Knowra Diosdado Macapagal Diosdado Macapagal Diosdado Macapagal was the Philippines’ ninth president, serving from 1961 to 1965, and its vice president from 1957 to 1961. His presidency is associated with land reform, economic liberalization, and moving Independence Day to June 12.
Philippine Independence Day : The Philippines’ annual national holiday commemorating independence from Spain on June 12, 1898. Macapagal moved the official observance from July 4 to June 12 in 1962.
Decontrol program : The removal of government controls over foreign exchange and imports in the Philippines beginning in 1962. Macapagal used it to liberalize trade and reduce controls inherited from the postwar economy.
Lubao : A municipality in Pampanga, Philippines, where Diosdado Macapagal was born in 1910. Macapagal’s birthplace became part of the biographical story behind his humble-origins image.
Carlos P. Garcia : A Filipino politician who served as president from 1957 to 1961 and vice president from 1953 to 1957. Macapagal defeated Garcia in 1961 after criticizing the incumbent administration’s economic controls.
Agricultural Land Reform Code : A 1963 Philippine law that sought to replace share tenancy with leasehold and establish owner-operated farms. It was Macapagal’s central legislative effort to alter the rural tenancy system.
Central Bank of the Philippines : The Philippines’ central monetary authority, established in 1949 to manage currency, credit, and banking policy. It implemented monetary measures during the transition to a more liberalized exchange system.
University of the Philippines : A public university system in the Philippines, founded in 1908. Macapagal studied law there before beginning his legal and political career.
Nacionalista Party : A Philippine political party founded in 1907 that has played a major role in the country’s electoral politics. It was Macapagal’s principal rival party and the organization of both Garcia and Ferdinand Marcos.
Association of Southeast Asia : A regional organization founded in 1961 by the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Federation of Malaya. Macapagal’s government helped establish this early, short-lived regional grouping.
Sharecropping : A farming arrangement in which tenants give a landowner a share of their crop in return for land use. The Agricultural Land Reform Code targeted this tenancy system, especially in rice and corn lands.
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