Prime Minister of the Philippines facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Prime Minister of the Philippines
Seal of the prime minister (1981–1986)
Salvador Laurel Last prime minister of the Philippines
Style	Prime Minister (informal) The Honourable (formal) His Excellency (formal, diplomatic)
Member of	Cabinet
Nominator	The President
Appointer	The President (1899) Batasang Pambansa with members' advice and consent (1978-1986)
Precursor	Office established (pre-1899) President of the Philippines (1978)
Formation	January 2, 1899 (first creation) June 12, 1978 (second creation)
First holder	Apolinario Mabini (first creation) Ferdinand Marcos (second creation)
Final holder	Pedro Paterno (first abolition) Salvador Laurel (second abolition)
Abolished	November 13, 1899 (first abolition) March 25, 1986 (second abolition)
Succession	President of the Philippines (1899–1978; 1986–present)

The prime minister of the Philippines was an important government leader in the Philippines. This position was the official head of the government. The president of the Philippines was the head of state.

The role of prime minister existed from 1978 until the People Power Revolution in 1986. During this time, the prime minister also led the Armed Forces of the Philippines. A similar, but temporary, position called the President of the Council of Government existed in 1899.

Salvador Laurel was the last prime minister of the Philippines. He later became the vice president of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992.

History of the Prime Minister Role
Powers and Duties of the Prime Minister
List of Prime Ministers
Timeline
Statistics
See also

History of the Prime Minister Role

The First Prime Minister (1899)

Apolinario Mabini, the first President of the Council of Government. This role was like a prime minister.

The 1899 Constitution of the Philippines created a group called the Council of Government. It had a President of the Council and seven secretaries. On January 2, 1899, Emilio Aguinaldo, the leader of the revolutionary government, chose his advisor Apolinario Mabini to be the first President of the Council. Mabini also served as the finance minister. This role was basically the same as a prime minister.

At this time, the Spanish–American War had just ended. Spain gave up its rights to Cuba, the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the United States. The Philippines had declared independence on June 12, 1898. However, the United States did not recognize this independence.

This disagreement led to conflict when the First Philippine Republic was officially formed on January 23, 1899. Mabini faced political challenges, including trying to make peace between Filipino and American forces. When talks failed, the Philippine–American War began on February 4, 1899.

The government had to move from place to place to avoid the fighting. Mabini faced pressure from his political rivals and the ongoing war. He left his position and surrendered to the United States on May 7, 1899.

One of Mabini's rivals was Pedro A. Paterno. He was the president of the Congress of the Republic. Paterno wanted to make peace with the Americans. He suggested that the Philippines become a protectorate of the United States, meaning it would be protected by the U.S. but still have some self-rule. Mabini disagreed with this idea. However, Paterno and his supporters convinced Aguinaldo to remove Mabini from office.

Pedro A. Paterno took over from Mabini in May 1899.

On May 8, Aguinaldo appointed Paterno as the new President of the Council of Government. Paterno immediately worked on a plan for peace with the U.S. government. This plan suggested that Filipinos would accept U.S. rule over the islands.

However, Antonio Luna, a general in the Philippine Army, was very angry about Paterno's actions. He tried to arrest Paterno and other cabinet members, but he failed. Because of this, Paterno was forced to declare war against the United States on June 2, 1899. General Luna was killed on June 5, partly because of this conflict with Paterno.

As the war continued, Aguinaldo's government kept moving north. On November 13, 1899, U.S. forces captured Paterno. This ended his time as President of the Council. Aguinaldo did not appoint a new leader for the Council because he was busy trying to escape.

The office of prime minister was not brought back until many years later.

The Second Prime Minister Role (1978–1986)

Prime Minister Ferdinand Marcos and First Lady Imelda Marcos in 1979.

In 1976, President Ferdinand Marcos made changes to the 1973 Constitution. These changes combined the powers of making laws and carrying them out into the office of the President. One of the new rules was that the President would also be called the Prime Minister. This brought the role back after 1899. Marcos, who was already president, continued to hold all the powers of the president.

A new lawmaking body, the Interim Batasang Pambansa (Interim National Assembly), was also created. The President/Prime Minister would have lawmaking powers until martial law was lifted.

On April 7, 1978, the first election for the Batasang Pambansa was held. Marcos's party, the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (New Society Movement), won most of the seats. On June 12, the new assembly officially started, and Marcos was confirmed as the Prime Minister of the Philippines.

When Marcos began his third presidential term on June 30, 1981, he gave up his role as Prime Minister. He appointed Cesar Virata, who was then the Finance Minister, to take over the position. Virata was a relative of former President Emilio Aguinaldo. He had also represented the Philippines at the World Bank. Virata served as prime minister until the 1986 People Power Revolution. Marcos likely chose Virata because he was not a strong political rival.

End of the Prime Minister Role

In February 1986, Corazon Aquino became president. She appointed her Vice President, Salvador Laurel, to be the new prime minister. However, the role of prime minister was soon ended in March 1986. This happened with the release of Proclamation No. 3, also known as the "Freedom Constitution".

The current 1987 Constitution does not include a prime minister. Today, the President of the Philippines is both the head of government and the head of state.

Powers and Duties of the Prime Minister

Map of the Philippines highlighting the birthplace of Prime Ministers.

The first President of the Council of Government in 1899, Apolinario Mabini, managed the daily operations of the government. This was similar to how a prime minister works today.

The 1973 Constitution clearly outlined the powers of the Prime Minister. To become prime minister, a person had to be a member of the Interim Batasang Pambansa (National Assembly). The prime minister could not be removed from office by impeachment. This meant they could serve for a very long time.

The National Assembly could remove the prime minister by choosing a new one with a majority vote. The prime minister also led the Cabinet, which is a group of top government officials. They could appoint and remove Cabinet members.

Other powers and duties of the Prime Minister included:

Appointing a Deputy Prime Minister.
Presenting the government's plans to the National Assembly.
Controlling all government ministries.
Leading the Armed Forces of the Philippines as their commander-in-chief.
Appointing heads of government offices.
Granting pardons and amnesties with the National Assembly's permission.
Approving foreign and local loans for the country.

Many powers that the President had under the 1935 Constitution were given to the Prime Minister. This included signing treaties and appointing ambassadors.

However, in 1981, the 1973 Constitution was changed. Most of the prime minister's executive powers were given back to the President. The President became directly elected by the people. The President gained full control over the ministries and commanded the armed forces. The President also kept the power to issue decrees.

The prime minister still led the Cabinet but mainly supervised the ministries. The prime minister was chosen by the National Assembly, after being nominated by the President. The prime minister and Cabinet were responsible to the National Assembly for their government program. This program also had to be approved by the President.

In 1981, the prime minister's powers were expanded again. They were in charge of the daily management of the government. They also coordinated the work of the ministries. In 1984, the prime minister also led a special Cabinet committee. This committee helped the President with their duties.

List of Prime Ministers

Kilusang Bagong Lipunan United Nationalist Democratic Organization Independent

No.	Name (Lifespan)		Term	Election	Legislature	President
1	Apolinario Mabini (1864–1903)	Independent	January 2, 1899 – May 7, 1899 (125 days)	1898	Malolos Congress	Emilio Aguinaldo
2	Pedro Paterno (1857–1911)	Independent	May 8, 1899 – November 13, 1899 (189 days)	1898	Malolos Congress	Emilio Aguinaldo
Office abolished (November 13, 1899 – January 17, 1973)
Office vacant (January 17, 1973 – June 12, 1978)
3	Ferdinand Marcos (1917–1989)	KBL	June 12, 1978 – June 30, 1981 (3 years, 18 days)	1978	Interim Batasang Pambansa	Ferdinand Marcos
4	Cesar Virata (born 1930)	KBL	July 28, 1981 – February 25, 1986 (4 years, 212 days)	1978	Interim Batasang Pambansa
4	Cesar Virata (born 1930)	KBL	July 28, 1981 – February 25, 1986 (4 years, 212 days)	1984	Regular Batasang Pambansa
5	Salvador Laurel (1928–2004)	UNIDO	February 25, 1986 – March 25, 1986 (28 days)	1984	Regular Batasang Pambansa	Corazon Aquino
Position abolished (since March 25, 1986)