Biography of A

Prominent
Filipino
Members: Moneque Ela Gonzaga BSA 1A
Jameuel Elanga
Liane Joy Encarnacion
 José Rizal Biography
Activist, Journalist, Poet, Doctor
 On June 19, 1861, José Protacio Rizal
Mercado y Alonzo Realonda was born in
Calamba Laguna, Philippines. A brilliant
student who became proficient in multiple
languages. José Rizal studied medicine in
Manila in 1882, he travelled to Spain to
complete his medical degree.
While in Europe, José Rizal became part of the
Propaganda Movement, connecting with other
Filipinos who wanted reform. He also wrote his
first novel, Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not/The
Social Cancer), a work that detailed the dark
aspects of Spain's colonial rule in the Philippines,
with particular focus on the role of Catholic
friars. The book was banned in the Philippines,
though copies were smuggled in. Because of this
novel, Rizal's return to the Philippines in 1887
was cut short when he was targeted by police.
Rizal returned to Europe and continued to write
releasing his follow-up novel, El Filibusterismo
(The Reign of Greed) in 1891. He also published
articles in La Solidaridad, a paper aligned with
the Propaganda Movement. The reforms Rizal
advocated for did not include independence—he
called for equal treatment of Filipinos, limiting
the power of Spanish friars and representation
for the Philippines in the Spanish Cortes (Spain's
parliament).
Rizal returned to the Philippines in 1892, feeling
he needed to be in the country to effect change.
Although the reform society he founded, the Liga
Filipino (Philippine League), supported non-
violent action, Rizal was still exiled to Dapitan,
on the island of Mindanao. During the four years
Rizal was in exile, he practiced medicine and
took on students.
 Ramon Magsaysay Biography
President (non-U.S.) (1907–1957)
Ramon Magsaysay became the seventh
president of the Philippines in 1953, and is
credited with restoring law and order during the
Philippine crisis of the 1950s.
Born in the Philippines on August 31, 1907,
Ramon Magsaysay was the seventh president of
the Philippines (1953–57), best known for
successfully defeating the communist-led
Hukbalahap (Huk) movement in his country and
his popular appeal. He died in his country in
1957.
Ramon Magsaysay was born Ramon del Fierro
Magsaysay in Iba, a city in the Philippines, on
August 31, 1907. After attending the University
of the Philippines, Magsaysay transferred to the
Institute of Commerce at José Rizal College
(1928-1932), where he received a bachelor's
degree in commerce.
At the start of World War II, Magsaysay joined
the motor pool of the 31st Infantry Division of
the Philippine army. He was promoted to
captain, and was involved in clearing the
Zambales coast of the Japanese before to the
landing of American forces there.
Magsaysay was elected to the Philippine House
of Representatives in 1946, and was later re-
elected to a second term. During both terms, he
was chairman of the House National Defense
Committee.
Magsaysay was elected to the Philippine House
of Representatives in 1946, and was later re-
elected to a second term. During both terms, he
was chairman of the House National Defense
Committee.
Magsaysay did manage to enact agrarian
reform, giving some 90,000 acres to 4,500
indigent families for settlement/farming
purposes. He also set up a process to hear and
address citizen grievances, and maintained a
reputation for incorruptibility throughout his
presidency, all of which went a long way toward
ensuring his popularity.
 Sadly, Ramon Magsaysay's term came to an
abrupt end on March 17, 1957, when his
presidential plane crashed, killing Magsaysay and
24 other passengers. An estimated 5 million people
attended Magsaysay's burial on March 31, 1957,
and afterward, he was referred to in the Philippines
as the "Idol of the Masses."
In his honor, the Ramon Magsaysay Award,
considered "Asia's Nobel Prize," was established in
1957. In the spirit of Ramon Magsaysay's
leadership, the award recognizes integrity and
courage among individuals and organizations in
Asia.
 Rodrigo Roa Duterte
President (2016-present)
Rodrigo Duterte was born on March 28, 1945, in
Maasin, Southern Leyte, Philippines. The son of a
regional governor, he graduated from law school in
1972 and joined the City Prosecution Office of
Davao City. Duterte became Davao City mayor in
1988, and was reelected six times after forging a
reputation for being tough on crime. He earned a
decisive victory in his country's 2016 presidential
election, but soon drew criticism for his support of
extrajudicial killings and threats to cut diplomatic
ties with the U.S.
Prone to misbehavior, Duterte was twice
expelled from elementary school. He managed
to channel his temper somewhat by the time he
attended Lyceum of the Philippines University,
where he was influenced by Communist Party of
the Philippines founder José María Sison.
Duterte went on to study law at San Beda
College, earning his degree in 1972 despite
claims that he shot a classmate.
Duterte's rise from the legal ranks to
politician began when he was named special
counsel at the City Prosecution Office of
Davao City in 1977. He became assistant city
prosecutor two years later, and in 1986 he
was elected vice mayor of Davao City.
That same year, President Ferdinand Marcos was
ousted in the "People Power Revolution,"
fueling an increase in crime that was particularly
rampant in Davao City. Elected mayor in 1988,
Duterte sought to crack down on criminal
activity by imposing a strict curfew and drinking
laws. Additionally, he permitted the actions of a
vigilante "death squad" — often referred to as
the "Davao Death Squad" and “Duterte Death
Squad” — that reportedly killed more than
1,000 suspected drug dealers and gang
members over a 20-year span.
Nicknamed the "Punisher" for his controversial
methods, Duterte nevertheless was successful in
reducing crime. Furthermore, he was credited
with helping to make Davao City cleaner by
enforcing a smoking ban, and for his LGBT-
friendly measures. His popularity was such that
he served seven terms as mayor, sidestepping
term limits with stints as a congressman and
vice mayor, and drew huge ratings with a weekly
television program.
After initially dismissing the idea he would
run for president, Duterte reversed course
and threw his hat into the race in late 2015.
Among other promises, he said he would
establish a new federal parliamentary
government and revive the country's steel
industry.
Duterte was married to former flight
attendant Elizabeth Zimmerman from 1973
until an annulment was granted in 2000. Two
of their three children, Paolo and Sara,
followed their father into politics.
Additionally, Duterte has a daughter with his
common-law wife, Honeylet Avanceña.
 Ferdinand Marcos Biography
President Dictator (1917–1989)
Known for running a corrupt, undemocratic
regime, Ferdinand Marcos was the president
of the Philippines from 1966 to 1986 before
fleeing to the United States.
Ferdinand Marcos, born on September 11,
1917, in Ilocos Norte province, was a
member of the Philippine House of
Representatives (1949-1959) and Senate
(1959-1965) before winning the presidential
election. After winning a second term, he
declared martial law in 1972, establishing
with wife Imelda an autocratic regime based
on widespread favoritism that eventually
lead to economic stagnation and recurring
reports of human rights violations.
Marcos held onto the presidency until 1986,
when his people rose against his dictatorial rule
and he was forced to flee. He died on
September 28, 1989 in exile in Honolulu,
Hawaii. Marcos held onto the presidency until
1986, when his people rose against his
dictatorial rule and he was forced to flee. He
died on September 28, 1989 in exile in
Honolulu, Hawaii.
When the Marcoses went into exile, they
took with them a reported $15 million.
However, the government of the Philippines
was aware Marcos had collected a far larger
fortune. The country's supreme court
estimated he had amassed $10 billion while
in office.
Marcos wed singer and beauty
queen Imelda Romualdez in 1954 after an
11-day courtship, with the couple going on
to have three children: Maria Imelda "Imee"
(b. 1955), Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.
(b. 1957) and Irene (b. 1960). The Marcoses
later adopted a fourth child, Aimee.
Marcos was inaugurated on December 30,
1965. His first presidential term was notable
for his decision to send troops into the fray
of the Vietnam War, a move he had
previously opposed as a Liberal Party
senator. He also focused on construction
projects and bolstering the country's rice
production.
Marcos decreed martial law in 1972, with
Imelda eventually becoming an official who
often appointed her relatives to lucrative
governmental and industrial positions. (She
would later be known for accumulating upward
of 1,000 pairs of shoes along with Manhattan
luxury real estate.) These acts were part
of Marcos’ state-imposed "crony capitalism," by
which private businesses were seized by the
government and handed over to friends and
relatives of regime members, later leading to
much economic instability.
Though making domestic headway over
time with infrastructure projects and
harvesting, Marcos' administration bolstered
the military by huge numbers (recruiting
unqualified personnel), curtailed public
discourse, took over the media and
imprisoned political opponents, students
and denouncers at will.
Marcos also oversaw a 1973 national
referendum that allowed him to hold power
indefinitely. Preceding a visit by Pope John Paul
II, martial law ended in January 1981. Marcos,
serving as both president and prime minister by
this point, resigned from the latter post, still
retaining the power to implement laws at his
command and imprison dissenters without due
process. In June 1981, he would win
presidential reelection for another six years,
with his political opponents boycotting the
vote.
On August 21, 1983, the previously jailed
Benigno Aquino Jr. returned from his long
exile to offer the Philippine people a new
face of hope, but he was shot and killed as
he stepped off the plane in Manila.
Countrywide demonstrations followed in the
wake of the killing. Marcos launched a
civilian-based independent commission
whose findings implicated military personnel
in Aquino's assassination, although it has
since been suggested that Marcos or his
wife had ordered the murder.
Marcos managed to defeat Aquino and
retain the presidency, but his victory was
deemed by many to be fraudulent. As word
spread of the rigged election, a tense
standoff ensued between supporters of
Marcos and those of Aquino, with thousands
upon thousands of citizens taking to the
streets to support a non-violent military
rebellion.
With his health failing and support for his
regime fading fast, on February 25, 1986,
Ferdinand Marcos and much of his family
were airlifted from the Manila presidential
palace, going into exile in Hawaii. Evidence
was later uncovered showing that Marcos
and his associates had stolen billions from
the Philippine economy.
During World War II, Ferdinand Marcos
served as an officer with his country's armed
forces, later claiming that he was also a top
figure in the Filipino guerrilla resistance
movement. (U.S. governmental records
eventually revealed these assertions to be
false.) At the end of the war, when the
American government granted the
Philippines independence on July 4, 1946,
the Philippine Congress was created.
After working as a corporate attorney,
Marcos campaigned and was twice elected
as representative to his district, serving from
1949 to 1959. In 1959, Marcos took a seat in
the senate, a position he would hold until he
ran for and won the presidency in 1965 on
the Nationalist Party ticket.