Marcos of the Philippines

     Ferdinand E. Marcos proclaimed as the "dictator" and the most famous and powerful president that the republic of the Philippines  had. He was proclaimed because of the way he ran the country. In his time, the Philippines was one of the most powerful richest countries in the world.
     Ferdinand E. Marcos' rise to the highest office within the gift of the people has been the stuff of legend. As "Time" wrote of him in 1966. "The hardest thing to accept about him is that any mortal could tucked into 49 years as much action, adventure, heroism, devotion to duty, romance, singleness of purpose and accomplishments as he has." The Marcos story has not ceased to fascinate even his countrymen, many of whom regard him as a culture-hero.
     What is extraordinary about Mr. Marcos is that nothing he does is adventure. Quite early in life, he set out on his pursuit of excellence in both mind and body. His gallant record during World War II was strong expression of a whole lifestyle. His political rise was shiny and meteoric from congressman to president in 16 years. In terms of innovations and concrete accomplishments, the Marcos record, after only four years as president, surpassed that of any of his five predecessors. Fittingly, in 1969, he was returned to a second-term, the first Filipino president to be so re-elected and with the highest majority ever recorded in Philippine electoral history.
     Since September 1972, Mr. Marcos has been presiding over a revolutionary effort to transform an old order characterized by a political factionalism and economic oligarchy into a new society completely responsive to the needs of the masses of the Filipinos. The achievements of Martial Law, Philippine style are by now well known to the world. The Philippines has at last been able to shed its international image as a violent and lawless country. The throughly professional Philippine Army has crushed the Armed Force of a communist rebellion. The economy having recovered both natural and man-made calamities, has been set unprecedented growth records. Land reform is setting free one million farmers from their bondage to the land.