- Born:
- April 5, 1947, San Juan, Philippines (age 79)
- Title / Office:
- president (2001-2010), Philippines
- Notable Family Members:
- father Diosdado Macapagal
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
-
Who is Gloria Macapagal Arroyo?
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, born on April 5, 1947, is a Filipino politician who served as president of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010. The daughter of former President Diosdado P. Macapagal, she studied economics at Georgetown University and later earned advanced degrees from Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines.
Arroyo's political career began as undersecretary of trade and industry before she won a Senate seat in 1992. She was elected vice president in 1998 and assumed the presidency in 2001 after protests ousted President Joseph Estrada. Her presidency was marked by political unrest, including coup attempts and corruption allegations, though she also focused on economic improvement.
Barred from seeking another presidential term, Arroyo was elected to the House of Representatives in 2010 and later faced investigations and arrests related to alleged crimes during her presidency. Despite these challenges, she remained an influential figure, serving as Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2018.
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When did Gloria Macapagal Arroyo become president of the Philippines?
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo became president of the Philippines on January 20, 2001, after protesters drove President Joseph Estrada from office. She served as president until 2010. Arroyo had previously served as vice president before assuming the presidency. Her term was marked by political unrest and allegations of corruption, though she also implemented measures aimed at economic improvement.
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How did Gloria Macapagal Arroyo become president?
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo became president of the Philippines in January 2001 after mass protests ousted then-President Joseph Estrada. Arroyo was Estrada's vice president. She had resigned from her cabinet post in October 2000 to rally opposition against Estrada amidst a corruption scandal. Estrada was impeached in November 2000 on charges of bribery, graft, corruption, betrayal of public trust, and culpable violation of the constitution. When the Philippine Senate blocked the admission of evidence during his impeachment trial, a popular revolt occurred. Arroyo then assumed power as president.
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What were some major achievements of her presidency?
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, president of the Philippines (2001–10), brought an extensive academic and administrative background to the office. Her administration achieved macroeconomic reform and remedied the energy crisis that plagued the country. Arroyo's foreign policy also earned positive diplomatic gains. Despite these achievements, her presidency was plagued by political instability and crime. Accusations of corruption and election fixing resulted in impeachment attempts and coup plots.
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What challenges did she face during her time as president?
During her presidency (2001–2010), Gloria Macapagal Arroyo faced significant challenges, including political unrest. Months after she assumed office, supporters of Joseph Estrada, the president she replaced, stormed the presidential palace. Arroyo declared a "state of rebellion" for five days in response to the violence, and in 2003, disaffected soldiers demanded her resignation.
Accusations of election rigging emerged after her reelection in 2004, leading to a failed impeachment attempt. Arroyo declared a state of emergency in 2006 after a blocked military coup. Terrorism was also a major concern because Abu Sayyaf committed numerous attacks. In 2009, Arroyo declared martial law in Mindanao after members of a powerful clan were implicated in a political opponent's massacre. She was also investigated for alleged crimes.
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How is Gloria Macapagal Arroyo remembered today in Philippine history?
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, president of the Philippines (2001–10), is remembered for her extensive academic and administrative background, though her presidency was marked by political unrest. Arroyo faced challenges such as leading a democracy dominated by the elite, stimulating economic growth, and alleviating poverty.
Accusations of corruption and election rigging plagued her tenure, leading to impeachment attempts and coup plots. Despite these challenges, Arroyo's administration saw some reduction in poverty and curbing of corruption. In 2018, she was elected speaker of the House of Representatives.
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Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (born April 5, 1947, San Juan, Philippines) is a Filipino politician who was president of the Philippines (2001–10).
Arroyo’s father, Diosdado P. Macapagal, was president of the Philippines from 1961 to 1965. Arroyo studied economics at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where she began a lasting friendship with classmate and future U.S. president Bill Clinton. After returning to the Philippines and graduating magna cum laude from Assumption College in Manila in 1968, Arroyo earned a master’s degree in economics (1978) from Ateneo de Manila University and a doctorate in economics (1986) from the University of the Philippines in Quezon City.
Arroyo was a university professor when Pres. Corazon Aquino appointed her undersecretary of trade and industry in 1986. She won a seat in the Senate in 1992 and was reelected in 1995 by a record 16 million votes. She was elected vice president in 1998, garnering more votes than the winner of the presidency, Joseph Estrada, who named Arroyo secretary of social welfare and development. In 2000, however, a corruption scandal enveloped Estrada, and on October 12 Arroyo resigned from the cabinet post to rally opposition against him. Angry protesters drove Estrada from the presidential residence on January 20, 2001, and Arroyo assumed power.
Arroyo brought an unprecedented academic and administrative background to the Philippines presidency, but her tenure was plagued by political unrest. Just months after she took office, some 20,000 supporters of Estrada stormed the gates of the presidential palace. Several people were killed, and Arroyo declared a “state of rebellion” that lasted five days. In 2003 disaffected soldiers seized a Manila apartment building and demanded Arroyo’s resignation; the attempted coup was suppressed peacefully. Promising to reduce corruption and improve the economy, Arroyo was reelected president in 2004. However, accusations that she rigged the election emerged the following year and resulted in a failed attempt at impeachment. In 2006 Arroyo declared a countrywide state of emergency after a military coup was blocked; the state of emergency was lifted after about one week. Terrorism was also a concern for Arroyo’s administration. Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group that sought a separate Islamic state in the southern Philippines, was responsible for a number of attacks, including the 2004 bombing of a ferry that killed more than 100 people.
In late 2009, after members of a politically powerful clan in Mindanao were implicated in the massacre of a political opponent and his entourage there, Arroyo briefly declared martial law in the region. She also renounced ties with the clan, which until then had been a political ally. Constitutionally barred from seeking another six-year presidential term, she ran for and won a seat in the House of Representatives in the May 2010 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Arroyo subsequently was investigated for various alleged crimes, and in 2011 the government barred her from leaving the country to seek medical treatment. In November she was arrested on charges of having committed electoral fraud during the 2007 Senate election. She pleaded not guilty in February 2012. The following month, however, new allegations were brought which stated that she and her husband had accepted bribes from a Chinese telecommunications company in 2007. She was released from custody on bail in July 2012. Later that year Arroyo was arrested for allegedlyhaving misused state lottery funds while president. At the time she was in a Manila hospital, and she remained there until the country’s Supreme Court dismissed the charges in July 2016. Arroyo, who had been reelected to Congress in May, resumed her political career. An important ally of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, she was elected speaker of the House of Representatives in 2018.