Who establihed Philippine Democracy, Tita Cory or Uncle Sam?

        From February 22 to 25, 1986, the whole world watched in awe as the nonviolent and prayerful “People Power” revolution leads to the end of the 20-year Marcos era.   I was just starting grade school then who had absolutely no comprehension regarding political context.

        

        Now the humankind is watching our nation once again, but this time sympathizing with us for the death of the leader of the above-mentioned revolution, former President Corazon Cojuanco Aquino.   Shortly after she had taken oath of office, she created the Constitutional Commission for the adoption of the present 1987 Constitution to restrict the powers of the Presidency preventing repetition of 13-year of oppression and repression of Marcos regime through the Martial Law. (but I sometimes jokingly say that my real icon is Cory Quirino :)

        

        Nevertheless, with all due respect to Tita Cory, she was not actually the one who established democracy to the Philippines but just “brought it back” or simply restored it (thank you Tita Cory).   The provision of Sec.1, Article II of the 1987 Constitution that “The Philippines is a democratic and republican state.” is a mere REPRODUCTION of the original principle in the 1935 Democratic Constitution since the 1973 Marcos Constitution attempted to replace the presidential system with a parliamentary government.   Suffice it to say that it was the American people who helped establish Philippine democracy through the  enactment of the Tydings-Mc Duffie Act that provided for the drafting and guidelines of the 1935 Commonwealth Constitution.

    Many of the original provisions of the 1935 Constitution, particularly those pertaining to the legislative and the executive departments have been restored because of the revival of the bicameral Congress of the Philippines and the strictly presidential system. Moreover, the Bill of Rights has been considerably improved with the creation of Commission on Human Rights (sec. 11, Art. II, 1987 Constitution).

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Philippine Independence Day: June 12, 1898 or July 04, 1942?