Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Edralin Marcos (September 11, 1917 - September 28, 1989) was the tenth President of the Republic of the Philippines. He ruled the islands from December 30, 1965 until February 25, 1986.
Marcos was born in Sarrat, Ilocos Norte. He was a brilliant student and speaker, topping the Philippine bar exams after attending the University of the Philippines and placing high as a marksman in the university team. In the 1930s, he successfully defended himself and was acquitted of the assassination of one of his father's political rivals. He served in World War II and earned medals, but the official hagiography detailing his martial exploits during that time have since been proven to have been grossly exaggerated. The promising young lawyer became an aide to Manuel Roxas, the first president of the country after independence, and was elected to congress in 1949, serving in the House of Representatives (1949-1959) and Senate (1959-1965) for Ilocos Norte. He served as Senate President (1963-1965), thus gaining the distinction of being the last Senate President to become the President of the Philippines.
In a landslide victory in the presidential elections of 1965, Marcos defeated Diosdado Macapagal after joining the Nacionalista party. His first term in office showed a lot of promise, building on the relatively robust economy by developing the country's infrastructure. Throughout his 20-year tenure, Marcos maintained a close alliance with the United States and was a friend of Ronald Reagan and other American administrators. He launched major military campaigns against Communist and Moro insurgents. He sent forces to Vietnam to assist the Americans. He was reelected in 1969, but his second term was marked by increasing civil strife known as the "First Quarter Storm". After a series of bombings in Manila believed to be the handiwork of the New People's Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, Marcos warned of imminent Communist takeover and on September 21, 1972, by virtue of Proclamation No. 1081, he declared martial law. By 1973, he had assumed virtual dictatorial control - a so-called constitutional authoritarianism along with a new constitution.
In 1981, martial law was lifted. He ran for re-election with virtually no opposition and was again elected for a third term as President of the Philippines. During these years, his regime was marred by widespread corruption and political mismanagement by his cronies, which culminated with the assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr., a major political rival and critic, on his return to the country. It should be also noted that during his third term, Marcos's health would be at a critical point due to kidney ailments. Many people questioned if he was still in a capacity to govern, due to grave illness and growing political unrest. Marcos can be considered the quintessential kleptocrat, with billions of dollars supposedly looted from the Filipino treasury which have yet to be accounted for. He was also a notorious nepotist, appointing family members and close friends to high positions in his government. The combined effects of these actions and events during his rule resulted in the collapse of what had been South East Asia's strongest economy to one of its poorest. A Mount Rushmore-esque bust of himself, commissioned by his Tourism Minister Jose Aspiras as an act of friendship, was carved into a hillside, which was subsequently destroyed by Communist rebels. They were to prove to be one of the most destabilising factions of his reign.
In 1986, Marcos called for a snap election and the opposition united behind Aquino's widow, Corazon Aquino. Both Marcos and Aquino declared themselves winners, the election being widely suspected of fraud from both the administration and opposition. With the backing of the military (led by his former aides Juan Ponce Enrile, former Defense Minister and Fidel Ramos, former military vice-chief), and the People Power movement (see EDSA Revolution), a multisectoral congregation of protesters, Marcos was driven into exile, and Aquino became president.
He and his wife, Imelda Marcos, went into exile in Hawaii and were later indicted for embezzlement in the United States. Marcos died in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1989 of kidney failure. His remains are currently interred inside a refrigerated crypt in Ilocos Norte, where his son, Ferdinand, Jr., and daughter, Imee, have since become the local governor and representative, respectively. Imelda Marcos was found innocent in 1990 of embezzlement by a U.S. court, but she was convicted of graft in a trial in the Philippines in 1995.
He is the second president of Ilocano descent and an Aglipayan (he is the godson of the founder, Gregorio Aglipay).
Quotes:
- "There are many things we do not want about the world. Let us not just mourn them. Let us change them."
- "Leadership is the other side of the coin of loneliness, and he who is a leader must always act alone. And in acting alone, accept everything alone."