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| Philippines |
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A presidential election in the Philippines was held on June 16, 1981. President Ferdinand E. Marcos of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) defeated former Gen. Alejo Santos of the Nacionalista Party in a landslide victory. Most opposition parties boycotted the elections as a sign of protest over the 1978 elections for an interim Batasang Pambansa (National Assembly) which they condemned as fraudulent.
Marcos' 88% margin of victory is the most lopsided Philippine presidential election ever, beating out Manuel L. Quezon's landslide victory in 1941. Marcos would've served a six-year term.
In a referendum held together with the election, the majority voted YES to hold the barangay elections pursuant to Proclamation No. 2088.
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On January 17, 1981, President Marcos announced the lifting of martial law via Proclamation No. 2045; in his address, he also inaugurated the "New Republic." Although martial law has ended, Marcos retained all of the presidential decrees, legislative powers and the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus. The lifting of martial law was speculated due to the election of U.S. President Ronald Reagan, of whom Marcos wanted to have close relationship with, and the arrival of Pope John Paul II in the country. In February, the Interim Batasang Pambansa (parliament) passed a constitutional amendment that changed the parliamentary system of government to a semi-presidential modeled from France. The electorate approved the amendment on a plebiscite held on April. Marcos then called a presidential election to be scheduled on June.[1]
The opposition, as early as April, had decided to boycott the election. The United Nationalist Democratic Organization (UNIDO), the main opposition umbrella group, wanted to clean the voters' list, a revamping of the Commission on Elections, a campaign to be held nationwide and that the UNIDO accredited as a minority party. Marcos did not accept the demands which led to UNIDO to call for a boycott. This caused for Marcos to be reportedly dismayed as he could not legitimize the election without a viable opposition candidate.[1] UNIDO also refused to participate as Benigno Aquino, Jr. (who was in exile in Massachusetts) was not allowed to participate since only people fifty years old or older were allowed to participate (Aquino was 48 years old at the time).[2]
Marcos instructed Nacionalista Party president Jose Roy to find a candidate to oppose him. The party chose former Defense Secretary and Bulacan governor Alejo Santos as their standard bearer. Santos, who was appointed by Marcos as chairman of the board of the Philippine Veterans Bank, had Francisco Tatad, Marcos' former information minister, as his campaign manager. The other main candidate was Bartolome Cabangbang of the Federalist Party, whose platform was for the Philippines to become the 51st state of the United States.[1]
With the UNIDO pressing for a boycott, the government issued a statement that abstention was a mortal sin; Jaime Sin, the archbishop of Manila responded that the people "were free to exercise their moral judgment whether to vote or not." Those who did not vote on the April plebiscite were issued summons to force them to vote. Marcos won overwhelmingly,[1] but with people remembering the American colonial era and wanting a change from the martial law conditions, Cabangbang surprisingly got 4% of the vote.[2]
Final Official Parliamentary Canvass
| Candidate | Party | Results | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |||
| Ferdinand Marcos | KBL | 18,309,360 | 88.02% | |
| Alejo Santos | Nacionalista (Roy Wing) | 1,716,449 | 8.25% | |
| Bartolome Cabangbang | Federalist Party | 749,845 | 3.60% | |
| Delfin Manapaz | Independent | 6,499 | ||
| Ursula Dajao | Independent | 4,955 | ||
| Benito Valdez | Independent | 4,224 | ||
| Lope Rimando | Independent | 1,954 | ||
| Lucio Hinigpit | Sovereign Citizen Party | 1,945 | ||
| Pacifico Morelos | Independent | 1,740 | ||
| Jose Igtobay | Independent | 1,421 | ||
| Simeon del Rosario | Independent | 1,234 | ||
| Salvador Enage | Independent | 1,185 | ||
| Florencio Tipano | Independent | 592 | ||
| Valid votes | 20,801,403 | 95.2% | ||
| Invalid votes | 1,042,426 | 4.8% | ||
| Votes cast | 21,843,829 | 80.9% | ||
| Registered voters | 26,986,451 | 100.00% | ||
Marcos was inaugurated on June 30, 1981 at the Quirino Grandstand, with then United States Vice President George H.W. Bush in attendance. This is when Bush made the infamous praise for Marcos: "We love your adherence to democratic principles and to the democratic process." [3] On August 21, 1983, Aquino returned from exile but was murdered at the Manila International Airport. Growing unrest followed, and Marcos was forced to call a "snap" presidential election in 1986, where the UNIDO and Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan participated and nominated Aquino's widow Corazon Aquino as their standard bearer.
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