Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal

(born: April 5, 1947)

14th President of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010

12th Vice President of the Philippines 1998 to 2001

She was the country’s second female president (after Corazon A quino)

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo assumed the presidency at noon onJanuary 20, 2001 following the EDSA II Revolution whichousted the democratically-elected President Estrada. Arroyoassumed the office the same day as US President George W.Bush.

First Term (2001-2004) The state of rebellion declared is a governmentdeclaration that suspends a number of civil rights for ashort period of time. It is a form of martial law thatallows a government to suppress protest, detain andarrest people, search private property, read private mail,and listen to phone conversations using wiretaps – allwithout legal warrants.

2001 Midterm Elections The 2001 legislative elections and local elections were heldin the Philippines on May 14, 2001 - four months after Arroyotook office. Independent senatorial candidate Noli deCastro, a former television anchor of TV Patrol of ABS-CBNwas announced as the topnotcher. This is the firstsynchronized national and local elections held after theouster of Former President Joseph Estrada in January due toa military- backed civilian uprising (popularly known asEDSA II).

Oakwood mutiny The Oakwood mutiny occurred in the Philippines on July27, 2003. A group of 321 armed soldiers who calledthemselves "Bagong Katipuneros" led by Army Capt.Gerardo Gambala and Lt. Antonio Trillanes IV of thePhilippine Navy took over the Oakwood Premier AyalaCenter (now Ascott Makati) serviced apartment tower inMakati City to show the Filipino people the allegedcorruption of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration.They also stated that they saw signs suggesting that thePresident was going to declare martial law.

2004 Presidential Election In December 2002, Arroyo made the surprise announcementthat she would not seek a new term in the Philippine generalelection, 2004.Ten months later, however, she reversed herposition and declared her intention to seek a direct mandatefrom the people, saying "there is a higher cause to changesociety... in a way that nourishes our future".

Arroyo faced a tough election campaign in early 2004 againstEstrada friend and popular actor Fernando Poe, Jr., senator andformer police general Panfilo Lacson, former senator RaulRoco, and Christian evangelist Eddie Villanueva. Her campaignplatform centered on a shift to a parliamentary and federalform of government, job creation, universal health insurance,anti-illegal drugs, and anti-terrorism.

Second Term (2004-2010) June 30, 2004- Arroyo took her oath of office.

She chose to first deliver her inaugural address at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila before departing to Cebu City for her oath taking.

February 24, 2006- The declaration of Proclamation No. 1017.

Through the Department of Education, the Presidentsuspended classes in elementary and high school levels. Inresponse, colleges and universities suspended classes. Byvirtue of PP 1017, she declared a State of Emergency for thewhole country in an attempt to quell rebellion. Thegovernments first move after the declaration was to dispersedemonstrators, particularly the groups picketing alongEDSA.

Former Philippine president Corazon Aquino wasamong those that protested, along with leftist andextreme right activists. A number of public figures werereported to have been arrested.

May 14, 2007- Legislative and local elections in thePhilippines.

Positions contested included half the seats in theSenate, which are elected for six-year terms, and all theseats in the House of Representatives, who were electedfor three-year terms. The duly elected legislators of the2007 elections joined the elected senators of the 2004elections to comprise the 14th Congress of thePhilippines.

November 29, 2007- The Peninsula Manila Rebellion

Detained Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, General Lim andother Magdalo (mutineers) officials walked out of theirtrial and marched through the streets of Makati City, calledfor the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo, andseized the second floor of The Peninsula Manila Hotelalong Ayala Avenue. Former Vice-President TeofistoGuingona also joined the march to the hotel.

October 13, 2008- the 4th 97-page impeachmentcomplaint against President Arroyo was filed at the Houseof Representatives of the Philippines with the requiredendorsements by Party list Representatives Satur Ocampo,Teodoro Casiño and Liza Maza

October 25, 2007- Arroyo granted a pardon to JosephEstrada

in the wake of the massacre of 57 people in Ampatuantown, President Arroyo placed Maguindanao under a state ofmartial law, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita announcedon the morning of December 5, 2009. Malacañang hassuspended the writ of habeas corpus in the province except"for certain areas," enabling the military to make arrestswithout court intervention. This constitutes the firstdeclaration of martial law in the Philippines since 1972,when then-president Ferdinand Marcos imposed militaryrule over the entire country.

November 30, 2009- President Arroyo announced on thePhilippine Broadcasting Service her congressional bid forthe second district of Pampanga

Domestic Policies Economy

Arroyo, a practicing economist, has made the economy thefocus of her presidency. Based on official (National Economicand Development Authority) figures, economic growth interms of gross domestic product has averaged 5.0% during theArroyo presidency from 2001 up to the first quarter of 2008.This is higher than in the administration of the previousrecent presidents: 3.8% average of Aquino, 3.7% average ofRamos, and 3.7% average of the Joseph Estradaadministration.

A controversial expanded value added tax (e-VAT) law,considered the centerpiece of the Arroyo administrationseconomic reform agenda, was implemented in November2005, aiming to complement revenue-raising efforts that couldplug the country’s large budget deficit.

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. Its 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 Arroyos prior consent. These measures were challenged before the Supreme Court, which apparently declared some sections as unconstitutional.

Human rights

A May 2006 Amnesty International report expressedconcern over the sharp rise in vigilante killings of militantactivists and community workers in the Philippines. TaskForce Usig, a special police unit tasked to probe reportedextra-judicial killings, by state run death squads counts 115murders and says most of these are the result of an internalpurge by communist rebels. Human rights groups put thenumber as high as 830.

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 MeloCommission 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.

Amnesty proclamation On September 5, 2007, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signedAmnesty Proclamation 1377 for members of the Communist Party ofthe Philippines and its armed wing, the New Peoples Army; othercommunist rebel groups; and their umbrella organization, the NationalDemocratic Front. The amnesty will cover the crime of rebellion and allother crimes "in pursuit of political beliefs," but not including crimesagainst chastity, rape, torture, kidnapping for ransom, use andtrafficking of illegal drugs and other crimes for personal ends andviolations of international law or convention and protocols "even ifalleged to have been committed in pursuit of political beliefs." TheNational Committee on Social Integration (NCSI) will issue aCertificate of Amnesty to qualified applicants. Implementing rules andregulations are being drafted and the decree will be submitted to theSenate of the Philippines and the House of Representatives for theirconcurrence. The proclamation becomes effective only after Congresshas concurred.

Foreign PoliciesProceeding from public ceremony to private talks, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and President George W. Bush meet in the Oval Office Monday, May 19, 2003.

President Arroyo with Russian president Dmitry Medvedev during her visit in Moscow, Russia for St.

Petersburg International Economic Forum, June 4– 6, 2009

Iraq War 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. With the hostage takers demands met, the hostage was released. The force was previously due to leave Iraq the following month. The early pullout drew international condemnation, with the United States protesting against the action, saying giving in to terrorist demands should not be an option.

ASEAN Summit

Arroyos foreign policy is anchored on building strong ties with the United States, East Asian and Southeast Asian nations, and countries where overseas Filipino workers work and live. In 2007, the Philippines was host to the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu City.

Philippines-Japan Trade Deal On August 21, 2007, Arroyos administration asked theSenate of the Philippines to ratify a $4 billion (£2 billion)trade deal with Japan(signed on 2006 with the formerJapanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi), which wouldcreate more than 300,000 jobs (by specifically increasinglocal exports such as shrimp to Japan). Japan also promisedto hire at least 1,000 Philippine nurses. The opposition-dominated senate objected on the ground that toxic wasteswould be sent to the Philippines; the government deniedthis due to the diplomatic notes which stated that it wouldnot be accepting Japanese waste in exchange for economicconcessions.

Council of Women World Leaders In keeping with this international mission, PresidentGloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a member of the Council ofWomen World Leaders, an International network of currentand former women presidents and prime ministers whosemission is to mobilize the highest-level women leadersglobally for collective action on issues of critical importanceto women and equitable development.

Fertilizer Fund Scam The Fertilizer Fund Scam is a political scandal involvingthe officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and anumber of other local and national government officialsduring the Arroyo administration regarding the misuse ofagricultural funds amounting to P728 million and P1.1billion, which were released in February 3, 2004 andFebruary 11, 2004 respectively. Said funds were allegedlyutilized to finance former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s campaign before the May 2004 presidentialelections.

Hello Garci Controversy In the middle of 2005, Samuel Ong who is a former deputydirector of the countrys National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)claimed to have audio tapes of wiretapped conversations betweenPresident Arroyo and an official of the Commission on Elections.According to Ong, the contents of the tape prove that the 2004national election was rigged by Arroyo in order to win by aroundone million votes.

Two witnesses, Antonio Rasalan and Clinton Colcol, steppedforward in August 2006, claiming involvement in an alleged plotto alter the results for the May 2004 elections. Rasalan claimedthat he was fully convinced that the election returns presented atthe House of Representatives were manufactured and hadreplaced the original documents.

National Broadband Network Scandal The Philippine National Broadband Network(NBN)controversy is a political affair that centers upon allegationsof corruption primarily involving Former Commission onElections (COMELEC) Chairman Benjamin Abalos, FirstGentleman Mike Arroyo and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regarding the proposed government-managedNational Broadband Network (NBN) for the Philippines andthe awarding of its construction to the Chinese firm ZhongXing Telecommunication Equipment Company Limited(ZTE), a telecommunications and networking equipmentprovider.

The issue has captivated Filipino politics since it erupted inPhilippine media around August 2007, largely through the articlesof newspaper columnist Jarius Bondoc of the Philippine Star. It hasalso taken an interesting turn of events, including the resignationof Abalos as COMELEC chairman, the alleged bribery ofcongressmen and provincial governors (dubbed as "Bribery in thePalace"), the unseating of Jose de Venecia, Jr. as House Speaker,and the alleged "kidnapping" of designated National Economicand Development Authority (NEDA) consultant-turned-NBN/ZTEwitness Rodolfo Noel "Jun" Lozada, Jr.

De Venecia says that Benjamin Abalos Sr. had wiretapped hisphone and threatened to have him killed after he refused to backoff from the project. He adds that Abalos also threatenedPhilippine Star columnist Jarius Bondoc for informing the publicof his wrongdoings.

Controversial Dinner party and Ondoy Again, a serious blow marked an another controversy in thePhilippines. In July 2009, Arroyo went to New York City to dinewith her friends at a lush Le Cirque restaurant and was highlycriticized for her supposed outlandish dinner at Le Cirque with thePhilippine delegation during her visit to the United States.President Arroyo and her group reportedly had dinner for the costof $20,000 or P1,000,000 as reported in the New York Post. This hasbeen linked to corruption and anti-Gloria protests to sprawl angeramong the poor, and more people went hungry as a result of risinghunger, and also, anti-Gloria coup attempts. In September 2009,Typhoon Ondoy became devastative throughout Metro Manila andLuzon leaving 464 people dead and resulted to massive floodingand landslides. After Benigno Aquino III took office on June 30,2010, he criticized Arroyo and PAGASA for lack of disasterpreparedness and new equipment in the aftermath of Ondoy, ChiefAdministrator Prisco Nilo was fired and resigned for having a fool-proof forecast as the typhoon struck the metropolis.

Northrail Controversy The Northrail project is being surrounded by a controversysince 1997, Arroyo signed a Memorandum of agreement withSinomach and other contractors in 2004, to construct a railline from Caloocan to Clark Special Economic Zone once tobe completed in 2010. Many opposition senators andcongressmen opposed that the project could cost US$500million and this has been led to corruption in the Arroyocabinet and even her, and also a series of cancellations. Afterit was constructed from 2009- 2010, again, it eventuallycancelled in March 2011, no plans and substitute foreignsupport (Japan for example) to continue the project.

End of Presidency In November 2009, Arroyo formally declared herintention to run for a seat in the House ofRepresentatives representing the 2nd District ofPampanga, making her the second Philippine President- after Jose P. Laurel - to pursue a lower office after theexpiration of their presidency.

Arrest Arroyo was arrested on 18 November 2011 after a Pasay

court issued a warrant of arrest against her.

Protesters clash with policemen as they barricade thevehicle transporting ex-Philippine President Gloria Arroyoafter she was released from hospital arrest at a governmenthospital in Manila on July 25, 2012. Arroyo walked free fromeight months in detention on July 25 after a court issued asurprise ruling granting her bail, saying a vote rigging caseagainst her was weak.

Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo looksat her supporters as she arrives at her village in suburbanQuezon City, north of Manila, Philippines on Wednesday July25, 2012. Arroyo on Wednesday walked out of a governmenthospital where she has been detained for nearly eight monthson charges of election sabotage after a court found thatevidence against her was weak and granted bail.