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Every six years, on the second Monday of May, millions of Filipinos go to the polls to choose a new leader in an open election. The candidates have waged vigorous campaigns and through the media, they have made known to the people their views on both national and international affairs.
On inauguration day, June 30, the successful candidate for the high office of the president of the Republic of the Philippines takes this oath of office:
“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as President of the Philippines, preserve and defend its Constitution, execute its laws, do justice to every man, and consecrate myself to the service of the Nation. So help me God."
Or in Filipino:
“Matimtim kong pinanunumpaan na tutuparin ko nang buong katapatan at sigasig ang aking mga tungkulin bilang Pangulo ng Pilipinas, pangangalagaan at ipagtatanggol ang kanyang Konstitusyon, ipatutupad ang mga batas nito, magiging makatarungan sa bawat tao, at itatalaga ang aking sarili sa paglilingkod sa Bansa. Kasihan nawa ako ng Diyos."
With Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III being inaugurated as our 15th president, let's look at the other 14 who came before him and their terms of office:
Emilio Famy Aguinaldo (Term: January 23, 1899-April 1, 1901). He was 29 years old when he became Chief of State, first as head of the dictatorship he thought should be established upon his return to Cavite in May 1898 from voluntary exile in Hongkong, and then a month later as President of the Revolutionary Government that Apolinario Mabini had persuaded him should instead be instituted.
Manuel Luis Molina Quezon (November 15, 1935 – August 1, 1944). He won the elections held in September 1935 to choose the head of the Commonwealth Government. It was a government made possible by the Tydings-McDuffie Law, which Quezon secured from the U.S.
Jose Paciano Garcia Laurel (October 14, 1943 – August 15, 1945). He was elected by the National Assembly as President of the Republic on September 25, 1943 and inducted on October 14, 1943. This unicameral assembly was created through the sponsorship of the Japanese authorities.
Sergio Suico Osmena, Sr. (August 1, 1944 – May 27, 1946). He was elected Vice President of the Philippines in 1935 and succeeded Quezon to the Presidency in-exile.
Manuel Acuna Roxas (May 28, 1946 - April 15, 1948 ). He was popularly known as the “First President of the Third Republic.” He won the elections by a slim margin. He was inaugurated on July 4, 1946, the day the U.S. government granted political independence to its colony.
Elpidio Rivera Quirino (April 17, 1948 - November 10, 1953). Being the Vice President, he took over the Presidency after Roxas’ death. And, he managed to retain the position after winning over Laurel in the infamous fraud-tainted 1949 elections.
Ramon De Fierro Magsaysay (December 30, 1953- March 17, 1957). He was largely famous for his success in the peace campaign. He defeated Quirino in the 1953 presidential elections by an unprecedented margin of votes.
Carlos Polistico Garcia (March 18, 1957 - December 30, 1961). He presided over the eight months of Magsaysay’s remaining term and went on to win the 1957 elections, “the noisiest and the most expensive in Philippine history.”
Diosdado Pangan Macapagal (December 30, 1961 - December 30, 1965). He defeated Garcia in the presidential elections of November 14, 1961.
Ferdinand Edralin Marcos (December 30, 1965 - February 25,1986 ). He defeated Macapagal in the 1965 presidential elections. And the two-decade era of Marcos (1965 - 1986) began.
Corazon Cojuangco Aquino (February 25, 1986- June 30, 1992 ). Served for six years, the maximum term allowed for a president to stay in power under the revised constitution of 1986 .
Fidel Valdez Ramos (June 30, 1992 - June 30, 1998 ). He was the military hero of the February 1986 Philippine People Power Revolution and victor of the first multiparty presidential elections in 1992, thus becoming the 12th President of the Republic of the Philippines.
Joseph Ejercito Estrada (June 30, 1998 – January 20, 2001) One of the popular presidents known for his showbiz career, Joseph Ejercito Estrada became the 13th president of the Republic of the Philippines in 1998
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ( January 20, 2001 – June 30, 2010) On January 20, 2001, Arroyo was inaugurated and became the 14th president after the Supreme Court declared the position vacant. She became the second woman to hold the highest position of the land.
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