List of presidents of the Philippines
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Under the Constitution of the Philippines, the president of the Philippines (Filipino: Pangulo ng Pilipinas) is both the head of state and government, and serves as the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces. The president is directly elected by qualified voters to a six-year term and must be "a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, a registered voter, able to read and write, at least forty years of age on the day of the election, and a resident of the Philippines for at least ten years immediately preceding such election". Any person who has served as president for more than six years is barred from eligibility. Upon resignation, or removal from office, the vice president assumes the post.
History
Emilio Aguinaldo became the inaugural president of the Philippines under the Malolos Republic, considered the First Philippine Republic. He held that office until 1901 when he was captured by United States forces during the Philippine–American War (1899–1902). The American colonization of the Philippines abolished the First Republic, which led to an American governor-general exercising executive power.
In 1935, the United States, pursuant to its promise of full Philippine sovereignty, established the Commonwealth of the Philippines following the ratification of the 1935 Constitution, which also restored the presidency. The first national presidential election was held, and Manuel L. Quezon (1935–44) was elected to a six-year term, with no provision for re-election, as the second Philippine president and the first Commonwealth president. In 1940, however, the Constitution was amended to allow re-election but shortened the term to four years. A change in government occurred three years later when the Second Philippine Republic was organized with the enactment of the 1943 Constitution, which Japan imposed after it occupied the Philippines in 1942 during World WarII. José P. Laurel acted as puppet president of the new Japanese-sponsored government; his de facto presidency, not legally recognized until the 1960s, overlapped with that of the president of the Commonwealth, which went into exile. The Second Republic was dissolved after Japan surrendered to the Allies in 1945; the Commonwealth was restored in the Philippines in the same year with Sergio Osmeña (1944–46) as president.
Manuel Roxas (1946–1948) followed Osmeña when he won the first post-war election in 1946. He became the first president of the independent Philippines when the Commonwealth ended on July4 of that year. The Third Republic was ushered in and would cover the administrations of the next five presidents, the last of which was Ferdinand Marcos (1965–86), who performed a self-coup by imposing martial law in 1972. The dictatorship of Marcos saw the birth of the New Society (Filipino: Bagong Lipunan) and the Fourth Republic. His tenure lasted until 1986 when he was deposed in the People Power Revolution. The current constitution came into effect in 1987, marking the beginning of the Fifth Republic.
Of the individuals elected as president, three died in office: two of natural causes (Manuel L. Quezon and Manuel Roxas) and one in a plane crash (Ramon Magsaysay, 1953–57). The longest-serving president is Ferdinand Marcos with 20 years and 57 days in office; he is the only president to have served more than two terms. The shortest is Sergio Osmeña, who spent 1 year and 300 days in office.
Two women have held the office: Corazon Aquino (1986–92), who ascended to the presidency upon the successful People Power Revolution of 1986, and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001–10), who, as vice president, ascended to the presidency upon Estrada's resignation and was elected to a full six-year term in 2004.
Presidents
No. | Portrait | Name (Lifespan) |
Party | Term | Election | Vice president | Era | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Emilio Aguinaldo (1869–1964) |
None | January 23, 1899 – March 23, 1901 (2 years, 59 days) |
1899 | None | First Republic | ||
None | – | None | U.S. Military Government | |||||
– | U.S. Insular Government | |||||||
2 | Manuel L. Quezon (1878–1944) |
Nacionalista | November 15, 1935 – August 1, 1944 (8 years, 260 days) |
1935 | Sergio Osmeña | Commonwealth | ||
1941 | ||||||||
3 | Jose P. Laurel (1891–1959) |
KALIBAPI | October 14, 1943 – August 17, 1945 (1 year, 307 days) |
1943 | None | Second Republic | ||
4 | Sergio Osmeña (1878–1961) |
Nacionalista | August 1, 1944 – May 28, 1946 (1 year, 300 days) |
1941 | Vacant | Commonwealth | ||
5 | Manuel Roxas (1892–1948) |
Liberal | May 28, 1946 – April 15, 1948 (1 year, 323 days) |
1946 | Elpidio Quirino | |||
Third Republic | ||||||||
6 | Elpidio Quirino (1890–1956) |
Liberal | April 17, 1948 – December 30, 1953 (5 years, 257 days) |
Vacant | ||||
1949 | Fernando Lopez | |||||||
7 | Ramon Magsaysay (1907–1957) |
Nacionalista | December 30, 1953 – March 17, 1957 (3 years, 77 days) |
1953 | Carlos P. Garcia | |||
8 | Carlos P. Garcia (1896–1971) |
Nacionalista | March 18, 1957 – December 30, 1961 (4 years, 287 days) |
None | ||||
1957 | Diosdado Macapagal | |||||||
9 | Diosdado Macapagal (1910–1997) |
Liberal | December 30, 1961 – December 30, 1965 (4 years) |
1961 | Emmanuel Pelaez | |||
10 | Ferdinand Marcos (1917–1989) |
Nacionalista (until 1978) |
December 30, 1965 – February 25, 1986 (20 years, 57 days) |
1965 | Fernando Lopez | |||
1969 | ||||||||
Martial Law | ||||||||
None | ||||||||
1973 | ||||||||
1977 | ||||||||
KBL (from 1978) | ||||||||
1981 | Fourth Republic | |||||||
Vacant | ||||||||
11 | Corazon Aquino (1933–2009) |
UNIDO (until 1988) |
February 25, 1986 – June 30, 1992 (6 years, 126 days) |
1986 | Salvador Laurel | Provisional Government | ||
Fifth Republic | ||||||||
Independent (from 1988) | ||||||||
12 | Fidel V. Ramos (1928–2022) |
Lakas–NUCD | June 30, 1992 – June 30, 1998 (6 years) |
1992 | Joseph Estrada | |||
13 | Joseph Estrada (born 1937) |
LAMMP | June 30, 1998 – January 20, 2001 (2 years, 204 days) |
1998 | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | |||
14 | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (born 1947) |
Lakas–CMD | January 20, 2001 – June 30, 2010 (9 years, 161 days) |
Vacant | ||||
Teofisto Guingona Jr. | ||||||||
2004 | Noli de Castro | |||||||
15 | Benigno Aquino III (1960–2021) |
Liberal | June 30, 2010 – June 30, 2016 (6 years) |
2010 | Jejomar Binay | |||
16 | Rodrigo Duterte (born 1945) |
PDP–Laban | June 30, 2016 – June 30, 2022 (6 years) |
2016 | Leni Robredo | |||
17 | Bongbong Marcos (born 1957) |
PFP | June 30, 2022 – present (1 year, 270 days) |
2022 | Sara Duterte |
Timeline
Unofficial presidents
Andrés Bonifacio is considered by some historians to be the first president of the Philippines. He was the third Supreme President (Spanish: Presidente Supremo; Tagalog: Kataastaasang Pangulo) of the Katipunan secret society. Its Supreme Council, led by the Supreme President, coordinated provincial and district councils. When the Katipunan went into open revolt in August 1896 (the Cry of Balintawak), Bonifacio transformed it into a revolutionary government with him as president. While the term Katipunan remained, Bonifacio's government was also known as the Tagalog Republic (Tagalog: Republika ng Katagalugan; Spanish: Republica Tagala). (Although the word Tagalog refers to a specific ethnicity, Bonifacio used it to denote all indigenous people in the Philippines in place of Filipino which had colonial origins.)
Some historians contend that including Bonifacio as a past president would imply that Macario Sakay and Miguel Malvar y Carpio should also be included. Miguel Malvar y Carpio continued Emilio Aguinaldo's leadership of the First Philippine Republic after the latter's capture until his own capture in 1902. Macario Sakay revived the Tagalog Republic in 1902 as a continuation of Bonifacio's Katipunan. They are both considered by some scholars as "unofficial presidents". Along with Bonifacio, Malvar and Sakay are not recognized as presidents by the Philippine government.
Emilio Aguinaldo is officially recognized as the first president of the Philippines, but this is based on his term of office during the Malolos Republic, later known as the First Philippine Republic. Prior to this Aguinaldo had held the presidency of several revolutionary governments which are not counted in the succession of Philippine republics.
Manuel L. Quezon delegated his presidential duties to José Abad Santos, the then Chief Justice, when the former fled the Philippines amidst Japanese occupation of the islands to establish a government-in-exile. He is believed to have in effect become the acting president of the Philippine Commonwealth though no legal document has been retrieved detailing the official transfer of the title of President to Abad Santos.
List
Portrait | Name Lifespan |
Party | Term | Vice President | Government | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | ||||||
Andrés Bonifacio (1863–1897) |
None | August 24, 1896 | March 22, 1897 or May 10, 1897 |
None | Sovereign Tagalog Nation | ||
Emilio Aguinaldo (1869–1964) |
None | March 22, 1897 | November 1, 1897 | Mariano Trias | Tejeros revolutionary government | ||
November 2, 1897 | December 14, 1897 | Republic of Biak-na-Bato | |||||
May 24, 1898 | June 23, 1898 | Dictatorial Government | |||||
June 23, 1898 | January 23, 1899 | Revolutionary Government | |||||
Francisco Makabulos (1871–1922) |
None | April 17, 1898 | May 19, 1898 | None | Central Executive Committee | ||
Miguel Malvar (1865–1911) |
None | April 1, 1901 | April 16, 1902 | None | First Republic | ||
Macario Sakay (1870–1907) |
Katipunan (holdout/revival) |
May 6, 1902 | July 14, 1906 | Francisco Carreón | Tagalog Republic | ||
José Abad Santos (1886–1942) |
Independent | March 17, 1942 | May 2, 1942 | None | Commonwealth | ||
Jorge B. Vargas (1890–1980) |
KALIBAPI Association for Service to the New Philippines |
January 23, 1942 | October 14, 1943 | None | Philippine Executive Commission | ||
Arturo Tolentino (1910–2004) |
Kilusang Bagong Lipunan New Society Movement |
July 6, 1986 | July 8, 1986 | None | Fourth Republic |
Timeline
List of presidents by age
No. | President | Born | Age at start of presidency | Age at end of presidency | Post-presidency timespan | Death and age |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Emilio Aguinaldo | Mar 22, 1869 | 29 years, 307 days
(29.84 years) |
32 years, 1 day
(32 years) |
62 years, 320 days | Feb 6, 1964
94 years, 321 days (94.88 years) |
2 | Manuel Quezon | Aug19, 1878 | 57 years, 88 days
(57.24 years) |
65 years, 348 days
(65.95 years) |
Died in office | Aug 1, 1944
65 years, 348 days (65.95 years) |
3 | Jose P. Laurel | Mar 9, 1891 | 52 years, 219 days
(52.6 years) |
54 years, 161 days
(54.44 years) |
14 years, 80 days | Nov 6, 1959
68 years, 242 days (68.66 years) |
4 | Sergio Osmeña | Sep 9, 1878 | 65 years, 328 days
(65.89 years) |
69 years, 263 days
(69.72 years) |
15 years, 144 days | Oct 19, 1961
83 years, 41 days (83.11 years) |
5 | Manuel Roxas | Jan 1, 1892 | 56 years, 148 days
(56.4 years) |
56 years, 105 days
(65.89 years) |
Died in office | Apr 15, 1948
56 years, 105 days (56.29 years) |
6 | Elpidio Quirino | Nov 16, 1890 | 57 years, 153 days
(57.41 years) |
65 years, 328 days
(63.12 years) |
2 years, 50 days | Feb 29, 1956
65 years, 105 days (65.29 years) |
7 | Ramon Magsaysay | Aug 31, 1907 | 46 years, 121 days
(46.33 years) |
49 years, 198 days
(49.55 years) |
Died in office | March 17, 1957
49 years, 198 days (49.55 years) |
8 | Carlos P. Garcia | Nov 4, 1896 | 60 years, 134 days
(56.37 years) |
65 years, 56 days
(65.15 years) |
9 years, 166 days | Jun 14, 1971
74 years, 222 days (74.61 years) |
9 | Diosdado Macapagal | Sep 28, 1910 | 51 years, 93 days
(51.26 years) |
55 years, 93 days
(55.26 years) |
31 years, 112 days | Apr 21, 1997
86 years, 205 days (86.56 years) |
10 | Ferdinand E. Marcos | Sep 11, 1917 | 48 years, 110 days
(48.3 years) |
68 years, 167 days
(68.46 years) |
3 years, 215 days | September 28, 1989
72 years, 17 days (72.05 years) |
11 | Corazon Aquino | Jan 25, 1933 | 53 years, 31 days
(53.09 years) |
48 years, 110 days
(59.43 years) |
17 years, 3 days | Aug 1, 2009
76 years, 188 days (76.52 years) |
12 | Fidel V. Ramos | Mar 18, 1928 | 64 years, 104 days
(64.29 years) |
70 years, 104 days
(70.28 years) |
24 years, 31 days
(24.09 years) |
Jul 31, 2022
94 years, 135 days (94.37 years) |
13 | Joseph Estrada | Apr 19, 1937 | 61 years, 72 days
(61.2 years) |
63 years, 276 days
(63.76 years) |
23 years, 66 days
(23.18 years) |
86 years, 342 days
(86.94 years) |
14 | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | Apr 5, 1947 | 53 years, 290 days
(51.24 years) |
63 years, 86 days
(63.24 years) |
13 years, 270 days
(13.74 years) |
76 years, 356 days
(76.98 years) |
15 | Benigno Aquino III | Feb 8, 1960 | 50 years, 142 days
(50.39 years) |
56 years, 143 days
(56.39 years) |
4 years, 359 days
(4.98 years) |
Jun 24, 2021
61 years, 136 days (61.38 years) |
16 | Rodrigo Duterte | Mar 28, 1945 | 71 years, 94 days
(71.26 years) |
63 years, 86 days
(77.26 years) |
13 years, 270 days
(13.74 years) |
78 years, 364 days
(79 years) |
17 | Bongbong Marcos | Sep 13, 1957 | 64 years, 290 days
(64.8 years) |
Incumbent
1 year, 270 days (66.52 years) (1.74 years) |
66 years, 195 days
(66.53 years) |
Graphical Representation
This is a graphical lifespan timeline of the presidents of the United States. They are listed in order of office, with Grover Cleveland listed in the order of his first presidency.
The following chart shows presidents by their age (living presidents in green), with the years of their presidency in blue. The vertical blue line at 25 years indicates the minimum age to be president.
List of presidents by offices held before presidency
Executive branch
Vice presidents
Vice President | President served under | Year(s) served | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Sergio Osmeña | Manuel L. Quezon | 1935–1944 | Osmeña succeeded Quezon, after the latter's death |
Elpidio Quirino | Manuel Roxas | 1946–1948 | Quirino succeeded Roxas, after the latter's death; Ran and won a full term in 1949. |
Carlos P. Garcia | Ramon Magsaysay | 1953–1957 | Garcia succeeded Magsaysay, after the latter's death; Ran and won a full term in 1957. |
Diosdado Macapagal | Carlos P. Garcia | 1957–1961 | Macapagal defeated Garcia in 1961. |
Joseph Estrada | Fidel V. Ramos | 1992–1998 | Estrada ran for a full term in 1998. |
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | Joseph Estrada | 1998–2001 | Arroyo succeeded Estrada, after the latter's resignation; Ran and won a full term in 2004 |
3 other former vice presidents (Salvador Laurel, Jejomar Binay, and Leni Robredo) all made failed runs for the presidency.
Cabinet secretaries
The following cabinet secretaries are only served for fulltime. Vice Presidents served as cabinet secretary concurrently are not included.
Secretary | Department | President served under | Year(s) served |
---|---|---|---|
Elpidio Quirino | Finance | Manuel Quezon | 1934– 1936 |
Interior | Manuel Quezon | 1935–1938 | |
Manuel Roxas | Interior | Manuel Quezon | 1941 |
Ramon Magsaysay | Defense | Elpidio Quirino | 1935–1944 |
Fidel V. Ramos | Defense | Corazon Aquino | 1988–1991 |
Other positions
Name | Office | President served under | Year(s) served |
---|---|---|---|
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | Undersecretary of the Department of Trade and Industry | Corazon Aquino | 1987–1992 |
Legislative
Senators
Senator | District | Year(s) served | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Manuel L. Quezon | 5th | 1916–1935 | First president to serve as Senate President (1916–1935) |
Jose P. Laurel | 5th | 1925–1931 | Only senator served as Majority Floor Leader (1925–1931)
First and only President to Serve in the Supreme Court (1936–1942); Only former president to serve as senator (1951–1957); |
Sergio Osmeña | 10th | 1922–1935 | First president to serve as President pro tempore (1922–1934) |
Manuel Roxas | At-large | 1945–1946 | Second president to serve as Senate President (1916–1935) |
Elpidio Quirino | 1st
At-large |
1925–1935
1945–1946 |
Second and last president to serve as President pro tempore (1945–1946) |
Carlos P. Garcia | At-large | 1945–1953 | First President to serve as Minority Floor Leader (1946–1953) |
Ferdinand E. Marcos | At-large | 1959–1965 | Second President to serve as Minority Floor Leader (1960–1962)
Third and last president to serve as Senate President (1963–1965) |
Joseph Estrada | At-large | 1987–1992 | |
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | At-large | 1992–1998 | |
Benigno Aquino III | At-large | 2007–2010 | Did not finished term, won presidency |
Bongbong Marcos | At-large | 2010–2016 |
Congressman/Representatives/Assemblyman
Local government
Governors
Governor | Province | Year(s) served | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Manuel Quezon | Tayabas | 1906–1907 | |
Sergio Osmeña | Cebu | 1904–1907 | |
Manuel Roxas | Capiz | 1919–1922 | |
Carlos P. Garcia | Bohol | 1933–1941 | |
Bongbong Marcos | Ilocos Norte | 1983–1986; 1998–2007 | Only president formerly served as Vice Governor (1980–1983) |
Mayors
Mayor | City/Municipality | Year(s) served | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Joseph Estrada | San Juan | 1969–1986 | Only former president served as mayor (2013–2019) |
Rodrigo Duterte | Davao City | 1988–1998; 2001–2010; 2013–2016 | Only president served as Vice Mayor (1986–1987; 2010–2013) |
Municipal/City Councilors
Name | Municipality/City | Province | Year(s) served |
---|---|---|---|
Manuel Quezon | Lucena | Tayabas | 1906 |
Manuel Roxas | Capiz | Capiz | 1917–1919 |
Judiciary
Name | Position | Year(s) served | President | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jose P. Laurel | Associate Justice of the Supreme Court | 1936–1942 | Manuel Quezon | Only president served in the Supreme Court |
Name | Office | President served under | Year(s) served |
---|---|---|---|
Manuel Quezon | Resident Commissioner of the Philippines | None(Under American rule) | 1909–1916 |
Presidents who had not previously held elective office
Without previous experience in government, but served in the military
Name | Year(s) served |
---|---|
Emilio Aguinaldo | 1899–1901 |
Without previous experience in government or in the military
Name | Year(s) served |
---|---|
Corazon Aquino | 1986–1992 |
List of presidents by military service
Name | Rank | Branch | Year(s) served | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Emilio Aguinaldo | Generalissimo | Philippine Revolutionary Army | 1896–1901 | |
Manuel Quezon | Major | Philippine Revolutionary Army | 1899–1900 | |
Manuel Roxas | Brigadier General | Philippine Commonwealth Army | 1941–1945 | |
Ramon Magsaysay | Captain | Philippine Commonwealth Army | 1942–1945 | |
Ferdinand E. Marcos | 1st Lieutenant
Major |
USAFFE | 1942–1945 | |
Fidel V. Ramos | General | Philippine Constabulary | 1950–1988 | Only former President served as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (1984–1985; 1986–1988), and commander of a service branch (1972–1986). |