GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO Essays - Government Of The Philippines

GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO Essays - Government Of The Philippines GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO Primary life Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was born on April 5, 1947, in San Juan in the Philippine province of Rizal. She is the daughter of former Philippine president Diosdado Macapagal and his second wife, Evangelina (Macaraeg) Macapagal, the daughter of prominent parents who worked as a doctor until the outbreak of war in 1941. Reportedly, Macapagal-Arroyo moved in with her grandmother because she was jealous of her younger brother, Diosdado Jr. After the age of 11, Macapagal-Arroyo commuted between her grandmother's home and her parents. Education Primary Assumption Convent High School; 1954-1960 Secondary Assumption Convent HS; 1960-1964; Valedictorian Tertiary Georgetown University, 1964-66, AB Economics; Dean's Lister Assumption College, 1968, AB Economics Magna cum Laude Post Graduate Ateneo de Manila University, 1978, MA Economics UP School of Economics, 1985, Ph.D. in Economics Political Career Macapagal-Arroyo launched her political career in 1992 at the age of 35, when she successfully ran for the Philippine Senate. She entered government service as an Assistant Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry during the Aquino Administration. She was re-elected Senator in 1995 with nearly 16 million votes, the highest number of votes in Philippine history. She also became Executive Director of the Garments and Textile Export Board, steering the garments industry to become the top net dollar earner for the country, and rose to the rank of Undersecretary of Trade and Industry. During her term in the Senate, she authored 55 laws on economic and social reform and was named outstanding Senator several times. 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. When she was elected Vice President, President Joseph Estrada appointed her as simultaneous Secretary of Social Welfare and Development, a post she held until her resignation from the Cabinet on 12 October 2000. 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), after Estrada's ousting from presidency. Presidency Highlights LAWS AND POLICIES RA 7844, The Export Development Act RA 7718, The Amended Build-Operate-Transfer Law RA 7843, Strengthening the Anti-Dumping Provisions RA 8179, Further liberalizing Foreign Investments RA 7721, Liberalizing banking in the Philippines RA 7651, Revitalizing and strengthening the Bureau of Customs RA 7916, Creating the Philippine Economic Zone Authority RA 7640, Constituting the Legislative-Executive Development Council RA 1490, Investment Houses Act (Passed on third reading) RA 7661, Extending the Life of the Asset Privatization Trust RA 7903, Creating the Zamboanga Special Economic Zone SBN 345, Promoting the Development of Interisland Shipping SBN 358, Development of Micro and Cottage Industries RA 7882, Providing assistance to women engaging in micro and cottage business enterprises Women's desk to provide assistance to battered wives and other victims of domestic violence RA 7877, Declaring sexual harassment unlawful in the employment, education or training environment and for other purposes SBN 356, Increasing penalties for wife-beating SBN 362, Mandatory employment of women Establishment of the Movement Against Sexual Abuse (MASA) OCW desk to provide assistance to OCWs and their families RA 7833, Excluding the 13th Month Pay and Other Benefits from the Computation of Taxable Income RA 7654, Allocating a Portion of the Incremental Revenue Collected for the Emergency Employment Program RA 7637, Creating the Mt. Pinatubo Assistance, Resettlement and Development Commission RA 7657, Appropriating 10 Billion Pesos for the victims of Mt. Pinatubo Eruption RA 7906, Regulation of the Organization and Operations of Thrift Banks RA 8182, Excluding the Official Development Assistance (ODA) from Foreign Debt Limit in order to facilitate the absorption and optimize the utilization of ODA resources RA 7820, Creating the Partido Development Administration in Bicol region SBN 1176, Establishing Computer Literacy Program in all public schools at the secondary level SBN 1175, Instituting a Public School Teachers Scholarship Program SBN 1728, Ancestral Domain Bill SBN 1044, Institutionalizing a National Strategy for Poverty Alleviation SBN 336, Magna Carta for the Urban Poor RA 7900, Promoting the production, processing, marketing and distribution of high-value crops RA 8175. Amending the Charter of the