Presidency of Corazon Aquino
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The Presidency of Corazon Aquino
spanned for six years from February 25, 1986 to June 30, 1992.
During the first months of Aquino's presidency, the country experienced radical changes and sweeping democratic reforms. One of Aquino's first and boldest moves was the creation of the Presidential Commission on Good Government
(PCGG), which was tasked to go after the Marcos ill-gotten wealth. Aquino, being a revolutionary president by virtue of people power, abolished the 1973 "Marcos Constitution" and dissolved the Marcos allies-dominated Batasang Pambansa, despite the advice of her vice-president and only prime minister Salvador Laurel. She also immediately created a Constitutional Commission, which she directed for the drafting of a new constitution for the nation.
On the over-all, the Aquino administration made important gains in the aspects of bringing back democracy, restoring investor confidence in the economy and enacting legal and constitutional reforms. Despite these achievements, her presidency faced several threats from both right-wing military elements and extreme left-wing communist rebels. Further, her administration dealt with numerous problems such as major natural disasters which struck the country and severe power shortages which took a toll on doing business in the Philippines. It was also during her tenure that the United States finally ended its military bases and presence in the country.
When Aquino became president, she inherited an economy that was bankrupt and debt-ridden as a result of twenty years of misrule and mismanagement under the Marcos regime. As president, Aquino focused her attention and energy to revitalize and rejuvenate the sagging economy.
One of her boldest moves was to dismantle the various monopolies that were perpetrated by Marcos during his stay in power.
She also moved quickly to tackle the issue of the US$26 billion foreign debt incurred by her predecessor. Instead of repudiating it, Aquino chose to honor all the debts that were incurred previously under different administrations. Her decision proved to be unpopular but Aquino defended it, saying that it was the most practical move and choice to make as it was crucial for the country at that time to regain the confidence of investors and the international community in the Philippine economy. Since 1986, the Aquino administration has paid off $4 billion of the country's outstanding debts to regain good international credit ratings and attract the attention of future markets. Nevertheless, the administration borrowed an additional $9 billion, increasing the national debt by $5 billion within six years time since the ouster of former President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.
Further, the Aquino administration also sought to bring back fiscal discipline in order as it aimed to trim down the government's budget deficit that ballooned during Marcos' term through privatization of bad government assets and deregulation of many vital industries. It was also during Aquino's time that vital economic laws such as the Built-Operate-Transfer Law, Foreign Investments Act and the Consumer Protection and Welfare Act were enacted.
The economy posted a positive growth of 3.4% during her first year in office. But in the aftermath of the 1989 coup attempt, the Philippine economy remained stagnant. In her final year in office, inflation was raging at 17%, and unemployment was slightly over 10%, higher than the Marcos years. Overall, the economy under Aquino had an average growth of 3.8% from 1986 to 1992.
.
, namely, the Family Code of 1987, which reformed the civil law
on family relations, and the Administrative Code of 1987, which reorganized the structure of the executive branch of government
. Another landmark law that was enacted during her tenure was the 1991 Local Government Code, which devolved national government powers to local government units (LGUs). The new Code also enhanced the power of LGUs to enact local taxation measures and assured them of a share in the national revenue.
Likewise, Aquino closed down the Marcos-dominated Batasang Pambansa
to prevent the new Marcos loyalist opposition from undermining her democratic reforms and reorganized the membership of the Supreme Court to restore its independence. In May 1986, the reorganized Supreme Court declared the Aquino government as "not merely a de facto government but in fact and law a de jure government", whose legitimacy had been affirmed by the community of nations. This Supreme Court decision significantly affirmed the status of Aquino as the new, legitimate and rightful leader of the Philippines.
. The Con-Com completed its final draft in October 1986 On February 2, 1987, the new Constitution of the Philippines
, which put strong emphasis on civil liberties, human rights and social justice, was overwhelmingly approved by the Filipino people. The ratification of the new Constitution was followed by the election of senators and congress that same year and the holding of local elections in 1988.
to demand genuine land reform from Aquino's administration. The farmers' march turned bloody and violent when Marine forces fired at farmers who tried to go beyond the designated demarcation line set by the police. As a result, 12 farmers were killed and 19 were injured in this incident now known as the Mendiola Massacre
. This tragic incident led some prominent members of the Aquino Cabinet like the nationalist and progressive senator Jose W. Diokno to quit from their government posts. Though Aquino did not have any personal and official involvement with the drastic actions taken by some police elements, her administration has been faulted since then for failing to solve land disputes in the country.
In response to calls for agrarian reform, President Aquino issued Presidential Proclamation 131 and Executive Order 229 on July 22, 1987, which outlined the her land reform program, which included sugar lands. In 1988, with the backing of Aquino, the new Congress of the Philippines
passed Republic Act No. 6657, more popularly known as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law." The law paved the way for the redistribution of agricultural lands to tenant-farmers from landowners, who were paid in exchange by the government through just compensation
but were also allowed to retain not more than five hectares of land. Corporate landowners were also allowed under the law to "voluntarily divest a proportion of their capital stock
, equity or participation in favor of their workers or other qualified beneficiaries", in lieu of turning over their land to the government for redistribution. Despite the flaws in the law, the Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality in 1989, declaring that the implementation of the comprehensive agrarian reform program (CARP), provided by the said law, was "a revolutionary kind of expropriation."
Despite the implementation of CARP, Aquino was not spared from the controversies that eventually centered on Hacienda Luisita
, a 6,453-hectare estate located in the Province of Tarlac
, which she inherited from her family. She was scored for allowing Hacienda Luisita, which was now owned by the Tarlac Development Corporation, to opt for stock distribution, instead of land redistribution. As such, ownership of agricultural portions of the hacienda were transferred to the corporation, which in turn, gave its shares of stocks to farmers.
The arrangement remained in force until 2006, when the Department of Agrarian Reform
revoked the stock distribution scheme adopted in Hacienda Luisita, and ordered instead the redistribution of a large portion of the property to the tenant-farmers. The Department stepped into the controversy when in 2004, violence erupted over the retrenchment of workers in the Hacienda, eventually leaving seven people dead.
Burdened with 296 public sector enterprises, plus 399 other nonperforming assets transferred to the government by the Philippine National Bank and the Development Bank of the Philippines, the Aquino administration established the Asset Privatization Trust in 1986 to dispose of government-owned and government-controlled properties. By early 1991, the Asset Privatization Trust had sold 230 assets with net proceeds of P14.3 billion. Another seventy-four public sector enterprises that were created with direct government investment were put up for sale; fifty-seven enterprises were sold wholly or in part for a total of about P6 billion. The government designated that about 30 percent of the original public sector enterprises be retained and expected to abolish another 20 percent. There was widespread controversy over the fairness of the divestment procedure and its potential to contribute to an even greater concentration of economic power in the hands of a few wealthy families.
Another example for President Aquino is the sequesterment of its Marcos-owned radio and television stations such as the Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation
, Radio Philippines Network
and Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation
after the 1986 EDSA Revolution
. On July 16 and September 14, 1986, ABS-CBN
resumed its operations after 14 years of their closure. Since then, its TV station DWWX-TV
and two radio stations are opened following a re-opening.
and in the provinces regularly to shape up Filipino culture. Singers like Regine Velasquez
, Randy Santiago
, Ogie Alcasid
, Gary Valenciano
, Manilyn Reynes
, Donna Cruz
and others are contributed to the President's implementation of Filipino music over the airwaves. Stations like DZOO-FM, DWLS, etc., are adopted hourly OPMs effectively after the implementation.
After the revolution, she removed Maharlika Broadcasting System
, a Marcos
-owned TV network originally ceased transmitting on February 24, 1986 to replace a new network under the brand name People's Television Network, Incorporated (PTV-4)
in April 1986. In 1992, PTNI made a government broadcaster for the first time under RA 7306 when it was signed. In 1988, GMA Network
unveils the new transmitter called the Tower of Power
located in Barangay Culiat in Quezon City
with a grand opening to mark a nationwide satellite broadcast and for the preparation of a Rainbow satellite. The network becomes an instrument of democracy
during the revolution.
Aquino also encouraged the tourism sector to boost the national economy. Under her six-year term, the Department of Tourism launched a program called The Philippines: Fiesta Islands of Asia in 1989, offers tourist visits in the country to show their natural wonders, to protect their indigenous peoples, to preserve heritage sites and to contribute historical importance.
in Seoul
, South Korea
took the Philippines finished sixth with 18 medals (four of its athletes have with golds). Also in 1988, the 1988 Summer Olympics
was also held in Seoul, athlete Leopoldo Serantes
got third place with a bronze in men's light flyweight division of boxing, making Aquino supported Serantes in a such international event. This was the first time after the downfall of President Marcos. After the revolution in 1986, Filipinos also had a number of medals in the 1987 Southeast Asian Games
in Jakarta
, Indonesia
and another in 1989 at Kuala Lumpur
, Malaysia. Manila was selected by President Aquino to become the host city of the 1991 Southeast Asian Games
left the host country picked-up on the second place with medals. To ensure the standards of its athletes, the Philippine Sports Commission
opened in 1990 as an institution to train future athletes not only in sports, but also in international events.
, diseases and poverty
which manifested after President Marcos accused him of corruption
and was deposed during the last days of the revolution brought a wide variety of economic and social problems within the poor nationwide.
President Aquino Made her successes in receiving reforms to nutrition, housing and health after the revolution. In 1986, Aquino replaced Marcos's NutriBun bread with Soya milk as an aim to provide nutrition in eradicating poverty and hunger
. Also on October 20, she signed Executive Order No. 51 as the National Infant Formula act of 1986, to provide rules, regulations and laws in manufacturing infant formula in the market, this law became effective in 1987, following advertisements in providing breastfeeding
culture with the message; Breastmilk is still best for babies on radio and TV ads. In 1988, she also signed Republic Act 6675 as the Generic Drugs act of 1988, to assure the purchase of medicines in drugstores and for the maintenance of people's health. In the same year, Aquino established the National Shelter Program (NSP) in which the government can provide free housing units to the poor and to resolve the shortage of housing. Also, Aquino launched Education for All program in order to receive schoolbags, notebooks and pencils, and to provide free education in public schools as well.
as her first state visit with President
Ronald Reagan
at the White House
and received a warm welcome. Before, she offered a speech in the United States Congress
and made Aquino, a democratic freedom fighter during the revolution, the United States supporting Aquino for the mass evacuation of President Marcos and his family and the transfer of power in the government, U.S. senators wearing yellow ribbons as a symbol of democracy and her speech was televised worldwide and in the Philippines. Aquino and Reagan made a friendship in order to establish trade and economic ties between the two countries as they went to the New York Stock Exchange
in New York City and signing of well-privatized companies in the NYSE list. In 1989, she met with President George H.W. Bush in calls for supporting the U.S. for defeating the armed rebels during the 1989 Christmas coup which lasted seven days, the U.S. provided defense funds to strengthen the branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
.
She also visited the Challenger Memorial
in Washington D.C. and Pearl Harbor Memorial in Honolulu to commemorate both the Space Shuttle Challenger
astronauts in the January 1986 explosion and the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor
as condolences. She inaugurated the Aquino house in Boston
as a landmark where the Aquino family resided there in 1980.
in 1986, the U.S. House of Representatives voted, 203 to 197, in favor of $200 million in emergency aid to her fledgling government. The vote, admitted Democrat Gerald Kleczka of Wisconsin, amounted to "legislating with our hearts instead of our heads." Indeed, the measure only added to a foreign-aid budget that is already likely to be deeply slashed by the Gramm-Rudman budget-balancing mechanism.
On June 15, 1991, Mount Pinatubo
, just 20 miles (32 km) from Subic Bay, exploded with a force 8 times greater than the Mount St. Helens
eruption. Day turned to night as volcanic ash blotted out the sun. Volcanic earthquakes and heavy rain, lightning and thunder from Typhoon Yunya
passing over northern Luzon made Black Saturday a 36-hour nightmare.
By the morning of June 16, when the volcano's fury subsided, Subic Bay, once one of the most beautiful and well-maintained Navy bases in the Pacific, lay buried under a foot of rain-soaked, sandy ash.
Buildings everywhere collapsed under the weight of the coarse gray ash. Two girls, one a nine-year-old American and the other a Filipino citizen, died when trapped under a falling roof at George Dewey High School. In the city of Olongapo, more than 60 volcano-related deaths were reported, including eight who were crushed when part of Olongapo General Hospital collapsed.
That night, the threat of continued eruptions combined with the lack of water and electricity led to the decision to evacuate all dependents. U.S. warships and cargo planes began the emergency evacuation of thousands of Navy and Air Force dependents. Seven Navy ships sailed Monday, June 17, with 6,200 dependents. A total of 17 ships, including the aircraft carriers, USS Abraham Lincoln
and USS Midway
evacuated all 20,000 dependents over the next few days. The evacuees were taken by ship to Mactan Air Base
and then were airlifted by U.S. Air Force C-141 Starlifter
s to Andersen Air Force Base
at Guam
.
After the dependents were evacuated, an intense clean-up was begun. All hands, American service members and Filipino base employees, worked around the clock to restore essential services.
Clark Air Base
, much closer to Mount Pinatubo, was declared a total loss and plans for a complete closure were started.
Within two weeks NAS Cubi Point was back in limited operation. Soon, most buildings had electricity and water restored. By mid-July service had been restored to most family housing units. The dependents began returning September 8, 1991 and by the end of the month almost all were back at Subic Bay from the United States.
Many months before the expiration of the Military Bases Agreement of 1947 intense negotiations between the governments of the United States and the Philippines began. These negotiations resulted in the Treaty of Friendship, Peace and Cooperation between the United States
and the Republic of the Philippines. This would have extended the lease of the American bases in the Philippines.
On September 13, 1991, the Philippine Senate
rejected the ratification of this treaty, citing a number of reasons for the rejection. This was a devastating blow to the Aquino administration, who were strongly pro-treaty and even called for a referendum by the Filipino people; a move that was declared unconstitutional.
In December 1991, the two governments were again in talks to extend the withdrawal of American forces for three years but this broke down as the United States refused to detail their withdrawal plans or to answer if nuclear weapon
s were kept on base. Finally on December 27, President Corazon Aquino, who had previously fought to delay the U.S. pullout to cushion the country's battered economy, issued a formal notice for the U.S. to leave by the end of 1992. Naval Station Subic Bay was the U.S.'s largest overseas defense facility after Clark Air Base
was closed.
During 1992, tons of material including drydocks and equipment, were shipped to various Naval Stations. Ship-repair and maintenance yards as well as supply depots were relocated to other Asian countries including Japan
and Singapore
. Finally, on November 24, 1992, the American Flag was lowered in Subic for the last time and the last 1,416 Sailors and Marines at Subic Bay Naval Base left by plane from NAS Cubi Point and by the USS Belleau Wood
. This withdrawal marked the first time since the 16th Century that no foreign military forces were present in the Philippines.
visited Japan in November 1986 and met with Emperor
Hirohito
, who offered his apologies for the wrongs committed by Japan
during World War II. New foreign aid agreements also were concluded during this visit. Aquino returned to Japan in 1989 for Hirohito's funeral and in 1990 for the enthronement of Emperor Akihito
. A series of talks of four Prime Ministers from Yasuhiro Nakasone
from 1986 to 1987, to Kiichi Miyazawa
from 1991 to 1992, the Japanese Government provided economic and trade relations between the two countries, massive inflow of Japanese investors and tourists, rehabilitation and construction of schools, hospitals and roads, and guaranteed justice for Filipino Comfort women
after World War II
. Also in an official state visit, she and Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita
received condolences in the wake of MV Doña Paz
tragedy.
Mikhail Gorbachev
in an another state visit in Moscow
for the first time in 1987. She and Gorbachev agreed that the Philippines and the Soviet Union
established the two-nation economic ties and to promote their reforms based on the perestroika
and glasnost
systems paved their way to democracy
, it also includes a Philippine-Soviet friendship. She returned between 1991 and 1992 for the state visit with President Boris Yeltsin
since Russia
was independent on December 25, 1991.
, a state visit between Aquino and Chinese Premier Deng Xiaoping
for the first time in 1988, the two leaders discussed the economic relations between the Philippines and China to receive its economic and trading partnership and a Philippine-Chinese friendship under Xiaoping. Also in the state visit, she visited Hong Jian village as ancestral homes of the Conjuangcos where her grandparents and children were born and raised in this village before they descended into the Philippines. Later went to South Korea
between 1986 and 1988, for separate meetings with Presidents Chun Doo-hwan
and Roh Tae-woo
in relation to Philippine-South Korean economic, social and cultural ties, she represented in the Asian Games and the Olympics by supporting the Filipino athletes in the world of sports. She and Tae-woo, also discussed about Unification
talks in which South and North Korea
will unify to end its hostilities since the Korean War
in the 50's.
, the President went to the United Kingdom
and meets British Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher
and John Major
from 1987 to 1992, to discuss important talks on economy and social welfare as the Philippines provide economic and financial assistance programs, and strong commercial ties between the two countries. Also in London
, she visited Queen Elizabeth II
and received a warm welcome for the first time. Similar visits were made by Aquino and she went to other European nations including with President François Mitterrand
of France
, President Francesco Cossiga
of Italy
, Chancellor Helmut Kohl
of West Germany
and Prime Minister Felipe González Márquez of Spain
from 1986 to 1991. In Spain and Vatican City
, Aquino meets King Juan Carlos I of Spain for a special visit in which the country traced back to historical timeline during the Spanish rule for over three centuries and how the country received freedom after its independence and the revolution made the President and the Spanish King a two-nation friendship. Later went to the Vatican and she also received a warm welcome to Pope John Paul II, John Paul II congratulates Aquino for supporting millions of Filipinos whose marched at EDSA and to topple the dictator in this Roman Catholic nation.
, she went to Singapore
, then to Indonesia
in August 1986, for separate meetings with Singaporean Prime Minister
Lee Kuan Yew
and Indonesian President Suharto in order to provide trade and economic ties between the three countries. She also went to Malaysia in November 1987, to discuss territorial disputes in Sabah
with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, and in Thailand
and Brunei
, for separate meetings with Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda
in April 1988, and Sultan
Hassanal Bolkiah
in August 1988. She and the member leaders of Association of Southeast Asian Nations
made meetings in various ASEAN summits from 1986–92.
Aquino went to the United Nations
assembly in New York in July 1988, made a historic speech during the 45th General Assembly. In her historic speech, Aquino promised to the International Community in expressing democratic freedoms in countries since the Philippines received freedom after the revolution in 1986, and to provide a resolution in the protection for migrant workers and their families. During the July 1988 visit, She met Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
for a special meeting to discuss anti-poverty and anti-insurgency measures in the Philippines.
, National Union of Christian Democrats, Philippine Democratic Socialist Party
, Bandila and Pinaghiusa.
Grand Alliance for Democracy
(GAD) coalition composed of the Nacionalista Party, Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, Liberal Party-Kalaw Wing
, Partido Nacionalista ng Pilipinas, Christian Socialist Democratic Party, Mindanao Alliance and Muslim Federal Party
UPP-KBL
coalition composed of Pro-Marcos forces.
Aquino's administration-coalition won 22 out of the 24 senate seats.
Corazon Aquino
involving various members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
. A significant number of the military participants in these attempts belonged to the Reform the Armed Forces Movement
(RAM) led by Gringo Honasan, while others were identified loyalists to former President Ferdinand Marcos, who had been deposed in February 1986. Two of the attempts — the November 1986 "God Save the Queen" plot and the July 1987 plot — were uncovered and quashed by authorities before they could be operationalized. Save for the August 1987 coup attempts, which left 53 people dead, the other plots were repelled with minimal or no violence.
against the government of Philippine President
Corazon Aquino was staged beginning 1 December 1989 by members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
belonging to the Reform the Armed Forces Movement
(RAM) and soldiers loyal to former President Ferdinand Marcos. Metro Manila was shook by the coup, where the rebels almost gained full control of the presidential palace
. It was completely defeated by Philippine Government forces on December 9, 1989.
The coup was led by Colonel Gregorio Honasan, General Edgardo Abenina, and retired General Jose Ma. Zumel. At the onset of the coup, the rebels seized Villamor Airbase, Fort Bonifacio, Sangley Airbase, Mactan Airbase in Cebu, and portions of Camp Aguinaldo. The rebels set patrols around the runway of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport
, effectively shutting it down. From Sangley Airbase, the rebels launched planes and helicopters which bombarded and strafed Malacañang Palace, Camp Crame
and Camp Aguinaldo. Three hours after the fall of Villamor Air Base, President Aquino went on air to address the people, assuring them that the government "shall smash this naked attempt once more." At that point, the counterattack of the government forces began. Seven army trucks headed for the headquarters of the government-owned station Channel 4, where fierce fighting occurred between the forces. Defense Secretary Fidel Ramos and AFP Chief-of-Staff Renato de Villa monitored the crises from Camp Crame, headquarters of the Philippine Constabulary
. With loyal forces hard-pressed by the rebels, Aquino requested assistance from the US Military, and, at the behest of her military commanders, granted. 120 marines, part of the 800-strong U.S. contingent stationed at Subic Naval Base were deployed at the grounds of the US Embassy as a defensive measure. President Aquino stated that the loyal forces lacked the ability to contain the rebel forces. American help was crucial to the Aquino cause, clearing the skies of rebel aircraft and allowing government military to consolidate their forces.
As the mutiny continued, Aquino declares an ultimatum for the rebels, giving them two choices, to surrender or to face death. Government F-5 jets went to the skies and challenged rebel planes, and culminated with the destruction of the rebel T-28 Trojan
s. Government forces would recapture all military bases save for Mactan Airbase by December 3, but rebel forces retreating from Fort Bonifacio occupied 22 high-rise buildings along the Ayala business area in Makati
. The government claimed the coup was crushed, but fierce fighting continued through the weekend; Camp Aguinaldo was set ablaze by the rebel howitzers.
The occupation of Makati lasted until December 7, surrendering full control of Mactan Airbase on 9 December. The official casualty toll was 99 dead (including 50 civilians), with 570 more wounded.
The United States
military supported the Aquino government during the coup. Operation "Classic Resolve" involved the use of U.S. airpower from the USS Midway (CV-41)
and USS Enterprise
aircraft carriers and F-4 Phantom II
fighters from Clark Air Base. The U.S. Air force jets retook the skies for Aquino. The U.S. planes had clearance to "...buzz the rebel planes at their base, fire in front of them if any attempted to take off, and shoot them down if they did."
Following the failure of this coup, President Aquino established a Fact-Finding Commission headed by then-COMELEC Chairman Hilario Davide, Jr.
to investigate and provide a full report on the series of coup attempts against her government. The report would become known as the Davide Commission Report.
Participants of the December 1989 coup would later blame perceived deficiencies in the Aquino government in areas as graft and corruption, bureaucratic inefficiency, and lenient treatment of communist insurgents as the reasons for the coup. In response, the Davide Commission recommended several short-term and long-term counter-measures, including the establishment of a civilian national police force, a crackdown on corruption in the military, a performance review of appointive government officials, reforms in the process of military promotions, a review of election laws in time for the 1992 presidential elections, and a definitive statement on the part of Aquino on whether she intended to run for re-election in 1992.
During her last two years in office, President Aquino's administration faced series of natural disasters and calamities. Among these were the 1990 Luzon earthquake
, which left around 1,600 people dead and the 1991 volcanic eruption of what was then thought to be a dormant Mount Pinatubo
, which was the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century, killing around 300 people and causing widespread long-term devastation of agricultural lands in Central Luzon
. The worst loss of life occurred when Tropical Storm Thelma
(also known as Typhoon Uring) caused massive flooding in Ormoc City
in November 1991, leaving around 6,000 dead in what was considered to be the deadliest typhoon in Philippine history. Also in November 1987, Supertyphoon Sisang
slammed into Luzon
killing almost 1,036 people and destroying farms and coastal villages, turning as the deadliest supertyphoon of the 20th century, and in October 1988, Typhoon Unsang
lashes out Central Luzon with scores of fatalities and tremendous damage, also in November 1990, Supertyphoon Ruping
struck into the Visayas
leaving 784 lives lost due to flashfloods and landslides since the worst Typhoon Nitang
in 1984, and in October 1989, it was Supertyphoon Tasing
lashed into Northern Luzon with 47 people were also killed years before Supertyphoon Juan
. A series of flashfloods struck the northern regions of Luzon resulted to the deaths of 36 persons when Typhoon Miding
went slowly in August 1986, it is the worst before Typhoon Pepeng
was happened in 2009. It was also during Aquino's term that the MV Doña Paz
sank, which is the World's worst peace-time maritime disaster of the 20th century. The disaster occurred in December 1987 which killed more than 1,700 people. A series of air disasters occurred in 1987 when Philippine Airlines
PR 206
crashed into a mountain in Benguet
with 50 passengers found dead on June 26, another on December 13, PR 443 crashes near Maria Cristina Airport
in Iligan with 15 people on board were killed and on July 21, 1989, another plane crashed on a runway of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport
, killing eight on ground.
From 1989 to 1993, a long El Niño phenomenon which caused a severe drought
in the archipelago. Droughts destroyed crops in farmlands and livestock led to a nationwide food shortage, dwindling water supplies also contribute a water shortage and electric blackouts left the national economy to a damage worth billions of pesos. Aquino declared the archipelago under a nationwide state of calamity because of the drought.
During Aquino's presidency, electric blackouts became common in Manila. The capital experienced blackouts of seven to 12 hours, bring numerous businesses were brought to a halt and as associated to El Niño. By the departure of Aquino in June 1992, businesses in Manila and nearby provinces have lost nearly $800 million since March 1992. The Aquino administration knew for years that country's power plants were failing, but they did not act to solve the problem. It was only during the time of her successor, Fidel Ramos, that the government decisively solved the severe power outages that were common during her tenure.
Initially, she named Ramon V. Mitra, a friend of her husband Ninoy and then Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives, as her candidate for the presidential race in 1992. She instead threw her support behind the candidacy of her defense secretary and EDSA Revolution hero, General Fidel V. Ramos, who constantly stood by and defended her government from the various coup attempts and rebellions that were launched against her. Her sudden change of mind and withdrawal of support from Mitra drew criticisms not only from her supporters in the liberal and social democratic sectors but from the Roman Catholic Church
, as well, which questioned her anointing of Ramos since the latter was a Protestant. Nevertheless, Aquino's candidate eventually won the 1992 elections, albeit by a margin of 23.58 percent of the total votes only, and was sworn in as the 12th President of the Philippines on June 30, 1992.
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...
spanned for six years from February 25, 1986 to June 30, 1992.
Overview
The triumph of the peaceful People Power Revolution and the ascension of Corazon Aquino into power signaled the end of authoritarian rule in the Philippines and the dawning of a new era for Filipinos. The relatively-peaceful manner by which Aquino came into power drew international acclaim and admiration not only for her but for the Filipino people, as well.During the first months of Aquino's presidency, the country experienced radical changes and sweeping democratic reforms. One of Aquino's first and boldest moves was the creation of the Presidential Commission on Good Government
Presidential Commission on Good Government
The Presidential Commission on Good Government, PCGG, is a special body created by Pres. Corazon Aquino to recover ill-gotten wealth accumulated during the Marcos regime.-History:...
(PCGG), which was tasked to go after the Marcos ill-gotten wealth. Aquino, being a revolutionary president by virtue of people power, abolished the 1973 "Marcos Constitution" and dissolved the Marcos allies-dominated Batasang Pambansa, despite the advice of her vice-president and only prime minister Salvador Laurel. She also immediately created a Constitutional Commission, which she directed for the drafting of a new constitution for the nation.
On the over-all, the Aquino administration made important gains in the aspects of bringing back democracy, restoring investor confidence in the economy and enacting legal and constitutional reforms. Despite these achievements, her presidency faced several threats from both right-wing military elements and extreme left-wing communist rebels. Further, her administration dealt with numerous problems such as major natural disasters which struck the country and severe power shortages which took a toll on doing business in the Philippines. It was also during her tenure that the United States finally ended its military bases and presence in the country.
Administration and Cabinet
| OFFICE | NAME | TERM |
| President President of the Philippines The 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... |
Corazon C. 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... |
1986–1992 |
| Prime Minister Prime Minister of the Philippines The Prime Minister of the Philippines was the official designation of the head of the government of the Philippines from 1978 until People Power Revolution in 1986... |
Salvador H. Laurel Salvador Laurel Salvador Roman Hidalgo Laurel , also known as Doy Laurel, was Vice President of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992 under Corazon Aquino. Before that, he briefly served as Aquino's first Prime Minister from February 25 to March 25 of 1986... |
1986–1987 |
| Vice-President Vice President of the Philippines -Description:The Vice-President is the first in the Philippine line of succession, assuming the Presidency upon the death, resignation, or removal by impeachment and subsequent conviction of the incumbent. The position was abolished by Martial Law in 1972, and was not included in the original text... |
Salvador H. Laurel Salvador Laurel Salvador Roman Hidalgo Laurel , also known as Doy Laurel, was Vice President of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992 under Corazon Aquino. Before that, he briefly served as Aquino's first Prime Minister from February 25 to March 25 of 1986... |
1986–1992 |
| Executive Secretary Executive Secretary (Philippines) The Executive Secretary of the Philippines is the head and highest ranking official serving in Cabinet of the Philippines and the head of the Office of the President of the Philippines. The office-holder has been nicknamed as the "Little President" due to the nature of the position... |
Joker Arroyo Joker Arroyo Joker Paz Arroyo is a Filipino lawyer, politician and Senator of the Republic of the Philippines. He has no direct relation with former Presidential spouse Jose Miguel Arroyo.-Early life and career:... |
1986–1987 |
| |Catalino Macaraig, Jr. | 1987–1990 | |
| |Oscar Orbos Oscar Orbos Oscar M. Orbos, popularly known as Ka Oca, is a Philippine TV personality and host of GMA Network's Debate with Mare at Pare.Orbos was a former cabinet secretary, provincial governor, and vice presidential candidate... |
1990–1991 | |
| |Franklin Drilon Franklin Drilon Franklin Magtunao Drilon is a Filipino politician who served as President of the Senate of the Philippines in 2000 and from 2001 to 2006. Drilon currently serves his third term in the Senate... |
1991–1992 | |
| Presidential Spokesperson | Rene Saguisag Rene Saguisag Rene A. V. Saguisag is a Filipino lawyer. He served as a Filipino Senator from 1987 until 1992.-Early life:... |
|
| Secretary of Agrarian Reform Department of Agrarian Reform (Philippines) The Philippines' Department of Agrarian Reform , abbreviated as the DAR, is the executive department of the Philippine Government responsible for all land reform programs in the country, with the purported aim of promoting social justice and industrialization through massive taxation of rich and... |
Conrado Estrella, Sr. Conrado Estrella, Sr. Conrado F. Estrella, Sr. was a Filipino politician. He served as the Governor of Pangasinan from 1954 to 1963 and Minister of the Department of Agrarian Reform from 1978 to 1986.... |
1986 |
| | Heherson Alvarez | 1986–1987 | |
| | Philip Jucio | 1987–1989 | |
| | Miriam Defensor-Santiago Miriam Defensor-Santiago Miriam Defensor Santiago is a Senator of the Philippines. She is a lawyer, former trial judge and professor of constitutional and international law. She served as the Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation in 1988 and the Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform from 1989... |
1989–1990 | |
| | Florencio Abad Florencio Abad Florencio "Butch" Barsana Abad is the current Philippine Secretary of Budget and Management. On June 29, 2010, President Benigno Aquino III picked him as his Secretary of Budget and Management... |
1990 | |
| | Benjamin Liong | 1990–1992 | |
| Secretary of Agriculture Department of Agriculture (Philippines) The Philippines' Department of Agriculture , abbreviated as DA, is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for boosting the income of farmers as well as reducing the incidence of poverty in the rural sector, as stipulated inthe Government's Medium Term Philippine... |
Ramon Mitra, Jr. Ramon Mitra, Jr. Ramon "Monching" Villarosa Mitra, Jr. , was a prominent Filipino statesman, diplomat, and a renown pro-democracy activist of the Philippines.... |
1986–1987 |
| |Carlos Dominguez | 1987–1989 | |
| |Senen Bacani | 1989–1992 | |
| Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports Department of Education (Philippines) The Department of Education , is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the management and governing of the Philippine system of basic education. It is the chief formulator of Philippine educational policy and is responsible for the Philippine primary and secondary... |
Lourdes Quisimbing | 1986–1989 |
| |Isidro Cariño | 1989–1992 | |
| Secretary of Finance Department of Finance (Philippines) The Philippines' Department of Finance is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the formulation, institutionalization and administration of fiscal policies, management of the financial resources of the government, supervision of the revenue operations of all local... |
Jaime Ongpin Jaime Ongpin Jaime Ongpin born 1938 died 1987 was Minister of Finance of the Philippines under President Cory Aquino, appointed in 1986 after having played an instrumental role in her campaign. He died on December 7, 1987 at age 49 of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot... |
1986–1987 |
| | Vicente Jaime | 1987–1990 | |
| | Jesus Estanislao Jesus Estanislao Jesus P. Estanislao was the Secretary of Finance of the Philippines from 1990-1992, during the government of President Corazon Aquino. He presently heads two private institutes committed to governance reforms:... |
1990–1992 | |
| Secretary of Foreign Affairs Department of Foreign Affairs (Philippines) The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs is the executive department of the Philippine government tasked to contribute to the enhancement of national security and the protection of the territorial integrity and national sovereignty, to participate in the national endeavor of sustaining... |
Salvador Laurel Salvador Laurel Salvador Roman Hidalgo Laurel , also known as Doy Laurel, was Vice President of the Philippines from 1986 to 1992 under Corazon Aquino. Before that, he briefly served as Aquino's first Prime Minister from February 25 to March 25 of 1986... |
1986–1987 |
| |Manuel Yan | 1987 | |
| |Raul Manglapus Raul Manglapus Raúl Sevilla Manglapus was a prominent post-World War II Filipino politician. He co-founded the reformist Progressive Party of the Philippines and the Christian Democratic Socialist Movement in 1968 .He was appointed as the Philippines' youngest-ever foreign minister in 1957,... |
1987–1992 | |
| Secretary of Health Department of Health (Philippines) The Philippines’ Department of Health is the principal health agency in the Philippines. It is the executive department of the Philippine Government responsible for ensuring access to basic public health services to all Filipinos through the provision of quality health care and the regulation of... |
Alfredo Bengzon | 1987–1991 |
| |Antonio Periquet | 1991–1992 | |
| Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Department of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines) The Philippines' Department of the Interior and Local Government is the executive department of the Philippine Government responsible for promoting peace and order, ensuring public safety, and strengthening the capabilities of local government units... |
Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. Aquilino "Nene" Quilinging Pimentel, Jr. is a Filipino politician who served as the President of the Senate of the Philippines from 2000-2001.-Delegate to the 1971 Constitutional Convention:... |
1986–1987 |
| |Cesar Sarino | 1987–1992 | |
| Secretary of Justice Department of Justice (Philippines) The Department of Justice , abbreviated as DOJ, is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for upholding the rule of law in the Philippines... |
Neptali Gonzales Neptali Gonzales Neptali A. Gonzales, Sr. was the President of the Philippine Senate from 1992 to 1993, 1995 to 1996, and 1998.-Early Life and Career:... |
1986–1987 |
| | Sedfrey Ordoñez | 1987–1990 | |
| | Franklin Drilon Franklin Drilon Franklin Magtunao Drilon is a Filipino politician who served as President of the Senate of the Philippines in 2000 and from 2001 to 2006. Drilon currently serves his third term in the Senate... |
1990–1991 | |
| | Silvestre Bello III | 1991–1992 | |
| | Eduardo Montenegro | 1992 | |
| Secretary of Information | Teodoro Locsin, Jr. Teodoro Locsin, Jr. Teodoro "Teddyboy" Locsin, Jr. is a Philippine politician, lawyer, and journalist who served as congressman for the 1st district of Makati from 2001 to 2010.-Early life:Locsin was born in Manila on November 15, 1948... |
|
| Secretary of Labor and Employment Department of Labor and Employment (Philippines) The Philippines' Department of Labor and Employment is the executive department of the Philippine Government mandated to formulate policies, implement programs and services, and serve as the policy-coordinating arm of the Executive Branch in the field of labor and employment... |
Augusto Sanchez | |
| Secretary of National Defense 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... |
Juan Ponce Enrile Juan Ponce Enrile Juan Ponce Enrile is a Filipino politician. As a protege of President Ferdinand Marcos, he served as Justice Secretary and then Defense Secretary under the Marcos regime. He later became one of the leaders of the 1986 People Power Movement that drove Marcos from power... |
1986 |
| | Rafael Ileto Rafael Ileto Rafael M. Ileto served as the 22nd Secretary of the Department of National Defense of the Philippines. He was also became the Vice Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines . He also served as Philippine Ambassador to Turkey, Iran, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos.-Early years:Rafael... |
1986–1988 | |
| | Fidel Ramos | 1988–1991 | |
| | Renato De Villa Renato de Villa Renato "Rene" de Villa is a political figure in the Philippines and founder of the rightist political party Partido ng Demokratikong Reporma-Lapiang Manggagawa.-Biography:... |
1991–1992 | |
| Secretary of Public Works and Highways Department of Public Works and Highways (Philippines) The Philippines’ Department of Public Works and Highways , abbreviated as DPWH, is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for all safety of projects in the field of public works... |
Rogaciano Mercado | 1986 |
| |Vicente Jayme | 1986–1987 | |
| |Juanito Ferrer | 1987–1988 | |
| |Fiorello Estuar | 1988–1990 | |
| |Jose de Jesus Jose De Jesus Jose De Jesus is a retired professional boxer in the light flyweight division.-Pro career:... |
1990–1992 | |
| Secretary of Social Welfare and Development Department of Social Welfare and Development (Philippines) The Philippines Department of Social Welfare and Development is the executive department of the Philippine Government responsible for the protection of the social welfare rights of Filipinos and to promote social development.-History:... |
Mita Pardo de Tavera | |
| Secretary of Tourism Department of Tourism (Philippines) The Department of Tourism is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the regulation of the Philippine tourism industry and the promotion of the Philippines as a tourist destination.... |
Jose Gonzales | 1986–1987 |
| | Rafael Alunan III | 1987–1989 | |
| | Narzalina Lim | 1989–1992 | |
| Secretary of Trade and Industry Department of Trade and Industry (Philippines) The Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry , abbreviated as DTI is the executive department of the Philippine Government tasked to expand Philippine trade, industries and investments as the means to generate jobs and raise incomes for Filipinos... |
Jose Conception, Jr. | 1986–1991 |
| |Peter Garrucho | 1991–1992 | |
| Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority |
Winnie Monsod | 1986–1989 |
| |Jesus Estanislao Jesus Estanislao Jesus P. Estanislao was the Secretary of Finance of the Philippines from 1990-1992, during the government of President Corazon Aquino. He presently heads two private institutes committed to governance reforms:... |
1989–1990 | |
| |Cayetano Paderanga, Jr. Cayetano Paderanga, Jr. Cayetano "Dondon" Woo Paderanga Jr. is a Filipino economist and current Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority , an independent cabinet-level agency of the Philippine government responsible for economic development and planning. Paderanga Jr.'s appointment was announced... |
1990–1992 | |
Economy
One of her boldest moves was to dismantle the various monopolies that were perpetrated by Marcos during his stay in power.
She also moved quickly to tackle the issue of the US$26 billion foreign debt incurred by her predecessor. Instead of repudiating it, Aquino chose to honor all the debts that were incurred previously under different administrations. Her decision proved to be unpopular but Aquino defended it, saying that it was the most practical move and choice to make as it was crucial for the country at that time to regain the confidence of investors and the international community in the Philippine economy. Since 1986, the Aquino administration has paid off $4 billion of the country's outstanding debts to regain good international credit ratings and attract the attention of future markets. Nevertheless, the administration borrowed an additional $9 billion, increasing the national debt by $5 billion within six years time since the ouster of former President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.
Further, the Aquino administration also sought to bring back fiscal discipline in order as it aimed to trim down the government's budget deficit that ballooned during Marcos' term through privatization of bad government assets and deregulation of many vital industries. It was also during Aquino's time that vital economic laws such as the Built-Operate-Transfer Law, Foreign Investments Act and the Consumer Protection and Welfare Act were enacted.
The economy posted a positive growth of 3.4% during her first year in office. But in the aftermath of the 1989 coup attempt, the Philippine economy remained stagnant. In her final year in office, inflation was raging at 17%, and unemployment was slightly over 10%, higher than the Marcos years. Overall, the economy under Aquino had an average growth of 3.8% from 1986 to 1992.
.
Revolutionary Government
Immediately after assuming the presidency, President Aquino issued Proclamation No. 3, which established a revolutionary government. She abolished the 1973 Constitution that was in force during martial law, and instead promulgated the provisional 1986 Freedom Constitution, pending the ratification of a new Constitution by the people. This allowed Aquino to exercise both executive and legislative powers until the ratification of the new Philippine Constitution and the establishment of a new Congress in 1987.Landmark Legislation
As such, Aquino promulgated two landmark legal codesPhilippine legal codes
Codification of laws is a common practice in the Philippines. Many general areas of substantive law, such as criminal law, civil law and labor law are governed by legal codes.-Tradition of codification:...
, namely, the Family Code of 1987, which reformed the civil law
Civil law (legal system)
Civil law is a legal system inspired by Roman law and whose primary feature is that laws are codified into collections, as compared to common law systems that gives great precedential weight to common law on the principle that it is unfair to treat similar facts differently on different...
on family relations, and the Administrative Code of 1987, which reorganized the structure of the executive branch of government
Executive Departments of the Philippines
The Executive departments of the Philippines is the largest component of the national executive branch of the government of the Philippines. There are a total of nineteen executive departments. The departments comprise the largest part of the country's bureaucracy...
. Another landmark law that was enacted during her tenure was the 1991 Local Government Code, which devolved national government powers to local government units (LGUs). The new Code also enhanced the power of LGUs to enact local taxation measures and assured them of a share in the national revenue.
Likewise, Aquino closed down the Marcos-dominated Batasang Pambansa
Batasang Pambansa
The Batasang Pambansa , also known by its nickname, the Batasan, was the former parliament of the Philippines, established as an interim assembly in 1978 and finally as an official body in 1984. Under the 1973 constitution, it replaced the former Congress established under the 1935 Commonwealth...
to prevent the new Marcos loyalist opposition from undermining her democratic reforms and reorganized the membership of the Supreme Court to restore its independence. In May 1986, the reorganized Supreme Court declared the Aquino government as "not merely a de facto government but in fact and law a de jure government", whose legitimacy had been affirmed by the community of nations. This Supreme Court decision significantly affirmed the status of Aquino as the new, legitimate and rightful leader of the Philippines.
1986 Constitutional Commission
To fast-track the restoration of a full constitutional government and the writing of a new charter, President Aquino appointed 48 members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission (Con-Com), led by retired activist Supreme Court Associate Justice Cecilia Muñoz-PalmaCecilia Muñoz-Palma
Cecilia Muñoz-Palma was a Filipino jurist and the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of the Philippines...
. The Con-Com completed its final draft in October 1986 On February 2, 1987, the new Constitution of the Philippines
Constitution of the Philippines
The Constitution of the Philippines is the supreme law of the Philippines.The Constitution currently in effect was enacted in 1987, during the administration of President Corazon Aquino, and is popularly known as the "1987 Constitution"...
, which put strong emphasis on civil liberties, human rights and social justice, was overwhelmingly approved by the Filipino people. The ratification of the new Constitution was followed by the election of senators and congress that same year and the holding of local elections in 1988.
Agrarian reform
Upon her ascension into power, President Aquino envisioned agrarian and land reform as the centerpiece of her administration's social legislative agenda. Her family background and social class as a privileged and landed daughter of a wealthy and landed clan became a lightning rod of criticisms against her land reform agenda. On February 22, 1987, three weeks after the resounding ratification of the 1987 Constitution, agrarian workers and farmers marched to the historic Mendiola Street near Malacanang PalaceMalacañang Palace
The Malacañan Palace, commonly known simply as Malacañang, is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the Philippines. Located at 1000 J. P. Laurel Street, San Miguel, Manila, the house was built in 1750 in Spanish Colonial style. It has been the residence of every...
to demand genuine land reform from Aquino's administration. The farmers' march turned bloody and violent when Marine forces fired at farmers who tried to go beyond the designated demarcation line set by the police. As a result, 12 farmers were killed and 19 were injured in this incident now known as the Mendiola Massacre
Mendiola massacre
The Mendiola massacre, also called Black Thursday by some Filipino journalists, was an incident that took place in Mendiola Street, San Miguel, Manila, Philippines on January 22, 1987, in which state security forces violently dispersed a farmers' march on Malacañang Palace...
. This tragic incident led some prominent members of the Aquino Cabinet like the nationalist and progressive senator Jose W. Diokno to quit from their government posts. Though Aquino did not have any personal and official involvement with the drastic actions taken by some police elements, her administration has been faulted since then for failing to solve land disputes in the country.
In response to calls for agrarian reform, President Aquino issued Presidential Proclamation 131 and Executive Order 229 on July 22, 1987, which outlined the her land reform program, which included sugar lands. In 1988, with the backing of Aquino, the new Congress of the Philippines
Congress of the Philippines
The Congress of the Philippines is the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines. It is a bicameral body consisting of the Senate , and the House of Representatives although commonly in the Philippines the term congress refers to the latter.The Senate is composed of 24 senators half...
passed Republic Act No. 6657, more popularly known as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law." The law paved the way for the redistribution of agricultural lands to tenant-farmers from landowners, who were paid in exchange by the government through just compensation
Just compensation
Just Compensation is required to be paid by the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution when private property is taken for public use...
but were also allowed to retain not more than five hectares of land. Corporate landowners were also allowed under the law to "voluntarily divest a proportion of their capital stock
Stock
The capital stock of a business entity represents the original capital paid into or invested in the business by its founders. It serves as a security for the creditors of a business since it cannot be withdrawn to the detriment of the creditors...
, equity or participation in favor of their workers or other qualified beneficiaries", in lieu of turning over their land to the government for redistribution. Despite the flaws in the law, the Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality in 1989, declaring that the implementation of the comprehensive agrarian reform program (CARP), provided by the said law, was "a revolutionary kind of expropriation."
Despite the implementation of CARP, Aquino was not spared from the controversies that eventually centered on Hacienda Luisita
Hacienda Luisita
Hacienda Luisita is a 6,435-hectare plantation estate located in Tarlac, Philippines, owned by the Cojuangco family, which includes former Philippine President Cory Aquino and her son, President Noynoy Aquino. It spans various towns in the province...
, a 6,453-hectare estate located in the Province of Tarlac
Tarlac
Tarlac is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the Luzon Island. Its capital is Tarlac City. Tarlac borders Pampanga to the south, Nueva Ecija to the east, Pangasinan to the north, and Zambales to the west...
, which she inherited from her family. She was scored for allowing Hacienda Luisita, which was now owned by the Tarlac Development Corporation, to opt for stock distribution, instead of land redistribution. As such, ownership of agricultural portions of the hacienda were transferred to the corporation, which in turn, gave its shares of stocks to farmers.
The arrangement remained in force until 2006, when the Department of Agrarian Reform
Department of Agrarian Reform (Philippines)
The Philippines' Department of Agrarian Reform , abbreviated as the DAR, is the executive department of the Philippine Government responsible for all land reform programs in the country, with the purported aim of promoting social justice and industrialization through massive taxation of rich and...
revoked the stock distribution scheme adopted in Hacienda Luisita, and ordered instead the redistribution of a large portion of the property to the tenant-farmers. The Department stepped into the controversy when in 2004, violence erupted over the retrenchment of workers in the Hacienda, eventually leaving seven people dead.
Privatization
When Aquino assumed the presidency in 1986, P31 billion, slightly more than 25 percent of the government's budget, was allocated to public sector enterprises—government-owned or government-controlled corporations—in the form of equity infusions, subsidies, and loans. Aquino also found it necessary to write off P130 billion in bad loans granted by the government's two major financial institutions, the Philippine National Bank and the Development Bank of the Philippines, "to those who held positions of power and conflicting interest under Marcos." The proliferation of inefficient and unprofitable public sector enterprises and bad loans held by the Philippine National Bank, the Development Bank of the Philippines, and other government entities, was a heavy legacy of the Marcos years.Burdened with 296 public sector enterprises, plus 399 other nonperforming assets transferred to the government by the Philippine National Bank and the Development Bank of the Philippines, the Aquino administration established the Asset Privatization Trust in 1986 to dispose of government-owned and government-controlled properties. By early 1991, the Asset Privatization Trust had sold 230 assets with net proceeds of P14.3 billion. Another seventy-four public sector enterprises that were created with direct government investment were put up for sale; fifty-seven enterprises were sold wholly or in part for a total of about P6 billion. The government designated that about 30 percent of the original public sector enterprises be retained and expected to abolish another 20 percent. There was widespread controversy over the fairness of the divestment procedure and its potential to contribute to an even greater concentration of economic power in the hands of a few wealthy families.
Another example for President Aquino is the sequesterment of its Marcos-owned radio and television stations such as the Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation
Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation
Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation was a Philippine television network that started operations in November 1973 and ended on February 25, 1986.-History:...
, Radio Philippines Network
Radio Philippines Network
Radio Philippines Network, Inc. is a broadcast television network in the Philippines co-owned by the Government Communications Group, Solar Entertainment Corporation, Far East Managers and Investors Inc., and private sectors. This station studios are located at Broadcast City, Old Balara, Capitol...
and Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation
Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation
Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation is a Philippine VHF television network of the Government Communications Group headed by the Press Secretary. Its studios are located at Broadcast City, Old Balara, Capitol Hills, Diliman, Quezon City and its transmitter is located at the Coca Cola plant,...
after the 1986 EDSA Revolution
1986 EDSA Revolution
The People Power Revolution was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines that occurred in 1983-86. The methods used amounted to a sustained campaign of civil resistance against regime violence and electoral fraud...
. On July 16 and September 14, 1986, ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN
ABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...
resumed its operations after 14 years of their closure. Since then, its TV station DWWX-TV
DWWX-TV
DWWX-TV, channel 2, is the flagship station of Philippine television network ABS-CBN Corporation. Its studios and transmitter are located at the ABS-CBN Broadcast Center at Sgt...
and two radio stations are opened following a re-opening.
Media and culture
Since 1986, Aquino adopted Original Pilipino Music by implementing Executive Order No. 255 issued on July 25, 1987 which broadcasts hourly OPM songs to all FM radio stations in Metro ManilaMetro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
and in the provinces regularly to shape up Filipino culture. Singers like Regine Velasquez
Regine Velasquez
Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez , better known as Asia's Songbird, Regine Velasquez, is a Filipino singer, actress, record producer and TV host...
, Randy Santiago
Randy Santiago
Randy Gerard Legaspi Santiago more commonly known as simply Randy Santiago, is a Filipino actor, television host, singer, songwriter, producer, director and entrepreneur. He is the big brother of Raymart Santiago, Rowell Santiago and Reily Pablo L. Santiago Jr....
, Ogie Alcasid
Ogie Alcasid
Herminio Jhay Alcasid, Jr., more popularly known as Ogie "Eric Ordoñez" Alcasid , is a Filipino singer, songwriter, composer, television presenter, comedian, parodist, actor, and entrepreneur.-Recording career:...
, Gary Valenciano
Gary Valenciano
Edgardo Jose Martin Santiago Valenciano , better known as Gary Valenciano or Gary V., is a Filipino musician. He is also dubbed as Mr. Pure Energy. He has released 26 albums, and won the Awit Awards for "Best Male Performer" 11 times. In 1998, he became UNICEF Philippines first national Ambassador...
, Manilyn Reynes
Manilyn Reynes
Manilyn Reynes-Jimenez is a Filipina actress and singer.At a very young age, her parents noticed her interest in music, encouraging her to join in various singing contests in Cebu...
, Donna Cruz
Donna Cruz
Donna Cruz Yrastorza-Larrazabal better known by her stage name Donna Cruz, is a Filipina pop singer and actress. She comes from the Cruz clan which include celebrities Sheryl Cruz, Geneva Cruz and Sunshine Cruz, her cousins....
and others are contributed to the President's implementation of Filipino music over the airwaves. Stations like DZOO-FM, DWLS, etc., are adopted hourly OPMs effectively after the implementation.
After the revolution, she removed Maharlika Broadcasting System
National Broadcasting Network
People's Television is the flagship government television network owned by the Philippine Government through People's Television Network, Inc. . Its head office, studios and transmitter are located at Broadcast Complex, Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City .-History:The country's government...
, a Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
-owned TV network originally ceased transmitting on February 24, 1986 to replace a new network under the brand name People's Television Network, Incorporated (PTV-4)
National Broadcasting Network
People's Television is the flagship government television network owned by the Philippine Government through People's Television Network, Inc. . Its head office, studios and transmitter are located at Broadcast Complex, Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City .-History:The country's government...
in April 1986. In 1992, PTNI made a government broadcaster for the first time under RA 7306 when it was signed. In 1988, GMA Network
GMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...
unveils the new transmitter called the Tower of Power
Tower of Power (transmitter)
Tower of Power is a , 100,000 Watt TPO transmitter of GMA Network located in Tandang Sora, Barangay Culiat, Quezon City. It was inaugurated on November 7, 1988, the tallest man-made structure in the Philippines in 1988. The transmitter is currently the second tallest structure in Quezon City after...
located in Barangay Culiat in Quezon City
Quezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
with a grand opening to mark a nationwide satellite broadcast and for the preparation of a Rainbow satellite. The network becomes an instrument of democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
during the revolution.
Aquino also encouraged the tourism sector to boost the national economy. Under her six-year term, the Department of Tourism launched a program called The Philippines: Fiesta Islands of Asia in 1989, offers tourist visits in the country to show their natural wonders, to protect their indigenous peoples, to preserve heritage sites and to contribute historical importance.
Sports
Under her administration, Filipino athletes brought home with several medals in the world of sports events. The 1986 Asian Games1986 Asian Games
The 10th Asian Games were held from September 20, 1986 to October 5, 1986 in Seoul, South Korea. The city was supposed to host the 1970 games, but it received security threats from neighboring North Korea, forcing it to give up hosting the games to previous 1966 host Bangkok, Thailand...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
took the Philippines finished sixth with 18 medals (four of its athletes have with golds). Also in 1988, the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
was also held in Seoul, athlete Leopoldo Serantes
Leopoldo Serantes
Leopoldo Serantes is an amateur boxer from the Philippines. He competed at the 1988 Seoul Olympics in the Light Flyweight division winning the bronze medal in a lost bout in the semifinals...
got third place with a bronze in men's light flyweight division of boxing, making Aquino supported Serantes in a such international event. This was the first time after the downfall of President Marcos. After the revolution in 1986, Filipinos also had a number of medals in the 1987 Southeast Asian Games
1987 Southeast Asian Games
The 14th Southeast Asian Games were held in Jakarta, Indonesia from 9 September - 20 September 1987.-Medal count:-References:*Percy Seneviratne Golden Moments: the S.E.A Games 1959-1991 Dominie Press, Singapore ISBN 981-00-4597-2*...
in Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and another in 1989 at Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Malaysia. Manila was selected by President Aquino to become the host city of the 1991 Southeast Asian Games
1991 Southeast Asian Games
The 16th Southeast Asian Games were held in Manila, the Philippines from 24 November - 3 December 1991. This was the second time that the country hosted the biennial regional sporting event. It was officially opened by President Corazon Aquino at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila through a...
left the host country picked-up on the second place with medals. To ensure the standards of its athletes, the Philippine Sports Commission
Philippine Sports Commission
The Philippine Sports Commission was created through Republic Act No. 6847 in 1990 to serve as the "sole policy-making and coordinating body of all amateur sports development programs and institutions in the Philippines"...
opened in 1990 as an institution to train future athletes not only in sports, but also in international events.
Community reforms
The whole country was suffered by many ills like malnutritionMalnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
, diseases and poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
which manifested after President Marcos accused him of corruption
Corruption
Corruption usually refers to spiritual or moral impurity.Corruption may also refer to:* Corruption , an American crime film* Corruption , a British horror film...
and was deposed during the last days of the revolution brought a wide variety of economic and social problems within the poor nationwide.
President Aquino Made her successes in receiving reforms to nutrition, housing and health after the revolution. In 1986, Aquino replaced Marcos's NutriBun bread with Soya milk as an aim to provide nutrition in eradicating poverty and hunger
Hunger
Hunger is the most commonly used term to describe the social condition of people who frequently experience the physical sensation of desiring food.-Malnutrition, famine, starvation:...
. Also on October 20, she signed Executive Order No. 51 as the National Infant Formula act of 1986, to provide rules, regulations and laws in manufacturing infant formula in the market, this law became effective in 1987, following advertisements in providing breastfeeding
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breasts rather than from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk. It is recommended that mothers breastfeed for six months or...
culture with the message; Breastmilk is still best for babies on radio and TV ads. In 1988, she also signed Republic Act 6675 as the Generic Drugs act of 1988, to assure the purchase of medicines in drugstores and for the maintenance of people's health. In the same year, Aquino established the National Shelter Program (NSP) in which the government can provide free housing units to the poor and to resolve the shortage of housing. Also, Aquino launched Education for All program in order to receive schoolbags, notebooks and pencils, and to provide free education in public schools as well.
Foreign policies
U.S. visit
In September 1986, Aquino entered the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as her first state visit with President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
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....
at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
and received a warm welcome. Before, she offered a speech in the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
and made Aquino, a democratic freedom fighter during the revolution, the United States supporting Aquino for the mass evacuation of President Marcos and his family and the transfer of power in the government, U.S. senators wearing yellow ribbons as a symbol of democracy and her speech was televised worldwide and in the Philippines. Aquino and Reagan made a friendship in order to establish trade and economic ties between the two countries as they went to the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
in New York City and signing of well-privatized companies in the NYSE list. In 1989, she met with President George H.W. Bush in calls for supporting the U.S. for defeating the armed rebels during the 1989 Christmas coup which lasted seven days, the U.S. provided defense funds to strengthen the branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines is composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force...
.
She also visited the Challenger Memorial
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
in Washington D.C. and Pearl Harbor Memorial in Honolulu to commemorate both the Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
astronauts in the January 1986 explosion and the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
as condolences. She inaugurated the Aquino house in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
as a landmark where the Aquino family resided there in 1980.
United States emergency aid
Following her speech in the United States CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1986, the U.S. House of Representatives voted, 203 to 197, in favor of $200 million in emergency aid to her fledgling government. The vote, admitted Democrat Gerald Kleczka of Wisconsin, amounted to "legislating with our hearts instead of our heads." Indeed, the measure only added to a foreign-aid budget that is already likely to be deeply slashed by the Gramm-Rudman budget-balancing mechanism.
U.S. Bases Extension Treaty
Mount Pinatubo
Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano located on the island of Luzon, near the tripoint of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac, and Pampanga. It is located in the Tri-Cabusilan Mountain range separating the west coast of Luzon from the central plains, and is west of the dormant and...
, just 20 miles (32 km) from Subic Bay, exploded with a force 8 times greater than the Mount St. Helens
Mount St. Helens
Mount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is south of Seattle, Washington and northeast of Portland, Oregon. Mount St. Helens takes its English name from the British diplomat Lord St Helens, a...
eruption. Day turned to night as volcanic ash blotted out the sun. Volcanic earthquakes and heavy rain, lightning and thunder from Typhoon Yunya
1991 Pacific typhoon season
Tropical Storm Enrique formed in the eastern Pacific basin, where it reached it's peak intensity as a category 1 Hurricane, becoming Hurricane Enrique. Enrique lasted for 6 days before becoming a remnant low, shortly after entering in the central Pacific....
passing over northern Luzon made Black Saturday a 36-hour nightmare.
By the morning of June 16, when the volcano's fury subsided, Subic Bay, once one of the most beautiful and well-maintained Navy bases in the Pacific, lay buried under a foot of rain-soaked, sandy ash.
Buildings everywhere collapsed under the weight of the coarse gray ash. Two girls, one a nine-year-old American and the other a Filipino citizen, died when trapped under a falling roof at George Dewey High School. In the city of Olongapo, more than 60 volcano-related deaths were reported, including eight who were crushed when part of Olongapo General Hospital collapsed.
That night, the threat of continued eruptions combined with the lack of water and electricity led to the decision to evacuate all dependents. U.S. warships and cargo planes began the emergency evacuation of thousands of Navy and Air Force dependents. Seven Navy ships sailed Monday, June 17, with 6,200 dependents. A total of 17 ships, including the aircraft carriers, USS Abraham Lincoln
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)
USS Abraham Lincoln , is the fifth Nimitz-class supercarrier in the United States Navy. She is the second Navy ship named after former president Abraham Lincoln. Her home port is Everett, Washington.-Construction:...
and USS Midway
USS Midway
USS Midway may refer to:, which was the Oritani and then the Tyree before being chartered as a general auxiliary in 1942, renamed to Panay in 1943, and returned to her owner in 1946...
evacuated all 20,000 dependents over the next few days. The evacuees were taken by ship to Mactan Air Base
Mactan Air Base
Mactan Air Base was a facility of the United States Air Force located on Mactan Island in Cebu, Philippines.-Location:Mactan Air Base is located on Mactan Island, off Cebu City in the province Cebu in the south central Philippines...
and then were airlifted by U.S. Air Force C-141 Starlifter
C-141 Starlifter
The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter in service with the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force...
s to Andersen Air Force Base
Andersen Air Force Base
Andersen Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam....
at Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
.
After the dependents were evacuated, an intense clean-up was begun. All hands, American service members and Filipino base employees, worked around the clock to restore essential services.
Clark Air Base
Clark Air Base
Clark Air Base is a former United States Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines, located 3 miles west of Angeles City, about 40 miles northwest of Metro Manila. Clark Air Base was an American military facility from 1903 to 1991...
, much closer to Mount Pinatubo, was declared a total loss and plans for a complete closure were started.
Within two weeks NAS Cubi Point was back in limited operation. Soon, most buildings had electricity and water restored. By mid-July service had been restored to most family housing units. The dependents began returning September 8, 1991 and by the end of the month almost all were back at Subic Bay from the United States.
Many months before the expiration of the Military Bases Agreement of 1947 intense negotiations between the governments of the United States and the Philippines began. These negotiations resulted in the Treaty of Friendship, Peace and Cooperation between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Republic of the Philippines. This would have extended the lease of the American bases in the Philippines.
On September 13, 1991, the Philippine Senate
Senate of the Philippines
The Senate of the Philippines is the upper chamber of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, the Congress of the Philippines...
rejected the ratification of this treaty, citing a number of reasons for the rejection. This was a devastating blow to the Aquino administration, who were strongly pro-treaty and even called for a referendum by the Filipino people; a move that was declared unconstitutional.
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s were kept on base. Finally on December 27, President Corazon Aquino, who had previously fought to delay the U.S. pullout to cushion the country's battered economy, issued a formal notice for the U.S. to leave by the end of 1992. Naval Station Subic Bay was the U.S.'s largest overseas defense facility after Clark Air Base
Clark Air Base
Clark Air Base is a former United States Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines, located 3 miles west of Angeles City, about 40 miles northwest of Metro Manila. Clark Air Base was an American military facility from 1903 to 1991...
was closed.
During 1992, tons of material including drydocks and equipment, were shipped to various Naval Stations. Ship-repair and maintenance yards as well as supply depots were relocated to other Asian countries including Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. Finally, on November 24, 1992, the American Flag was lowered in Subic for the last time and the last 1,416 Sailors and Marines at Subic Bay Naval Base left by plane from NAS Cubi Point and by the USS Belleau Wood
USS Belleau Wood (LHA-3)
USS Belleau Wood , nicknamed "Devil Dog", was the second ship named after the battle of Belleau Wood in World War I. Her keel was laid down on 5 March 1973 at Pascagoula, Mississippi, by Ingalls Shipbuilding. She was launched on 11 April 1977, and commissioned on 23 September 1978, with Captain T.C...
. This withdrawal marked the first time since the 16th Century that no foreign military forces were present in the Philippines.
Japanese Relations
President Corazon AquinoCorazon 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...
visited Japan in November 1986 and met with Emperor
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
, who offered his apologies for the wrongs committed by Japan
Japanese war crimes
Japanese war crimes occurred during the period of Japanese imperialism, primarily during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. Some of the incidents have also been described as an Asian Holocaust and Japanese war atrocities...
during World War II. New foreign aid agreements also were concluded during this visit. Aquino returned to Japan in 1989 for Hirohito's funeral and in 1990 for the enthronement of Emperor Akihito
Akihito
is the current , the 125th emperor of his line according to Japan's traditional order of succession. He acceded to the throne in 1989.-Name:In Japan, the emperor is never referred to by his given name, but rather is referred to as "His Imperial Majesty the Emperor" which may be shortened to . In...
. A series of talks of four Prime Ministers from Yasuhiro Nakasone
Yasuhiro Nakasone
is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from November 27, 1982 to November 6, 1987. A contemporary of Brian Mulroney, Ronald Reagan, Helmut Kohl, François Mitterrand, Margaret Thatcher, and Mikhail Gorbachev, he is best known for pushing through the privatization of...
from 1986 to 1987, to Kiichi Miyazawa
Kiichi Miyazawa
was a Japanese politician and the 78th Prime Minister from November 5, 1991 to August 9, 1993.-Early life and career:Miyazawa was born in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, and graduated from Tokyo Imperial University with a degree in law. In 1942 he joined the Ministry of Finance...
from 1991 to 1992, the Japanese Government provided economic and trade relations between the two countries, massive inflow of Japanese investors and tourists, rehabilitation and construction of schools, hospitals and roads, and guaranteed justice for Filipino Comfort women
Comfort women
The term "comfort women" was a euphemism used to describe women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II.Estimates vary as to how many women were involved, with numbers ranging from as low as 20,000 from some Japanese scholars to as high as 410,000 from some Chinese...
after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Also in an official state visit, she and Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita
Noboru Takeshita
was a Japanese politician and the 74th Prime Minister of Japan from November 6, 1987 to June 3, 1989.Takeshita was also the last Prime Minister during the long rule of the Emperor Shōwa.-Early years:...
received condolences in the wake of MV Doña Paz
MV Doña Paz
The MV Doña Paz was a Philippine-registered passenger ferry that sank after colliding with the on December 20, 1987. With a death toll of at most 4,375 people, the collision resulted in the deadliest ferry disaster in history...
tragedy.
Soviet Relations
Even Aquino meets Soviet PresidentPresident
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
in an another state visit in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
for the first time in 1987. She and Gorbachev agreed that the Philippines and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
established the two-nation economic ties and to promote their reforms based on the perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
and glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
systems paved their way to democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
, it also includes a Philippine-Soviet friendship. She returned between 1991 and 1992 for the state visit with President Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
since Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
was independent on December 25, 1991.
Chinese and South Korean Relations
Then in ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, a state visit between Aquino and Chinese Premier Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
for the first time in 1988, the two leaders discussed the economic relations between the Philippines and China to receive its economic and trading partnership and a Philippine-Chinese friendship under Xiaoping. Also in the state visit, she visited Hong Jian village as ancestral homes of the Conjuangcos where her grandparents and children were born and raised in this village before they descended into the Philippines. Later went to South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
between 1986 and 1988, for separate meetings with Presidents Chun Doo-hwan
Chun Doo-hwan
Chun Doo-hwan was a ROK Army general and the President of South Korea from 1980 to 1988. Chun was sentenced to death in 1996 for his heavy-handed response to the Gwangju Democratization Movement, but later pardoned by President Kim Young-sam with the advice of then President-elect Kim Dae-jung,...
and Roh Tae-woo
Roh Tae-woo
Roh Tae-woo , is a former ROK Army general and politician. He was the 13th president of South Korea .Roh befriended Chun Doo-hwan while in high school in Daegu. In his younger life, Roh was a keen rugby union player....
in relation to Philippine-South Korean economic, social and cultural ties, she represented in the Asian Games and the Olympics by supporting the Filipino athletes in the world of sports. She and Tae-woo, also discussed about Unification
Unification
Unification, in computer science and logic, is an algorithmic process by which one attempts to solve the satisfiability problem. The goal of unification is to find a substitution which demonstrates that two seemingly different terms are in fact either identical or just equal...
talks in which South and North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
will unify to end its hostilities since the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in the 50's.
Aquino's European tour
In EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the President went to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and meets British Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
and John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
from 1987 to 1992, to discuss important talks on economy and social welfare as the Philippines provide economic and financial assistance programs, and strong commercial ties between the two countries. Also in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, she visited Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
and received a warm welcome for the first time. Similar visits were made by Aquino and she went to other European nations including with President François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, President Francesco Cossiga
Francesco Cossiga
Francesco Cossiga was an Italian politician, the 43rd Prime Minister and the eighth President of the Italian Republic. He was also a professor of constitutional law at the University of Sassari....
of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Chancellor Helmut Kohl
Helmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl is a German conservative politician and statesman. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union from 1973 to 1998...
of West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
and Prime Minister Felipe González Márquez of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
from 1986 to 1991. In Spain and Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
, Aquino meets King Juan Carlos I of Spain for a special visit in which the country traced back to historical timeline during the Spanish rule for over three centuries and how the country received freedom after its independence and the revolution made the President and the Spanish King a two-nation friendship. Later went to the Vatican and she also received a warm welcome to Pope John Paul II, John Paul II congratulates Aquino for supporting millions of Filipinos whose marched at EDSA and to topple the dictator in this Roman Catholic nation.
ASEAN and U.N. Relations
Aquino made her first state visits in Southeast AsiaSoutheast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, she went to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, then to Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
in August 1986, for separate meetings with Singaporean Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...
and Indonesian President Suharto in order to provide trade and economic ties between the three countries. She also went to Malaysia in November 1987, to discuss territorial disputes in Sabah
Sabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, and in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
, for separate meetings with Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda
Prem Tinsulanonda
General Prem Tinsulanonda is a retired Thai military officer who served as Prime Minister of Thailand from March 3, 1980 to August 4, 1988. He now serves as the Head of the Privy Council of the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej....
in April 1988, and Sultan
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Hassanal Bolkiah
Hassanal Bolkiah
General Haji Sir Hassan al-Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah GCB GCMG is the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the 29th Sultan of Brunei and the first Prime Minister of Brunei Darussalam...
in August 1988. She and the member leaders of Association of Southeast Asian Nations
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated ASEAN rarely ), is a geo-political and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then, membership has...
made meetings in various ASEAN summits from 1986–92.
Aquino went to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
assembly in New York in July 1988, made a historic speech during the 45th General Assembly. In her historic speech, Aquino promised to the International Community in expressing democratic freedoms in countries since the Philippines received freedom after the revolution in 1986, and to provide a resolution in the protection for migrant workers and their families. During the July 1988 visit, She met Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar y de la Guerra is a Peruvian diplomat who served as the fifth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1, 1982 to December 31, 1991. He studied in Colegio San Agustín of Lima, and then at Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. In 1995, he ran unsuccessfully...
for a special meeting to discuss anti-poverty and anti-insurgency measures in the Philippines.
1987 Legislative Elections
Lakas ng Bayan (LABAN) coalition composed of PDP-Laban, Lakas ng Bansa, UNIDO, Liberal Party-Salonga WingLiberal Party (Philippines)
The Liberal Party of the Philippines is a liberal party in the Philippines, founded by then senators Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino, and former 9th Senatorial District Senator Jose Avelino, on November 24, 1945 by a breakaway Liberal group from the...
, National Union of Christian Democrats, Philippine Democratic Socialist Party
Philippine Democratic Socialist Party
The Philippine Democratic Socialist Party is a political party in the Philippines. It was one of the member parties that composed the United Nationalist Democratic Organization that supported the candidacy of Corazon Aquino and Salvador Laurel in the 1986 Snap Elections against President Ferdinand...
, Bandila and Pinaghiusa.
Grand Alliance for Democracy
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...
(GAD) coalition composed of the Nacionalista Party, Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, Liberal Party-Kalaw Wing
Liberal Party (Philippines)
The Liberal Party of the Philippines is a liberal party in the Philippines, founded by then senators Senate President Manuel Roxas, Senate President Pro-Tempore Elpidio Quirino, and former 9th Senatorial District Senator Jose Avelino, on November 24, 1945 by a breakaway Liberal group from the...
, Partido Nacionalista ng Pilipinas, Christian Socialist Democratic Party, Mindanao Alliance and Muslim Federal Party
UPP-KBL
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...
coalition composed of Pro-Marcos forces.
Aquino's administration-coalition won 22 out of the 24 senate seats.
Coup Attempts (1986–1987)
From 1986 to 1987, there were six plots to overthrow the government of Philippine PresidentPresident of the Philippines
The 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...
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...
involving various members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines is composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force...
. A significant number of the military participants in these attempts belonged to the Reform the Armed Forces Movement
Reform the Armed Forces Movement
The Reform the Armed Forces Movement, also referred to by the acronym RAM, is a cabal of officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that attempted to seize power in the Philiipines during the 1980s and 1990s...
(RAM) led by Gringo Honasan, while others were identified loyalists to former President Ferdinand Marcos, who had been deposed in February 1986. Two of the attempts — the November 1986 "God Save the Queen" plot and the July 1987 plot — were uncovered and quashed by authorities before they could be operationalized. Save for the August 1987 coup attempts, which left 53 people dead, the other plots were repelled with minimal or no violence.
1989 Coup Attempt
The most serious coup d'etatCoup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
against the government of Philippine President
President of the Philippines
The 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...
Corazon Aquino was staged beginning 1 December 1989 by members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines is composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force...
belonging to the Reform the Armed Forces Movement
Reform the Armed Forces Movement
The Reform the Armed Forces Movement, also referred to by the acronym RAM, is a cabal of officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that attempted to seize power in the Philiipines during the 1980s and 1990s...
(RAM) and soldiers loyal to former President Ferdinand Marcos. Metro Manila was shook by the coup, where the rebels almost gained full control of the presidential palace
Presidential Palace
A Presidential Palace is the official residence of the president in some countries. However, some countries do not call the official residence of a head of state a presidential palace...
. It was completely defeated by Philippine Government forces on December 9, 1989.
The coup was led by Colonel Gregorio Honasan, General Edgardo Abenina, and retired General Jose Ma. Zumel. At the onset of the coup, the rebels seized Villamor Airbase, Fort Bonifacio, Sangley Airbase, Mactan Airbase in Cebu, and portions of Camp Aguinaldo. The rebels set patrols around the runway of the Ninoy Aquino 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...
, effectively shutting it down. From Sangley Airbase, the rebels launched planes and helicopters which bombarded and strafed Malacañang Palace, Camp Crame
Camp Crame
Camp Crame is the national headquarters of the Philippine National Police and is located in along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, Quezon City...
and Camp Aguinaldo. Three hours after the fall of Villamor Air Base, President Aquino went on air to address the people, assuring them that the government "shall smash this naked attempt once more." At that point, the counterattack of the government forces began. Seven army trucks headed for the headquarters of the government-owned station Channel 4, where fierce fighting occurred between the forces. Defense Secretary Fidel Ramos and AFP Chief-of-Staff Renato de Villa monitored the crises from Camp Crame, headquarters of the Philippine Constabulary
Philippine Constabulary
The Philippine Constabulary ' was the oldest of four service commands of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It was a gendarmerie type para-military police force of the Philippines established in 1901 by the United States-appointed administrative authority replacing the Guardia Civil...
. With loyal forces hard-pressed by the rebels, Aquino requested assistance from the US Military, and, at the behest of her military commanders, granted. 120 marines, part of the 800-strong U.S. contingent stationed at Subic Naval Base were deployed at the grounds of the US Embassy as a defensive measure. President Aquino stated that the loyal forces lacked the ability to contain the rebel forces. American help was crucial to the Aquino cause, clearing the skies of rebel aircraft and allowing government military to consolidate their forces.
As the mutiny continued, Aquino declares an ultimatum for the rebels, giving them two choices, to surrender or to face death. Government F-5 jets went to the skies and challenged rebel planes, and culminated with the destruction of the rebel T-28 Trojan
T-28 Trojan
The North American Aviation T-28 Trojan is a piston-engined military trainer aircraft used by the United States Air Force and United States Navy beginning in the 1950s...
s. Government forces would recapture all military bases save for Mactan Airbase by December 3, but rebel forces retreating from Fort Bonifacio occupied 22 high-rise buildings along the Ayala business area in Makati
Makati City
The City of Makati is one of the 17 cities that make up Metro Manila, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines and one of the major financial, commercial and economic hubs in Asia...
. The government claimed the coup was crushed, but fierce fighting continued through the weekend; Camp Aguinaldo was set ablaze by the rebel howitzers.
The occupation of Makati lasted until December 7, surrendering full control of Mactan Airbase on 9 December. The official casualty toll was 99 dead (including 50 civilians), with 570 more wounded.
The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military supported the Aquino government during the coup. Operation "Classic Resolve" involved the use of U.S. airpower from the USS Midway (CV-41)
USS Midway (CV-41)
USS Midway was an aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, the lead ship of her class, and the first to be commissioned after the end of World War II...
and USS Enterprise
USS Enterprise
USS Enterprise may refer to the following vessels:-United States of America:In watercraft, the prefix "USS" or "U.S.S." is applied to ships commissioned by and for the United States Navy. Private citizens also use the name unofficially...
aircraft carriers and F-4 Phantom II
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
fighters from Clark Air Base. The U.S. Air force jets retook the skies for Aquino. The U.S. planes had clearance to "...buzz the rebel planes at their base, fire in front of them if any attempted to take off, and shoot them down if they did."
Following the failure of this coup, President Aquino established a Fact-Finding Commission headed by then-COMELEC Chairman Hilario Davide, Jr.
Hilario Davide, Jr.
Hilario Gelbolingo Davide, Jr, GCSS is a former Ambassador/Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations in New York City....
to investigate and provide a full report on the series of coup attempts against her government. The report would become known as the Davide Commission Report.
Participants of the December 1989 coup would later blame perceived deficiencies in the Aquino government in areas as graft and corruption, bureaucratic inefficiency, and lenient treatment of communist insurgents as the reasons for the coup. In response, the Davide Commission recommended several short-term and long-term counter-measures, including the establishment of a civilian national police force, a crackdown on corruption in the military, a performance review of appointive government officials, reforms in the process of military promotions, a review of election laws in time for the 1992 presidential elections, and a definitive statement on the part of Aquino on whether she intended to run for re-election in 1992.
Mendiola massacre
Within a year of the People Power Revolution, on January 22, 1987, state security forces fired their guns into a farmers' march on Malacañang Palace. Thirteen of the peasants were killed and many more wounded.Luis Beltran Scandal
Luis Beltran, who was a Filipino journalist, became notorious for mentioning in a column about the 1987 coup attempt that then President Corazon Aquino had been hiding under the bed during the coup. For this statement he was sued by the President for libel. Aquino went so far as to show journalists that she could not fit under her bed. Beltran, who openly expressed his belief that the President was lacking in competence, countered that his words were not meant to be taken literally, but Aquino still pursued the case against him and the STAR’s editor-in-chief Max Soliven. On 22 October 1992, the court ruled in Aquino’s favor, sentencing the columnist and his editor to 2 years of imprisonment and ordering them to pay 2 million pesos in moral damages.Kamag-Anak Inc.
The derisive phrase “Kamag-anak Inc.” was coined by critics of President Corazon Aquino to refer to her relatives who were accused of meddling in the affairs of government and of using their connections for their own ends during her term from 1986 to 1992.Natural disasters and calamities
1990 Luzon earthquake
The Luzon earthquake occurred on Monday, July 16, 1990, at 4:26 PM local time in the Philippines. The densely populated island of Luzon was struck by an earthquake with a 7.8 Ms...
, which left around 1,600 people dead and the 1991 volcanic eruption of what was then thought to be a dormant Mount Pinatubo
Mount Pinatubo
Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano located on the island of Luzon, near the tripoint of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac, and Pampanga. It is located in the Tri-Cabusilan Mountain range separating the west coast of Luzon from the central plains, and is west of the dormant and...
, which was the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century, killing around 300 people and causing widespread long-term devastation of agricultural lands in Central Luzon
Central Luzon
Central Luzon , also known as Region III , is an administrative division or region of the Republic of the Philippines, primarily serve to organize the 7 provinces of the vast central plain of the island of Luzon , for administrative convenience...
. The worst loss of life occurred when Tropical Storm Thelma
Tropical Storm Thelma
Tropical Storm Thelma was the deadliest tropical storm of the 1991 Pacific typhoon season, killing between 5,101 to 8,100 people as it crossed the Philippines.-Meteorological history:A tropical disturbance developed over the eastern Caroline Islands in late October...
(also known as Typhoon Uring) caused massive flooding in Ormoc City
Ormoc City
The City of Ormoc is a 1st class city in the province of Leyte, Philippines. The city's name is derived from ogmok, an old Visayan term for lowland or depressed plain. It is the first non-provincial city of the Philippines. According to the 2007 census, it has a population of 177,524 people...
in November 1991, leaving around 6,000 dead in what was considered to be the deadliest typhoon in Philippine history. Also in November 1987, Supertyphoon Sisang
Typhoon Nina (1987)
Super Typhoon Nina was the most intense and destructive typhoon of the 1987 Pacific typhoon season...
slammed into Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
killing almost 1,036 people and destroying farms and coastal villages, turning as the deadliest supertyphoon of the 20th century, and in October 1988, Typhoon Unsang
1988 Pacific typhoon season
The 1988 Pacific typhoon season has no official bounds; it ran year-round in 1988, but most tropical cyclones tend to form in the northwestern Pacific Ocean between May and November. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical cyclones form in the northwestern...
lashes out Central Luzon with scores of fatalities and tremendous damage, also in November 1990, Supertyphoon Ruping
Typhoon Mike
Super Typhoon Mike was the strongest and deadliest typhoon of the 1990 Pacific typhoon season as it crossed the Philippines in November....
struck into the Visayas
Visayas
The Visayas or Visayan Islands and locally known as Kabisay-an gid, is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Mindanao and Luzon. It consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are considered the northeast...
leaving 784 lives lost due to flashfloods and landslides since the worst Typhoon Nitang
Typhoon Ike
Typhoon Ike was the deadliest typhoon of the 1984 Pacific typhoon season and crossed the Philippines in September. This tropical cyclone formed on August 27 in the Philippine Sea, and strengthened as it moved westward into the southern Philippines, becoming a typhoon on August 31...
in 1984, and in October 1989, it was Supertyphoon Tasing
Typhoon Elsie (1989)
Typhoon Elsie was one of the most intense known tropical cyclones to make landfall in the Philippines. A powerful Category 5 super typhoon, Elsie formed out of a tropical disturbance on October 13, 1989, and initially moved relatively slowly in an area of weak steering currents...
lashed into Northern Luzon with 47 people were also killed years before Supertyphoon Juan
Typhoon Megi (2010)
Typhoon Megi was one of the most intense tropical cyclones on record, attaining the lowest atmospheric pressure since Vanessa in 1984 and the highest 10-minute sustained winds since Bess in 1982 in the northwestern Pacific Ocean...
. A series of flashfloods struck the northern regions of Luzon resulted to the deaths of 36 persons when Typhoon Miding
Typhoon Wayne (1986)
Typhoon Wayne is the longest-lived tropical cyclone on record for the western Pacific ocean...
went slowly in August 1986, it is the worst before Typhoon Pepeng
Typhoon Parma
Typhoon Parma was the second typhoon to affect the Philippines within the span of a week during September 2009....
was happened in 2009. It was also during Aquino's term that the MV Doña Paz
MV Doña Paz
The MV Doña Paz was a Philippine-registered passenger ferry that sank after colliding with the on December 20, 1987. With a death toll of at most 4,375 people, the collision resulted in the deadliest ferry disaster in history...
sank, which is the World's worst peace-time maritime disaster of the 20th century. The disaster occurred in December 1987 which killed more than 1,700 people. A series of air disasters occurred in 1987 when Philippine Airlines
Philippine Airlines
Philippine Airlines, Inc. operating as Philippine Airlines, is a flag carrier of the Philippines. Headquartered in the Philippine National Bank Financial Center in Pasay City, the airline was founded in 1941 and is the first and oldest commercial airline in Asia operating under its original name...
PR 206
Philippine Airlines Flight 206
Philippine Airlines Flight 206 was the route designator of a domestic flight from the Manila Domestic Airport, Metro Manila, Philippines to Loakan Airport, Baguio City...
crashed into a mountain in Benguet
Benguet
Benguet is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is La Trinidad and borders, clockwise from the south, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya....
with 50 passengers found dead on June 26, another on December 13, PR 443 crashes near Maria Cristina Airport
Maria Cristina Airport
Maria Cristina Airport , also known as Iligan Airport, is an airport serving the general area of Iligan City, located in the province of Lanao del Norte in the Philippines. It is the only airport in the province...
in Iligan with 15 people on board were killed and on July 21, 1989, another plane crashed on a runway of the Ninoy Aquino 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...
, killing eight on ground.
From 1989 to 1993, a long El Niño phenomenon which caused a severe drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
in the archipelago. Droughts destroyed crops in farmlands and livestock led to a nationwide food shortage, dwindling water supplies also contribute a water shortage and electric blackouts left the national economy to a damage worth billions of pesos. Aquino declared the archipelago under a nationwide state of calamity because of the drought.
During Aquino's presidency, electric blackouts became common in Manila. The capital experienced blackouts of seven to 12 hours, bring numerous businesses were brought to a halt and as associated to El Niño. By the departure of Aquino in June 1992, businesses in Manila and nearby provinces have lost nearly $800 million since March 1992. The Aquino administration knew for years that country's power plants were failing, but they did not act to solve the problem. It was only during the time of her successor, Fidel Ramos, that the government decisively solved the severe power outages that were common during her tenure.
End of presidency
As the end of her presidency drew near, close advisers and friends told Aquino that since she was not inaugurated under the 1987 Constitution, she was still eligible to seek the presidency again in the upcoming 1992 elections, the first presidential elections under normal and peaceful circumstances since 1965. President Aquino strongly declined the requests for her to seek reelection and wanted to set an example to both citizens and politicians that the presidency is not a lifetime position.Initially, she named Ramon V. Mitra, a friend of her husband Ninoy and then Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives, as her candidate for the presidential race in 1992. She instead threw her support behind the candidacy of her defense secretary and EDSA Revolution hero, General Fidel V. Ramos, who constantly stood by and defended her government from the various coup attempts and rebellions that were launched against her. Her sudden change of mind and withdrawal of support from Mitra drew criticisms not only from her supporters in the liberal and social democratic sectors but from the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, as well, which questioned her anointing of Ramos since the latter was a Protestant. Nevertheless, Aquino's candidate eventually won the 1992 elections, albeit by a margin of 23.58 percent of the total votes only, and was sworn in as the 12th President of the Philippines on June 30, 1992.
External links
- Official website of Corazon Aquino – maintained by the Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. Foundation
- Time Woman of the Year: Corazon "Cory" Aquino
- President Cory's historic speech before the U.S. Congress
- Malacañang Museum Official Biography
- Prayers – prayforcory.com
- NYTimes obituary
- President Aquino in Time Magazine's Year ender