Important People in Philippine History

Important People in Philippine History

A lot of men and women made their mark in our country’s history; some good, some gruesome, and some so permanent it affects us up to this day. But then, there are those people who are forever immortalized by their works and deeds. In this essay, I’ve written down the names of people who, in my humble opinion, are the ones who are most important.

Lapu-Lapu. Lapu-Lapu was the ruler of Mactan when the Spanish first arrived in the Philippines. He is known to be the first Filipino native to show resistance against the Spaniards. Because of this, he is regarded to be the first Filipino hero. He is the central figure in the seal of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

GOMBURZA. GomBurZa stands for the name of three Filipino priests: Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora. They were allegedly linked to the Cavite Mutiny. This led to their execution due to sedition. The Cavite Mutiny, along with the unjust execution of the three priests stirred up revolutionary sentiments in the Filipino people, and thus sparked the forthcoming Philippine Revolution.

Manuel L. Quezon. Manuel L. Quezon was the first president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. Through his U.S. Mission, Quezon secured the passage of the Tydings-McDuffie Law, which states that the Philippines will have its independence in a transition period of ten years with the U.S. government assisting the Philippines in the drafting of its constitution. Although the independence was delayed due to the Second World War and the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, Quezon’s effort in his “Philippine Independence Mission” led to freedom in July 4, 1946 with Manuel Roxas becoming the first president of the now-independent Republic of the Philippines.

Ferdinand Marcos. Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. was well known as a dictator who held onto the title of Philippine President from 1965-1986. He declared Martial Law in September 21, 1972. Although he implemented widespread infrastructure development and economic reform in his entire rule, it cannot be denied that his administration was tarnished with widespread political repression, human rights violation and authoritarian corruption. His administration is said to be one of the darkest in the history of Philippines’ presidents. But we cannot deny the fact that he had left deep marks in our history.

Cory Aquino. Maria Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco-Aquino, or Cory Aquino for short, succeeded Marcos in the presidency after the latter was overthrown. She was the first female president of the country, and she was best known for leading the restoration of democracy through the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, after her husband Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, a staunch critic of Marcos, was assassinated in 1983. She was featured in TIME magazine as “Woman of the Year”. Because of her work, democracy was restored in the Philippines. She is now considered as a true icon of democracy.