The Impact of the Philippine Revolution (2023)

This research assesses the impact that the Philippine Revolution had on Filipino culture. To analyze the effects of the revolution on the political structure of the Philippines, the research will involve how it was several years before the Philippine Revolution, also known as the People Power Revolution. The political structure after the Philippine Revolution will also be investigated. This research will be conducted to assess changes in the general political structure. The two main sources for this research include Monina Mercado's A People Power: The Philippine Revolution of 1986: An Eyewitness History, along with Florentino Rodao's book The Philippine Revolution of 1986: Ordinary Lives In Extraordinary Times.

The two sources that will be used will be analyzed as to their origin, purpose, limitations and value.

summary of evidence

The online article “What Was People Power?” states that the revolution was a non-violent movement of united Filipino citizens. They were led by Corazón “Cory” Aquino, wife of Benigno Aquino, a prominent opponent of the government of President Ferdinand Marcos, a partisan opponent of his Nationalist Party. This move was successful because it led to the overthrow of Ferdinand Marcos. After the expulsion, Corazón Aquino won the presidency.

Ferdinand Marcos was a corrupt leader. He was president of the Philippines for twenty years (during two terms), from 1965 to 1986.[1]After World War II, Ferdinand Marcos emerged from World War II with a reputation as the greatest Filipino resistance leader of the war and the most decorated soldier in the U.S. military.[2]Before becoming president of the Philippines, Marcos had been the leader of Ang Maharlika. The Ang Maharlika was a secret resistance that Ferdinand Marcos had created. This secret resistance was said to be made up of spies and revolutionaries (murderers), in fact the resistance was made up of counterfeiters, thieves and gunmen. The Ang Maharlika was a guerrilla force in northern Luzon. As president, Marcos distinguished himself by achieving infrastructure development along with international diplomacy; however, despite these great achievements, he, along with his administration, was extremely authoritarian, corrupt; they were also politically repressive and also violated human rights.

In 1983, Benigno Aquino Jr., a senator and governor of Tarlac opposed to Marcos, was assassinated with a shot to the head. President Marcos, along with the rest of his government, was involved in the assassination. This assassination became the catalyst for the People Power Revolution. From 1972 to 1981, the Marcos government passed martial law that repressed the freedom of the people. He stated that it was about creating a “New Society” based on a new social and political value. Despite the law's success in reducing crime, it scared political opponents into exile. The same goes for the rest of the people. They couldn't comment on anything. Things were about to change for the better when Ferdinand Marcos was exiled.

After the revolution, the presidency of Corazon Aquino was the beginning of democracy for Filipinos. The new government, the Constitutional Commission gave them a new constitution. It was ratified on February 2, 1987. The Constitution then entered into force on the 11th of that month. He diminished presidential powers to declare martial law. The Constitution also re-established the bicameral congress.

Source Rating

Mercado Source A People Power: The Philippine Revolution of 1986: An Eyewitness History was written by Monina Mercado. It tells the story of the revolution that exiled Ferdinand Marcos from power through a collection of various stories by different people told in their own words. It was published in 1987, which makes it a reliable source. This is said because it was written after, if not during, the revolution. This means that it contained real and current information. On the other hand, being published so soon after the revolution means you won't have all the information you need. If I were to describe the effects of the People Power Revolution, I would only mention the effects that occurred just between that one year period. It wouldn't cover the effects for ten or twenty years. It appears that the purpose of the source is to inform readers about the 1986 Philippine revolution and their view of the situation. People Power: The Philippine Revolution of 1986: An Eyewitness History is limited because it is biased. The author is clearly a supporter of Corazon Aquino. She doesn't write about what people on the other side of the revolution thought. The font value is questionable. It serves its purpose and informs readers about the revolution and sheds light on the events that overthrew the Marcos dictatorship.

The second source is The Philippine Revolution of 1986: Ordinary Lives in Extraordinary Times was published in 2001, making it a valuable source. This book is the latest resource from both sources. Florentino Rodão wrote it. The author of this book details “gender and ethnicity during the Revolution; corruption in the second half of the 19th century; “intra-Asian trade” circuits; the influx of refugees to Cavite, which affected the rivalry between Bonifácio and Aguinaldo; the tribulations of the Franciscan friars; and the hopes and fears of a Spanish soldier through his letters”. The purpose of this book has been to describe the time when they were ruled by the Spaniards and when they were liberated. That said, this was not a very valuable book for this research. It does not fully address the issue at hand, the People Power Revolution; thus limiting this book much more. It does not delve into the revolution, but into the previous era. In some ways, this book is valuable because it provides background information on what people were like before the revolution, allowing time periods to be compared.

D. Anal

Each type of revolution generates change. The Philippine Revolution, in this case, brought positive change. After 1986, there were many more social and governmental changes. The Philippine Revolution brought with it great social changes. The people should no longer be socially repressed. People could speak their minds without being scolded. The revolution, along with all other revolutions, was a time of military and political struggle for power. It deeply affected people. Even before the People Power Revolution, Filipinos were militarily and socially oppressed by the Spaniards. After gaining their freedom, they had little time to be his; to be free, even if only for a while. Technically they weren't used to having so much freedom, so when Marcos took over there wasn't much resistance. With all the changes taking place in the Philippines, it is not surprising that, socially, the country has changed. This shows why there was no resistance to Ferdinand Marcos at first.

Although the Philippine Revolution overthrew such a powerful and despotic leader, it left much of the old centralized power structure intact. The United States still maintained great influence through aid and military bases. The Philippine military has remained intact under Defense Minister Enrile, the same man who grew rich with political connections while serving as Defense Minister under Marcos. The new president, Corazon Aquino, was from a wealthy family. The poor were still poor and the rich were still in charge.

The Philippine Revolution demonstrates the power people can have when they unite and “withdraw consent”. The same dynamic applies no matter what the problem is. If Filipinos had decided to go ahead and fight and fight for a fairer division of wealth, the abolition of the military and/or a decentralized government that better served their needs, who knows what more amazing things they could have accomplished.

E. Conclusion

To conclude, there were social and governmental changes as a result of the Philippine Revolution. After Marcos' exile, there was much more social freedom. Political leaders could speak their mind and go into exile. The people had the right to express their opinions and not be punished. What has changed drastically is the government. The Philippines has gone from being an authoritarian state to a bicameral democratic country. The People Power Revolution of 1986 meant the unity of civilians and how they helped the military, which had long been an instrument of repression and terror.

F. Fuentes

BookRags staff. 2005. “Fernando Marcos”. [Available online] [cited September 12, 2010] Available at http://www.bookrags.com/biography/ferdinand-marcos/.

Dizon, Regina G. Mount Holyoke College. http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~rgdizon/classweb/worldpolitics/main.html (27 de janeiro de 2010)

"People Power in the Philippines". http://www.fragmentsweb.org/TXT2/philiptx.html.

In defense of Marxism. http://www.marxist.com/perspectives-philippine-revolution080487.htm (January 30, 2010)

Kabayan Center http://www.kabayancentral.com/book/ateneo/mb5503861.html.

Mercado, Monina A. People Power: The Philippine Revolution of 1986: An Eyewitness Story. Manila: James B. Reuter, S.J. Basis.

Tomorrow, Paul. Maharlika and the old class system. http://www.pilipino-express.com/history-to-culture/in-other-words/251-maharlika-and-the-ancient-class-system.html (consulted in 2010).

Onwar.com.” USA Philippine Revolution from Spain. http://www.onwar.com/aced/data/Philippines1986.htm. (February 2, 2010)

Rodao, Florentino and Felice N. Rodiguez. The Philippine Revolution of 1986: Ordinary Lives in Extraordinary Times. Manila: Athens University Press.