The Curse of Being The President of The Philippine Republic – Part Two

See PART 1

It seemed like the pattern is obvious. Not to preempt my researched presentation, here are the remaining 7 presidents of the Philippines from the 9th to the incumbent and their fate.

Image by markhillary via Flickr

1. Diosdado Macapagal – the 9th president. He was elected president of the Constitutional Convention which later became the 1973 constitution. He died of heart failure, pneumonia and renal complication at the age of 87.

2. Ferdinand Marcos – the 10th president. His biography is the most complicated and the most surreal to read among the Philippine Presidents. His name was attached to so many killing activities. He had enjoyed the highest position as a dictator President for more than 20 years. He was referred as the Adolf Hitler of the Philippines. In 1989, he died of kidney, heart and lung ailments. Even after his death, he continued to stir up controversies involving his wife Imelda.  She was charged of embezzlement by a US court in 1990. She also faced a few hundred corruption charges in the Philippine courts in 2006. Even the former president’s refrigerated crypt continued to cause scenes in the recent news. He was like a prevailing virus that continues to unearth and eat up space despite his cure of death.

3. Corazon Aquino – the 11th president. After the assassination of his husband Ninoy Aquino, a senator during the Marcos administration, she was catapulted into the limelight to run for President. In 1986, she led the People Power Revolution, which tossed off Ferdinand Marcos from position and restored the democracy in the country. She was given the title by TIME Magazine as “Woman of the Year” in 1986. Despite being a self-proclaim plain housewife, with the success of the revolution, she is considered as an icon of democracy. Sadly in 2008, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. Even with several careful treatments, she became very ill and died on August 1, 2009.

4. Fidel V. Ramos – the 12th president. He took the place of former president Sergio Osmeña as the oldest person to become the Philippine President. He is the first Protestant President of the country and the only Filipino officer in history to have held every rank in the Philippine military. Like many previous presidents, he was accused of profiting from government projects. He was also accused of condoning human rights violations due to his involvement in the declaration of Martial Law during Marcos administration. He isn’t dead yet but with lots of controversies thrown on him as president like bribery, misapplications of public funds, and many others, the most suited word for a president is perhaps curse.

5. Joseph Estrada – the 13th president. With so many allegations relating to corruption, he was put under disgraceful public scrutiny. In 2001, he was ousted from the position. During his term, violence erupted. Protesters including politicians marching to Malacañang Palace were badly injured and arrested. Even after his presidency, he was sentenced to reclusion perpetua for plunder. In addition, he also faced so many other legal cases.

6. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo – the 14th president. She is the daughter of the former president Diosdado Macapagal. Academically, she was brilliant. She graduated valedictorian both in elementary and high school. She was also a consistent Dean’s lister in Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C, where US President Bill Clinton was one of her classmates. She earned her degree in Economics as magna cum laude. Despite her colorful CV, as president she failed to win the favor of every Filipino. During her term, a group of 321 soldiers protested for her alleged corruption.

7. Benigno Aquino III – the 15th president. What about him? He’s the first bachelor president in the Philippine history. So far, he’s been rained with a lot of controversies including his ‘inhumane’ decision to arrest former president Arroyo. Lately, there have been issues of him against the Supreme Court plus the uproar issue about his partying with celebrities while there are crisis in Mindanao. He still has more than 4 years to prove he’s worthy of the people’s vote.

It seemed like issues are simply part of the course of being the president.

And maybe being a president is also a curse!