Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Arroyo in 2006
14th President of the Philippines
In office
January 20, 2001 – June 30, 2010
Vice President
Preceded byJoseph Estrada
Succeeded byBenigno Aquino III
10th Vice President of the Philippines
In office
June 30, 1998 – January 20, 2001
PresidentJoseph Estrada
Preceded byJoseph Estrada
Succeeded byTeofisto Guingona Jr.
21st Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
In office
July 23, 2018 – June 30, 2019
Preceded byPantaleon Alvarez
Succeeded byAlan Peter Cayetano
Secretary of National Defense
Officer in Charge
November 30, 2006 – February 1, 2007
PresidentHerself
Preceded byAvelino Cruz
Succeeded byHermogenes Ebdane
Acting
September 1, 2003 – October 2, 2003
PresidentHerself
Preceded byAngelo Reyes
Succeeded byEduardo Ermita
21st Secretary of Social Welfare and Development
In office
June 30, 1998 – October 12, 2000
PresidentJoseph Estrada
Preceded byLilian Laigo
Succeeded byDulce Saguisag
Senator of the Philippines
In office
June 30, 1992 – June 30, 1998[a]
Senior Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
In office
July 25, 2022 – May 17, 2023
Serving with several others
House SpeakerMartin Romualdez
Succeeded byAurelio Gonzales Jr.
In office
August 15, 2016 – March 15, 2017
Serving with several others
House SpeakerPantaleon Alvarez
Preceded byRoberto Puno
Succeeded byLinabelle Villarica
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
In office
May 17, 2023 – November 7, 2023
Serving with several others
Preceded byAurelio Gonzales Jr.
Succeeded byTonypet Albano
Member of the House of Representatives from Pampanga's 2nd district
Assumed office
June 30, 2022
Preceded byMikey Arroyo
In office
June 30, 2010 – June 30, 2019
Preceded byMikey Arroyo
Succeeded byMikey Arroyo
Presidential Adviser on Clark Flagship Programs and Projects
In office
November 26, 2020 – October 4, 2021
PresidentRodrigo Duterte
Undersecretary of the Department of Trade and Industry
In office
1987–1992
PresidentCorazon Aquino
Chair of the Lakas–CMD
In office
2008–2009
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byGilbert Teodoro
Personal details
Born
Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal

(1947-04-05) April 5, 1947 (age 77)
Manila, Philippines
Political partyLakas–CMD (2008–2017; 2020–present)[1]
Other political
affiliations
Spouse
(m. 1968)
Children3, including Mikey and Dato
Parents
Alma mater
OccupationPolitician
Profession
  • Economist
  • professor
Signature

Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (Tagalog: [ˈɡloɾja makapaˈɡal ʔaˈɾojo]; born April 5, 1947[3]), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010. She is the longest-serving president since Ferdinand Marcos. Before her presidency, she was the 10th vice president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001 under President Joseph Estrada, becoming the first female vice president. She was also a senator from 1992 to 1998. After her presidency, she was elected as the representative of Pampanga's 2nd district in 2010 and continues to serve in this role. She also served as the speaker of the House from 2018 to 2019, and as deputy speaker from 2016 to 2017 and 2022 to 2023. Alongside former president Sergio Osmeña, she is one of only two Filipinos to hold at least three of the four highest offices: vice president, president, and house speaker.[4]

Arroyo is the first president to succeed the presidency as the child of a previous president; her father was Diosdado Macapagal, the country's ninth president from 1961 to 1965.[5] She studied economics at Georgetown University in the United States, where she became friends with her classmate and future U.S. president Bill Clinton.[6] She then became a professor of economics at the Ateneo de Manila University, where her eventual successor, President Benigno Aquino III, was one of her students. She entered government in 1987 as assistant secretary and undersecretary of the Department of Trade and Industry under President Corazon Aquino, Benigno's mother.

After Estrada was accused of corruption, Arroyo resigned from her cabinet position as secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and joined the opposition against the president. Estrada was ousted by the Second EDSA Revolution in 2001, and Arroyo was sworn in as president by Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. on January 20. The Oakwood mutiny occurred in 2003 during her administration.[7][8] She was elected to a full six-year term in the controversial 2004 presidential election and was sworn in on June 30, 2004. A long-time opponent of the death penalty,[9] she abolished capital punishment in 2006 after commuting the death sentences of over 1,200 prisoners.[10][11]

On November 18, 2011, Arroyo was arrested and held at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City on charges of electoral sabotage[12][13] but released on bail in July 2012. These charges were later dropped for lack of evidence. She was rearrested in October 2012 on charges of misuse of $8.8 million in state lottery funds.[14] She was given hospital arrest due to life-threatening health conditions.[15] During the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, the Supreme Court acquitted her by a vote of 11–4.[16] Also, the Supreme Court declared the Department of Justice's 'hold departure orders' unconstitutional.[17][18] Arroyo's lawyers stated afterward that she no longer needed her medical paraphernalia.[19]

Arroyo is a member of the Philippine Academy of the Spanish Language[20] and supported the teaching of Spanish in the country's education system during her presidency.[21]


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ Cepeda, Mara (March 9, 2020). "Arroyo, De Venecia reunite as Lakas-CMD vow to 'win' members back". Rappler. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  2. ^ Rosario, Ben (October 11, 2017). "Gloria joins ruling PDP Laban". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference CBIY was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "NEW SPEAKER? Gloria takes seat at House rostrum, Alvarez welcomes Duterte". GMA News Online. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  5. ^ "GMA sets unique records among former presidential children". www.pna.gov.ph. Retrieved September 19, 2022.
  6. ^ "Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | Biography, Achievements, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  7. ^ "Microsoft Word - TF Philippine Flag 2003-12.doc" (PDF). Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  8. ^ "THE DAILY TRIBUNE On the Web!". Daily Tribune. September 28, 2007. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference MSdud was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ "Philippines bans death penalty". Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera Media Network. June 24, 2006. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  11. ^ "Philippines: Largest ever commutation of death sentences". Amnesty International. April 19, 2006. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  12. ^ "Arroyo arrives at VMMC". SunStar. December 9, 2011. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
  13. ^ Kathrina Alvarez (January 18, 2012). "Corona revealed bias vs President: Aquino ally". SunStar. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
  14. ^ Whaley, Floyd (October 4, 2012). "Philippines Ex-President Is Arrested in Hospital on New Charges". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  15. ^ Paterno Esmaquel II. "GMA's 'life-threatening condition' revealed". Rappler.
  16. ^ "SC upholds Arroyo's plunder acquittal with finality". ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs. April 18, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  17. ^ "SC: DOJ's watch list order unconstitutional". Philstar.com. April 18, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  18. ^ "SC declares DOJ 'hold departure orders' unconstitutional". Inquirer. April 18, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  19. ^ "Former President Arroyo's neck brace not needed 24/7 – lawyer". cnn. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  20. ^ "El director de la RAE preside en Manila una sesión de la Academia Filipina". Real Academia Española (in Spanish). July 6, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  21. ^ Ronda, Rainier Allan (December 13, 2007). "Spanish to be Restored in College Curriculum". Philstar Global. Retrieved January 27, 2022.