Carlos P. Garcia was the 8th President of the Philippines, serving from 1957 to 1961. Prior to his presidency, he had a long career in politics, serving as a representative, senator, vice president under Ramon Magsaysay from 1953 to 1957. When Magsaysay died in 1957, Garcia succeeded him as president. As president, he focused on foreign policy, opening negotiations with Japan and representing the Philippines in international organizations like SEATO. He won election to a full term in 1957 but lost his re-election bid in 1961.

1. VICE PRESIDENT OF
THE PHILIPPINES
CARLOS P. GARCIA

2. Carlos P. Garcia
• Carlos Polestico Garcia KR (Tagalog: [ˈkaɾlɔs pɔlɛsˈtɪkɔ gaɾˈsɪa]; November 4,
1896 – June 14, 1971) was a Filipino teacher, poet, orator, lawyer, public official,
political economist, guerrilla and Commonwealth military leader who was
the eighth president of the Philippines. A lawyer by profession, Garcia entered
politics when he became representative of Bohol’s 3rd district in the House of
Representatives. He then served as a senator from 1945 to 1953. In 1953 he
was the running mate of Ramon Magsaysay in the 1953 presidential election. He
then served as vice president from 1953 to 1957. After the death of Magsaysay in
March 1957, he succeeded to the presidency. He won a full term in the 1957
presidential election. He ran for a second full term as president in the 1961
presidential election and was defeated by Vice President Diosdado Macapagal.

3. Early life and education
• Garcia was born in Talibon, Bohol, Philippines on November 4, 1896, to Policronio
Garcia and Ambrosia Polestico, who were both natives of Bangued, Abra.
• Garcia grew up with politics, with his father serving as a municipal mayor for four
terms. He acquired his primary education in his native town Talibon, then took his
secondary education in Cebu Provincial High School, now Abellana National School,
both at the top of his class. Initially, he pursued his college education at Silliman
University in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental, and later studied at the Philippine Law
School, then the College of Law of National University, where he earned his law
degree in 1923 and later, where he was awarded the honorary degree Doctor of
Humanities, Honoris Causa from the National University in 1961. He also received an
honorary doctorate degree from Tokyo University in Japan.[2] He was among the top
ten law students in the 1923 bar examination.

4. • Rather than practicing law right away, he worked as a teacher for
two years at Bohol Provincial High School. He became famous for
his poetry in Bohol, where he earned the nickname "Prince
of Visayan Poets" and the "Bard from Bohol."

5. Political career
• Garcia entered politics in 1925, scoring an impressive victory to
become representative of the third district of Bohol. He was elected for
another term in 1928 and served until 1931. He was elected governor of
Bohol in 1933, but served only until 1941 when he successfully ran
for Senate, but he was unable to serve due to the Japanese occupation
of the Philippines during World War II. He assumed the office when
Congress re-convened in 1945 after Allied liberation and the end of the
war. When he resumed duties as senator after the war, he was chosen
Senate majority floor leader.[4] The press consistently voted him as one of
the most outstanding senators. Simultaneously, he occupied a position in
the Nacionalista Party.

6. World War II
• Garcia refused to cooperate with the Japanese
during the war. He did not surrender when he was
placed on the wanted list with a price on his head.
He instead and took part in the guerilla activities
and served as adviser in the free government
organized in Bohol.

7. Vice-presidency (1953–1957)
• Garcia was the running mate of Ramon Magsaysay in the 1953 presidential
election in which both men won. He was appointed secretary of foreign affairs by
President Magsaysay, and for four years served concurrently as vice-president.
• As secretary of foreign affairs, he opened formal reparation negotiations in an
effort to end the nine-year technical state of war between Japan and the
Philippines, leading to an agreement in April 1954. During the Geneva
Conference of 1954 on Korean unification and other Asian problems, Garcia, as
chairman of the Philippine delegation, attacked communist promises in Asia and
defended the U.S. policy in the Far East. In a speech on May 7, 1954–the day
that the Viet Minh defeated French forces at the Battle of Diên Biên
Phu in Vietnam– Garcia repeated the Philippine stand for nationalism and
opposition to Communism

8. • Garcia acted as chairman of the eight-nation Southeast Asian
Security Conference held in Manila in September 1954, which led
to the development of the Southeast Asia Treaty
Organization (SEATO).

9. Presidency (1957–1961)
• Accession
• At the time of President Magsaysay's sudden death on March 17, 1957,
Garcia was heading the Philippine delegation to the SEATO conference
then being held at Canberra, Australia.[6] Having been immediately
notified of the tragedy, Vice President Garcia enplaned back for Manila.
Upon his arrival, he directly reported to Malacañang Palace to assume
the duties of president. Chief Justice Ricardo Paras of the Supreme
Court administered the oath of office, which took place at 5:56 PM on
March 18, 1957. President Garcia's first actions were to declare a period
of national mourning and to preside over the burial ceremonies for
Magsaysay.

10. 1957 presidential election
• President Garcia won a full term as president with a landslide win in
the national elections of November 12, 1957. Garcia, the Nacionalista
candidate, garnered around 2.07 million votes or 41% of the total votes
counted, defeating his closest rival, Jose Y. Yulo of the Liberal Party. His
running mate, House Speaker Jose B. Laurel Jr., lost
to Pampanga representative Diosdado P. Macapagal. This was the first
time in Philippine electoral history where a president was elected by a
plurality rather than a majority, and in which the winning presidential and
vice-presidential candidates came from different parties.