Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

(Redirected from Gloria Arroyo)
Jump to: navigation, search
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Image:Ph_pres_arroyo.jpg
Order 14th President of the Philippines
(4th President of the 5th Republic)
Term of office January 20, 2001
present
Vice President Teofisto Guingona (2001-2004)
Noli de Castro (2004-present)
Predecessor Joseph Estrada
Successor Incumbent
Born April 5, 1947
San Juan, Metro Manila

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (born April 5, 1947) is a politician and the current (14th) president of the Philippines. She is the daughter of former President Diosdado Macapagal. She was the country's first ever female vice president in 1998.

Arroyo was launched into the presidency in 2001 by the EDSA II Revolution that toppled Joseph Estrada from power amid accusations of widespread corruption. Arroyo was re-elected in 2004, defeating actor Fernando Poe, Jr.

In 2005, Arroyo was selected as the fourth most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine.

Contents

Early life

Arroyo was born Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal to parents Diosdado Macapagal and Evangelina Macaraeg. She was 14 years old when her father was elected president. She attended Assumption Convent for her elementary and high school education, graduating valedictorian in 1964. She then earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Assumption College, graduating magna cum laude in 1968.

Arroyo then studied for two years at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C. where she was a classmate of former US President Bill Clinton. Upon returning to the Philippines, Arroyo pursued a Master's Degree in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University and a Doctorate Degree in Economics from the University of the Philippines.

Arroyo married Jose Miguel Arroyo in 1968. They had three children, Juan Miguel (born 1969), Evangelina Lourdes (born 1971), and Diosdado Ignacio Jose Maria (born 1974).

From 1977 to 1987, Arroyo held teaching positions in different schools, notably the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo De Manila University. She also became chairperson of the Economics Department at Assumption College.

In 1987 she was invited by President Corazon Aquino to join the government as Assistant Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry. She was promoted to Undersecretary two years later. In her concurrent position as Executive Director of the Garments and Textile Export Board, Arroyo oversaw the rapid growth of the garment industry in the 1980s.

Entry into politics

Although her father served as president of the Philippines, Arroyo did not enter politics until 1992, twenty-seven years after her father left office. She was elected to the Philippine Senate in 1992 and was reelected in 1995, topping the senatorial elections with nearly 16 million votes.

As a legislator, Arroyo filed over 400 bills and authored or sponsored 55 laws of economic importance during her tenure as senator.

In 1998, she briefly considered a run for the presidency but was convinced by President Fidel V. Ramos to join the ruling LAKAS Party as the running mate of its presidential candidate, House Speaker Jose De Venecia. De Venecia and Arroyo ran a nationwide campaign supported by Ramos and the powerful LAKAS machinery. Arroyo won as vice president with almost 13 million votes, more than twice the votes of her closest opponent, Senator Edgardo Angara. But De Venecia lost to the popular incumbent vice president, Joseph Estrada.

Vice-Presidency

The EDSA II Revolution that catapulted Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to power is depicted on the 200-peso bill.
Enlarge
The EDSA II Revolution that catapulted Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to power is depicted on the 200-peso bill.
Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr officiating Arroyo's oath-taking ceremony during the Second People Power Revolution.
Enlarge
Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr officiating Arroyo's oath-taking ceremony during the Second People Power Revolution.

Arroyo began her term as Vice President on June 30, 1998. Shortly after, she was appointed by Estrada to the Cabinet as Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, where her main duty was to oversee the government's social programs for the poor.

She resigned from the Cabinet in October 2000, distancing herself from President Estrada, who was accused of corruption by a former political supporter. Arroyo joined civil society and many Filipinos in calling for the president's resignation.

On January 20, 2001, after days of political turmoil and street protests, the Supreme Court declared the presidency vacant. The military and the national police had earlier withdrawn their allegiance to Estrada and shifted it to Arroyo. Arroyo would be sworn in the same day as the 14th president of the Philippines by Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr.

The ousting of Estrada would later be known as EDSA II, after the EDSA Revolution of 1986 that brought down the administration of Ferdinand Marcos. EDSA is a reference to Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, a highway in metropolitan Manila that was the main site of the demonstrations.

Estrada later questioned the legitimacy of the High Court's declaration when he sought to reclaim the presidency but the Supreme Court upheld the legitimacy of Arroyo's succession. Even though Estrada and his adherents never recognized Arroyo as the rightful president, she was still able to wield all the powers and privileges of the presidency. The international community also recognized Arroyo as President of the Philippines.

Presidency: first term (2001–2004)

Arroyo's succession to the presidency divided the country between her and Estrada's supporters and as such her first term was hounded by questions of illegitimacy from the political opposition, even though the Supreme Court had already decided on the matter. On the other hand, the overwhelming victory of her political allies and the rejection of many Estrada-affiliated politicians in the elections of May 2004 was considered by many to be virtual recognition of her presidency by the electorate.

Her biggest challenge was to reform a government perennially perceived to be corrupt. She found it hard to fulfil this daunting task because of attempts by Estrada's supporters and her political enemies to undermine her leadership.

On May 1, 2001, thousands of supporters of the deposed president marched to the presidential palace and demanded that Estrada, who had previously been arrested on charges of plunder, be released and reinstated. The protesters refused to be pacified and violence ensued. Arroyo declared a state of rebellion and many protesters, including prominent political leaders, were arrested. The state of rebellion was lifted after a few days, when the threat to Arroyo's government had died down.

On July 27, 2003, she faced another apparent rebellion when renegade junior officers and their followers mutinied and seized a hotel and shopping mall in the business district of Makati City in Metro Manila. Arroyo delivered a televised warning to the renegades and threatened hostile action if they did not surrender. Senator Rodolfo Biazon, a former general, was asked to talk to the mostly young, rebel soldiers. They surrendered soon after it became apparent that they would be attacked by government forces. It was rumoured that this mutiny was connected to Estrada and his supporters. A former aide of Estrada has been arrested in connection with the uprising. The President formed the Feliciano Commission to investigate the mutiny. The commission later found that the rebellions, dubbed the Oakwood Mutiny (named after the hotel seized by the rebels), was planned and not spontaneous. It was clearly an attempt to bring down the Arroyo Government. The connection to Estrada, however, was never fully proven.

On August 2003, Arroyo's husband, Jose Miguel, was accused of corruption by Senator Panfilo Lacson. The senator alleged that the First Gentleman siphoned off campaign funds and contributions to a bank account under the fictitious name, "Jose Pidal". The accusations were never legally substantiated.

2004 election

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo with George W. Bush
Enlarge
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo with George W. Bush

Despite announcing in Baguio City on December 30, 2002, that she would not contest the presidential elections of 2004, Arroyo changed her mind and decided to seek a new six-year term. During a large gathering in her home province Pampanga, Arroyo declared that she has decided to "defer her retirement," citing the growing clamour from her supporters to run in the election. Because of this turnaround, her popularity rating suffered.

The 2004 election was seen as a chance for Arroyo to solidify the credibility of her administration, which was marred by questions of legitimacy since its 2001 rise to power. Arroyo fought a bitter campaign with the opposition candidate and Estrada's best friend, popular film actor Fernando Poe, Jr. She was commonly seen as the intellectual heavyweight, as opposed to Poe, who did not finish high school. Other candidates were former Senator Raul Roco, Senator Panfilo Lacson, and Evangelist Eduardo Villanueva.

Arroyo lagged behind Poe in the polls prior to the campaign season, but her popularity steadily climbed to surpass Poe's. This success was later attributed to her political machinery, the K4 Coalition dominated by the LAKAS Party (she assumed co-chairmanship of LAKAS with De Venecia in 2002); her choice of running mate, the popular senator, Noli De Castro; her endorsement by influential religious groups; and the loyal support of provinces such as Cebu and Pampanga, among others.

As predicted by the polls, she won the presidential election of May 10, 2004, with a margin of more than a million votes over her closest rival, Poe.

Allegations that her campaign funds used taxpayers' money emerged during the campaign when the national elections were in full swing. She, like Estrada before her, was also accused of plunder and corruption for the alleged use of public funds for her campaign. Arroyo's victory was also marred by accusations of cheating from her rivals. Minor irregularities were discovered during the elections but cheating and corruption on a nationwide scale were not proven by the president's accusers.

Presidency: second term (2004–present)

Congress proclaimed Arroyo the winner of the election on June 24, 2004, more than a month after election day. This makes her only the fourth Philippine president to be re-elected and only the third to a second term (Presidents Quirino and Garcia, serving the unexpired terms of their predecessors, were elected to the presidency in 1949 and 1957 respectively; Presidents Quezon and Marcos were reelected to second terms in 1941 and 1969 respectively).

She took her oath of office on June 30, 2004, on the island of Cebu, the first Philippine President to be inaugurated there. This was done in gratitude for the support given to her by the people of Cebu during the election. In a break with tradition, she delivered her inaugural address in Manila before departing for Cebu for her inauguration.


The De Castro–Soliman Issue

Arroyo with De Castro in the GMA Network headlines
Arroyo with De Castro in the GMA Network headlines

Issues of political patronage immediately began to swirl around the president when rumors that VP-elect Noli de Castro would be taking over as Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, replacing incumbent Secretary Dinky Soliman. Soliman, an ardent supporter of President Arroyo during the campaign in the urban poor areas, announced in a tearful press conference that she felt betrayed. Several weeks later, De Castro formally said he would not accept the DSWD post.

Angelo de la Cruz Episode

On July 20, 2004, President Arroyo ordered that the small contingent in Iraq sent by the Philippines be withdrawn immediately after Angelo de la Cruz was taken hostage by the terrorist group headed by Jordanian-born terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The Filipino contingent was scheduled to withdraw from Iraq in August of that year but the President withdrew earlier than expected, acceding to the kidnappers' demands in order to save the life of De La Cruz. President Arroyo said "…when it comes to showing off to the world, and the life of a Filipino citizen, the life of our citizens come first." Arroyo faced much international criticism for this, especially from the United States and members of the coalition in Iraq. Among her critics was Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who commented, "It is not showing off when you continue to fight in Iraq after a terrorist incident against your country. It is an international obligation that you are expected to fulfil." Arroyo later countered this statement by saying that the U.S. government and others in the coalition in Iraq "held no regard for the lives of their citizens" .


Election rigging scandal

See main article, Philippine electoral crisis, 2005

In a televised address, Arroyo admitted speaking to an election official, but denied cheating.
Enlarge
In a televised address, Arroyo admitted speaking to an election official, but denied cheating.

On June 10, Samuel Ong, a former deputy director of the country's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) claimed to have a set of original audio tapes of a wiretapped conversation between President Arroyo and an official of the Commission on Elections. The contents of the tape allegedly proved, according to Ong, that the 2004 national election was rigged by Arroyo and that she is not the real winner of the election. (see complete transcript of alleged conversations). On June 27, Arroyo admitted to inappropriately speaking to a Comelec official, but denied influencing the outcome of the election.

On July 8, ten appointed cabinet officials filed their resignation and asked the president to do the same. Later that day, the Liberal Party and former president Corazon Aquino, both former allies of the president, joined calls for her resignation. Arroyo again affirmed her rejection of these calls.

Former president Fidel Ramos has remained an ally of Arroyo, strongly rejecting calls for her to resign and suggesting an immediate constitutional change which would shift the Philippines from a unitary-presidential system of government to a federal-parliamentary system. For more information, please see the article about Charter Change.

In September 2005, the House of Representatives voted 158 to 51 effectively killing the impeachment case against Arroyo, citing it as "insufficient in substance". Despite their promises, the political opposition failed to deliver the 79 votes needed to transmit the case to the senate. Even key members of the opposition failed to vote due to absence while some simply changed their minds in the last minute.

Despite the House vote, Arroyo's government still faces an unrelenting opposition which continues to organize street rallies and media protests even at the expense of economic progress. Former president Corazon Aquino, a key Arroyo ally in the 2001 People Power Revolution (EDSA II), sided with the opposition leading the rallies on the street.

Immediately after the House killed the impeachment complaints, the Social Weather Station (SWS) released a series of polls suggesting that the public continues to be unconvinced about Arroyo's standing in government. 79% of respondents wanted their president impeached over her telephone conversation with an election official which was believed to be tantamount to cheating. 64% say they want Arroyo to resign while 51% believe that a people power revolt is the solution to removing her from office.

External links


Preceded by:
Joseph Estrada
Vice President of the Philippines
1998–2001
Succeeded by:
Teofisto Guingona
Preceded by:
Joseph Estrada
President of the Philippines
2001–present
Succeeded by:
incumbent


Presidents of the Philippines
Seal of the President of the Philippines
  Aguinaldo | Quezon | Osmeña | Laurel | Roxas | Quirino | Magsaysay  
  Garcia | Macapagal | Marcos | Aquino | Ramos | Estrada | Arroyo   
Personal tools