List of presidents of the Philippines
Under the Constitution of the Philippines, the president of the Philippines is both the head of state and government, and serves as the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces. The president is directly elected by qualified voters to a six-year term and must be "a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, a registered voter, able to read and write, at least forty years of age on the day of the election, and a resident of the Philippines for at least ten years immediately preceding such election". No elected president can seek re-election. Upon resignation, or removal from the office, the vice president assumes the post. A president's successor who hasn't served for more than four years can still seek a full term for the presidency.
The incumbent president is Bongbong Marcos, who assumed office on June 30, 2022.
History
Emilio Aguinaldo became the inaugural president of the Philippines under the Malolos Republic, which was considered the First Philippine Republic. He held that office until 1901 when he was captured by United States forces during the Philippine–American War. The American colonization of the Philippines abolished the First Republic, which led to an American governor-general exercising executive power.In 1935, the United States, pursuant to its promise of full Philippine sovereignty, established the Commonwealth of the Philippines following the ratification of the 1935 Constitution, which also restored the presidency. The first national presidential election was held, and Manuel L. Quezon was elected to a six-year term with no provision for re-election as the second Philippine president and the first Commonwealth president. In 1940, however, the Constitution was amended to allow re-election but shortened the term to four years. However, a change in the government occurred three years later when the Second Philippine Republic was organized with the enactment of the 1943 Constitution, which Japan imposed after the occupied the Philippines in 1942 during World WarII. José P. Laurel acted as puppet president of the new Japanese-sponsored government; his de facto presidency, not legally recognized until the 1960s, overlapped with that of the president of the Commonwealth, which went into exile. The Second Republic was dissolved after the Japan surrendered to the Allies in 1945; the Commonwealth was then restored in the Philippines in the same year with the election of Sergio Osmeña as president.
Manuel Roxas then followed Osmeña when he won the first post-war election in 1946. He became the first president of the independent Philippines when the Commonwealth ended on July4 of that year. The Third Republic was ushered in and would cover the administrations of the next five presidents, the last of which was Ferdinand Marcos, who performed a self-coup by imposing martial law in 1972. The dictatorship of Marcos saw the birth of the New Society and the Fourth Republic. His tenure lasted until 1986 when he was deposed in the People Power Revolution. The current constitution came into effect in 1987, marking the beginning of the Fifth Republic.
Of the individuals elected as president, three died in office: two of natural causes and one in a plane crash. The longest-serving president is Ferdinand Marcos with in office; he is the only president to have served more than two terms. The shortest is Sergio Osmeña, who spent in office.
Two women have held the office: Corazon Aquino, who ascended to the presidency upon the successful People Power Revolution of 1986, and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who, as vice president, ascended to the presidency upon Estrada's resignation and was elected to a full six-year term in 2004.
Unofficial presidents
Andrés Bonifacio is considered by some historians to be the first president of the Philippines. He was the third Supreme President of the Katipunan secret society. Its Supreme Council, led by the Supreme President, coordinated provincial and district councils. When the Katipunan went into open revolt in August 1896, Bonifacio transformed it into a revolutionary government with him as president. While the term Katipunan remained, Bonifacio's government was also known as the Tagalog Republic.Some historians contend that including Bonifacio as a past president would imply that Macario Sakay and Miguel Malvar should also be included. Malvar continued Emilio Aguinaldo's leadership of the First Philippine Republic after the latter's capture until his own capture in 1902. Macario Sakay revived the Tagalog Republic in 1902 as a continuation of Bonifacio's Katipunan. They are still both considered by some scholars as "unofficial presidents". Along with Bonifacio, Malvar and Sakay are not recognized as presidents by the Philippine government.
Emilio Aguinaldo is officially recognized as the first president of the Philippines, but this is based on his term of office during the Malolos Republic, later known as the First Philippine Republic. Prior to this Aguinaldo had held the presidency of several revolutionary governments which are not counted in the succession of Philippine republics.
Manuel L. Quezon delegated his presidential duties to José Abad Santos, the then-Chief Justice, when the former fled the Philippines amidst Japanese occupation of the islands to establish a government-in-exile. He is believed to have in effect become the acting president of the Philippine Commonwealth though no legal document has been retrieved detailing the official transfer of the title of President to Abad Santos.
List of presidents by offices held before presidency
Executive branch
Vice presidents
3 other former vice presidents all made unsuccessful runs for the presidency.Cabinet secretaries
The following list includes only cabinet secretaries who served full-time. Vice presidents who served concurrently as cabinet secretaries are not included.| Secretary | Office | President served under | Year served |
| Elpidio Quirino | Secretary of Finance | Manuel Quezon | 1934– 1936 |
| Elpidio Quirino | Secretary of Interior | Manuel Quezon | 1935–1938 |
| Manuel Roxas | Secretary of Interior | Manuel Quezon | 1941 |
| Ramon Magsaysay | Secretary of National Defense | Elpidio Quirino | 1935–1944 |
| Fidel V. Ramos | Secretary of National Defense | Corazon Aquino | 1988–1991 |