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MacArthur liberates Manila; Osmeña establishes government
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Philippines becomes independent nation; Manuel Roxas y Acuña elected first president
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Ferdinand E. Marcos becomes president
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Marcos establishes martial law, which is a temporary government and control by military authorities of a territory or state, when war or overwhelming public disturbance makes the civil authorities of the region unable to enforce its law
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Opposition leader Benigno S. Aquino returns from exile, is slain on arrival at Manila Airport; Benigno's widow Corazon Aguino leads "People Power" protest movement
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Marcos defeats Aquino in a presidential election amid charges of fraud; riots erupt; Marcos flees into exile; Aquino forms new government.
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Former Gen. Fidel Ramos wins presidential election with Aquino's support; U.S. turns Subic Bay naval base to Philippine government, ending American military presence in the country
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Philippine government agrees to greater autonomy for southernmost island of Mindanao, where Islamic separatists called Moro National Liberation Front wage guerrilla war
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Philippines escape Asian financial crisis despite series of currency devaluations.
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Former movie star Joseph Estrada elected president
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Legislature begins impeachment hearings against Estrada on corruption charges. The hearings are never completed
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Public outrage forces Estrada to step down; Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumes the presidency; Estrada indicted for corruption; rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front agrees to a ceasefire
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U.S. government provides training to Philippine troops fighting the guerilla group Abu Sayyaf, which is believed to have ties to Osama bin Laden; the group's leader, Abu Sabaya, is killed
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Ceasefire with Moro Islamic Liberation Front breaks down, then reinstated; hundreds of mutinous soldiers demonstrate against the regime. Dozens of mutinous soldiers took over a Manila shopping complex, protesting low pay and demanding the resignation of President Arroyo and the defense secretary. The demonstration ended peacefully
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A mudslide in February leveled the town of Guinsaugon and killed about 1,800 of its 1,857 residents. Arroyo declared a state of emergency in February, saying the government had foiled an attempted coup by the military. She also banned rallies commemorating the 20th anniversary of the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos. Some observers, however, dismissed the report of the coup attempt as political maneuvering to gain support and weaken the opposition.
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In September 2007, former president Joseph Estrada was convicted of corruption and senteced to life in prison. The government said in November that it had reached a deal with the separatist Moro National Liberation Front that set boundaries for a Muslim homeland on the southern island of on Mindanao
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President Arroyo announced the abolition of the death penalty Two day later, opponents of President Arroyo filed a new impeachment complaint, alleging corruption and human rights abuses