NAME OF THE PRESIDENT: Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

ASCENDANCY
TO POWER

NATIONAL AGENDA

SOCIO-ECONOMIC
ACHIEVEMENTS

The Presidency of Gloria

Her campaign platform centered Excluding the 13th Month Pay and
Macapagal-Arroyo
on a shift to a parliamentary and Other Benefits from the
spanned two terms from 20
federal form of government, job Computation of Taxable Income
Appropriating 10 Billion Pesos for
January 2001 to 30 June
creation, universal health
2010. She served the
insurance, anti-illegal drugs, and the victims of Mt. Pinatubo
Eruption
remainder of her
anti-terrorism.
Excluding the Official
predecessor Joseph
Development Assistance (ODA)
Estrada's term after he was President Gloria Macapagalfrom Foreign Debt Limit in order to
deposed, and she was
Arroyo prmoised providing
facilitate the absorption and
elected to a full second
development in the health
optimize the utilization of ODA
term in 2004 which ended
division through various
resources
pursuant to the provisions
projects and policies. Foremost
Magna Carta for the Urban Poor
of the 1987 Constitution.
among these are her
Pres. Macapagal Awards for best
Arroyo faced a tough
commitments to ensure that
rice farm cooperative
election campaign in early
affordable, high-standard and
RA 7638, Creating the Department
2004 against Estrada,
efficient health services are
of Energy
Fernando Poe, Jr., Panfilo
accessible to poor families.
Lacson, Raul Roco, and
GDP grew every one of the 38
Christian evangelist Eddie
quarters since she became
Villanueva.
Included in the 10-Point Reform
president in January 2001. In the
As predicted by preAgenda of President Gloria
2nd quarter of 2007 the rate
election surveys and exit
Macapagal-Arroyo, the
reached 8.3%, its highest since
polls, she won the election
government is putting its best
12.4% in the 4th quarter of 1988, a
by a margin of over a
efforts to give the people with
year before the December 1989
million votes against her
jobs and open up employment to
coup attempt scared off foreign
closest rival, Fernando
strengthen the economy.
investors and traders. For the 38
Poe, Jr.
Employment and generation of
quarters through mid-2010, GDP
jobs are one of the government's
growth averaged 4.6%.
top priority.

POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
The Fertilizer Fund Scam is a Philippine
political controversy involving accusations
that Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn
Bolante diverted P728 million in fertilizer
funds to the 2004 election campaign of
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
In the middle of 2005, Samuel Ong who is a
former deputy director of the country's
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)
claimed to have audio tapes of wiretapped
conversations between President Arroyo and
an official of the Commission on Elections.
According to Ong, the contents of the tape
prove that the 2004 national election was
rigged by Arroyo in order to win by around
one million votes.

The Philippine National Broadband Network

controversy is a political affair that centers
upon allegations of corruption primarily
involving Former Commission on Elections
(COMELEC) Chairman Benjamin Abalos,
First Gentleman Mike Arroyo and President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regarding the
proposed government-managed National
Broadband Network (NBN) for the Philippines
and the awarding of its construction to the
Chinese firm Zhong Xing Telecommunication
Equipment Company Limited (ZTE)