Asian women are increasingly becoming leaders of states - in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines. And here is a new name - Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who in January headed the Republic of the Philippines, the second female president in the history of this country. The small, elegant 53-year-old mother of three took the oath of office and moved into Manila's Malacanyang Presidential Palace on the banks of the Pasig River, where she had lived as a girl since she was 14, when her father Diosdado P. Macapagal was the fifth president of the Republic from 1961 to 1965. Unlike her predecessor, Joseph Estrada, who came from the common people and was expelled from high school for hooliganism, she belongs to the cream of Philippine society.

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared her goal in life to achieve "everything that her country needs." Unlike most Filipinos, Gloria Macapagal has neither a nickname nor a diminutive name, she admires Margaret Thatcher and Golda Meyer, at 8 in the morning she already says prayers in the palace chapel, and at 9 at her desk in the presidential office, resting with her family only on Sundays. Fun-loving, outgoing, and populist like many other Filipino leaders, she is also suspicious, observant, ambitious, and domineering. It is better not to get caught in her gentle hands.

THE PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER

Her father, a" poor boy "from Lubao in Pampanga province, a descendant of Major Lasar Macapagal of the Philippine Revolutionary Army, began to make his way in the capital at the age of 20 and "made his own", graduating in 1936 from the prestigious University of St. Thomas. After World War II, he worked as a lawyer in the administration of President Elpidio Quirino. Macapagal died in April 1997 of heart failure and pneumonia, a year before his daughter became Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines.

Gloria spent her childhood with her grandmother in Iligan, Mindanao, and graduated from an elite convent school in Manila in 1964. At Georgetown University in Washington, she received a bachelor's degree in economics, and Gloria studied there in the same group as the future US President Bill Clinton, with whom she still has a friendly correspondence. Then there was Assumption College Manila (1968), Ateneo de Manila University, where she received her Master's degree in 1978, and the University of the Philippines School of Economics, where she completed her PhD in 1985. Gloria graduated from all educational institutions with honors. For about a decade, Macapagal taught economics at Ateneo de Manila, Assumption College, and the University of the Philippines School of Economics.

In 1987, her career dramatically changed direction: Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo became Deputy Minister of Commerce and Industry in the administration of President Corazon Aquino, in 1992 she was elected to the Senate of the Republic of the Philippines under President Fidel Ramo-se, and in 1998-Vice - President of the Republic, while simultaneously serving as Minister of Social Welfare and Development. In the Senate, she participated in the preparation of 472 "bills and resolutions", 55 of which were adopted as laws of the republic, including "On the 13th salary", "On export Development", "Women in Small Businesses", "On the liberalization of banking legislation", "Against sexual violence". As a journalist, Gloria has written for Tagalog-language publications such as "Bali-ta" ("News"), " Liwaivai "("Dawn"), and presented her own program on Channel 4 of Manila Television.

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo-Member of the Philippine Economic Council-

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The Association for Philippine-Chinese Understanding, the Georgetown Club of the Philippines, the Women's Association of the Philippines, and many other societies and organizations that are very active in public activities, unlike Corazon Aquino. She was awarded the honorary titles of "outstanding senator", "best Filipino journalist", "women of the year of the Philippines", etc.

Small in stature (about 154 cm), Gloria does not try to look taller, although in her youth she abused high heels. Pretty, still with an enviable figure, with an original hairstyle, with a cute mole under her left eye, during various ceremonies she looks a little like a Soviet-era pioneer, raising her hand in the air during the official military greeting. She is a good dancer, at least she danced about 25 years ago when she was a professor at the School of Economics, as the author was able to see personally.

Gloria Macapagal married in 1969 Jose Miguel Tuazon-Arroyo (Arroyo is Spanish for "stream, stream"), a lawyer, entrepreneur, and capable photographer. He is the grandson of the famous Senator Jose Arroyo. Immediately after taking office as president, Gloria appointed her husband as her personal photographer, which caused some confusion in her entourage, and also assigned him to participate in a special law firm investigating cases related to corruption in the upper echelon of power. They have three children: Juan Miguel, a graduate administrator from the University of California, Berkeley, a daughter, Evangelina Lourdes, a graduate of Georgetown University, and a younger son, Diosdado Ignacio, a graduate of Ateneo de Naga University.

As Vice President, and in the Republic of the Philippines, the vice President is not "in tandem", but is essentially elected independently, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo almost from the very beginning of her activity - the election of May 11, 1998 - came into conflict with President Joseph Estrada.

ROBIN HOOD ON THE CONTRARY

The half-educated schoolboy Estrada, known by the nicknames "Erap" (inverted Tagalog-Spanish pare - "father, padre, priest") or Joe, with a good voice and photogenic appearance, determined, prone to rude jokes, quickly made a career on the Philippine stage, and then in the cinema. Wide popularity soon turned into good incomes, but his elderly father constantly insisted that his son would " end badly."

In the wake of this popularity, especially among moviegoers who loved his films (Erap not only played leading roles, but was often a screenwriter, director, and producer), where he often acted as an advocate for the poor and disadvantaged, Estrada rushed into politics. He was repeatedly elected mayor of his native San Juan (where, by the way, Gloria Macapagal was born), a small town in Greater Manila, gradually becoming its true "master". And here it "broke". His connections with the local underground business, especially with the organizers of an illegal lottery based on a primitive gambling game of Chinese origin (with guessing pairs of numbers from a set from 1 to 36), brought him such income that Erap could not even dream of with all his artistic fame.

The Bandstand's political appetite grew by leaps and bounds, its financial power grew, and its administrative, propaganda, organizational, and other capabilities multiplied by the artificially inflated authority of the "friend of the common people." In 1992, he was elected Vice-President of the Republic of the Philippines, and managed to fulfill a number of important state assignments. Ramos, including in the fight against organized crime in Manila, and in 1998 became president, gaining a record number of votes.

However, his campaign slogans and promises to "take everything away and divide everything", calls for "redistribution of income", despite the popularity of populism among Philippine politicians, seriously worried the powerful, who soon decided to join forces in the fight against the" favorite of the nation " around Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The country has long been washing the bones of the Stage, who struggled in the role of Casanova not only on stage, but also in life, who was unspeakably proud of his "victories" in this field. In recent years, the president has only officially recognized half a dozen illegitimate children as his own. But this, of course,was not enough to overthrow the Stage. Then there were accusations of embezzlement of several million dollars of state funds, bribery and corruption, the president's connections with organized crime, underground gambling, laundering of huge illegal incomes, real estate fraud-in the secret acquisition through numerous relatives, figureheads and companies of luxury mansions in prestigious areas of Greater Manila for $ 20 million.. Against this background, the long lists of his mistresses that constantly appeared in the press faded.

Bribery and corruption.-

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They are not native to the Philippines, but they are well established in this country. Suffice it to recall the former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, who was particularly famous for plundering his own country, and his charming wife Imelda Romualdas-Marcos, now a widow who has been running for the presidency for many years, although at one time this couple had to flee the country. Nevertheless, to prove the illegal, criminal activities of Estrada, it took huge efforts and large sums. We can say that money was opposed to money. And there was evidence, including very high-ranking and authoritative people who had to personally transfer quite significant amounts of "black cash"to Estrada or through his entourage. The case of impeachment - the legal removal from power-was launched.

The political scandal has polarised Philippine society. The image of the "friend of the underprivileged" has greatly faded, and his former bravado to future voters has been forgotten: "I am like all of you!.. I am one of you. I smoke, I drink, I gamble, I have lots of mistresses... but I will provide you with a good life..."

Many people wanted a good life. Therefore, back in December 2000, a month before the impeachment, according to public opinion polls, half of Filipinos fully trusted Estrada. But the media promoted the scandalous story quickly, professionally, and aggressively, attributing to the president along with real and imaginary sins-child abduction, child prostitution, drug trafficking, and financial fraud. There was no way to figure it all out. According to some reports, two former Philippine presidents, Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos, who were not tainted by embezzlement and corruption, organized and led this unprecedented campaign. The fame of "Philippine Robin Hood" (on the movie screen, Erap often took money from the rich and distributed it to the poor) quickly faded, melted under a hail of accusations and evidence, and went out much faster than it flared up.

REVOLYUTSIYA AND EVERYDAY LIFE

The House of Representatives of the Philippine Congress, after an appropriate investigation, decided to impeach her, and the Senate was forced to follow her under pressure from the "masses" who took to the streets of Manila in January. Estrada was given to understand that it was better for him to repent and resign voluntarily with guarantees of legal immunity. But he resisted, supported by a small number of adherents and supporters. And then, on January 19, 2001, another "revolution of the masses" typical of this country took place, the first in the XXI century: just as in February 1986, when they overthrew Marcos and established Aquino, the people of Manila again took to the street, on Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), which covers the entire city in a semicircle, surrounded Malakanyang and forced the deposed president to surrender to the new and apostate authorities. The January EDS Revolution, fortunately, also turned out to be bloodless, velvety.

Now a wave of "popular anger" has swept through the Philippine capital against the " damned movie director, thief, drunkard and womanizer."

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in accordance with the Constitution of the country, took the oath of office as the new, 10th President of the Republic of the Philippines on January 20, 2001.

Supported by the Minister of Defense, Chief of the General Staff of the Philippine army, a number of other ministers, C. Aquino, F. Ramos, the head of the Catholic Church (and the Philippines is the only Christian country in Asia) Cardinal Sin (by the way, one of the possible candidates for the papacy). With the Supreme Court and labor unions, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo quickly formed a new cabinet that included Vice President and Secretary (Minister) of Foreign Affairs Teofisto Gingona Jr., National Security Adviser Raul Gonzalez, Finance Minister Jose Isidro Camacho, and Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo.

And then came the presidential weekdays-ahead of three years, "left over from the Stage", and six more "their own". The former president faces life in prison or even the death penalty under Philippine law. The investigation into Estrada's case is neither shaky nor shaky, and then a no less lengthy trial will follow. The new president has released some of those convicted for political reasons, but there is no question of amnesty for Estrada - everything has been put "in the hands of the law".

Gloria Macapagal concluded a cease-fire agreement with most of the Muslim separatists in southern Philippines, except for the fanatical fundamentalists from the Abu Sayaf group, who are stubbornly seeking independence, if not all of Mindanao with neighboring islands, then Jolo and Basilan, and appointed her special representative in the Muslim autonomous regions, where, by the way, events are being closely monitored as much as possible in Chechnya. The President traveled to the area of military operations, and with her direct participation, it was discovered that the operations of government troops against Muslim militants "failed" by mutual consent - for bribes.

The "honeymoon" or the notorious "hundred days" of the new President of the Republic of the Philippines were relatively successful and calm. However, the continuation of an important land reform is delayed, and reforms to liberalize the economy are not supported by trade unions and left-wing groups that were on its side in the conflict with Estrada. In general, as always, it turned out that it is much easier to make a" revolution "than to manage a"conquered country". In addition, according to rumors, Estrada's loyal Lieutenant General Edgardo is plotting against her' Spine ("Thorn") of Espinosa. I can't help but recall a series of conspiracies and military actions against Corazon Aquino. Therefore, Arroyo does not hide his intention to maintain the support of the military, trade unionists, medium and rich businessmen and the Catholic Church.

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