The
President of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, holds
many records. Elected as Senator during her first try in politics
in 1992, she was re-elected Senator in 1995 with nearly 16 million
votes, the highest number of votes in Philippine history at
that time. She was elected Vice President of the Philippines
in 1998 with almost 13 million votes, the largest mandate in
the history of presidential or vice presidential elections.
She was sworn in as the 14th President of the Philippines on
20 January 2001 by Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. after the
Supreme Court unanimously declared the position of President
vacant, the second woman to be swept into the Presidency by
a peaceful People Power revolution (EDSA II). In 2004 she won
the Presidential elections for a fresh mandate, winning with
one million votes over her closest opponent.
The President is the daughter of the late President and Mrs.
Diosdado Macapagal, who were well known for their integrity
and simple but dignified lifestyle. During the Presidency
of Diosdado Macapagal, the Philippines was second only to
Japan in economic progress in Asia.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, born on 5 April 1947,
was valedictorian of her high school class at Assumption Convent,
was consistently on the Dean's List in Georgetown University
in Washington DC, and graduated magna cum laude at Assumption
College in Makati. She obtained a Master's degree in Economics
from the Ateneo de Manila University and a doctorate degree
in Economics from the University of the Philippines.
Macapagal-Arroyo joined the Philippine government in 1986
as Undersecretary of Trade and Industry. During her tenure
in the Senate, she authored 55 laws on economic and social
reform and was named outstanding Senator several times. When
she was elected Vice President, she was appointed as concurrent
Secretary of Social Welfare and Development, a post she held
until her resignation from the Cabinet on 12 October 2000.
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