After her oath taking at club Filipino, Corazon Aquino appointed the first members of her cabinet. She appointed Vice-President Laurel as Prime Minister and concurrently Minister of Foreign Affairs. She Enrile as the Minister of National Defense. Ramos was named Chief of staff of the New Armed Forces of the Philippines (NAFP) and was promoted to the rank of full General.

The other members of the cabinet were Executive Secretary Joker Arroyo, Minister of Justice Neptali Gonzales, Agrarian Reform Minister Heherson Alvarez, Minister of Local Government Aquilino Pimentel, Jr., Minister of Natural Resources Ernesto Maceda, Minister of Agriculture and Food Ramon Mitra and Minister of Education, Culture and Sports Lourdes Quisumbing.

Since Corazon Aquino did come into power by virtue of 1973 Constitution she established a revolutionary government upon her assumption into office on February 25, 1986. This early government was a provisional and transition government. It was a temporary government that existed only while a new constitution was being prepared. With the ratification of the 1987 Constitution on February 2, 1987, the temporary government was dissolved and the new one was enforced.

President Aquino saw the need of reorganizing the government upon her assumption Commission on Government Reorganization. MP Luis Villafuerte was appointed chairman of the Commission. The body prepared a comprehensive government reorganization plan which became the basis of the changes that President Aquino made in the government

Aquino changed the Supreme Court created by Marcos. She chose people who were known for their competence in legal matters, integrity and independence. Senior Associate Justice Claudio Teehankee was named Chief Justice of the Aquino Supreme Court.

Aquino also abolished the Batasang Pambansa controlled by Marcos and assumed legislative powers. She issued executive orders. She authorized the removal of all KBL local elective officials – governors, vice-governors, mayors, vice-mayors, barangay captains – and replaced them with officers-in-charge (OICs).

True to her promise to restore freedom in the country President Aquino lifted the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in the two regions of Mindanao on March 1, 1986. She freed the political prisoners under the Marcos dictatorship among them, Jose Ma. Sison, the alleged founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), Commander Dante (Bernabe Buscayno), founder of the New People Army of the Philippines and Victor Corpus, a former PC lieutenant who defected to the NPA.

President Aquino also recognized the need to investigate the human rights violations during the Marcos Regime. For this purpose, she created the Presidential Commission on Human Rights to investigate human rights violations especially those committed by the abusive elements of the armed forces of Marcos. Former Senator Jose W. Diokno was appointed head of the Commission.

Corollary to the foregoing, President Aquino abolished the dread laws that empowered Marcos to order the arrest and indefinite detention of people suspected of being subversives.

After the overthrow of Marcos, President Aquino issued Proclamation NO. 3, adopting a temporary constitution for the Philippines. This was called Freedom Constitution which took effect on March 25, 1986, one month after the people power revolution. Proclamation NO. 3 also declared the national policy " to implement reforms mandated by the people." It provided for the smooth transition of a government under new constitution.

1. It abolished certain constitutional positions. The Freedom

Constitution dissolved the Batasang Pambansa and the position of prime minister.

2. It granted almost absolute powers to the President. The

temporary constitution granted the President both executive and legislative powers. It also empowered the President to remove all appointees and elective officials and to appoint their replacements.

3. It was a temporary constitution. The Freedom constitution

was not intended to be permanent. In fact, it provided for the creation of a Constitutional Commission that would draft a new constitution.

In April 1986, President Aquino issued Proclamation No. 9 creating a Constitutional Commission to draft a new constitution as provided for in the Freedom Constitution.

The members of the Constitutional Commission (CONCOM) were appointed by President Aquino on May 26 from a list of persons nominated by various groups and individuals. They represented all sectors of Philippine Society – education, labor, agriculture, business and industry, youth, military women, mass media, cause-oriented groups, cultural minorities and the religious sector.

The members of the Constitutional Commission were: former Speaker Jose B. Laurel, Jr., former Senators Francisco "Soc" Rodrigo, Decoroso Rosales, Ambrosio Padilla, Domocao Alonto and Lorenzo Sumulong; former Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberto Concepcion, former 1971 Constitutional Convention delegate Napoleon Rama, U.P. Student Council President Chito Gascon, Ateneo University President Father Joaquin Bernas, S.J., Bishop Teodoro Bacani, sister Christine Tan, Rev. Pastor Cirilo Rios, and economist Bernardo Villegas. President Aquino also included five former KBL members namely, former labor Minister Blas Ople and former MP Teodulo Natividad.

The Commission formally opened its session at the former Batasang Pambansa building in Quezon City on June 2, 1986. President Aquino addressed the opening session. Former MP Cecilia Muñoz Palma was elected president of the Constitutional Commission.

Heated arguments took place regarding the controversial RP_US Military Bases Agreement (MBA), land reform and foreign investments. A walk-out was staged by several commissioners in protest against the approval of some economic provisions to which they strongly objected. One commissioner who walked out was Lino Brocka, a well-known film directr.

After 11 days of debates and revisions of provisions, committee hearings and provincial consultation, the Constitutional Commission finally finished its work. On October 12, 1986, the commissioners approved by a vote of 45-2 the draft of the new constitution and signed it on October 15. The said constitution was submitted to President Aquino on the same day. Commissioner Jaime Tadeo and Jose Suarez voted against the new constitution.

The draft of the 1987 Constitution was submitted to the people in the Feb. 2, 1987 plebiscite for ratification. About 86% of the 25 million registered voters voted in favor of the new constitution. It was reported as the biggest election turn out in the political history of the nation. The official count of the Commission on Election showed that there were 17,059,495 "Yes" votes while the "No" votes had only 5,058,714. The big turnout of the "Yes" votes confirmed the massive popular support for President Aquino.

On Feb. 11, 1987, President Aquino issued Proclamation No.58 declaring that the new constitution has been approved by the Filipino people and is therefore in "Full force and effect". On the same day President Aquino and the other government officials pledged allegiance to the New Constitution.

The ratification of the 1987 Constitution ended the revolutionary government of Aquino which was established on Feb. 25, 1986. It heralded the restoration of the Philippines to a full democratic form of government for the first time after the Marcos dictatorship.

The 1987 Constitution contains 18 articles, 306 sections and more than 20,0000 words. It includes an ordinance apportioning the 200 seats of the House of Representatives to the different legislative districts.

The new constitution seeks to prevent the violation of human rights that was rampant during the Marcos regime. Article III, the Bill of Rights, prohibits the use of torture on any person under investigation, as well as the use of secret detention places. It also provided that "no person shall be detained solely by reason of his political beliefs and aspirations". In this connection a new independent constitutional body called the Commission on Human Rights, to be composed by a chairman and four members was created. The body has the duty to investigate all forms of human rights violations and to help the victims of such violations.

The New Constitution recognized people power. The power to make laws is shard, by the Congress with the people. Under Article VI, the people can directly propose and enact laws, or approve or reject any act or law or a part of that law passed by the Congress or a local legislative body. This may be done in the form of a petition signed by at least 10% of the total number of registered voters all over the country. Also in Section 2 Article XVII, the people may directly propose amendments to the constitution through a process called "initiative upon a petition of at least 12% of the total number of voters nationwide.

THE END OF AQUINO’S ADMINISTRATION

President Aquino did not run for a second term. Claiming that hers was only a "transition government" she refused to run for re-election. She endorses and supported the candidacy of former Defense Secretary Fidel V. Ramos from Asingan, Pangasina in the May 11, 1992 presidential election.

Fidel V. Ramos won the presidential race and became the 8^th President of the 3^rd Republic. Elected Vice-president was former San Juan Mayor and Senator Joseph "Erap" Estrada, a movie star.

Inspired by the People Power Revolution at EDSA in 1986, the Kabisig People’s Movement (KPM) or simply KABISIG was formally launched by President Corazon Aquino on June 12, 1990. There were four basic reasons why KABISIG was organized by Aquino:

1. To institutionalize participatory democracy
2. To use the collective strength borne out of the peoples active achievement in participatory democracy for the poverty alleviation efforts;
3. To present any attempt in the future in returning the country to a dictatorship.
4. To give life to provisions of the 1987 Constitution that enshrine the idea of people empowerment (Sections 15 & 17, Article XIII).