Philippine Presidential Inaugurations Quick Facts

On June 30, 2016 is the 16th Presidential Inauguration and Oath Taking of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte as well as the 14th Vice-Presidential Inauguration and Oath Taking of Vice-President Maria Leonor Gerona Robredo.

Here are some quick facts about Philippine Presidential Inauguration:

1

   * This is the first time a president-elect and vice president-elect will be sworn into office separately.
   * There has been one inauguration held in front of the Rizal Monument: 1946, July. This was the Roxas inauguration; he re-took his oath as part of independence ceremonies.
   * Only one president delivered his inaugural address on a day other than the day of his swearing in: Osmeña delivered his inaugural address before the Cabinet on August 10, 1944; he was sworn in on August 1, 1944.
   * Only one president took his oath in Spanish: Emilio Aguinaldo in 1899.

2

   * Inaugurals held in Rizal Ceremonial Hall
         - Marcos in 1986 and Duterte in 2016; three decades apart.
   * Inaugurals held in Malolos
         - Aguinaldo in 1899 and Estrada in 1998.
   * Inaugural addresses delivered at the Quirino the Grandstand, while the swearing-in took place elsewhere
         - Estrada in 1998, after being sworn in at Malolos, Arroyo in 2004, before being sworn in at Cebu City.
    * Times the president took the oath of office abroad: Quezon in November 1943, when the government-in-exile was extended by congressional resolution; Sergio Osmeña in August 1944, when he succeeded to the presidency of the government-in-exile.
    * Presidents who took their oath on two bibles
        - Magsaysay and Marcos took their oath on two bibles each, in 1953 and 1965. Magsaysay’s came from his mother’s and father’s families; Marcos’ were from his father and the other, a gift of his wife.

3

    * Inaugurals held in front of the Legislative Building (now National Museum)
        - 1935 (Quezon), 1943 (Laurel), 1946 (Roxas, in May)
    * Presidents who attended the inaugural of their duly-elected successor:
        - Osmeña (1946, the first handover of power from one administration to its elected successor); C. Aquino (1992, to signify the completion of the restoration of the democratic process); Ramos (1998 as part of the Centennial celebrations)
    
     Rodrigo Roa Duterte will be the third president to be sworn in by a Filipino associate justice of the Supreme Court.

4

    * Number of presidents who took their oaths either on June 30 or December 30
    * Times presidents have been sworn in at the Palace: 1948 (Quirino, after Roxas died), 1957 (Garcia, after Magsaysay died), 1986 (Marcos, after Snap Election), 2016 (Duterte)
    * Most number of inaugural addresses: Marcos (1965, 1969, 1981, 1986). Second-most is Quezon (1935, 1941, 1943); Quirino (1948 and 1949), Garcia (March and December, 1957), Arroyo (2001 and 2004) each delivered two inaugural addresses each.
    * Four vice presidents who succeeded to the presidency also took their oaths on dates different from the traditional inaugural date: Osmeña (August 1, 1944); Quirino (April 17, 1948), Garcia (March 18, 1957), Arroyo (January, 2001).
    * Most number of times a president has taken the oath of office: four, for Marcos (1965, 1969, 1981 and 1986);  followed by three, for Quezon (1935 in Manila, 1941 in Corregidor, 1943 in Washington, D.C., also before three different individuals); Quirino (1948 in Malacañan Palace, 1949 at the Independence Grandstand); Garcia (1957, twice: upon succession in March in Malacañan Palace and in December at the Independence Grandstand); Arroyo (2001 in Quezon City, 2004 in Cebu).

5

    * Republics (1899, 1943, 1946, 1981 and 1987) and 1 Commonwealth (1935)
    Presidents who did not attend the inaugural of their duly-elected successor
        The tradition of the outgoing chief executive departing from the inaugural of his or her successor after the ride together from Malacañan Palace to the inaugural venue, began with President Quirino and continued for the premartial law era; it was restored in 2010. Thus: Quirino (1953), Garcia (1961), Macapagal (1965), Arroyo (2010), B. Aquino III (2016: If the 2010 practice is observed)
    * Rodrigo Roa Duterte will be the fifth president not sworn in by a chief justice (Quezon in 1943, Osmeña in 1944, C. Aquino in 1986, B. Aquino III in 2010, and Rodrigo Roa Duterte in 2016.
    * Laurel, Marcos, Ramos, Estrada, B. Aquino III took their oath in Tagalog/Filipino.

6

    * Inaugurals held outside Manila
        - 1899 Aguinaldo (Malolos); 1941 Quezon (Corregidor); 1986 C. Aquino (San Juan), 1998 Estrada (Malolos), 2001 Arroyo (EDSA Shrine), 2004 Arroyo (Cebu)
    * Times a Chief Justice has not administered oath of office
        - 1899 (Aguinaldo: oath administered by Speaker), 1943 (Quezon, administered by U.S. Associate Justice Felix Frankfurter), 1944 (administered by U.S. Associate Justice Hugo Jackson) 1986 (administered by Associate Justice Claudio Teehankee), 2010 (administered by Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales), 2016 (administered by Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes)
    * Presidents inaugurated on December 30
        - Six presidents (Quezon (1941), Quirino (1949), Magsaysay (1953), Garcia (1957), Macapagal (1961), Marcos (1965 and 1969) had inaugurals on December 30. Starting with Quezon’s second inaugural in 1941 until Marcos’ second inaugural in 1969 (with the exception of the special election called in 1946), presidents were inaugurated on Rizal Day, December 30. President Marcos in 1981 began the practice of inaugurals on June 30.
    * Rodrigo Roa Duterte will be the sixth president to take his oath of office on June 30: Marcos, Ramos, Estrada, Arroyo, B. Aquino III being the others.

7

    * The number of presidents-elect who fetched their predecessors from Malacañan Palace for the drive to the inaugural venue (Roxas and Osmeña in 1946; Magsaysay and Quirino in 1953; Macapagal and Garcia in 1961; Marcos and Macapagal in 1965; Ramos and C. Aquino in 1992; Estrada and Ramos in 1998; B. Aquino III and Arroyo in 2010).

8

    * Shortest inaugural address at a regular inaugural
        - Eight (8) minutes is the shortest delivery length of an inaugural address at a regular inaugural. This was delivered by President Ramon Magsaysay in 1953. The addresses of Quirino and Garcia upon the death of their predecessors, and C. Aquino’s address in 1986 were very brief but not regular inaugurals.
    * Presidents elected to a six-year term
        - Quezon, C. Aquino, Marcos (1981), Estrada, Arroyo, Ramos, B. Aquino III, Duterte
    * Decades since first ceremonial climbing of the stars at Malacañan Palace
        - It has been 81 years, to be exact, since the first ceremonial climbing of the stairs at Malacañan Palace–signifying that the chief executive was the freely-elected head of the Filipino people, one pledged to govern them with justice in contrast to the appointed colonial governors who formerly inhabited the Palace.
    * Number who did not swear on a bible
        - Aguinaldo (1899), Quezon (1935, 1941, 1943), Laurel (1943), Osmeña (1944), Roxas (May and July, 1946), Quirino [1949: But in the swearing-in after their predecessors died, Quirino (April 1948) and Garcia (March 1957) did not use a bible, either], and Marcos (1986).

9

    * Inaugurals at Quirino Grandstand (formerly known as Independence Grandstand)
       - 1949 (Quirino), 1953 (Magsaysay), 1957 (Garcia), 1961 (Macapagal) , 1965, 1969, 1981 (Marcos), 1992 (Ramos), 2010 (B. Aquino III)
    * Number of Presidents who swore on a bible
        - Magsaysay (1953), Garcia (1957), Macapagal (1961), Marcos (1965, 1969, 1981 but not in 1986), C. Aquino (1986), Ramos (1992), Estrada (1998), Arroyo (2001, 2004), B. Aquino III (2010: the same bible used by his mother in 1986).

10

    * Rodrigo Roa Durterte is the tenth to have been proclaimed president-elect by the legislature: the first was Manuel L. Quezon, followed by Manuel Roxas, Ramon Magsaysay, Diosdado Macapagal, Ferdinand E. Marcos, Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Ejercito Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Benigno S. Aquino III. While Congress certified the election of Elpidio Quirino and Carlos P. Garcia, they had succeeded into office previously, and were already serving as president when elected to a full term: thus, were not referred to as presidents-elect. Aguinaldo and Laurel were not elected president in a national election, they were made president by a vote of the national assembly and thus never president-elect. Corazon Aquino assumed the presidency by means of the People Power Revolution and was not proclaimed by the Batasan Pambansa.
    * Rodrigo Roa Duterte, if he takes his oath on a bible, will be the tenth president to swear on a bible. Magsaysay was the first to take his oath on a bible: Garcia, Macapagal, Marcos, C. Aquino, Ramos, Estrada, Arroyo, B. Aquino III, followed suit. Aguinaldo, Quezon, Laurel, Osmeña, Roxas and Quirino (belonging to generations closer to the revolutionary era, did not take their oaths on a bible). Magsaysay and Marcos took their oath on two bibles each in 1953 and 1965.
    * Presidents who took their oath of office in English: Quezon, Osmeña, Roxas, Quirino, Magsaysay, Garcia, Macapagal, Aquino, and Arroyo took their oath in English. Rodrigo Roa Duterte is also expected to take his oath in English.

11

    * Number of Presidents who were sworn in by a Chief of Justice
         - Quezon (1935 and 1941), Laurel (1943), Roxas (1946, May and July), Quirino (1948 and 1949), Magsaysay (1953), Garcia (1957 March and December), Macapagal (1961), Marcos (1965, 1969, 1981 and 1986), Ramos (1992), Estrada (1998), Arroyo (2001 and 2004)
    * Number of Presidents inaugurated in Manila
        - Quezon (1935), Laurel (1943), Roxas (1946), Quirino (1949), Magsaysay (1953), Garcia (1957), Macapagal (1961), Marcos (1965), etc.), Ramos (1992), Aquino (2010), Duterte (2016)

12

    * Time of day the President-elect takes his oath as President
        - The President-elect takes his oath as President at 12:00 p.m. on the 30th day of June. Ideally, as per tradition, the incumbent would already be at home by the time the oath is taken to mark his reverting to being an ordinary citizen.
    * Presidents who undertook the ritual climbing of the stairs of Malacañan Palace: Quezon, Roxas, Quirino, Magsaysay, Garcia, Macapagal, Marcos, Ramos, Estrada, Arroyo, B. Aquino III. Rodrigo Roa Duterte is also expected to undertake this ritual. Four did not: Aguinaldo (no such ritual, and his inaugural was not in Manila) Laurel (to avoid comparisons to the Commonwealth), Osmeña (succeeded into office overseas), C. Aquino (assumed office under revolutionary circumstances).

14

    * Administrations have followed the model of inaugural established in 1935. Exceptions would be Aguinaldo (before the model was introduced).
    * Robredo is 14th Vice President because neither Aguinaldo nor Laurel had a vice presidency under their constitution.

15

    * The final official act of the 15th Congress was when the Senate President read the proclamation announcing the results of the 2010 elections, a practice last previously undertaken in 1969.

16

    * Duterte is 16th president because we count the administrations as starting with Aguinaldo in 1899 and including the Commonwealth and the 2nd Republic.

19

    * Number of times a Chief Justice has administered the presidential oath of office
        1935, 1941, 1943, 1946 (twice, in May and July), 1948, 1949, 1953, 1957 (twice, March and December), 1961, 1965, 1981, 1986, 1992, 1998, 2001, 2004


To view the photos of the past Philippine Presidential Inaugurations, check out the link below:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/govph/albums/72157655443855516

Information Taken From:

Philippine Presidential Museum and Library - http://malacanang.gov.ph/77352-quick-facts-on-inaugurals/


Photo Source:

The Quadrate Wordpress Blog - https://thequadrate.wordpress.com/2010/07/12/president-benigno-noynoy-aquino-iii-is-philippines-15th-president-photos/ 

Presidency and Vice-Presidency By The Numbers: Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Maria Leonor Gerona Robredo

Here's are the things you need to know about our upcoming 16th President and 14th Vice-President of the Philippines.

President Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte

From the time Congress proclaims a candidate as the duly-elected president, the candidate becomes known as the President-elect.

The Constitution is clear and specific: the title of the chief executive is “President of the Philippines,” and takes his oath of office as such, although in certain cases involving formal diplomatic usage, “President of the Republic of the Philippines” is used for diplomatic documents. The honorific for the President of the Philippines is “His/Your Excellency,” but the proper form of address is “Mr. President.”

Duterte’s winning margin was at 38.6% as of May 13, 2016. He was the sixth to win by plurality in presidential history since the restoration of democracy, and under the 1987 Constitution.  The biggest first-term landslide was Magsaysay in 1953 (68.9%), followed by Quezon in 1935 (67.99%). The biggest second term landslide was Quezon in 1941 (81.78%) followed by Marcos in 1969 (61.5%).


Fifth Republic President                 Percentage of Votes Won

Fidel V. Ramos                                         23.58%
Joseph Ejercito Estrada                            39.86%
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo                        39.99%
Benigno S. Aquino III                              42.08%                  



Aside from being the oldest duly elected President in the history of the Philippines at age 71 and making the biggest leap from City Mayor to President, here are some more statistical facts about the Philippines' next President:

Rodrigo Roa Duterte is the first:


First (1st):

    - President from Mindanao and Davao del Sur. Luzon has produced the most number of presidents at 12: Emilio Aguinaldo (Cavite), Manuel L. Quezon (Tayabas), Jose P. Laurel (Batangas), Elpidio Quirino (Ilocos Sur), Ramon Magsaysay (Zambales), Diosdado Macapagal (Pampanga), Ferdinand Marcos (Ilocos Norte), Corazon C. Aquino (Tarlac), Fidel V. Ramos (Pangasinan), Joseph Ejercito Estrada (San Juan, Metro Manila), Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (Pampanga), and Benigno S. Aquino III (Tarlac). Visayas has produced three: Sergio Osmeña (Cebu), Manuel Roxas (Capiz), and Carlos P. Garcia (Bohol).
    - Agusanon to become Philippine President (her mother is from Agusan del Norte)
    - President born in Maasin, Leyte.
    - City Mayor to become the President. Davao has been a chartered city since 1936.
    - President to be elected in his 70s. He is 71 years old, the oldest to assume the Presidency.
    - President to be nationally elected without a previous national position. Emilio Aguinaldo was not popularly elected, as he was only elected by the Malolos Congress in September 1898.
    - City prosecutor (fiscal) to become President. He was Special Counsel for the City Prosecution Office of Davao City (1977 – 1979), Fourth Assistant City Prosecutor (1979 – 1981), Third Assistant City Prosecutor (1981 – 1983), and Second Assistant City Prosecutor (1983 – 1986). He was, however, the third fiscal elected to the presidency. Manuel L. Quezon served as Provincial Fiscal of Mindoro in 1903 and Provincial Fiscal of Tayabas in 1904. Sergio Osmeña was Provincial Fiscal of Cebu from 1904 to 1905.
    - President who previously served as a vice mayor (OIC in 1986 and elected in 2010).
    - President to have studied in San Beda College of Law. He obtained his Law degree in 1972.
    - President to have studied in the Lyceum of the Philippines University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts, Major in Political Science in 1968.
    - President to have his marriage annulled. He was married to Elizabeth Abellana Zimmerman from 1973 to 2001. His current partner is Cielito “Honeylet” Avanceña.
    - President from Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-LABAN).
    - Duterte and Robredo form the first geographically “balanced” (North-South or Luzon-Visayas/Mindanao) President and Vice President in the Fifth Republic, with Duterte, who is from Davao City, representing the South while Robredo, a native of Camarines Sur, represents the North. However, they ran on different party tickets. The last geographically balanced pair was the Nacionalista Party ticket of Ferdinand E. Marcos (Ilocos Norte) and Fernando Lopez (Iloilo) in 1965.
    - President who rides motorcycles.

Second (2nd):

    - Cebuano to become President: his father, Vicente G. Duterte, was a lawyer from Cebu, while his mother Soledad Roa was a teacher and activist from Agusan del Norte. The last time the Philippines had a Cebuano President was 70 years ago, when Osmeña’s term ended in 1946.  He had assumed presidency in 1944 when he succeeded to the presidency following Quezon’s death from tuberculosis.
    - Non-resident of Metro Manila to be President. The first was Emilio Aguinaldo, who never resided in Provincia de Manila (Metro Manila area), having been occupied by the Americans since the early days of the American Colonial Period in 1898. All the others presidents actually lived in Metro Manila.

If he is inaugurated in the Ceremonial Hall:

    - President to be inaugurated in the Ceremonial Hall. The first was Ferdinand E. Marcos in 1986, before he fled to the United States.

Third (3rd):

    - Mayor to be elected President. Emilio Aguinaldo was the first, as capitan municipal of Cavite El Viejo (now Kawit, Cavite) in 1896, and the second was Joseph Ejercito Estrada, who was Mayor of San Juan from 1969 to 1986. Duterte was mayor of Davao City from 1986 to 1998, from 2001 to 2010, and from 2013 to 2016.

Fourth (4th):

    - President to have a March birthday (Mar. 28). The other three were Laurel (Mar. 9), Ramos (Mar. 18), and Aguinaldo (Mar. 22). Two presidents were born in January: Roxas (Jan. 1) and C. Aquino (Jan. 25); one in February: B. Aquino (Feb. 8); two in April: Arroyo (Apr. 5) and Estrada (Apr. 19); two in August: Quezon (Aug. 19) and Magsaysay (Aug. 31); three in September: Osmeña (Sep. 9), Marcos (Sep. 11), and Macapagal (Sep. 28); two in November: Garcia (Nov. 4) and Quirino (Nov. 16).
    - President to have children in government positions while he is the President. Inday Sara Duterte, the presidential daughter, was reelected as Mayor of Davao for 2016 to 2019. The first president to have children in a government post was Ferdinand E. Marcos, who had Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as the governor of Ilocos Norte from 1983 to 1986 under his presidency. At the same time, Marcos’ wife, Imelda Marcos, was also governor of Metro Manila from 1975 to 1986. Joseph Ejercito Estrada had his son  Jinggoy Estrada as Mayor of San Juan from 1998- 2001. Gloria Macapagal – Arroyo had his son Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo as Representative of the 2nd District of Pampanga from 2004 – 2010 and Vice Governor of Pampanga from 2001- 2004.
    - Single President upon entering office. The other single Presidents were: Elpidio Quirino, Corazon Aquino and Benigno S. Aquino III.

Fifth (5th):

    - President to enroll in the Ateneo school system. Other presidents who studied in the Ateneo were: Ramos (Master in Business Administration, 1980), Estrada (Ateneo de Manila High School, attended until 1953), Macapagal- Arroyo (Master of Arts in Economics, 1978), and Aquino III (Bachelor of Arts in Economics, 1981). Duterte attended the Ateneo de Davao University High School.

Sixth (6th):

    - President of the Fifth Republic. Aguinaldo was the lone President of the First Republic; Quezon was the first President of the Commonwealth and Roxas was the last; Laurel was lone President of the Second Republic; Roxas was the first President of the Third Republic and Marcos, the last; Marcos was the first President of the Fourth Republic and Corazon Aquino, briefly served under the Fourth Republic but proclaimed a revolutionary government. The Fifth Republic came into being with the ratification of the 1987 Constitution, and Corazon Aquino, Ramos, Estrada, Arroyo, and Aquino III have been presidents of the Fifth Republic.
    - The previous republics are the First (Malolos, 1899-1901); Second (The Japanese Occupation, 1943- 1945); the Third (from independence in 1946 to 1972); the Fourth (the “New Republic” proclaimed in 1981).
    - President to be elected by plurality. Chronologically, the first was Garcia in 1957 with 41.3%. The rest were Ramos with 23.58% (the lowest plurality ever) in 1992; Estrada, 39.86% in 1998; Arroyo, 39.99% in 2004; and B. Aquino, 42.08% in 2010.
    - President to take his oath of office on 30th of June. Other Presidents include Ferdinand E. Marcos (1981), Fidel V. Ramos (1992), Joseph Ejercito Estrada (1998), Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2004) and Benigno S. Aquino III (2010).
    - He received almost 16 million votes (38.6%); his winning margin was over 6 million (15.2%).
    - President who does not smoke. The other non-smoking Presidents were: Sergio Osmeña, Elpidio Quirino, Ramon Magsaysay, Ferdinand Marcos and Corazon Aquino. Presidents Manuel L. Quezon, Manuel Roxas, Carlos P. Garcia, Joseph Estrada and Benigno S. Aquino were public smokers while Presidents Emilio Aguinaldo, Jose P. Laurel, Fidel V. Ramos, Diosdado Macapagal and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo were occasional smokers.

Seventh (7th):

    - President whose father served in a Philippine government post. His father Vicente Duterte was Mayor of Danao in Cebu (1946), Governor of Davao (1958-1969), and was Cabinet Secretary for General Services for President Ferdinand E. Marcos (1967). Other presidents who have had fathers in Philippine government posts were: Jose P. Laurel (father: Sotero Laurel, Malolos Congress, 1898); Ferdinand Marcos (father: Mariano Marcos, Congressman, 1925-1931); Corazon Aquino (father: Jose Cojuangco, Congressman, 1934-1946); Fidel Ramos (father: Narciso Ramos, Assemblyman later Congressman, 1934-1946, and Secretary of Foreign Affairs, 1965-1968), Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (father: Diosdado Macapagal, Congressman, 1949-1957; Vice President, 1957-1961; President, 1961-1965); Benigno Aquino III (father: Benigno Aquino Jr., Special Assistant to President Ramon Magsaysay, 1954; Special Assistant to President Carlos P. Garcia, 1957; Special Assistant to President Diosdado Macapagal, 1965; Mayor of Concepcion, Tarlac, 1955-1959; Vice Governor of Tarlac, 1959-1961; Governor of Tarlac, 1961-1967; Senator, 1967-1972).

Eighth (8th):

    - President to be elected in a six-year term in accordance with the constitutions that empowered them. The other presidents are Manuel L. Quezon (November 15, 1935 – 1941), Corazon Aquino (February 25, 1986 – June 30, 1992), Fidel V. Ramos (June 30, 1992 – June 30, 1998), Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (June 30, 2004 – June 30, 2010), and Benigno S. Aquino III (June 30, 2010 to June 30, 2016). The presidents who were elected in a six-year term but did not get to finish them, were Ferdinand E. Marcos, who under the amended 1973 Constitution in 1981 would have served until 1987 but shortened his term to run in 1986 and was ousted in 1986 by the EDSA People Power Revolution, and Joseph Ejercito Estrada who, under the 1987 Constitution, would have served until 2004, when he stepped down under pressures from EDSA II.

Ninth (9th):

    - Lawyer president in history and the first lawyer president in the Fifth Republic. Other lawyer presidents include Manuel L . Quezon, who passed the Philippine Bar Exam in 1903, Jose P. Laurel in 1915, Sergio Osmeña in 1903, Manuel Roxas in 1913, Elpidio Quirino in 1915, Carlos P. Garcia in 1923, Diosdado Macapagal in 1936, and Ferdinand Marcos in 1939. Duterte passed the Bar in 1972.

Tenth (10th):

    - To be proclaimed President-elect by the Legislature.
    - Congressman to become President. The other presidents who served as Representatives in the Lower House were: Manuel L. Quezon (1907-1909), Osmeña (1907-1922), Roxas (1922-1934), Quirino (1919-1922), Magsaysay (1946-1950), Garcia (1925-1931), Macapagal (1949-1957), Marcos (1949-1959), and B. Aquino III (1998-2007). Arroyo is the only President to serve as Representative in the Lower House after her presidency (2010-2016).
    - President who was inaugurated into office without having been Vice President first. Aguinaldo was first and only President of the First Republic, Quezon was first President of the Commonwealth, Laurel was the first and only President of the Second Republic, Roxas was first president of the Third Republic, Magsaysay was Secretary of National Defense before becoming president, C. Aquino was a Housewife , F. Ramos was Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, and B. Aquino III was a Senator.

Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo

Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo is the fourteenth vice president of the Philippines. The vice-presidency was constitutionally established under the 1935 Constitution, and the line of vice-presidents begins with Sergio Osmena, elected to the position in 1935 and again in 1941. The vice-presidency was abolished under the 2nd Republic and during martial law, and then formally restored in the 4th and 5th Republics.

The list of vice-presidents is therefore 14: Sergio Osmeña, Elpidio Quirino, Fernando Lopez, Carlos P. Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal, Emmanuel Pelaez, Fernando Lopez, Salvador H. Laurel, Joseph Ejercito Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Teofisto Guingona Jr., Manuel de Castro Jr., Jejomar Binay, and Leni Robredo. Lopez was the third and seventh vice-president because he was elected to the position under two different administrations (in 1949 and 1965 and again in 1969).

Here are some more statistical facts about the Philippines' next Vice President:

Leni Gerona Robredo is the first:


First (1st):

    - Vice President to hail from the Bicol Region (Camarines Sur).
    - Vice President to have studied in the University of Nueva Caceres College of Law. She obtained her Law Degree in 1992.

Second (2nd):

    - Widow who was elected as Vice President. Elpidio Quirino was the first widower to be elected in the post.
    - Woman vice president. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was the first, under the Estrada presidency from 1998 to 2001.
    - Vice President who held both Degrees in Law and Economics. Leni Robredo finished her Economics Degree from the University of the Philippines in 1986 and obtained her Law Degree from the University of Nueva Caceres in 1992. The first Vice President who was both lawyer and economist was Diosdado Macapagal who finished his Law Degree (1936), Master of Laws (1941), Doctor of Civil Laws (1947) and his Doctorate in Economics (1957) from the University of Santo Tomas.
    - Robredo won by the second narrowest margin of victory ever recorded for a national post in Philippine electoral history, beating Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. by 0.5% or around 200,000 votes (based on the partial and unofficial count of PPCRV). The slimmest margin of victory ever recorded was during the 1965 vice presidential elections, when Nacionalista candidate Fernando Lopez won against Liberal ticket Gerardo “Gerry” Roxas by 0.4% or less than 27,000 votes.

Third (3rd):

    - Vice President to obtain an economics degree. Leni Robredo finished her Economics Degree from the University of the Philippines in 1986. The other Vice Presidents who held a Degree in Economics were:  Diosdado Macapagal who finished his doctorate of economics from the University of Santo Tomas in 1957. And his daughter, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who obtained her economics degree from the  Assumption College (1968); Masters of Arts in Economics from the  Ateneo de Manila University (1978) and her Doctorate in Economics from the University of the Philippines (1985).
    - Vice President to be nationally elected without a previous national position prior to the vice presidency, Robredo was elected Representative of the 3rd District of Camarines Sur (2013- 2016), Binay was Mayor of Makati City (2007 – 2010), and Macapagal was Representative of the First District of Pampanga (1949-1957).

Fourth (4th):

    - Vice President who was born in the month of April. Leni Robredo was born on April 23, 1965. The other Vice Presidents who were born in the month of April were: Fernando Lopez (April 13, 1904), Joseph Estrada (April 19, 1937), and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (April 5, 1947).
    - Youngest Vice President in Philippine history. The youngest person to be elected in the Vice Presidency was Fernando Lopez at the age of 45 in 1949. He was followed by Emmanuel Pelaez (46), Diosdado Macapagal (47), and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Leni Robredo at the age of 51. The oldest to have been Vice President was Teofisto Guingona Jr., when he was appointed to the Vice Presidency in 2001 at the age of 72.

Fifth (5th):

    - Vice President who was not the running mate of an elected President. The first was Diosdado Macapagal, the Liberal Vice President of Nacionalista President Carlos P. Garcia back in 1957. The other pairs were Fidel V. Ramos (Lakas-NUCD) and Joseph Ejercito Estrada (NPC), Estrada (PMP) and Arroyo (Lakas-NUCD), and Benigno S. Aquino III (LP) and Jejomar Binay (PDP-Laban)
    - Vice President from the Liberal Party. The other Liberal Party members who have won the Vice Presidency were: Elpidio Quirino (1946), Fernando Lopez (1949), Diosdado Macapagal (1957) and Emmanuel Pelaez (1961).
    - Vice President elected who was not the running mate of the elected President. The other Vice Presidents elected who were not the running mates of the President-elect were: Diosdado Macapagal, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Jejomar Binay.

Sixth (6th):

    - Vice President who served previously as member of the House of Representatives. Other vice presidents were: Osmeña (Representative of the 2nd District of Cebu, 1907 – 1922), Quirino (Representative of the 1st District of Ilocos, 1919 – 1922), Garcia (Representative of the third district of Bohol, 1925-1931), Macapagal (Representative of the 1st District of Pampanga, 1949 -1957), and Pelaez (Representative of Misamis Oriental, 1949 – 1953). Robredo was elected Representative of the 3rd District of Camarines Sur from 2013  to 2016.

Seventh (7th):

    - Vice president who graduated from the University of the Philippines System. Other vice presidents from the UP were: Quirino (Bachelor of Laws, 1915), Macapagal (Associate in Arts,1933), Pelaez (Associate in Arts, 1933). Laurel (Bachelor of Laws, 1952), Macapagal-Arroyo (Doctorate in Economics, 1985), Binay (Bachelor of Laws, 1967). Robredo graduated from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 1986 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics.
    Vice President to be elected to a six-year term. The other Vice Presidents were: Sergio Osmeña, Salvador Laurel, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Manuel de Castro Jr. and Jejomar Binay.

Eighth (8th):

    - Vice President to win by plurality. Chronologically, the first was Diosdado Macapagal (46.6% in the 1957 Elections), followed by Pelaez with 38% in 1961, Lopez with 48.1% in 1965, Estrada with 33% in 1992, Macapagal-Arroyo with 50% in 1998, de Castro with 49.8% in 2004, and Binay with 41.7% in 2010.
    Eight months after her declaration of candidacy, Leni Robredo will be inaugurated as the 14th Vice President of the Philippines on June 30, 2016.

Ninth (9th):

    - Lawyer vice president in history and the fourth lawyer vice president in the Fifth Republic. Other lawyer vice presidents were: Sergio Osmeña (University of Santo Tomas 1903),  Elpidio Quirino (University of the Philippines, 1915), Fernando Lopez (University of Santo Tomas, 1925), Carlos P. Garcia (Philippine Law School, 1923), Diosdado Macapagal (University of Santo Tomas, 1936), Emmanuel Pelaez (University of Manila, 1938), Salvador Laurel (University of the Philippines, 1952), Teofisto Guingona Jr. (Ateneo de Manila University, 1953), Jejomar Binay (University of the Philippines, 1967. Robredo obtained her law degree from the University of Nueva Caceres in 1992.

    - Vice President who was born in Luzon. The other Vice Presidents from Luzon were: Elpidio Quirino (Ilocos Sur), Diosdado Macapagal (Pampanga), Salvador Laurel (Manila), Joseph Estrada (Manila), Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (Manila), Teofisto Guingona (Rizal), Manuel de Castro (Oriental Mindoro) and Jejomar Binay (Manila).

Tenth (10th):

    Vice President to be proclaimed Vice President-elect by the legislature: the first was Sergio Osmeña, followed by Elpidio Quirino, Fernando Lopez, Carlos P. Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Manuel de Castro Jr. and Jejomar Binay.


Information Taken From:

Philippine Presidential Museum and Library - http://malacanang.gov.ph/77212-presidency-and-vice-presidency-by-the-numbers-duterte-robredo/


Photo Source:

Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/140660295978242/photos/?tab=album&album_id=368030976574505

Malacañan Palace Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/153052724723009/photos/?tab=album&album_id=289115291116751

Philippine Presidents Trivia

                The current Philippine president Benigno Simeon Cojuangco III was sworn into office last June 30, 2010 at Quirino Grandstand, Luneta Park, Manila at exactly 12 noon. He is the first and only bachelor president of the country. Here are some more pieces of trivia IN NUMBERS you ought to know about the current president, Pnoy as he is fondly called, and the rest of the Philippine presidents.
           The Constitution is clear and specific; the title of the chief executive is “President of the Philippines,” and takes his oath of office as such, although in certain cases involving formal diplomatic usage, “President of the Republic of the Philippines” is used for diplomatic documents. The honorific title for the President of the Philippines is “His/Your Excellency,” but the proper form of address is “Mr. President.”
         At 42.08% Aquino’s percentage of the votes is the highest plurality since the restoration of democracy , and under the 1987 Constitution. The biggest first-term landslide was Magsaysay in 1953 (68.9%), followed by Quezon in 1935. The biggest second term landslide was Quezon in 1941 (81.78%) followed by Marcos in 1969 (61.5%).


Some relevant numbers:
1 He is the first unmarried president in the history of the country

He is the first president with no children.
The first deputy speaker of the House to later become president.

He is the first marksman to become president since Ferdinand Marcos (who belonged to the U.P. rifle team).

He will be the first president since 1992 inaugurated into office without having been vice-president first.

He is the first president since Diosdado Macapagal to be elected as the candidate of the Liberal Party; also the first president since Macapagal not to have changed political parties (three presidents had no political party membership/positions: Aguinaldo, Laurel, Cory Aquino).

Aquino is the first post-Edsa president to exceed Garcia’s 1957 plurality. Majority Presidents: Quezon (68% in 1935 and 81.78% in 1941), Roxas (54% in 1946), Quirino (51% in 1949), Magsaysay (68.9% in 1953), Macapagal (55% in 1961), Marcos (54.76% in 1965, 61.5% in 1969), Aquino (approx. 51%). Plurality Presidents: Garcia (41.3%) was the only president elected by plurality prior to 1972. The lowest plurality ever was Fidel V. Ramos in 1992 (23.6%), Estrada at 39.6% in 1998 was the first post-Edsa president to nearly match Garcia’s 1957 plurality.

He is the first to use the suffix III (there have been no Juniors or the Thirds elected president previously).

He is the first president to have a February birthday. Two presidents were born in January: Roxas (Jan. 1), Cory Aquino (Jan. 25); three in March: Laurel (Mar. 9), Ramos (Mar. 18), Aguinaldo (Mar. 22); two in April: Arroyo (April 5), Estrada (April 19); two in August: Quezon (Aug. 19), Magsaysay (Aug. 31); three in September: Osmena (Sept. 9), Marcos (Sept. 11), Macapagal (Sept. 29); two in November: Garcia (Nov. 4), Quirino (Nov. 16)

The President of the Philippines uses license plate No. 1.


2 The second child of a former president to become president in his own right (he succeeds the first presidential child to become president).

The second president from Tarlac.

He is only the second president (Aguinaldo was the only non-drinker previously) who does not drink.

He is the second president to be sworn in by a Filipino associate justice of the Supreme Court ( his mother was the first), but the fourth president sworn in by an associate justice of a Supreme Court (Quezon in 1943 for the indefinite extension of his term, and Osmena who succeeded into office in 1944, were sworn in by U.S. Associate Justices Felix Frankfurter and Robert H. Jackson, respectively, in Washington D.C.).

He is the second president to have studied at the Ateneo de Manila, but the first to have graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University.

Two presidents only partially resided in Malacanan Palace: Laurel, and Estrada (who stayed in the Guest House).

Two presidents were elected by the legislature and not in a national election: Aguinaldo and Laurel.

Two presidents were re-elected to second terms: Quezon and Marcos.

Two presidents were brought to power by People Power bloodless revolts: Corazon Aquino and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (our two female presidents).


3 Benigno S. Aquino III is the third president with no spouse: Quirino was a widower, Corazon Aquino, a widow. Unlike Quirino and Corazon Aquino, who had children, Aquino III has none.
Aquino at 50 is the third youngest elected president (Magsaysay remains the youngest every nationally-elected to the presidency), and the fourth-youngest president after Aguinaldo, Magsaysay and Marcos.

He is the youngest of the presidents who became chief executive in their 50s (age at inauguration/succession: Aguinaldo, 29: Quezon, 57; Laurel, 51; Osmena, 67; Roxas, 54; Quirino, 57; Magsaysay, 46; Garcia, 60; Macapagal, 51; Marcos, 48 ; Aquino, 53; Ramos, 64; Estrada, 61; Arroyo, 54).

The third to use his second given name as his middle initial (as Quezon and Laurel did)/

The third to engage in shooting as a sport (Quezon and Marcos engaged in hunting).

He will be the third president who will only hold office in, but not be a resident of, Malacanan Palace, following Corazon Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos.

He was the third generation of Aquino’s to serve in the Senate: his grandfather and father were also senators.


4 He will be the fourth president not sworn in by a chief justice: Aguinaldo was first. Quezon, when his term extended in exile in 1943, renewed his oath of office before Justice Felix Frankfurter. Osmena, who succeeded to the presidency in exile, was sworn in by Justice Hugo Jackson (thus, two presidents have been sworn in by foreign justices, both because they headed governments-in-exile). Corazon Aquino was sworn in by Associate Justice Claudio Teehankee. Eleven presidents were sworn in by a chief justice: Quezon (1935, 1941), Laurel, ROxas, Quirino, Magsaysay, Garcia, Macapagal, Marcos, Ramos, Estrada, Arroyo.

Four presidents were not inaugurated either on December 30 or June 30: Aguinaldo (January 23, 1899), Quezon (November 15, 1935 and November 15, 1941), Laurel (October 13, 1943), Roxas (May 28, 1946)

Four vice-presidents who succeeded to the presidency also took their oaths on dates different from the traditional inaugural date: Osmena (August 1, 1944); Quirino (April 17, 1948), Garcia (March 18, 1957), Arroyo (January, 2001).

Most number of times a president has taken the oath of office: four, for Marcos (1965, 1969, the 1981 and 1986 “inaugurals”; followed by three, for Quezon 91935 in Manila, 1941 in Corregidor, 1943 in Washington D.C., also before three different individuals); Quirino (1948 in Malacanan, 1949); Garcia (1957, twice: upon succession in March Malacanan and election in December); Arroyo (2001 in Quezon City, 2004 in Cebu).


5 Aquino comes from a family of five siblings.
At age 50, is going to be the 15th President of the Philippines. He becomes president at the same age at which father, Benigno S. Aquino Jr., died.

Officially, his fourteen predecessors will be: Emilio Aguinaldo, Manuel L. Quezon, Jose P. Laurel, Sergio Osmena, Manuel Roxas, Elpidio Quirino, Ramon Magsaysay, Carlos P. Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal, Ferdinand E. Marcos, Corazon C. Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph E. Estrada, and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

He will be the 5th President of the 5th Republic. The present republic was established with the ratification of the 1987 Constitution. The previous republic are the First (Malolos, 1899-1901); Second (The Japanese Occupation, 1943 – 1945); the Third (from independence in 1946 to 1972); the Fourth (the “New Republic” proclaimed in 1981).

Aguinaldo was the lone President of the First Republic; Quezon was the first President of the Commonwealth and Roxas the last; Laurel was lone President of the Second Republic; Roxas was the first President of Third Republic and Marcos, the last; Marcos was the first President of the Fourth Republic but proclaimed a revolutionary government. The Fifth Republic came into being with the ratification of the 1987 Constitution, and Corazon Aquino, Ramos, Estrada, and Arroyo have been the presidents of the Fifth Republic.

He was elected on 05/10/10.

He received over 15 million votes; his winning margin was over 5 million.

He will be the fifth president to take his oath of office on June 30: Marcos, Ramos, Estrada and Arroyo being the others. Starting with Quezon’s second inaugural in 1941 until Marcos’ second inaugural in 1969 (with the exception of the special election called in 1946) presidents were inaugurated on Rizal Day, December 30 and June 30. Six presidents Quezon (1941), Quirino (1949), Magsaysay, Garcia (1957), Macapagal, Marcos (1965, 1969) had inaugurals on December 30.

Aquino is also the fifth public smoker to be presidents: Quezon, Roxas, Garcia, Estrada were/are all smokers.


6 He is the sixth president to have been elected to a single six-year term (Quezon in 1935 [term subsequently extended by constitutional amendment], Aquino in 1986, Ramos in 1992, Estrada in 1998, Arroyo in 2004). He will be only the second President to serve an exact 6 year term (only President Ramos has so far, served an exact 6 year term; President Quezon’s original term was modified to permit re-election for an additional two years; President Corazon Aquino’s term was extended by a few months to synchronize her term with that of new officials elected under the 1987 Constitution; President Estrada’s term was shortened by Edsa Dos; President Arroyo served the remainder of her predecessor’s term and an additional six years. Under the 1935 Constitution, only Diosdado Macapagal served an exact four year term).


7 Aquino will be the seventh president to be inaugurated at the Quirino Grandstand. Six presidents were inaugurated at the Quirino Grandstand: Quirino (1949), Magsaysay (1953), Garcia (1957), Macapagal (1961), Marcos (1965, etc.), Ramos (1992).

He will be the seventh to use a middle initial after Manuel L. Quezon, Jose P. Laurel, Carlos P. Garcia, Marcos, Corazon C. Aquino (who used her maiden name as her middle initial), and Fidel V. Ramos. (Aguinaldo, Osmena, Roxas, Quirino, Magsaysay, Macapagal did not use middle initials at all; Estrada uses a special name combining his real family name, Ejercito, with his screen name; Arroyo prefers to use the hyphenated Macapagal-Arroyo). Presidents Aguinaldo, Osmena, Roxas, Quirino, Magsaysay and Macapagal did not use middle initials. The initials of President-elect Aquino are BSA III, following the practice of his father and grandfather, he uses his second given name as his middle initial, the same practice followed by Presidents Quezon and Laurel.


8 If you include the pipe/cigar smoking of Laurel, Ramos and Macapagal and his daughter Arroyo who were/are occasional (social) smokers, Aquino III is the eight president who smokes.


9 Juancho Dulay Barreto on Twitter also pointed out BSA III was proclaimed president-elect on June 9, 2010. That’s exactly 9 months after his declaration of candidacy on 09/09/09.

He is the ninth to have been proclaimed president-elect by the legislature: the first was Manuel L. Quezon, followed by Manuel Roxas, Ramon Magsaysay, Diosdado Macapagal, Ferdinand E. Marcos, Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Ejercito Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (eight if you don’t count Arroyo’s proclamation on the basis of the Quirino and Garcia precedents). While Congress certified the election of Elpidio Quirino and Carlos P. Garcia, they had succeeded into office previously, and were already serving as president when elected to a full term: thus, were not referred to as presidents-elect. Aguinaldo and Laurel were not elected president in a national election; they were made president by a vote of the national assembly and thus never president-elect. Corazon Aquino assumed the presidency by means of the People Power Revolution and was not proclaimed by the Batasan Pambansa.

The ninth president to have served as a congressman.

Nine presidents lived in Malacanan Palace: Quezon, Osmena, Roxas, Quirino, Magsaysay, Garcia, Macapagal, Marcos, Arroyo. Three presidents (Quirino and Garcia upon succession, Marcos in 1986) have taken oaths of office there. Four presidents have had to flee because of war or revolution: Quezon, Laurel, Marcos and Estrada.


10 The tenth senator to become a president.

He will be the tenth president to be inaugurated in Manila: the nine previously who were inaugurated in Manila: Quezon in 1935, Laurel in 1943, Roxas in 1946, Quirino in 1949, Magsaysay in 1953, Garcia in 1957, Macapagal in 1961, Marcos in 1965 etc., Ramos in 1992.

Aquino III, who used the Aquino family bible his mother used, will be the ninth president to swear on a bible and the second to use the same bible: Garcia, Macapagal, Marcos, Aquino, Ramos, Estrada, Arroyo followed suit. Aguinaldo, Quezon, Laurel, Osmena, Roxas and Quirino (belonging to generations closer to the revolutionary era, did not take their oaths on a bible). Magsaysay and Marcos took their oath on two bibles each in 1953 and 1965.