespan
Party Term Vice President Government
Took office Left office
Andrés Bonifacio photo (cropped).jpg
Andres Bonifacio
(1863–1897)
None August 24, 1896 March 22, 1897
or
May 10, 1897
None Sovereign Tagalog Nation
Emilio Aguinaldo ca. 1919 (Restored).jpg
Emilio Aguinaldo
(1869–1964)
None March 22, 1897 November 1, 1897 Mariano Trias Tejeros revolutionary government
November 2, 1897 December 14, 1897 Republic of Biak-na-Bato
May 24, 1898 June 23, 1898 Dictatorial Government
June 23, 1898 January 23, 1899 Revolutionary Government
Francisco Maabulos.jpg Francisco Makabulos
(1871 – 1922)
None April 17, 1898 May 19, 1898 None Central Executive Committee
Miguel malvar PG.jpg Miguel Malvar
(1865–1911)
None April 1, 1901 April 16, 1902 None First Republic
Macario Sacay.jpg
Macario Sakay
(1870–1907)
Katipunan
(holdout/revival)
May 6, 1902 July 14, 1906 Francisco Carreón Tagalog Republic
Chief_Justice_Jose_Abad_Santos.jpg
José Abad Santos
(1886 –1942)
Independent March 17, 1942 May 2, 1942 None Commonwealth
Jouge B. Vargas and his daughter (cropped).jpg
Jorge Bartolome Vargas
(1890–1980)
KALIBAPI
Association for Service to the New Philippines
January 23, 1942 October 14, 1943 None Philippine Executive Commission
Arturo Tolentino.jpg
Arturo Tolentino
(1910 –2004)
Kilusang Bagong Lipunan
New Society Movement
July 6, 1986 July 8, 1986 None Fourth Republic

Timeline

Jorge B. VargasJosé Abad SantosTagalog Republic#Sakay's RepublicMiguel MalvarFirst Philippine RepublicHistory of the Philippines (1898–1946)#Philippine declaration of independence and establishment of Philippine governmentsHistory of the Philippines (1898–1946)#Philippine declaration of independence and establishment of Philippine governmentsCentral Executive Committee (Philippines)Republic of Biak-na-BatoTejeros ConventionAndres Bonifacio

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Anexo:Presidentes de Filipinas para niños

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