Lesson 8 - Summative Test
Lesson 8 - Summative Test
Lesson 8 - Summative Test
AE - 209
SUBMITTED BY:
PERSONAL INSIGHTS
I think the most valuable lesson we can take from the speech is that we can not entrust our
salvation to another sovereign state, and addressing the causes is the only real solution to any
form of revolt. Solving the root issue would eventually allow everything else to fall into place.
On the morning of September 16, 1982, on the South Lawn of the White House,
President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan welcomed Ferdinand and Imelda
Marcos to the United States capital. Ferdinand Marcos, along with his wife Imelda, had
presided over the Philippines since 1965. Though democratically elected in 1965 and
1969, Marcos declared martial law in 1972 and changed the constitution in 1973,
which allowed him to continue in power until the People Power mobilizations of
1986.
This particular state welcome to the Philippine leader operated as a show of support to
the beleaguered President of the Philippines. Filipino opposition media outlets and
political leaders increasingly opposed the Marcoses in public. Rumors of Marcos’s ill-
health had triggered succession controversies, and the regime had been repeatedly
challenged in the international sphere for corruption and human rights abuses. As the
national anthems for the United States and the Philippines played in the background,
Ferdinand Marcos attired in a Philippine barong made small talk with the U.S. President
on stage, suggesting an air of camaraderie between the two state leaders. Indeed, Marcos
and Reagan were friendly on a personal level. However, this friendly banter also
functioned to publicly reinforce the closeness of the two nations. The State Department
had placed a high priority on establishing a strong personal rapport with the Philippine
leader during this visit. A public display of intimacy between Reagan and Marcos would
appease an important ally and help uphold foreign policy aims of stability in the region.
The frequent condemnations of the Marcos regime demanded an equally strong response,
one that in its imagery and its content would leave no doubt of the U.S.-Philippine
relationship. As such, Reagan crafted his speech to defend Marcos from the opposition
attacks against him. Following the recommendations of the State Department, Reagan
made sure to reference Marcos’s wartime heroism. The State Department
recommendations were a reaction to the fact that Marcos had recently been publicly
embarrassed by the revelation that his wartime exploits had been greatly exaggerated.
They understood the importance of this vote of confidence for Marcos. Given that
Marcos cronies controlled all of the major television and press outlets in the Philippines,
the visit would certainly be aired on Philippine airwaves and covered in Philippine
newsprint. The image of Ferdinand and Imelda rubbing elbows with the Reagans would
undoubtedly signal to both opponents and supporters that the Marcoses were still firmly
in power in the archipelago.
As groups like Amnesty International circulated information about abuses in the
Philippines, Reagan also addressed human rights in his attempt to defend Marcos. In his
welcome, Reagan highlighted the humanitarian work undertaken by the Philippine
government through:
- Philippine Refugee Processing Center (PRPC), which helped refugees – many as
a result of the Vietnam War and its aftermath – prepare for permanent
resettlement.
With his public comments, Marcos vocalized an unequivocal devotion to the government
that was the key supporter of his rule in the Philippines. Ultimately, this welcome was
one of the strongest public demonstrations of United States support for the Marcos
regime in the Philippines, coming at a time when that very regime was losing its hold on
power. Similar to the public statements of his political opponents – in interviews, films,
and in speeches – Marcos sought a public venue to visually affirm the closeness between
his government and that of the United States. As a political performance of alliance, it
was significant both for the bond between states that it demonstrated as well as the
carefully crafted language utilized by both leaders.
The Philippines with its ASEAN partners has taken the lead in search for self-
determination for the people of Kampuchea.
Rural electrification program, now bringing benefits to an increasing number of remote
regions.
Two-way trade between nations and have been able to keep markets for the products of
growing manufacturing and industrial sector.
The United States remains the Philippines’ leading trading partner, and American firms
are the largest foreign investors in your country, reflecting their confidence in your
progress and prospects for economic growth.
An image of America with its ideals, its dreams, its illusions and Asia which has been
molded along the principles of American democracy.
Fate and destiny has decreed that the United States of America be the trustee of modern
civilization against the threat of a possible second Dark Ages.
PERSONAL INSIGHTS
The effect on how Marcos ruled the Philippines is positive and negative. The tremendous growth
of assets is positive and the negative is the disappearance of any individual's freedom. It's good
that he gave us a positive contribution, but the balance between his influence and the people
around him should be balanced. Based on what they would literally do and not, he would listen
to what people wanted and expected. He's trying to take a right from others to do what they want
to do.
REFERENCES:
file:///Cory-Aquinos-Speech.pdf
file:///Cory-Quino-Speech-Before-the-u-s-Congress-in-1986.pdf
http://kbl.org.ph/president-ferdinand-marcos-and-us-president-ronald-reagan-during-the-state-
visit/
https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2018/01/15/remembering-ferdinand-marcos-history-of-
corruption-is-relevant-to-the-philippines-present-anticorruption-efforts/
https://www.slideshare.net/tmalit1/the-marcos-administration
https://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/15/world/marcos-leaves-manila-for-us-visit.html
https://www.slideshare.net/search/slideshow?
searchfrom=header&q=corazon+aquino&ud=any&ft=all&lang=**&sort=