Is Ferdinand Marcos a Good President: an Assessment

Ferdinand Marcos' Inaugural Vision

Ferdinand Marcos preached, in his campaign, about the issue of criminality, hunger, graft and corruption to appeal to the masses on his mission to make the nation great again. He defeated Diosdado Macapagal and was sworn in as the sixth president of the Philippines on December 30, 1965. During his inauguration, President Marcos delivered his speech from memory. He planned on accelerating the social and economic development of the country, so that it would become a hub of progress in Asia. He also swore to provide another way to deal with national issues and a difference pace in government to satisfy the growing demands of a developing nation. This essay strives to answer the question - is Ferdinand Marcos a good president? On his inaugural speech President Marcos said, “We must renew the vision of greatness for our country”. He also said, “This is a vision of our people rising above the routine to face formidable challenges and overcome them. It means the rigorous pursuit of excellence.” President Marcos wanted the immediate construction of roads, bridges, and public works which includes 16,000 kilometers of feeder roads, some 30,000 lineal meters of permanent bridges, a generator with an electric power capacity of one million kilowatts (1,000,000 kW), water services to eight regions and 38 localities. He also urged the revitalization of the judiciary, and the fight against smuggling, criminality, and graft and corruption in the government.

President Marcos aimed for the quick establishment of a genuine rule of law. He said, “We shall use the fullest powers of the presidency to stop smuggling and lawlessness.” His first executive order created an anti-smuggling committee composed of the secretary of justice as chairman, and the secretary of finance, under-secretary of national defense, the chief of the constabulary, and three prominent citizens as members. The committee had broad powers to facilitate the government’s anti-smuggling activities, to cause the prosecution of smugglers to inspect places and establishments where smuggled goods might be sold or hoarded, and to propose legislation.

Accomplishments of Ferdinand Marcos as a President

President Marcos increased the efficiency in the collection of taxes; it increased from 45% in 1965, when Marcos took over, to 65%. Therefore, the Marcos’ Administration was able to balance the budget. Ferdinand Marcos said in an interview with the Manila Chronicle, “The allocations in the Appropriation Act for the military was cut from 17% to 14%. The costs of general government were reduced by 5%. This year [1968] again we cut down the cost of government by another 5%. No other government in the world has been able to cut down, within a period of 2 ½ years, the cost of general government by 10%. This is the result of the studies made by our auditors and budgetary experts.” He also stated that, “at the same time, we increased the participation of economic and social services, or, better said, economic development proper, including education, from the original 25% to 30%. This is reflected now, of course, in the increase in classrooms, in the facilities, in such specialized schools as science, the Science Highschool, as well as the vocational, agricultural, and trade schools.”

President Marcos raised the funds and the capability of the different public institutions of the philippines like the DBP, GSIS, SSS, PNB, and the NIDC. The administration also pushed through an investment act, now known as the Investment Incentives Act, and thus systematized the efforts to improve the atmosphere for investment. “the most dramatic achievement which is palpable is the attainment not only of self-sufficiency in rice, but the conversion of the Philippines from an importing country to an exporting country.” President Marcos started a manpower training program in the urban areas, which was adapted as an Asian program. The Marcos Administration was able to increase the employment rate in the rural areas by 10%. “No other administration succeeded in doing this.” Marcos said.

His term of office was marked by a ‘technocratic’ (designating technological experts to help make decisions) style of governing that concentrated on building roads, schools, hospitals, and other neglected areas of the infrastructure.

Aside from infrastructure development, the following were some of the outstanding accomplishments of the initial four years of the Marcos administration.

1. Successful drive against smuggling. In 1966, more than 100 important smugglers were arrested; in three years 1966-1968 the arrests totaled 5,000. Military men involved in smuggling were forced to retire.
2. More noteworthy generation of rice by advancing the development of IR-8 cross breed rice. In 1968 the Philippines ended up independent in rice, the first run through in history since the American time frame. What's more, the Philippines sent out rice worth US$7 million.
3. Land reform was given an impulse during the principal term of President Marcos. 3,739 hectares of terrain in Central Luzon were circulated to the ranchers.
4. In the field of remote relations, the Philippines facilitated the summit of seven heads of express (the United States, South [Vietnam], South Korea, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines) to talk about the compounding issue in Vietnam and the control of socialism in the district.

Moreover, President Marcos started, together with the other four heads of territory of Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore), the arrangement of a local association to battle the socialist danger in the area – the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Government accounts were balanced out by higher income accumulations and advances from treasury bonds, outside loaning foundations and remote governments. Harmony and request significantly improved in many areas anyway circumstances in Manila and a few territories kept on disintegrating until the burden of military law in 1972.

To achieve his objectives President Marcos mobilized the labor and assets of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for activity to supplement regular citizen organizations in such exercises as foundation development; economic planning and program execution; local and mechanical site arranging and improvement; network advancement and others. The President, likewise, hired technocrats and profoundly educated people to frame some portion of the Cabinet and staff.

In 1969, President Marcos was reelected for a remarkable second term on account of his noteworthy performance or, as his critics asserted, due to gigantic vote-buying and electoral frauds. The subsequent term demonstrated to be an overwhelming test to the President: a financial emergency brought by external and internal forces; a fretful and radicalized studentry requesting changes in the educational system; rising tide of criminality and disruption by the re-composed Communist development; and secessionism in the South. 

Works Cited

1. Manila Chronicle (Interview with Ferdinand Marcos).