Philippine general election, 1981
Encyclopedia
A presidential election in the Philippines
was held on June 16, 1981. President Ferdinand E. Marcos of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan
(KBL) defeated former Gen. Alejo Santos
of the Nacionalista Party
in a landslide victory
. Most opposition parties boycotted the elections as a sign of protest over the 1978 elections for an interim Batasang Pambansa (National Assembly) which they condemned as fraudulent.
Marcos' 88% margin of victory is the most lopsided Philippine presidential election ever, beating out Manuel L. Quezon
's landslide victory in 1941
. Marcos would've served a six-year term.
In a referendum held together with the election, the majority voted YES to hold the barangay elections pursuant to Proclamation No. 2088.
Ronald Reagan
, of whom Marcos wanted to have close relationship with, and the arrival of Pope John Paul II
in the country. In February, the Interim Batasang Pambansa
(parliament) passed a constitutional amendment that changed the parliamentary system of government to a semi-presidential modeled from France. The electorate approved the amendment on a plebiscite
held on April. Marcos then called a presidential election to be scheduled on June.
, a campaign to be held nationwide and that the UNIDO accredited as a minority party. Marcos did not accept the demands which led to UNIDO to call for a boycott. This caused for Marcos to be reportedly dismayed as he could not legitimize the election without a viable opposition candidate. UNIDO also refused to participate as Benigno Aquino, Jr.
(who was in exile in Massachusetts
) was not allowed to participate since only people fifty years old or older were allowed to participate (Aquino was 48 years old at the time).
Marcos instructed Nacionalista Party
president Jose Roy to find a candidate to oppose him. The party chose former Defense Secretary
and Bulacan
governor Alejo Santos
as their standard bearer. Santos, who was appointed by Marcos as chairman of the board of the Philippine Veterans Bank
, had Francisco Tatad
, Marcos' former information minister, as his campaign manager. The other main candidate was Bartolome Cabangbang of the Federalist Party, whose platform was for the Philippines to become the 51st state
of the United States
.
With the UNIDO pressing for a boycott, the government issued a statement that abstention
was a mortal sin; Jaime Sin, the archbishop of Manila responded that the people "were free to exercise their moral judgment whether to vote or not." Those who did not vote on the April plebiscite were issued summons to force them to vote. Marcos won overwhelmingly, but with people remembering the American colonial era and wanting a change from the martial law conditions, Cabangbang surprisingly got 4% of the vote.
On August 21, 1983, Aquino returned from exile but was murdered at the Manila International Airport
. Growing unrest followed, and Marcos was forced to call a "snap" presidential election in 1986
, where the UNIDO and Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan participated and nominated Aquino's widow Corazon Aquino
as their standard bearer.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
was held on June 16, 1981. President Ferdinand E. Marcos of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan
Kilusang Bagong Lipunan
The Kilusang Bagong Lipunan , formerly the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan ng Nagkakaisang Nacionalista, Liberal, at iba pa, , is a political party in the Philippines...
(KBL) defeated former Gen. Alejo Santos
Alejo Santos
Alejo S. Santos was a Filipino soldier and World War II hero who parlayed his fame into a political career. His prestige was somewhat marred in later life when he agreed to run as the only candidate against Ferdinand Marcos in the widely-suspect 1981 Philippine presidential election.-Early life...
of the Nacionalista Party
Nacionalista Party
The Nacionalista Party is the oldest political party in the Philippines today and was responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th century since its founding in 1907...
in a landslide victory
Landslide victory
In politics, a landslide victory is the victory of a candidate or political party by an overwhelming margin in an election...
. Most opposition parties boycotted the elections as a sign of protest over the 1978 elections for an interim Batasang Pambansa (National Assembly) which they condemned as fraudulent.
Marcos' 88% margin of victory is the most lopsided Philippine presidential election ever, beating out Manuel L. Quezon
Manuel L. Quezon
Manuel Luis Quezón y Molina served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. He was the first Filipino to head a government of the Philippines...
's landslide victory in 1941
Philippine general election, 1941
Presidential, legislative and local elections were held on November 11, 1941 in the Philippines. Incumbent President Manuel Luis Quezon won an unprecedented second partial term as President of the Philippines via a landslide. His running mate, Vice President Sergio Osmeña also won via landslide...
. Marcos would've served a six-year term.
In a referendum held together with the election, the majority voted YES to hold the barangay elections pursuant to Proclamation No. 2088.
Lifting of martial law
On January 17, 1981, President Marcos announced the lifting of martial law via Proclamation No. 2045; in his address, he also inaugurated the "New Republic." Although martial law has ended, Marcos retained all of the presidential decrees, legislative powers and the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus. The lifting of martial law was speculated due to the election of U.S. PresidentUnited States presidential election, 1980
The United States presidential election of 1980 featured a contest between incumbent Democrat Jimmy Carter and his Republican opponent, Ronald Reagan, as well as Republican Congressman John B. Anderson, who ran as an independent...
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, of whom Marcos wanted to have close relationship with, and the arrival of Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
in the country. In February, the Interim Batasang Pambansa
Interim Batasang Pambansa
The Interim Batasang Pambansa or the First Batasan was the legislature of the Republic of the Philippines from its inauguration on June 12, 1978 to June 5, 1984...
(parliament) passed a constitutional amendment that changed the parliamentary system of government to a semi-presidential modeled from France. The electorate approved the amendment on a plebiscite
Philippine constitutional plebiscite, 1981
National plebscite and local plebscites was held on April 7, 1981 in the Philippines. The plebscite was set to amend the following revisions made by the Interim Batasang Pambansa:...
held on April. Marcos then called a presidential election to be scheduled on June.
Campaign
The opposition, as early as April, had decided to boycott the election. The United Nationalist Democratic Organization (UNIDO), the main opposition umbrella group, wanted to clean the voters' list, a revamping of the Commission on ElectionsCommission on Elections (Philippines)
The Commission on Elections, or COMELEC, is one of the three constitutional commissions of the Philippines. Its principal role is to enforce all laws and regulations relative to the conduct of elections, initiatives, referendums, and recalls....
, a campaign to be held nationwide and that the UNIDO accredited as a minority party. Marcos did not accept the demands which led to UNIDO to call for a boycott. This caused for Marcos to be reportedly dismayed as he could not legitimize the election without a viable opposition candidate. UNIDO also refused to participate as Benigno Aquino, Jr.
Benigno Aquino, Jr.
Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. was a Filipino Senator and a former Governor of Tarlac. Aquino, together with Gerry Roxas and Jovito Salonga, formed the leadership of the opposition to the Marcos regime in the years leading to the imposition of martial law in the Philippines...
(who was in exile in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
) was not allowed to participate since only people fifty years old or older were allowed to participate (Aquino was 48 years old at the time).
Marcos instructed Nacionalista Party
Nacionalista Party
The Nacionalista Party is the oldest political party in the Philippines today and was responsible for leading the country throughout the majority of the 20th century since its founding in 1907...
president Jose Roy to find a candidate to oppose him. The party chose former Defense Secretary
Department of National Defense (Philippines)
The Department of National Defense is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for guarding against external and internal threats to peace and security in the country...
and Bulacan
Bulacan
Bulacan , officially called the Province of Bulacan or simply Bulacan Province, is a first class province of the Republic of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Region in the island of Luzon, north of Manila , and part of the Metro...
governor Alejo Santos
Alejo Santos
Alejo S. Santos was a Filipino soldier and World War II hero who parlayed his fame into a political career. His prestige was somewhat marred in later life when he agreed to run as the only candidate against Ferdinand Marcos in the widely-suspect 1981 Philippine presidential election.-Early life...
as their standard bearer. Santos, who was appointed by Marcos as chairman of the board of the Philippine Veterans Bank
Philippine Veterans Bank
Philippine Veterans Bank, also known as PVB and Veterans Bank, is a medium-sized commercial bank in the Philippines. PVB is owned by Philippine World War II war veterans and their families and caters to both corporate and retail financial markets...
, had Francisco Tatad
Francisco Tatad
Francisco “Kit” Tatad is a political figure in the Philippines.-Journalist:Tatad practiced journalism as a wire service reporter for the Agence France-Presse...
, Marcos' former information minister, as his campaign manager. The other main candidate was Bartolome Cabangbang of the Federalist Party, whose platform was for the Philippines to become the 51st state
51st state
The 51st state, in United States political discourse, is a phrase that refers to areas either seriously or derisively considered candidates for addition to the 50 states already part of the United States. Before 1959, when Alaska and Hawaii joined the U.S., the term "the 49th state" was used...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
With the UNIDO pressing for a boycott, the government issued a statement that abstention
Abstention
Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot. Abstention must be contrasted with "blank vote", in which a voter casts a ballot willfully made invalid by...
was a mortal sin; Jaime Sin, the archbishop of Manila responded that the people "were free to exercise their moral judgment whether to vote or not." Those who did not vote on the April plebiscite were issued summons to force them to vote. Marcos won overwhelmingly, but with people remembering the American colonial era and wanting a change from the martial law conditions, Cabangbang surprisingly got 4% of the vote.
Aftermath
Marcos was inaugurated on June 30, 1981 at the Quirino Grandstand, with then United States Vice President George H.W. Bush in attendance. This is when Bush made the infamous praise for Marcos: "We love your adherence to democratic principles and to the democratic process."On August 21, 1983, Aquino returned from exile but was murdered at the Manila International Airport
Ninoy Aquino International Airport
The Ninoy Aquino International Airport or NAIA , also known as Manila International Airport , is the airport serving the general area of Manila and its surrounding metropolitan area...
. Growing unrest followed, and Marcos was forced to call a "snap" presidential election in 1986
Philippine presidential election, 1986
The Presidential and Vice-Presidential snap elections were held on February 7, 1986 in the Philippines.-Background:President Ferdinand E...
, where the UNIDO and Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan participated and nominated Aquino's widow Corazon Aquino
Corazon Aquino
Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino was the 11th President of the Philippines and the first woman to hold that office in Philippine history. She is best remembered for leading the 1986 People Power Revolution, which toppled Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy in the Philippines...
as their standard bearer.
See also
- Commission on ElectionsCommission on Elections (Philippines)The Commission on Elections, or COMELEC, is one of the three constitutional commissions of the Philippines. Its principal role is to enforce all laws and regulations relative to the conduct of elections, initiatives, referendums, and recalls....
- Politics of the PhilippinesPolitics of the PhilippinesThe Politics of the Philippines takes place in an organized framework of a presidential, representative, and democratic republic whereby the president is both the head of state and the head of government within a pluriform multi-party system...
- Philippine elections
- President of the PhilippinesPresident of the PhilippinesThe President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...