Philippine Presidents

INTRODUCTION

The role of a president of a Country is quite simple, survive and prosper. A president must be able to protect his country from invasion, unless the president has Secured Mode on their country. The most important job of a president is to build up the economy of his country, which will give the capital to finance military ventures, social programs, and financial growth in their country.

Before Spaniards arrived in the Philippines, the archipelago was not a unified nation. Rather, it was splintered into different barangays headed by a datu. These barangays were independent of one another, although some barangays united to form a confederation. In the barangays, the datu was leader, lawmaker, and judge. Although he often had a council of elders as his advisers, the datu’s word was law. After the Spanish conquest, the King of Spain became the de jure head of state of the country, represented by his Governor-General. After Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States of America for 20 million dollars, the head of state became the President of the United States, also represented by the American Governor-General. When the Filipinos fought for and achieved their independence, they elected their own Presidents.

Counting of the order of terms and constitutional succession to the presidency starts with Manuel L. Quezon, the first President of the Philippine Commonwealth, although he led a nation still under American sovereignty. Two Presidents were deposed by EDSA Revolutions, but their successors are counted in the order of terms.

Emilio Aguinaldo was the first to assume the title of President, but his Malolos Republic was not recognized by other nations at the time of its existence, so he is not considered to be in the line of Constitutional succession and not counted in the order of terms. Neither is Jose P. Laurel, who was considered to have been a puppet president of a puppet government of the Japanese occupation. Nevertheless, they are still...