11 Firsts From Philippine Presidents

Everyone knows that Emilio Aquinaldo was the first (official) President of the Philippines, but there are also a number of other firsts that deserve just as much recognition. For example, the first President to wear a Barong Tagalog during his inauguration or the first President of a Catholic country that wasn’t a Catholic.

More from EsquireMag.ph

An Open Letter to Emilio Aguinaldo: Was the First President Really That Bad?

There’s a first for everything, and these Presidents made history in more ways than one:

First President to be a freemason: Emilio Aguinaldo (1899-1901)

First President to die while in office: Manuel L. Quezon (1935-1944)

First President to be reelected: Manuel L. Quezon (1935-1944)

First President from the Visayas: Sergio Osmena Sr. (1944-1946)

First President to wear a Barong Tagalog while taking his oath of office: Ramon Magsaysay (1953-1957)

First woman to be elected President: Corazon Aquino (1986-1992)

First President to be a protestant: Fidel V. Ramos (1992-1998)

First President to undergo an impeachment trial: Joseph Estrada (1998-2001)

First President to be a child of a former President: Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001-2010)

First President to be unmarried and childless: Benigno Aquino III (2010-2016)

First President from Mindanao: Rodrigo Duterte (2016-2022)