Hanreich Lowis V.

Cheng 12/26/2021
Readings in Philippine History
Final Examination
Kindly answer/discuss the following. Give examples using concepts and situations found in
Philippine/local contexts.

1. What is the Writ of Habeas Corpus? Why is it so important in the Philippine legal system?
The writ of Habeas Corpus is a requirement or a rule that an arrested individual must be first
presented in a court or judged before detaining or imprisoning him/her of the accused crime.
I argue that the Writ of Habeas is significant in our legal system and even to other legal systems
in the world because first, it gives a fair chance for the suspect to defend himself and give
reasons as to why he must not be the one who committed the crime. Second, it reduces the
chance of imprisoning the wrong person if the suspect was to be proven not guilty. It generates a
proper systemic way of judging different peoples under a different situation, for example, a man
was arrested and imprisoned for being suspected as a partner in crime, without Writ of Habeas
Corpus, this man has no way to defend himself even though he might be just a bystander or was
framed up.
The writ of Habeas Corpus is important because it provides due process to the suspects and
prevents the probability of imprisoning the wrong person and the possibility of some authorities
abusing their power to pinpoint suspects.

2. Based on Miriam Defensor Santiago’s speech on the Problem with Elections, in your own
opinion, is there a need to change the 1987 Philippine Constitution? Why?
In my own opinion, I argue that there is a need to change some of the laws or to reform the 1987
Philippine Constitution, specifically about the weighting of votes from the educated and
uneducated majority, and the qualifications for becoming a representative because of the point of
Sen. Miriam in her speech.
We need to weigh the educated majority differently from the uneducated or considered to be not
so educated at a certain level because I believe that as a democratic society the majority may
hold the power yet the “majority” is dangerous for when the majority is deprived of knowledge,
the majority is easily swayed by popularity and masks of kindness. Socrates once said about the
dangers of democracy yet we chose it reasonably but now we chose our representatives for
merely a piece of currency, which has been probably happening until now. This gives me a
reason to at least side my opinion to change the constitution and apply a method from which we
can fairly judge the votes. However, even though it is hard to accept and generates
discrimination among the society, it is a bitter truth in my perspective and at the end of the day, it
is much reasonable to put more trust in those who know the possibilities of their actions than to
those who blindly vote without analyzing the pros and cons of their decisions.
Furthermore, I believe that we need to reform the qualification for our representatives, where
educational attainment is required or at least given priority than other representatives. Just like in
the example of Socrates, who do you trust more when you are voyaging the rough seas, those
who have experience and knowledge about voyaging or just anyone whom we thought is
“righteous?” This example has always been a reminder for me of whom I should give my trust
to, especially leaders. We need to impose this to help ourselves be at peace in our country yet I
also know it is not easy to just set it up in a blink of an eye. However, it remains an effective
option that would bring benefits to our government and country. I just realized that the
uneducated politician does represent the majority of the uneducated population, which may be
funny in my perspective but is the sad reality of the current state of our government, which also
tends to repeat itself.
However, even though I side my opinion to the need for change in the 1987 constitution, I also
want to acknowledge that it is simply not easy to reform a constitution without further analysis
and a complete set of working possible methods to solve the problems raised.

3. What are your thoughts on Confucius’s notion that “the success of a government lies in the
men it chooses”? Do you agree that the success/future of our country (government) depends
on the people we elect? Why?
As a democratic country, I firmly believe that the success of our country is dependent on the
people we elect, however, not completely dependent on them since we, the people, are the real
holder of the responsibility of our country. If we were to vote for someone that seems good at
first but has ulterior motives later, it becomes our responsibility to replace that leader, but again
it is without a doubt that the future or success of our country is dependent on the people we elect.
It is dependent on the people we elect because they are the ones who have been given the power
to decide and represent the entirety of the population. They are supposedly not elected so blindly,
but due to a lack of general and real knowledge, many people are oftentimes led astray from the
truth by misleading information that spread on various social platforms online and some by
influencers.
I agree that the future or success of our country is dependent on the people we elect because as a
democratic country it is the job of the elected person to improve and maintain the order, although
we, the people, hold the power to choose who must be the leader, the leader has the power on
how to lead us or the entire population into a much brighter and successful future.
4. In your own understanding of the different historical accounts of what had happened in the
past particularly during the Martial law and the Marcos era, what do you think why is the
Marcoses still have many supporters? Do you agree that Ferdinand Marcos was the best
president of the country? How was the Marcos era affect the economic status of the
Philippines?
In my understanding from the news, videos, and article I have found, the reason I believe why
Marcoses still have many supporters is due to either influence of many passive citizens of the
Philippines in the past or the spread of many misconceptions such as the so-called “golden age of
the Philippines” of some Marcos supporters. Another reason I believe why Marcos still has many
supporters was because of the influence of the late Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago.
After my research, I certainly do not agree that Marcos was the best president for many reasons
not just because of the martial law he imposed which was the most infamous reason why most
people hate Marcos. One reason was the misconception that the Philippines was in the Golden
age during Marcos’ administration, many said it was because of the many accomplishments,
projects, and infrastructure built but behind the scene, it was very bad, since most of the funds
used were from the borrowed money and money that was supposed to be used for other
purposes. One example was the CCP project by Imelda Marcos, in which funds were from the
veterans, and/or the war damage rehabilitation fund, and other funds.
And according to an economist, the Philippines sudden rise in GDP was not because of Marcos
but was because of the inputs or export of the sugar cane and other agricultural products that
were currently in high demand at that time, but later on, the sugar cane and other products started
decreasing and so is the national GDP. It made the Philippines poorer, that the prices of many
products since Marcos’ administration started, increasing from 100 Php at1978 to 350 Php in
1986, which was more than triple the amount. Another is data that shows the percentage of poor
families from 1965 to 1985, which shows an increase throughout the entirety of Marcos's
administration.
Furthermore, I noticed that most of the projects of Marcos were not smart decisions and was
lacking social returns, and seemed forced to project the Philippines as a great developed country
in Asia but was the opposite. In the end, the Marcoses left the country with heavy burdens of
millions and billions of debts, which makes him my worst president ever.
5. What brought EDSA I or the People Power Revolution? Why was this event significant in
the history of the Philippines?
The EDSA I or People power revolution was brought by the citizens of the Philippines due to
Marcos’ Martial Law or Dictatorship, which threatens the Democracy of the people.
It was a significant event in history as it is not just a sign that we, Filipinos, love Democracy but
also a sign that we can unite altogether for the betterment of the nation and each other. It was
significant because it was the key to preventing any further Dictatorship and malpractice in the
government. I guess without it, Dictatorship might have been even longer or even still occur The
EDSA I or People power revolution was brought by the citizens of the Philippines due to
Marcos’ Martial Law or Dictatorship, which threatens the Democracy of the people.
It was a significant event in history as it is not just a sign that we, Filipinos, love Democracy but
also a sign that we can unite altogether for the betterment of the nation and each other. It was
significant because it was the key to preventing any further Dictatorship and malpractice in the
government. I guess without it, Dictatorship might have been even longer or even still occur
today. Without it, many countless Filipinos might still be suffering and the nation might have
been under a much bigger debt.
In conclusion, the EDSA I or People power Revolution is a must, in Philippine history, for
without it happening many would suffer and even the nation will suffer from the effects of
Marcos’ Dictatorship.

6. Looking at the recent typhoons and flooding in many parts of the country, in your own
point of view, what is more important: civilization and progress or the natural
environment? Why?
In my opinion, both are significant for our developments to further continue. However, to answer
the question, I believe that the natural environment is much important than civilization and
progress. It is better to think of it like this, if something is deemed important it does not
necessarily mean that the other is not given focus or attention. Meaning, even though I chose the
natural environment to be much important, it does not mean that civilization and progress are not
important.
Now, I chose the natural environment to be much important because without it further progress is
affected and can even make things worse in the long run, we already did this once in history,
where most countries deliberately ignore some of the early signs of global warming or climate
change and look at the current situation. I say that the natural environment should be given
priority over progress because it is where we get everything that we need to progress throughout
the years and if the natural environment is not given priority, it limits the progress we can make
and can lead to irreparable damages.
7. How can the government and private sectors address the problem of unemployment in our
country in this time of pandemic? Should the government borrow more money to solve the
Covid-19 crisis? Should the Filipinos not worry about the rising national debt?
As a student with limited knowledge, I don’t know how or what is the correct step to be used by
the government or private sectors to address the unemployment in our country in this time of the
pandemic. However, I believe that creating more jobs and opportunities in many industries is one
way of solving unemployment but with the current situation it is almost impossible to create
more jobs for the unemployed since even some businesses are reducing their employee count due
to economic reasons and strict health guidelines imposed upon all public areas or places where
multiple people can interact with each other, and other variables that can give a downside effect
to businesses. Furthermore, I can only think of one wild solution, and that is to further promote
real and friendly knowledge to educate many people about the virus and remove the conspiracies
(especially about the vaccines) and regain trust from the public, so that, at least it can help reduce
the spread of the virus and go back to the normal flow of industries as fast as possible to alleviate
both the employees and businesses.
In my opinion, the government must try to reduce the chances of borrowing money as much as
possible since we have already tons of debts. Furthermore, I believe that the government must try
its best to not borrow money to make sure that the funds of the nation are not just lost in the
interest of the borrowed money since we can even put more use to those interest money to invest
in other things or projects that can further improve that country in the long run. However, we
cannot decline the fact that when worst come to worst we have to borrow money and temporarily
relieve the situation into a much controllable scenario.
I argue that Filipinos should worry about the rising national debt because as a citizen of the
Democratic country we have the responsibility to choose a representative that can further
improve the country and bring down politicians or representatives that threatens the overall
status of the country. To worry about the rising national debt is showing concern to the economic
future of the country. It means that something must be happening in the government and that is
the time where we, the people, ask and understand what is happening before doing acts such as
rallying, etc. We have to worry about the rising national debt because, at the end of the day, we
are the ones who will be suffering if the national debt kept rising with no valid reason.
8. What are your thoughts on the present administration? Why are numerous sectors of
Philippine society today dissatisfied with the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte?
Do you think that our country is moving towards a better society?
My thoughts on this present administration were pretty chaotic. It was chaotic due to various
goods and bad things that kept happening. First, everyone was happy about the reducing number
of crimes and drug-related activities, however, it was later, bombarded with human rights issues.
Next was the build, build, build program, free schooling at the college level, then the pandemic
hit, next was the corruption in various departments of the government (the DOH and Philhealth),
and it was confusing because of the different opinions coming in and out of every television and
news article. Which made it hard to believe some news or issues. However, I can be thankful that
at least, it was through and we survived, but since I am confused I cannot conclude if it was
better or worse.
I believe that the reason behind the society being dissatisfied with the administration of President
Rodrigo Duterte was for various reasons, such as the issue of him ignoring human rights in the
drug war, the bad handling of the administration to the territorial dispute in the South China Sea,
the Anti-terrorism law, etc. However, with a positive view, I believe that improvements and
progress in the country are given and inevitable, it is just slowed or hindered by various issues
such as Duterte’s administration issues, like the culture of corruption still happening, etc.

9. Who among the presidents of the Philippines can be considered the best president of the
country? Support your answer.
Out of the 16 presidents of the Philippine history, Former Pres. Ramon Magsaysay or the Man of
the masses is the best president in my own opinion. He is the best because of his various
accomplishments and achievements, especially when the Philippines was ranked second of the
clean and well governed country in Asia. This achievement for me is enough to convince me that
he is the best president we ever had, it made me think of how he was able to do that even though
other countries are also great, such as the country of Japan and Malaysia. Furthermore, I liked
the fact that he investigated the corruption in the past administration, and established the
National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration or also known as NARRA, which
aimed to peacefully persuade rebel to return to their normal lives with home lots and farmlands
in Palawan and Mindanao. He also established the PCAC or Presidential Complaints and Action
Committee, and at the same time, he opened the Malacañang to the public. He was known for
being the man of the masses for being close and almost like a family member to everyone at that
time. He also initiated the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization to fight communism. His
administration was even termed the Golden years of Philippines. Unfortunately he was not able
to finish his term and died in a plane crash. But even so, the achievement and accomplishments
made by him is what made him my best president among the other 15 president of the
Philippines.
10. Compare and contrast the different administrations that governed the Philippines in terms of
problems addressed and notable accomplishments
Throughout the history of the Philippines, there have been 16 presidents, namely: Emilio
Aguinaldo, Manuel L. Quezon, Jose P. Laurel, Sergio Osmeña, Manuel Roxas, Elpidio Quirino,
Ramon Magsaysay, Carlos P. Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal, Ferdinand Marcos, Corazon C.
Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Ejercito Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Aroyo, Benigno S. Aquino
III, and Rodrigo Duterte. Below are some of the well known accomplishments of each president.
Emilio Aguinaldo was known for establishing the first Philippine Republic. He was also one of
the key persons that declared the Philippine independence from foreign colonization, which led
to the introduction of the Official Philippine flag.
Manuel L. Quezon was known for establishing the National Economic Council and the
proclamation of Tagalog as the national language of the Philippines. He also initiated women’s
suffrage.
Jose P. Laurel was known for implementing the “Magtanim upang mabuhay” policy to alleviate
the hunger of the masses during the Japanese occupation.
Sergio Osmeña was known as the founder of the Nacionalista Party, and was known for starting
the rehabilitation of post-Japanese war ruins. One of which was the rehabilitation of the
Philippine National Bank. Also, under his administration, the Philippines became an
international Monetary Fund member.
Manuel Roxas was known for the Philippine Rehabilitation Act, which states that the US will
compensate for all those affected by the war and reward those who have been loyal to the US.
Elipidio Quirino was known due to his action towards the many cases of corruption. He
established the Integrity Board to solve the corruption issues of the government. Furthermore, he
also created many jobs and opportunities by establishing factories. Also, under his
administration, the famous Hydroelectric Power plants were built, it was in Maria Cristina Falls
and Bulacan.
Ramon Magsaysay was known as the man of the masses. Besides investigating the corruption of
the past administration, one of his accomplishments was the establishment of the National
Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration. He also initiated the Southern Asia Treaty
Organization to combat communism. Another was the establishment of the Presidential
Complaints and Action Committee. Furthermore, his administration was known to be the Golden
years of the Philippines. To support this claim, under his administration, the Philippines was
ranked to be the second clean and well-governed country in Asia.
Carlos P. Garcia persevered to improve the livelihood of the Filipinos through the Austerity
program, Filipino First policy, and the Bohlen-Serrano Agreement.
Diosdado Macapagal was known for his programs for the common people that were overlooked
by the past administration. He established the first Land Reform Law, which helped farmers to
have their own land to farm. Workers from the agriculture sector were also given suffrage and
right to create their own association, aside from that, they would also benefit from the Minimum
Wage Law.
Ferdinand Marcos, aside from being infamous about his dictatorship, he was also known for
many infrastructure, such as the Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney Institute and
Philippine Children’s Medical Center. It also include the rehabilitation of roads, bridges, and
schools. One of his accomplishments was the reformation of the Justice system and the Armed
Forces of the Philippines.
Corazon C. Aquino was known to be the Asia’s first woman to become president. One of her
well known contribution to the country was the Family Code of 1987. She also reformed the
Government Executive Branch and Supreme Court. Under her administration, the congress has
passed the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, that give way to the distribution of agricultural
lands to the tenant farmers.
Fidel V. Ramos was known for resolving the Power Crisis experienced by Filipinos. He also
signed a peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front or MNLF. In Economics,
because of the foundations he established in the field of business, the Philippines was known as
the Next Economic Tiger of Asia. And because of this, the country experienced a lessened
impact from the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.
Joseph Ejercito Estrada was known for his campaign of “Erap para sa mahirap”. Under his
administration, he established the National Anti-Poverty Commision and launched the Enterprise
Development for the Poor. His Administration also took pride when they successfully seized the
MILF Headquarters and camps.
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration was known for its Holiday economics. Another
contribution of her was the increased in GDP or Gross domestic Product of the Philippines. She
also implemented the EVAT or the Expanded Value Added Tax Law to fill in the lack of funds
in the country.
Benigno S. Aquino was known for its No “Wang-Wang” Policy. He also investigated the present
PDAF scam at that time. He also signed the K21 education program and the RH Bill, upgraded
the PAGASA-DOST equipment, and established the Truth Commision. Furthermore, he left the
administration with a 6% average GDP growth.
Duterte’s administration was known for its crime reducing programs, including the famous Drug
war or the project termed Tokhang. He also enacted the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary
Education Act which paved way for free college education in all state universities and colleges
nationwide. Furthermore, he also made the TRAIN Law or the Tax Reform for Accelerated and
Inclusion Law, which lowered the personal income tax and increased the consumption tax on
non-essential goods.