Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

María Gloria Macapagal y Macaraeg de Arroyo (San Juan del Monte, Luzon Island, April 5, 1947) is a Filipino politician. She was the 14th. President of the Philippines from January 20, 2001 (reelected in 2004) to June 30, 2010.

Macapagal Arroyo is the daughter of former President Diosdado Macapagal (President of the Republic in 1961-1965 and who died in 1997) and Evangelina Macaraeg. She became president in 2001 during the EDSA II Revolution that ousted Joseph Estrada amid allegations of widespread corruption. Arroyo was re-elected in 2004, defeating the main leader of the Philippine opposition, Fernando Poe Jr.

She is the 14th president of the Philippines and the second woman to hold the post after Corazon Aquino (1986-1992). At the time she was also the third woman to be elected president in Asia, after Chandrika Kumaratunga of Sri Lanka. In 2005, she was mentioned in Forbes magazine as the fourth most powerful woman in the world. She declared admirer of Margaret Thatcher. She has been awarded the 2009 Don Quixote International Award.

Personal life

Married to José Miguel Arroyo since 1968, they have three children: Juan Miguel (1969), Evangelina Lourdes (1971), and Diosdado Ignacio José María (1974).

Early Years

He completed his elementary and secondary education at the Asunción convent, graduating as valedictorian in 1964. He obtained his bachelor's degree in arts and economics from the Asunción University, graduating magna cum laude in 1968.

Later, she studied foreign service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where she was a classmate of former US President Bill Clinton.

After returning to the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal received a bachelor's degree in economics from the Ateneo de Manila University, earning her Ph.D. from the University of the Philippines in Diliman.

He taught from 1977 to 1987, primarily at the University of the Philippines and Ateneo de Manila University.

Beginnings in politics

In 1986, he entered politics through the government of Corazon Aquino. Her position was that of director of the Textile Manufactures Export Board. After her management, she was appointed within one of the undersecretaries of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

In 1992, she was elected senator and re-elected in 1995. Her party was the right-wing LDP, which would later become an ally of Fidel Ramos's party, LE-NUCD.

He fell out with his party leader Edgardo Angara in 1996, when Angara decided to break away from the government coalition. Macapagal, he then formed his own party, KAMPI, with which he formed an alliance with other right-wing parties.

Vice Presidency (1998-2001)

She was elected vice-presidential candidate for the coalition for the May 11, 1998 elections, for which she would be elected for a six-year term, along with Joseph Estrada, who held the presidency.

Joseph Estrada appointed her Minister of Social Welfare and Development, from where she developed government policies to combat poverty.

After the political decline of Estrada, discredited by accusations of corruption and incapacity. Arroyo resigned from his post as Minister on October 12, 2000, leading the opposition to Estrada, and running for the presidency.

Presidency (2001-2010)

On January 20, 2001, the Supreme Court of the Philippines declared the office of president vacant, and Arroyo was sworn in as president.

First presidential term (2001-2004)

Arroyo was sworn in as President of the Philippines until 2004, declaring the fight against corruption and political nepotism-cronyism to be the main goals of his government. The country remained divided between supporters of Estrada and supporters of Arroyo. Estrada continued to have support within the popular classes of the Philippines.

In the economic aspect, it was characterized by a liberal management and an austere management of the budget. One of his first orders as president was to prohibit his family members from establishing economic deals with government officials. He tried to promote tourism in the Philippines.

On March 2, the Supreme Court confirmed the legitimacy of the government, and did not give rise to Estrada's claims, committed to complaints against him.

In July 2003, the Islamic Liberation Front signed a ceasefire agreement with the Philippine government, formally negotiating peace.

His social policy was characterized by being conservative, for which he had the support of the Catholic Church.

Rebellions against their government

On May 1, 2001, thousands of Estrada supporters marched against the presidential palace and attempted a coup, with the aim of reinstating the former president as president. Estrada was, at that time, arrested in a special cell, built by order of the Government, in the Santo Domingo Fort, 45 kilometers south of Manila, from where he asked the protesters to calm down.

Arroyo declared a state of rebellion for five days, which allowed the government to arrest suspects indefinitely. During the repression, some demonstrators died and a hundred were injured. On the other hand, the leader of the opposition at the time, Juan Ponce Enrile, was arrested.

I'm running with U.S. President George W. Bush on May 19, 2003.

On July 26, 2003, a group of 300 military officers demanded the resignation of the president, accusing her of corruption. The military called themselves "Magdalo," the same name chosen in the 19th century by a group of revolutionary Filipinos who fought against Spain.

Macapagal declared a new state of rebellion, and 17 hours later, the attempted military coup was put down. However, the Minister of Defense had to resign, and there continued to be demonstrations against the government. The president reinstated the death penalty, explaining the increase in the number of kidnappings.

Second presidential term (2004-2010)

Arroyo swears as president for the second time on June 30, 2004.

On May 10, 2004, she ran for re-election as president, running against film actor Fernando Poe, Jr., whom she defeated to get nearly a million more votes. Poe Jr. is a close friend of Joseph Estrada.

Arroyo obtained 12.5 million votes at the polls, while his running mate, Noli de Castro, obtained the Vice Presidency with more than 15 million votes. The opposition denounced a massive fraud in the elections, for which reason Arroyo herself promoted the creation that would investigate the alleged electoral fraud.

Arroyo with his Russian counterpart Dmitri Medvédev in June 2009.

On February 24, 2006, Arroyo declared a state of emergency, under the pretext of an alleged coup attempt, for which some ten thousand people participated in a demonstration against the measure. Justice Minister Raúl González declared that the organizers of these demonstrations will be accused of inciting sedition. Opponents demand the resignation of the president.

Arroyo with the Secretary of State of the United States in February 2009.

On June 24, 2006, he abolished the death penalty.

Awards and recognitions

She is a member of the Philippine Academy of the Spanish Language. And she has been awarded the 2009 Don Quixote International Prize, together with Mario Vargas Llosa.

"...Personally, and the beneficial influence of my family and my husband's family, I have always felt that the Spanish language has been an integral part of my own personality. Because, too, I have always been convinced that the Spanish language is part of our national Filipino personality..."
"...our national heroes, starting with Dr. José Rizal, they were able to express their love for the Philippines in Spanish. The first Constitution was promulgated in Spanish. In Spanish he wrote José Palma our precious National Anthem. In Spanish a huge part of the Philippine national personality was built, and this is something that the Filipinos of today must be proud of..."

Speech delivered during the admission ceremony as a numerary member of the Philippine Academy.