Everything about Gloria Macapagal Arroyo totally explained
Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (born
April 5,
1947) is the fourteenth and current
president of the
Philippines. She is the country's second female president, and the daughter of former President
Diosdado Macapagal.
A professor of economics, Arroyo entered government in 1987, serving as assistant secretary and undersecretary of the
Department of Trade and Industry upon the invitation of President
Corazon Aquino. After serving as a senator from 1992 to 1998, she was elected to the
vice presidency under President
Joseph Estrada, despite having run on an opposing ticket. After Estrada was accused of corruption, she resigned her cabinet position as
Secretary of Social Welfare and Development and joined the growing opposition to the president, who faced impeachment, which never succeeded. Estrada was soon forced from office by
peaceful street demonstrations, and Arroyo was subsequently sworn into the presidency on
January 20,
2001. She was elected to a full six-year presidential term in her own right and was sworn in
June 30,
2004.
Early life
President Arroyo was born Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal to politician
Diosdado Macapagal and his wife,
Evangelina Macaraeg Macapagal. She is the sister of Dr. Diosdado "Boboy" Macapagal, Jr. & Cielo Macapagal-Salgado. She spent the first years of her life in
Lubao, Pampanga with her two older siblings from her father's first marriage. At the age of four, she chose to live with her maternal grandmother in
Iligan City. She stayed there for three years, then split her time between
Mindanao and
Manila until the age of 11. She then earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from
Assumption College, graduating
magna cum laude in 1968.
In 1968, Arroyo married lawyer and businessman
Jose Miguel Arroyo of
Binalbagan, Negros Occidental, whom she'd met while still a teenager. From 1977 to 1987, she held teaching positions in different schools, notably the
University of the Philippines and the
Ateneo de Manila University. She 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 late 1980s.
Senator
Arroyo entered politics in the
1992 election, running for
senator. At the first general election under the 1987 Constitution, the top twelve vote-getting senatorial candidates would win a six-year term, and the next twelve candidates would win a three-year term. Arroyo ranked 13th in the elections, earning a three-year term. She was re-elected 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 during her tenure as senator, including the Anti-Sexual Harassment Law, the Indigenous People's Rights Law, and the Export Development Act. Though the latter lost to popular former actor
Joseph Ejercito Estrada, Arroyo won the vice presidency by a large margin, garnering more than twice the votes of her closest opponent, Estrada's running mate Senator
Edgardo Angara.
Arroyo began her term as Vice President on
June 30,
1998. She was appointed by Estrada to a concurrent position in the cabinet as
Secretary of Social Welfare and Development. She had initially resisted pressure from allies to speak out against Estrada, but eventually joined calls for Estrada's resignation. The
Supreme Court issued its decision on
March 2,
2001, asserting that Estrada had resigned the presidency and relinquished his post. Four people died, including two policemen, and more than 100 were wounded in clashes between security forces and rioters. After being dispersed the crowd had looted stores and burned cars. led by Army Capt. Gerardo Gambala and
Lt. Antonio Trillanes IV of the
Philippine Navy took over the Oakwood Premier Ayala Center (now Ascott Makati) serviced apartment tower in
Makati City to show the
Filipino people the alleged corruption of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration. They also stated that they saw signs suggesting that the President was going to declare
martial law.
Jose Pidal controversy
In
August 18,
2003, Senator
Panfilo Lacson accused Jose Miguel Arroyo, the president's husband, of siphoning campaign funds into a bank account under the fictitious name "Jose Pidal". The accusations were never legally substantiated.
The 2004 election and subsequent rigging allegations
Philippine Constitution bars a president from reelection, it allows for the election of a person who has succeeded as president and has served for not more than four years. In December 2002, Arroyo made the surprise announcement that she wouldn't seek a new term in the
Philippine general election, 2004.
Arroyo faced a tough election campaign in early 2004 against Estrada friend and popular actor
Fernando Poe, Jr., senator and former police general
Panfilo Lacson, former senator
Raul Roco, and Christian evangelist
Eddie Villanueva. Her campaign platform centered on a shift to a parliamentary and federal form of government, job creation, universal health insurance, anti-illegal drugs, and anti-terrorism. As predicted by pre-election surveys and
exit polls, she won the election by a margin of over a million votes against her closest rival, Fernando Poe, Jr.
On
January 25,
2008,
Pulse Asia survey (commissioned by
Genuine Opposition (GO) per former Senator
Sergio Osmeña III) stated that 58% percent of Filipinos in
Mindanao believed that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cheated in the
Philippine general election, 2004. 70% also "believed that because of recurring allegations of election fraud, the credibility of the balloting process in Mindanao was at a record low."
State of Emergency
On Friday,
February 24,
2006, an alleged
coup d'état plot was uncovered in the Philippines, headed by Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim.
The declaration of
Proclamation No. 1017 gave Gloria Macapagal Arroyo the power to issue warrantless (and until then unconstitutional) arrests and to take over private institutions that run public utilities.
The President, through the Department of Education, suspended classes in elementary and high school levels. In response, colleges and universities suspended classes. By virtue of PP 1017, she declared a
State of Emergency for the whole country in an attempt to quell rebellion as her grip on power began to slip, stop lawless violence and promote peace and stability. The government's first move after the declaration was to disperse demonstrators, particularly the groups picketing along
EDSA. Former Philippine president
Corazon Aquino was among those that protested, along with leftist and extreme right activists. A number of public figures were reported to have been arrested.
After the foiling of the plot and the dispersal of the rallies, PP 1017 continued for a week on threats of military plots (such as the military stand-off of
February 26 at Fort Bonifacio headed by Col. Ariel Querubin), violence, illegal rallies and public disturbance.
Six leftist representatives -
Satur Ocampo,
Teodoro Casiño, and
Joel Virador of
Bayan Muna,
Liza Maza of
GABRIELA, and
Crispin Beltran and
Rafael Mariano of
Anakpawis - were charged with rebellion. Crispin Beltran of Anakpawis was arrested on
February 25 on charges of inciting to sedition and rebellion. To avoid further arrest, the other five found shelter at the
Batasan Complex.
On Saturday,
February 25, the office of the
Daily Tribune, a newspaper known as a hard-hitting critic of the Arroyo administration, was raided. After the raid, an issuance of Journalism Guideline followed, authored by the government in order to cope with the "present abnormal situation", according to then Chief of Staff Michael Defensor. The move to suppress
freedom of the press against the
Daily Tribune was criticized by
Reporters Without Borders.
The decree was lifted on
March 3 2006. However the opposition, lawyers, and concerned citizens filed a complaint in the Supreme Court contesting the constitutionality of PP 1017. The court, on
May 4, declared the proclamation constitutional, but said it was illegal to issue warrantless arrests and seize private institutions.
The Manila Peninsula Rebellion
The Peninsula Manila Rebellion was a rebellion in the
Philippines on
November 29,
2007. Detained Senator
Antonio Trillanes IV, General Lim and other
Magdalo officials walked out of their trial and marched through the streets of
Makati City, called for the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and seized the second floor of
The Peninsula Manila Hotel along
Ayala Avenue. Former Vice-President
Teofisto Guingona also joined the march to the hotel.
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brigadier Gen. Danilo Lim surrendered to authorities after an armored personnel carrier rammed into the lobby of the hotel. Director Geary Barias declared that the standoff at the Manila Peninsula Hotel is over as Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim along with other junior officers agreed to leave the hotel and surrender to Barias after the 6 hour siege. There was difficulty getting out for a while due to the tear gas that was covering the area where they were hiding.
Days after the mutiny, the Makati City Regional Trial Court dismissed the rebellion charges against all the 14 civilians involved in the siege, and ordered their release.
National Broadband Network Scandal
The
Philippine National Broadband Network controversy is a political affair that centers upon allegations of corruption primarily involving Former
Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Chairman
Benjamin Abalos, First Gentleman
Mike Arroyo and President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regarding the proposed government-managed National Broadband Network (NBN) for the Philippines and the awarding of its construction to the Chinese firm
Zhong Xing Telecommunication Equipment Company Limited (ZTE), a telecommunications and networking equipment provider.
The issue has captivated Filipino politics since it erupted in Philippine media around August 2007, largely through the articles of newspaper columnist
Jarius Bondoc of the
Philippine Star. It has also taken an interesting turn of events, including the resignation of Abalos as COMELEC chairman, the alleged bribery of congressmen and provincial governors (dubbed as "Bribery in the Palace"), the unseating of
Jose de Venecia, Jr. as House Speaker, and the alleged "kidnapping" of designated National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) consultant-turned-NBN/ZTE witness
Rodolfo Noel "Jun" Lozada, Jr.
The Spratly Islands Joint Exploration Agreement
In connection to the
Philippine National Broadband Network controversy, The
Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (
JMSU) is a tripartite
agreement between the Philippines, China and Vietnam to conduct seismic exploration in an area spanning 142,886 square kilometers west of
Palawan. More specifically it's an agreement between
Philippine National Oil Company -Exploration Corporation (PNOC-EC),
China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and
Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation (PetroVietnam), that was signed in September 2004 and took effect in July 2005. JMSU has already finished the first phase of the seismic exploration which lasted from
September 1 to
November 16,
2006, covering 11,000 line kilometers. A Chinese vessel conducted the survey, Vietnam processed the data gathered and this was interpreted by PNOC-EC in
Manila. The second phase started in October 2007, covering 11,800 line kilometers. It was supposedly to end January 2008.
Economy
Arroyo, a practicing economist, has made the economy the focus of her presidency. Early in her presidency, Arroyo implemented a controversial policy of holiday economics, adjusting holidays to form longer weekends with the purpose of boosting domestic tourism and allowing Filipinos more time with their families. Economic growth in terms of
gross domestic product has averaged 4.6% during the Arroyo presidency from 2001 up to the end of 2005. This is higher than previous recent presidents when compared to the 3.8% average of
Aquino, the 3.7% average of
Ramos, and the 2.8% average of
Joseph Estrada. Inflation during the Arroyo presidency has been the lowest since 1986, averaging 2.5%.
Arroyo's handling of the economy has earned praise from observers including former US President
Bill Clinton, who praised Arroyo for making "tough decisions" that put the Philippine economy back in shape.
There has been growing concern among experts, however, about inconsistencies in official statistics on growth, income and poverty, which raise doubts about the reliability of the economic growth data. The managing director of the World Bank, Juan Jose Daboub, criticized the administration for not doing enough to curb corruption.
It was once reported that a series of 100-peso bills misspelling her name as "Arrovo" were released during the early part of her presidency. Most of these bills were withdrawn from circulation.
A controversial expanded
value added tax (e-VAT) law, considered the centerpiece of the Arroyo administration's economic reform agenda, was implemented in November 2005, aiming to complement revenue-raising efforts that could plug the country's large budget deficit. The tax measure boosted confidence in the government's fiscal capacity and helped to strengthen the
Philippine peso, making it East Asia's best performing currency in 2005-06. The peso strengthened by nearly 20% in 2007, making it by far Asia's best performing currency for the year, a fact attributed to a combination of increased remittances from
overseas Filipino workers and a strong domestic economy.
DBM Directory of advisers and assistants
On January 2008, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM)
directory officially listed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's personal advisers and assistants (undersecretaries, directors and assistant secretaries) in the total of 54. These exclude those under the offices of Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye and their bureaus and agencies attached to the Office of the President. Vice President
Noli de Castro's office pays only 3 officials: a chief of staff, an assistant chief of staff and a director for administration and finance.
International relations
The Arroyo administration has forged a strong relationship with the
United States. Arroyo was one of the first world leaders who expressed support for the US-led coalition against global terrorism in the aftermath of the
September 11, 2001 attacks, and remains one of its closest allies in the
war on terror. Following the US-led
invasion of Iraq, in July 2003 the Philippines sent a small humanitarian contingent which included medics and engineers. These troops were recalled in July 2004 in response to the kidnapping of Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz. In 2007, the Philippines was host to the 12th
ASEAN Summit in
Cebu City.
On
August 21 2007, Gloria's administration asked the
Senate of the Philippines to ratify a $4bn (£2bn) trade deal with
Japan (signed on 2006 with the former Japanese prime minister
Junichiro Koizumi), which would create more than 300,000 jobs (by specifically increasing local exports such as
shrimp to Japan). Japan also promised to hire at least 1,000 Philippine nurses. The opposition-dominated senate objected on the ground that toxic wastes would be sent to the Philippines; the government denied this due to the diplomatic notes which stated that it wouldn't be accepting Japanese waste in exchange for economic concessions.
Domestic policies
Charter change
In 2005, Arroyo initiated a movement for an overhaul of the constitution to transform the present presidential-bicameral republic into a federal parliamentary-unicameral form of government. At her 2005 State of the Nation Address, she claimed "The system clearly needs fundamental change, and the sooner the better. It's time to start the great debate on Charter Change".
In late 2006, the
House of Representatives shelved a plan to revise the constitution through
constituent assembly.
Executive Order No. 464 and calibrated preemptive response
In late September 2005, Arroyo issued an executive order stating that demonstrations without permits would be pre-emptively stopped. Then members of the military testified in Congressional hearings that they were defying a direct order not to testify about their knowledge of the election scandal. There is the issuance of
Executive Order No. 464 forbidding government officials under the executive department from appearing in congressional inquiries without President Arroyo's prior consent.
(External Link
) These measures were challenged before the
Supreme Court, which apparently declared some sections as
unconstitutional.
Human rights
Amnesty International report expressed concern over the sharp rise in vigilante killings of militant activists and community workers in the Philippines.
Task Force Usig, a special police unit tasked to probe reported
extra-judicial killings, by state run
death squads counts 115 murders and says most of these are the result of an internal purge by
communist rebels. Human rights groups put the number as high as 830.
These violations were alleged to have been committed against left-leaning organizations and party-list groups including
BAYAN,
Bayan Muna and
Anakpawis. These organizations accuse the
Philippine National Police and
Armed Forces of the Philippines for the deaths of these political opponents. Arroyo has condemned political killings "in the harshest possible terms" and urged witnesses to come forward.
"The report, which Melo submitted to Arroyo last month, reportedly linked state security forces to the murder of militants and recommended that military officials, notably retired major general Jovito Palparan, be held liable under the principle of command responsibility for killings in their areas of assignment."
General Palparan who retired
September 11,
2006 has been appointed by President Arroyo to be part of the Security Council. This has alarmed left-leaning political parties about the potential for human rights violations.
An independent commission was assembled in August 2006 to investigate the killings. Headed by former Supreme Court Justice
Jose Melo, the group known as the
Melo Commission concluded that most of the killings were instigated by the
Armed Forces of the Philippines, but found no proof linking the murder of activists to a "national policy" as claimed by the left-wing groups. On the other hand the report "linked state security forces to the murder of militants and recommended that military officials, notably retired major general Jovito Palparan, be held liable under the principle of command responsibility for killings in their areas of assignment."
In her
July 23,
2007 State of the Nation Address, Arroyo has set out her agenda for her last three years in office, and called for legislation to deal with a spate of political killings that have brought international criticism to her presidency. She promised to bring peace to the troubled south, and also defended a controversial new anti-terrorism legislation. Arroyo told the joint session of Congress that "I would rather be right than popular." Lawmakers and lawyers, however, were dismayed by the SONA's failure to highlight and address this major hindrance to human rights. Specifically, the
Alternative Law Groups (ALG) echoed the lawmakers’ position that Mrs Arroyo failed to take responsibility for the problem.
In 2007, incidences of extrajudicial killings dropped 87%, with the decline attributed to the creation of a special task force to handle the killings.
Amnesty proclamation
On
September 5 2007, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Amnesty Proclamation 1377 for members of the
Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the
New People's Army; other communist rebel groups; and their umbrella organization, the
National Democratic Front. The
amnesty will cover the crime of rebellion and all other crimes "
in pursuit of political beliefs," but not including crimes against chastity, rape, torture, kidnapping for ransom, use and trafficking of illegal drugs and other crimes for personal ends and violations of international law or convention and protocols "
even if alleged to have been committed in pursuit of political beliefs." The National Committee on Social Integration (NCSI) will issue a Certificate of Amnesty to qualified applicants. Implementing rules and regulations are being drafted and the decree will be submitted to the
Senate of the Philippines and the
House of Representatives for their concurrence. The proclamation becomes effective only after Congress has concurred.
Estrada pardon
On
October 25,
2007, Arroyo granted
pardon to
Joseph Estrada based on the recommendation by the Department of Justice. Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye quoted the signed Order: "In view hereof in pursuant of the authority conferred upon me by the Constitution, I hereby grant Executive clemency to Joseph Ejercito Estrada, convicted by the Sandiganbayan of plunder and imposed a penalty of reclusion perpetua. He is hereby restored to his civil and political rights."
Bunye noted that Estrada committed in his application not to seek public office, and he'd be free from his Tanay resthouse on October 26, noon.
The Sumilao Farmers' March
On
December 3,
2007, 55 farmers of the Higaonon tribe from
Sumilao, Bukidnon arrived in
Metro Manila, 2 months after their march through 13 provinces from
Mindanao to ask the government to stop the conversion of the land they're claiming into a hog farm. The farmers petitioned the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to issue a cease-and-desist order (CDO) on the contested 144-hectare property in Barangay (village) San Vicente, Sumilao which San Miguel Foods Inc. (SMFI) converted into a hog farm. The
Supreme Court of the Philippines had earlier dismissed the farmers' rights lack of legal standing. Farmer Tuminhay stated that: “Our titles were cancelled because Norberto Quisumbing was allowed to convert his land on condition that he'd implement a five-year development plan. Since he didn't implement the plan, it's only proper that DAR renew the CARP process and give us back our titles.” Quisumbing's development plan for the property included the establishment of a development academy, a cultural center, an institute for livelihood science, a museum, library, golf course, a sports development complex, an agro-industrial park, forest development and support facilities, and construction of a 360-room hotel, restaurant, housing projects, inter alia.
On
December 17,
2007, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo revoked the conversion order on the disputed 144-hectare lot in
Sumilao, Bukidnon, resulting to the return of the land ownership to the 55 members of the Higaonon tribe farmers who marched 1,700 kilometers for 2 months from
Mindanao to
Metro Manila. The order, signed by Executive Secretary
Eduardo Ermita, reads: “Wherefore premises considered and as recommended by DAR, the petition for cancellation and/or revocation of the conversion order covering 144 hectares of land...is hereby granted.” San Miguel Foods as landowner must be paid the current value of the property before the land can be distributed to the farmers.
Criticism and public perception
According to a survey conducted by
Pulse Asia from October 20 to 31, a pluralty of Filipinos (at 42%, beating former president and strongman
Ferdinand Marcos by 7%) consider Arroyo the "most corrupt (president) in the history of the Philippines". A November 30 - December 3, 2007
Social Weather Stations survey found Arroyo's net satisfaction rating at -16 (32% satisfied minus 48% dissatisfied).
Appendix
Arroyo is both Chief Scout of the
Boy Scouts of the Philippines and Chief Girl Scout of the
Girl Scouts of the Philippines.
Further Information
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