The Fifth Republic of the Philippines
Corazon Aquino inherited a bankrupt country suffering from Muslim and communist insurgencies. She restored democracy to the Philippines but failed to solve the economic problems. It was President Ramos who started reviving the economy. During his term, the Philippine economy experienced dramatic growth, which was only slightly affected by the Asian financial crisis. Ramos was succeeded by Joseph Estrada who, not even half way through his term, was exposed for corruption and his association in illegal activities. Impeachment proceedings began but Estrada was eventually acquitted. Protestors took to the streets, the result being another People Power Revolution or EDSA II. Vice-President Arroyo was sworn in as the new president after Estrada stepped down. President Arroyo was re-elected to a term of her own in 2004 but the result of the election is now in question after a wiretap recording emerged that Arroyo spoke to a COMELEC official during the election. Arroyo is accused of cheating in the election and protests have begun calling for her resignation. A state of emergency was proclaimed in 2006 after a crushed coup attempt. During the crisis, the opposition, media and critics condemned the state of emergency comparing it to martial law under Ferdinand Marcos. There was criticism of apparently warrantless arrests and oppression of freedom of speech and the freedom of the press. The state of emergency was lifted one week later. Despite a presidency marred by coups and scandal, Arroyo insists on pushing through with amending the 1987 Constitution to switch to a more effective federal-parliamentary style government.
The Aquino Government
March 25, 1986: The Freedom Constitution takes effect. This temporary constitution grants almost absolute powers to the president and abolished some positions of the 1973 Constitution, such as the position of prime minister. With this constitution, provincial governors, municipality and city mayors loyal to Marcos are dismissed and replaced. Most of the general staff of the armed forces are retired and 500 political prisoners are released.
April 1986: President Aquino issues Proclamation No. 9, creating a Constitutional Commission to draft a new constitution as provided for in the Freedom Constitution.
March 26, 1986: Members of the Constitutional Commission are appointed by President Aquino. They represent all sectors of Philippine society such as education, labour, agriculture, business and industry, youth, military women, mass media, cause-oriented groups, cultural minorities and the religious sector.
June 2, 1986: The Constitution Commission begins session at Quezon City. Some heated arguments take place concerning the US military bases, land reform and foreign investment. Some commissioners stage a walkout in protest of the approval of some economic provisions.
June 13, 1986: The Constitutional Commission completes its task.
July 6, 1986: Arturo Tolentino, vice-president candidate and running mate of Ferdinand Marcos in the 1986 snap elections, followed by some Marcos supporters and a hundred or so soldiers barricade themselves into the Manila Hotel. Tolentino claims that he is the constitutional acting president while Marcos is in exile. Tolentino expects large support for his newly established rebel government.
July 8, 1986 After only a few thousand Marcos supporters arrive, Tolentino agrees to disperse his civilian and military supporters ending the failed coup.
October 12, 1986: The draft of the new constitution is approved by a vote of 45 - 2 by the commissioners.
October 15, 1986: The draft of the new constitution is signed by the commissioners and submitted to President Aquino.
February 2, 1987: The draft of the new 1987 Constitution is submitted to the people for approval. It is approved by a majority of about 86% of voters.
February 11, 1987: President Aquino issues Proclamation No. 58 declaring the 1987 Constitution is in effect. The Fifth Republic is established.
1987: Aquino enters negotiations with the NPA and MNLF. In Hawaii, Ferdinand Marcos may be making plans to invade the Philippines. The US authorities learn of this and prohibit Marcos to leave the island.
1987 - 1989: Six attempts to overthrow the Aquino government occur. This is related to the failure of the Aquino government to address the economic and social problems of the country.
September 28, 1989: Ferdinand Marcos dies in Hawaii.
1991: Mount Pinatubo erupts. Clark Air Base is extensively damaged and abandoned. The Philippine Senate refuses to renew the lease to the US for Subic Naval Base.
May 11, 1992: Presidential elections are held.
The Ramos Government
June 30, 1992: Fidel Ramos, Corazon Aquino's personal candidate, takes office as the new president. Throughout his term, President Ramos works to restore the economy, improve energy, communications and transportation infrastructure.
November 1992: With the closure of Subic Naval Base, the US withdraws all remaining military presence.
1994 - 1995: The Philippine economy experiences dramatic growth.
September 1996: The government and the Moro National Liberation Front sign a peace agreement. Some oppose the agreement and as a result the militant Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rises up in protest.
1997: Despite economic slow down and a series of currency devaluations, the Philippines mostly escapes the Asian financial crisis.
June 30, 1998: The presidential term of President Ramos ends. Ramos is complimented on a solid and competent performance. There are several leaders, including the Prime Minister of Canada who suggest Ramos should amend the 1987 Constitution in order to allow the possibility of a second term. After much consideration and opposition against such an amendment, Ramos decides it is still to soon to amend the constitution.
May 11, 1998: Presidential elections are held.
The Estrada Government and its Demise
June 30, 1998: Joseph Estrada is elected to the presidency. Throughout his short presidential term, Estrada is criticised for failing to address to issues of the country and the economy eventually starts to suffer as a result.
April 2000: The Abu Sayyaf, an extremist Muslim separatist group in Mindanao, begin a series of kidnappings in Malaysia at a tourist resort.
September 2000: In response to the activities of the Abu Sayyaf, the military is despatched to Mindanao in an attempt to bring the situation under control. War breaks out in the area.
October 9, 2000: Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson, a long-time friend of Joseph Estrada, reveals that he has been collecting vast sums of money from illegal gambling activities for Joseph Estrada.
October 12, 2000: Vice-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo resigns from Estrada's cabinet amidst the bribery allegations.
October 18, 2000: Opposition groups attempt to start impeachment proceedings against Estrada through Congress. Thousands of protestors demand Estrada resign.
November 2, 2000: A number of government officials resign from their posts, abandon, or turn away from Estrada. A number of Estrada's friends eventually turn away from him.
December 7, 2000: Impeachment proceedings begin. It is believed Estrada used a number of bank accounts in the name of Jose Velarde (an alias for Estrada) to conceal his ill-gotten wealth.
December 11, 2000: An aide to Singson testifies she delivered money from illegal gambling activities to Estrada's secretary.
December 20, 2000: Witnesses testify over one of the bank accounts in the name of Jose Velarde.
December 22, 2000: Senior Vice-President Clarissa Ocampo of the Equitable PCI Bank testifies she witnessed Estrada withdraw money from one of the accounts in question. She claims she saw Estrada sign documents in the name of Jose Velarde.
December 30, 2000: Metro Manila suffers five bomb attacks. The Estrada administration tries to blame the bombs on the Muslims and communists. Some believe the bombs attacks were done by pro-Estrada supporters trying to divert public attention away from Estrada's impeachment hearings. Vice-President Arroyo claims the bomb attacks do not justify martial law.
December 31, 2000: The Philippines debts reach a total of P2 trillion and the Philippine stock market finishes at bottom place against all the other stock markets in the Southeast Asia region with an overall loss of about 30%.
January 16, 2001: Senators vote against using secret documents in the impeachment trial. The documents would prove Estrada amassed US$63.5 million in illegal activities. Senate President Aquilino Pimentel resigns in protest.
The EDSA II Revolution
January 17, 2001: The prosecution team in the Estrada impeachment trial resign. The trial collapses. Thousands of people begin street protests and demand Estrada resign. EDSA II begins.
January 18, 2001: The Philippine Peso suffers severe devaluation. People continue protesting on the streets at EDSA.
January 19, 2001: A number of officials from the government, military and police join the anti-Estrada protestors. Joseph Estrada decides to temporarily step down from as president to avoid bloodshed.
January 20, 2001: Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. declares the presidency vacant. Vice-President Arroyo is sworn in as the new president.
The Arroyo Government
April 25, 2001: Estrada is arrested and is stripped of immunity from prosecution and barred from leaving the country. A number of charges are made against Estrada, including economic plunder which is punishable by death. He is detained while the courts begin investigations into the charges. Estrada claims the allegations are nothing but fabrications and calls for protests.
May 1, 2001: A number of pro-Estrada protestors unsuccessfully attempt to storm Malacañan Palace in what has become known as EDSA III. In response to the protestors, Metro Manila is temporarily placed under a state of rebellion.
May 26, 2001: The Abu Sayyaf resumes kidnapping activities at a tourist resort near Puerto Princesa City in Palawan.
August 7, 2001: The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signs a ceasefire agreement.
December 16, 2002: A bill proposing constitutional change to a parliamentary federal system is filed in the House of Representatives.
December 30, 2002: President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo announces she will not run in the 2004 elections.
July 27, 2003: A group of soldiers from the military take over the Glorietta complex in Makati City starting the Oakwood mutiny. They accuse the president of corruption and demand her resignation. The soldiers rig the area with explosives but later surrender without conflict bringing the mutiny to a peaceful end.
November 8, 2003: Two armed men, and possibly a third, seized the control tower at NAIA. They were later killed by elite police teams in a gun battle. One of the armed men was the nation's former head of the Air Transport Office. Their motives are thought to be corrupt politics.
May 10, 2004: Synchronised elections for every seat on every level of government (except for some seats in the Senate due to staggered terms) are held. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Fernando Poe Jr. are the main candidates. Accusations are made that Arroyo has used funds from some government departments to fund her election campaign. In a small number of towns, Arroyo manages to obtain a highly dubious 100% of the vote.
June 24, 2004: Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is declared the winner in the presidential election.
June 30, 2004: Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is inaugurated as president.
June 5, 2005: The presidential spokesman announces the political opposition are to release an audio tape recording of a wiretap conversation between President Arroyo and an official from the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) during the 2005 election.
June 6, 2005: A press conference is held at Malacañan Palace over the tape recording, which is branded as an illegal wiretap.
June 9, 2005: President Arroyo denies cheating and claims the tapes are an attempt to unseat her.
June 10, 2005: A former deputy director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) claims to be the source of the tape and that the wiretap was provided to him from the military.
June 11, 2005: Mass protests form around the country over the tape recordings and the accusations that President Arroyo cheated in the 2005 election. Allegedly, the police use force against the protestors.
June 12, 2005: The media is warned that it must not air the contents of the tape due to anti-wiretapping law. The media argue the right to freedom of speach.
June 14, 2005: Foreign experts confirm the voices on the tape are indeed President Arroyo and a COMELEC official.
June 17, 2005: The Arroyo administration is condemned for trying to suppress and intimidate the media over the tape recordings.
June 18, 2005: It is announced the tape recordings can be aired to the general public until it is proved to be an illegal wiretap.
June 27, 2005: President Arroyo address the country by a television broadcast and admits that it is her voice on the tape recordings. She describes her actions as a lapse in judgement and apologises to the nation.
July 1, 2005: Fresh protests being over the tape recordings and Arroyo's resignation is demanded by the protestors.
July 7, 2005: President Arroyo asks for the resignation of her entire cabinet.
July 8, 2005: Ten officials (including seven from the cabinet) resign and advise Arroyo to do the same. Corazon Aquino is just one of the many who call upon Arroyo to resign.
July 25, 2005: The main political opposition file for Arroyo's impeachment. Arroyo gives her State of the Nation Address and her intention to push ahead for charter change. The main reason for amending the 1987 Constitution is to switch to a more effective federal-parliamentary style government.
September 5 - 6, 2005: After a session lasting almost 24 hours, members of the House of Representatives (the majority of members are Arroyo supporters) vote against proceeding with impeachment against Arroyo.
February 24, 2006: On the 20th anniversary of the original EDSA revolution, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issues Proclamation No. 1017 placing the country under a state of emergency. Arroyo explains her decision as the result of a crushed coup attempt formed by an alliance of the communists and right extremists elements within the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is thought the renegade members of the AFP are trying to gain public support. Anti-Arroyo and EDSA Shrine protestors are dispersed by riot police. Elsewhere, Proclamation No. 1017 is condemned by the press, lawyers, senators and various other groups. It is compared to the proclamation of martial law under President Marcos in 1972. Government regulators warn TV networks and radio stations that under the state of emergency, they may be taken over by or shut down by the President, especially if the media outlets are thought to be releasing news that could incite rebellion. Certain high ranking officers of the AFP thought to be involved in the coup are stripped of command.
February 25, 2006: Junior army officers recruited as part of the coup plot surrender. Police raid the printing and editorial offices of The Daily Tribune newspaper without any search warrant. This is considered an attack on freedom of speech and the freedom of the press. Arrests begin ranging from protestors, retired military and police officials and even a left-wing congress representative. The arrest of five other left-wing representatives is issued.
February 26, 2006: Arroyo critics continue to speak out against Proclamation No. 1017, making a comparison of it against martial law. It is thought Arroyo is using the opportunity to silence opposition to her regime. The freedom of speech and freedom of the media, democracy, and what is believed to warrantless arrests are the major issues. A stand off takes place at Fort Bonifacio between a group of marines and the AFP after the commander of the marines is either relieved of command or requests to be relieved of command. Former President Aquino and a number of representatives, senators and opposition figures arrive at Fort Bonifacio. By the evening, the stand off is over and resolved.
February 27, 2006: The House of Representatives debate over the issue of emergency rule which in turn has already been submitted to the Supreme Court through a number of petitions.
February 28, 2006: The five left-wing representatives turn up in the House and are eventually put into House custody so as to protect them from arrest.
March 3, 2006: The state of emergency is lifted by Proclamation No. 1021. However, investigations and arrests continue for those who are though to be involved in the coup plot, including those who financed it. The Supreme Court is told it must still make a decision over Proclamation No. 1017 even though it is no longer in effect.
