Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (born April 5, 1947 in San Juan ) is a Filipino politician. Macapagal-Arroyo served as President of the Philippines from January 20, 2001 to June 30, 2010 .
Family background and studies
Her birth name was Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal. Her father was Diosdado Macapagal , the ninth President of the Philippines from 1961 to 1965, and her mother Evangelina Macapagal .
She studied for two years at Georgetown University in Washington, DC , and then continued her studies in the Philippines, where she earned her master's degree in economics from Ateneo de Manila University and her doctorate in economics from the University of the Philippines . In 1968 she married Jose Miguel Arroyo, with whom she has three children.
Political career and promotion to Vice President 1998
Before joining the government in 1987 as Assistant Secretary in the Department of Commerce and Industry under Corazon Aquino , she taught at various universities. In 1989 she became Undersecretary of State. However, she did not enter active politics until 1992 when she was elected to the Senate of the Philippines . In 1995 she was confirmed in this office and earned a reputation as a hard-working politician. In 1998 she was elected Vice President, while Joseph Estrada became President. She held a post as Chairwoman of the Social Welfare and Development Ministry (DSWD) in the Estrada cabinet.
President Estrada is overthrown and made president
EDSA II revolution 2001
When President Joseph Estrada became involved in a corruption scandal in October 2000 , she resigned from her ministerial office but remained vice-president. On January 20, 2001, after days of public turmoil in the so-called EDSA II revolution, the President's chair was declared vacant by the country's highest court and Macapagal-Arroyo was sworn in as the new president. The subsequent counter-demonstrations, often referred to as EDSA III, were gunned down by the military on their orders and opposition leaders were arrested. Although Estrada did not recognize the court's decision, Arroyo was immediately accepted as the new president, especially by the United States .
However, video material that emerged in 2006 shows that the disempowerment of Estrada had been planned for some time in consultation with parts of the military. Nevertheless, on September 12, 2007, Estrada was found guilty of corruption by a court and convicted.
The chairman of the Philippine Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, described the participation of the Catholic Church in the Edsa II demonstrations as a “mistake” (“In People Power I, we were very satisfied with the result. The second one, we were somehow disappointed because People Power II, with the help of the church, installed a president who later on was judged by surveys as the most corrupt president. That is embarrassing. ")
Former President Corazon Aquino also apologized to Estrada in 2008 for her role in his overthrow.
2004 presidential election and allegations of election fraud
In the presidential elections on May 10, 2004, their rival candidate, popular actor Fernando Poe Jr. , apparently won the election, but Macapagal-Arroyo prevailed with the help of election fraud . a. were also evidenced by corresponding telephone recordings ("Hallo Garci"). Poe died of a heart attack in December of that year. The government once spoke of poisoning murder ( Manila Times , August 16, 2005). On June 10, 2005, Samuel Ong , a senior official with the Philippine National Intelligence Bureau, stated that he had recordings of a conversation between Macapagal-Arroyo and a representative of the 2004 election commission. According to Ong, these would prove electoral fraud on the part of Macapagal-Arroyo. On June 27, 2005, President Macapagal-Arroyo admitted talking to the officer, but ruled out any impact on the election result. About a third of the ministers resigned after the admission.
2006 known u. a. Clinton John Colcol, Official Election Commissioner (Comelec) in South Upi , Maguindanao , that he was part of the group that rigged the election results. According to his testimony, electoral officer Haidi Mamalinta induced him to raise Macapagal-Arroyo's votes to over 3,000 and lower Poe's votes to under 2,000. In fact, Macapagal-Arroyo only got about 1,000 votes, while Poe got 2,700 votes. (“The truth is that GMA got almost one thousand plus votes only, and FPJ got 2,700 plus based on the 31 canvass votes out of the 35 precincts”, Daily Tribune February 9, 2006 ).
The impeachment proceedings were declared ended in September 2005 with 158 votes in favor and 51 against. Opponents of Macapagal-Arroyo continued to organize protest rallies, but these were hindered. Macapagal-Arroyo's former supporter, former President Corazon Aquino , also took part in these actions.
According to critics, Macapagal-Arroyo attempted legal action ranging from a complaint against the Daily Tribune in 2007 and previous similar threats from her husband, Mike Arroyo, to death threats against Estrada imprisoned at his home, according to critics . In 2006 the organization " reporter sans frontieres " listed the Philippines as the most dangerous country after Iraq.
coup attempt
On February 24, 2006, there was an alleged attempted coup in the Philippines . Military units have tried to remove President Macapagal-Arroyo. However, security forces were able to thwart the attempt. However, this representation is controversial among critics.
Macapagal-Arroyo imposed a state of emergency , which partially suspends the constitution . This measure was sharply criticized by senators and human rights groups.
Although the state of emergency was formally lifted soon after international pressure, the intimidation of the opposition has not been given up, according to critics. The human rights organization Karapatan speaks of more than 800 murders by the end of 2006 against peasant leaders, trade unionists, lawyers, church people and grassroots activists.
The UN reporter Philipp Alston , who was sent to the Philippines in February 2007, criticizes the fact that civil actors and government critics are “classified as enemies of the state and accordingly viewed as legitimate targets” by the military, and refers to the poor internal death lists, which also include many of the murdered. "The lawyer speaks of a» political war «in the context of the fight against terrorism and accuses the government of» institutional passivity «, eight out of ten cases are never prosecuted."
Allegations of corruption
Corruption practices were specified in a report by the World Bank (2009). Macapagal-Arroyo's husband therefore always charges at least 5% of the total amount of a project. The World Bank has therefore the support z. B. a $ 2 billion road construction project on Luzon temporarily halted. Investigations are ongoing in the Houses of Parliament.
Macapagal-Arroyo officially campaigned for the abolition of the death penalty . First, at Easter 2006, she converted the death penalty to life imprisonment , pardoning 1,205 prisoners. On June 7, 2006, the Senate and House of Representatives also decided to abolish the death penalty, which had been reinstated in 1994. On June 24, 2006, the law was finally signed by the President. Seven people have been executed since 1994 .
Corazon Juliano, among others, resigned as Secretary for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in 2005 after Macapagal-Arroyo stated in a cabinet meeting on July 5, 2005 that “national security is now at the center of government policy. The state must create a certain fear among the people and show its muscles. ”In return, some social benefits should temporarily calm the poor.
On November 15, 2011, Macapagal-Arroyo was admitted to a private clinic because of bone and bowel problems. On November 18, 2011, an arrest warrant was issued against her. For health reasons, however, she was allowed to stay in the hospital, where she was guarded. Specifically, she was accused of manipulating the results of the 2007 Senate election . On December 1, 2011, the Manila court gave her 5 days to move from the private to a state hospital.
In May 2013 she was able to enter the lower house of the Philippines as a member of parliament. Since July 23, 2018, she has been the 25th spokeswoman for this, and thus holds the fourth highest government office in the Philippines.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.tribune.net.ph/20060830/commentary/20060830com1.html
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/sep/12/philippines
- ↑ http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20080220hed1.html
- ^ "Cory seeks Estrada's forgiveness for Edsa II" , tribune of December 23, 2008
- ↑ cf. http://www.rsf.org , Philippines - Annual report 2006 and 2007
- ↑ cf. Democracy with death lists , Die Zeit No. 20/2007 of May 10, 2007
- ^ Democracy with death lists , Die Zeit No. 20/2007 of May 10, 2007
- ↑ cf. also Publik-Forum issue 16/2006, page 44, on August 25, 2006: Background information on the topic of globalization; Religion and churches, "Money and guns rule here"
- ^ A travel report by Ulrich Duchrow: The Philippine government has human rights defenders murdered - in agreement with the US government and corporations
- ^ The Daily Tribune, February 5, 2009
- ↑ Bayerischer Rundfunk II from February 24, 2007 in a radio feature by Thomas Kruchem
- ↑ a b Ex-President Arroyo has to go to a state clinic. In: Frankfurter Rundschau . December 1, 2011, accessed December 1, 2011 .
- ↑ Ex-President Arroyo arrested. In: ORF . November 18, 2011, accessed November 18, 2011 .
- ↑ NZZ: Elections in the Philippines, 2013
- ↑ http://www.congress.gov.ph/leaders/?l=speaker
Web links
- Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo fansite
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Macapagal-Arroyo, Gloria |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Macapagal, Macaraeg (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Filipino President |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 5, 1947 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | San Juan |