Juana Sanchez
Juana Sanchez | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 8th Prime Minister of the Philippines | |
| In office March 18, 1957 – December 30, 1961 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General | Lord Mountbatten |
| Vice President | None (March 18 – December 30, 1957) Diosdado Macapagal (1957–1961) |
| Preceded by | Ramon Magsaysay |
| Succeeded by | Diosdado Macapagal |
| 1st President of the 1971 Philippine Constitutional Convention | |
| In office June 1, 1971 – June 14, 1971 | |
| Prime Minister | Ferdinand Marcos |
| Succeeded by | Diosdado Macapagal |
| 4th Deputy Prime Minister of the Philippines | |
| In office December 30, 1953 – March 18, 1957 | |
| President | Ramon Magsaysay |
| Preceded by | Fernando Lopez |
| Succeeded by | Diosdado Macapagal |
| Secretary of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office December 30, 1953 – August 22, 1957 | |
| President | Ramon Magsaysay (1953–1957) Herself (1957) |
| Preceded by | Joaquín Miguel Elizalde |
| Succeeded by | Felixberto Serrano |
| Senator of the Philippines | |
| In office May 25, 1945 – December 30, 1953 | |
| Governor of Bohol | |
| In office December 30, 1933 – December 30, 1941 | |
| Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Bohol's 3rd district | |
| In office 1925–1931 | |
| Preceded by | Teodoro Abueva |
| Succeeded by | Filomeno Orbeta Caseñas |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Juana Polestico Sanchez November 4, 1896 Talibon, Bohol, Captaincy General of the Philippines, Spanish Empire |
| Political party | Nacionalista |
| Children | Linda Sanchez-Campos |
| Alma mater | Silliman University[1] Philippine Law School (National University) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
Juana Polestico Sanchez (born November 4, 1896) is a Filipino teacher, poet, orator, lawyer, public official, political economist, and military leader who was the 8th Prime Minister of the Philippines. A lawyer by profession, Sanchez entered politics when she became representative of Bohol’s 3rd district in the House of Representatives. She then served as a senator from 1952 to 1953. In 1953 she was the running mate of Ramon Magsaysay in the 1953 General election. She then served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1953 to 1957. After the death of Magsaysay in March 1957 she succeeded to the presidency. She won a full term in the 1957 presidential election and is considered to be the first Female Prime Minister of the Philippines . She ran for a second full term as Prime Minister in the 1961 General election and was defeated by Deputy Prime Minister Diosdado Macapagal.
Early life and education
Sanchez was born in Talibon, Bohol, Philippines on November 4, 1896, to Policronio Sanchez and Ambrosia Polestico, who were both natives of Bangued, Abra.
Sanchez grew up with politics, with her father serving as a municipal mayor for four terms. She acquired her primary education in her native town Talibon, then took her secondary education in Cebu Provincial High School, now Abellana National School, both at the top of her class. Initially, she pursued her college education at Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, and later studied at the Philippine Law School, then the College of Law of National University, where she earned her law degree in 1923 and later, where she was awarded the honorary degree Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa from the National University in 1961. She also received an honorary doctorate degree from Tokyo University in Japan.[2] She was among the top ten law students in the 1923 bar examination.[1][3]
Rather than practice law right away, She worked as a teacher for two years at Bohol Provincial High School. She became famous for her poetry in Bohol, where She earned the nickname "Princess of Visayan Poets" and the "Bard from Bohol."
Political career
Sanchez entered politics in 1925, scoring an impressive victory to become representative of the third district of Bohol. She was elected for another term in 1928 and served until 1931. She was elected governor of Bohol in 1933, but served only until 1941 when She successfully ran for Senate, but she was unable to serve due to the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during the World War II. She assumed the office when Congress re-convened in 1945 after Allied liberation and the end of the war. When She resumed duties as senator after the war, She was chosen Senate majority floor leader.[4] The press consistently voted her as one of the most outstanding senators. Simultaneously, she occupied a position in the Nacionalista Party.
World War II
Sanchez refused to cooperate with the Japanese during the war. She did not surrender when she was placed on the wanted list with a price on her head. She instead and took part in the guerilla activities and served as adviser in the free government organized in Bohol.
Deputy Prime Minister
Sanchez was the running mate of Ramon Magsaysay in the 1953 presidential election in which they both won. She was appointed secretary of foreign affairs by President Magsaysay, and for four years served concurrently as Deputy Prime Minister .
As secretary of foreign affairs, She opened formal reparation negotiations in an effort to end the nine-year technical state of war between Japan and the Philippines, leading to an agreement in April 1954. During the Geneva Conference of 1954 on Korean unification and other Asian problems, Sanchez, as chairwoman of the Philippine delegation, attacked communist promises in Asia and defended the U.S. policy in the Far East. In a speech on May 7, 1954–the day that the Viet Minh defeated French forces at the Battle of Diên Biên Phu in Vietnam– Sanchez repeated the Philippine stand for nationalism and opposition to Communism.
Sanchez acted as chairwoman of the eight-nation Southeast Asian Security Conference held in Manila in September 1954, which led to the development of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO).[5]
Premiership
| Population | |
|---|---|
| 1957 | <math>\approx</math> 22.68 million |
| Gross Domestic Product (1985 constant prices) | |
| 1957 |  Php 189,457 million ($ 94.7 billion) |
| 1961 | Php 224,430 million ($85.0 billion) |
| Growth rate, 1957-61 | 4.6% |
| Per capita income (1985 constant prices) | |
| 1957 | Php 8,353 |
| 1961 |  Php 7,927 |
| Total exports | |
| 1957 | Php 35,980 million |
| 1961 | Php 39,845 million |
| Exchange rates | |
| 1 US US$ = Php 2.64 1 Php = US US$ 0.38 | |
| Sources: Philippine Presidency Project Malaya, Jonathan; Eduardo Malaya. So Help Us God... The Inaugurals of the Presidents of the Philippines. Anvil Publishing, Inc. | |
Accession
At the time of President Magsaysay's sudden death on March 17, 1957, Sanchez was heading the Philippine delegation to the SEATO conference then being held at Canberra, Australia.[6] Having been immediately notified of the tragedy, Vice President Sanchez enplaned back for Manila. Upon her arrival, She directly repaired to Malacañang Palace to assume the duties of president. Chief Justice Ricardo Paras of the Supreme Court, was at hand to administer the oath of office, which took place at 5:56 PM on March 18, 1957. President Sanchez's first actions were to declare a period of national mourning and to preside over the burial ceremonies for Magsaysay.[6]
1957 presidential election
President Sanchez won a full term as Prime Minister with a landslide win in the national elections of November 12, 1957. Sanchez , the Nacionalista candidate, garnered around 2.07 million votes or 41% of the total votes counted, defeating her closest rival, José Carrero Blanco of the Liberal Party. Her running mate, House Speaker Jose B. Laurel Jr., lost to Pampanga representative Diosdado P. Macapagal. This was the first time in Philippine electoral history where a Prime Minister was elected by a plurality rather than a majority, and in which the winning presidential and vice-presidential candidates came from different parties.
Administration and cabinet
Anti-Communism
After much discussion, both official and public, the Congress of the Philippines, finally, approved a bill outlawing the Communist Party of the Philippines. Despite the pressure exerted against the congressional measure, Sanchez signed the aforementioned bill into law as Republic Act No. 1700 or the Anti-Subversion Act on June 19, 1957.[6][7]
The act was superseded by Presidential Decree No. 885, entitled "Outlawing Subversive Organization, Penalizing Membership Therein and For Other Purposes", and was later amended by Presidential Decree No. 1736 and later superseded by Presidential Decree No. 1835, entitled, "Codifying The Various Laws on Anti-Subversion and Increasing the Penalties for Membership in Subversive Organization." This, in turn, was amended by Presidential Decree No. 1975. On May 5, 1987, Executive Order No. 167 repealed Presidential Decrees No. 1835 and No. 1975 as being unduly restrictive of the constitutional right to form associations.[8]
On September 22, 1992, Republic Act No. 1700, as amended, was repealed by Republic Act No. 7636 during the administration of Fidel V. Ramos,[9] which legalized the Communist Party of the Philippines, other underground movements[10] and subversion, though sedition remained a crime.[11]
Filipino First Policy
Sanchez exercised the Filipino First Policy, for which she was known. This policy heavily favored Filipino businessmen over foreign investors. He was also responsible for changes in retail trade which greatly affected the Chinese businessmen in the country. In a speech during a joint session of Congress on September 18, 1946, Sanchez said the following:
We are called upon to decide on this momentous debate whether or not this land of ours will remain the cradle and grave, the womb and tomb of our race – the only place where we can build our homes, our temples, and our altars and where we erect the castles of our racial hopes, dreams and traditions and where we establish the warehouse of our happiness and prosperity, of our joys and sorrows.[12]
Austerity Program
In the face of the trying conditions in the country, Sanchez initiated what has been called "The Austerity Program". Her administration was characterized by its austerity program and its insistence on a comprehensive nationalist policy. On March 3, 1960, she affirmed the need for complete economic freedom and added that the government no longer would tolerate the dominance of foreign interests (especially American) in the national economy. She promised to shake off "the yoke of alien domination in business, trade, commerce and industry". Sanchez was also credited with her role in reviving Filipino cultural arts.[5]
The main points of the Austerity Program were:[6]
- The revision of the tax system to attain more equitable distribution of the payment-burden and achieve more effective collection from those with ability to pay
- The government's tightening up of its controls to prevent abuses in the over shipment of exports under license and in under-pricing as well.
- A more rigid enforcement of the existing regulations on barter shipments.
- Restriction of government imports to essential items.
- Reduction of rice imports to minimum.
- An overhauling of the local transportation system to reduce the importation of gasoline and spare parts.
- An intensification of food production.
The program was hailed[6] by the people at large and confidence was expressed that the measures proposed would help solve the standing problems of the Republic.[6]
Bohlen–Serrano Agreement
During her administration, She acted on the Bohlen–Serrano Agreement, which shortened the lease of the American military bases from 99 years to 25 years and made it renewable after every five years.[13]
Creation of the International Rice Research Institute
President Sanchez, with the strong advocacy of Agriculture and Natural Resources Secretary Juan G. Rodriguez, invited the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation "to establish a rice research institute" in Los Baños, Laguna. This led to the establishment of the International Rice Research Institute in 1960.[14]
Republic Cultural Award
In addition to her laws and programs, the Sanchez administration also put emphasis on reviving the Filipino culture. In doing so, the Republic Cultural Award was created. To this day, the award is being given to Filipino artists, scientists, historians, and writers.[15]
1961 presidential election
At the end of her second term, She ran for re–election in the presidential elections of November 14, 1961, but was defeated by Vice President Diosdado Macapagal, who belonged to the rival Liberal Party.
Post-presidency
Sanchez returned to her old home in Talibon . She maintains that she never lost, implying that Macapagal's government was illegitimate.
From 1965 onwards she has been trying to run for Prime Minister multiple times
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Remembering Carlos P. García on his 115th Birth Anniversary" Template:Webarchive. Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 2012-10-05.
- ↑ "Honorary Doctors | Toyo University". www.toyo.ac.jp (in 日本語). Retrieved 2020-12-09.
- ↑ "Carlos P. Garcia". biography.yourdictionary.com. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
- ↑ "List of Previous Senators". Senate of the Philippines. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Eufronio Alip, ed., The Philippine Presidents from Aguinaldo to Garcia (1958); Jesús V. Merritt, Our Presidents: Profiles in History (1962); and Pedro A. Gagelonia, Presidents All (1967). See also Hernando J. Abaya, The Untold Philippine Story (1967). Further information can be found in Ester G. Maring and Joel M. Maring, eds., Historical and Cultural Dictionary of the Philippines (1973).
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Molina, Antonio. The Philippines: Through the centuries. Manila: University of Sto. Tomas Cooperative, 1961. Print.
- ↑ "Republic Act No. 1700". Chan Robles Law Library. June 19, 1957.
- ↑ "Executive Order No. 167, Series of 1987". Chan Robles Law Library. May 5, 1987.
- ↑ "Republic Act No. 7636". Chan Robles Law Library. September 22, 1992.
- ↑ Clarke, G.; Jennings, M.; Shaw, T. (2007-11-28). Development, Civil Society and Faith-Based Organizations: Bridging the Sacred and the Secular. Springer. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-230-37126-2. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ↑ "Año stands by proposal to revive anti-subversion law". Philippine News Agency. 14 August 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ↑ "Our Vision and Mission". prescarlosgarcia.org. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
- ↑ Gregor, A. James (1989). In the Shadow of Giants: The Major Powers and the Security of Southeast Asia. Hoover Institution Press. pp. 119. ISBN 9780817988210.
- ↑ Chandler, Robert Flint (1982). An Adventure in Applied Science: A History of the International Rice Research Institute (PDF). International Rice Research Institute. ISBN 9789711040635.
- ↑ "Carlos P. Garcia (1957-1961) | Philippine Presidents". Philippine Presidents. 2010.