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87-592: The Davao Death Squad ( DDS ) is a vigilante group in Davao City , Philippines . The group is alleged to have conducted summary executions of street children and individuals suspected of petty crimes and drug dealing. It has been estimated that the group is responsible for the killing or disappearance of between 1,020 and 1,040 people between 1998 and 2008. A 2009 report by the Philippine Commission on Human Rights (CHR) noted stonewalling by local police under

174-718: A unicameral legislature . After decades of surveys, consultations, and studies starting with the Monroe Survey in 1925 during the American period, the 9-year implementation process of K–12 curriculum finally began on May 20, 2008 during the Arroyo administration when Senator Mar Roxas filed the Omnibus Education Reform Act of 2008 (Senate Bill 2294) to strengthen the Philippine education system through timely interventions on

261-603: A "shoot to kill" policy with respect to criminal suspects resisting arrest . Retired Policeman Arthur Lascañas, a self-confessed leader of DDS, claims that the group was responsible for mosque bombings and the killing of a journalist during its heyday. According to Lascañas, the squad was ordered to bomb mosques in Davao in retaliation for the San Pedro Cathedral bombing. DDS was conceptualized by former Integrated National Police Regional Commander Dionisio Tan-Gatue Jr. to fight

348-451: A 2009 report by Human Rights Watch , the victims were mostly alleged drug dealers, petty criminals, and street children. Amnesty International states that killings and extrajudicial executions, particularly of criminal suspects, continued throughout the year. In Mindanao many such killings, including those of minors, were attributed to the so-called "Davao Death Squad" vigilante group. It was reported that local officials in some areas advocated

435-456: A belief by the killers that they were immune from police action. In 2005 the deputy ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices suspended four senior police officials for six months without pay because of their failure to solve a number of vigilante killings in their area. In an official statement the deputy ombudsman said: "The inability of the respondent police officers to prevent

522-584: A break with tradition, Arroyo first delivered her inaugural speech at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila. She then departed for Cebu City for her oath taking, the first time that a Philippine president took the oath of office outside of Luzon . Allegations of cheating against Arroyo gained momentum one year after the May 2004 elections. In a press conference held on June 10, 2005, Samuel Ong , former deputy director of

609-452: A fact attributed to a combination of increased remittances from overseas Filipino workers and a strong domestic economy. Early in her presidency, Arroyo implemented a controversial policy of holiday economics, adjusting holidays to form longer weekends with the purpose of boosting domestic tourism and allowing Filipinos more time with their families. The Social Weather Stations public opinion group has conducted quarterly surveys tracking

696-401: A growing business process outsourcing industry. Arroyo's handling of the economy has earned praise from former US president Bill Clinton, who cited her "tough decisions" that put the Philippine economy back in shape. Despite this growth, the poverty rate remained stagnant due to uneven distribution of income. A controversial expanded value added tax (e-VAT) law, considered the centerpiece of

783-452: A landslide victory. After receiving final military honors at the inauguration ceremony of incoming President Benigno Aquino III , she headed straight to San Fernando, Pampanga for her own oath-taking as congresswoman. Despite being considered the strongest contender for speaker of the House , Arroyo declined to seek the position, hoping instead to take on a role similar to Sonia Gandhi , who

870-827: A master's degree in economics at the Ateneo de Manila University (1978) and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of the Philippines Diliman (1985). From 1977 to 1987, she held teaching positions in several schools, including the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila University. She became chairperson of the Economics Department at Assumption College. In 1987, she was invited by President Corazon Aquino to join

957-441: A name, address and a photograph. Local police stations were allegedly pre-warned to facilitate the murders and escape of the assailants. Witnesses reported that police officers took a surprisingly long time to respond to incidents even where these occurred in the vicinity of police stations and officers neglected to follow basic investigative procedures, such as collecting bullet casings from the street. Human Rights Watch reported that

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1044-533: A person suspected of smuggling rice, the office of the President of the Philippines then under Benigno Aquino III issued a statement saying, "Killing a person is against the law. The President has been firm in the belief that no one is above the law. We must not resort to extralegal methods." Commenting on Duterte, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions said in 2008, "The mayor's positioning

1131-415: A run for the presidency in the 1998 election , but was persuaded by President Fidel V. Ramos and leaders of the administration party Lakas-NUCD to instead seek the vice-presidency as the running mate of its presidential candidate, House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Jr. Though the latter lost to popular former actor Joseph Estrada , Arroyo won the vice presidency by a large margin, garnering more than twice

1218-402: Is "the extralegal prevention, investigation, or punishment of offenses." The definition has three components: Other scholars have defined "collective vigilantism" as "group violence to punish perceived offenses to a community." Les Johnston argues that vigilantism has six necessary components: Vigilantism and the vigilante ethos existed long before the word vigilante was introduced into

1305-657: Is a member of the Philippine Academy of the Spanish Language and supported the teaching of Spanish in the country's education system during her presidency. Arroyo was born as Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal on April 5, 1947, in San Juan , Rizal , Philippines, to lawyer Diosdado Macapagal and his wife, Evangelina Guico Macaraeg Macapagal . She is the sister of Diosdado "Boboy" Macapagal Jr. She has two older siblings from her father's first marriage with Purita de la Rosa,

1392-405: Is frankly untenable: He dominates the city so thoroughly as to stamp out whole genres of crime, yet he remains powerless in the face of hundreds of murders committed by men without masks in view of witnesses." However, despite his earlier statements of support for the extrajudicial killing of criminals, Duterte has constantly denied any involvement in the death squad. In a January 2016 decision by

1479-599: Is higher than in the administrations of her three immediate predecessors, Corazon Aquino (3.8%), Fidel Ramos (3.7%), and Joseph Estrada (3.7%). The Philippine economy grew at its fastest pace in three decades in 2007, with real GDP growth exceeding 7%. The economy was one of the few to avoid contraction during the 2008 global financial crisis , faring better than its regional peers due to minimal exposure to troubled international securities, lower dependence on exports, relatively resilient domestic consumption, large remittances from four-to five-million overseas Filipino workers, and

1566-461: Is the sister of attorney Lucas Carpio Jr., husband of Court of Appeals Justice Agnes Reyes Carpio. Agnes and Lucas are the parents of Sara Duterte's husband, Mans Carpio. Sara Duterte is President Duterte's daughter and now-mayor of Davao City). When Duterte was elected president, he appointed Vitaliano Aguirre II , a former classmate, as his secretary of the Department of Justice . Aguirre had been

1653-484: Is why she was arrested. Duterte's administration claimed that the reason for De Lima's arrest was due to the alleged bribes she received from imprisoned drug lords in order to allow them to continue to operate behind bars, and not her opinion on Duterte. As of January 2020, the International Criminal Court confirmed that an investigation into Duterte's involvement with the death squads was ongoing, despite

1740-516: The 2nd district of Pampanga , making her the second Philippine president – after Jose P. Laurel – to pursue a lower office after the expiration of their presidency. A petition seeking to disqualify Arroyo from the race was dismissed by the COMELEC for lack of merit, a decision which was later affirmed by the Supreme Court. With little serious competition, she was elected to Congress in May 2010 with

1827-580: 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. She

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1914-492: The Hello Garci controversy and triggered massive protests against Arroyo. Key members of her cabinet resigned from their respective posts and urged Arroyo to do the same. On June 27, 2005, Arroyo admitted to inappropriately speaking to a COMELEC official, claiming it was a "lapse in judgement". She, however, denied influencing the outcome of the elections and declared that she won the elections fairly. Arroyo did not resign despite

2001-600: The Human Rights Watch regarding the extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances in the Philippines investigation. He served as the Episcopal Commission of Basic Ecclesial Communities' former executive secretary. On May 29, 2024, Fr. Edilberto Cepe, provincial superior, announced the passing of Picardal, 69, of “ cardiac arrest ” in Cebu City Busay Retreat House alongside Bruno, his dog, on

2088-611: The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) claimed to have audio recordings of wiretapped conversations between Arroyo and an official of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). Virgilio Garcillano , a former COMELEC commissioner, would later be identified as the official talking to Arroyo. According to Ong, the recordings allegedly proved that Arroyo ordered the rigging of the national elections for her to win by around one million votes against Poe. The recordings of Ong became known as

2175-621: The Office of the Ombudsman on the investigation conducted by the Commission on Human Rights on the alleged death squad in Davao between 2005 and 2009, the Ombudsman found no evidence to support "the killings attributed or attributable to the Davao Death Squad, much less the involvement of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte" to such acts. (Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales said she recused herself from these investigations because of affinity with Duterte. Morales

2262-414: 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. Arroyo is the first president to succeed the presidency as the child of a previous president; her father was Diosdado Macapagal ,

2349-492: 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

2436-437: The 1987 Constitution, the top twelve vote-getting senatorial candidates would win a six-year term, and the next twelve candidates would win a three-year term. Arroyo ranked 13th in the elections, earning a three-year term. She was re-elected in 1995 , topping the senatorial election with nearly 16 million votes. As a legislator, Arroyo filed over 400 bills and authored or sponsored 55 laws during her tenure as senator, including

2523-697: The 47th year of his sacerdotal ministry. His wake and funeral are set on June 6, at Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish-OMPH Redemptorist Church, Cebu City . Former Davao City Mayor and former president of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte has been heavily criticized by numerous organizations for condoning and even inciting executions to take place during his leadership. The Mayor of Davao City has done nothing to prevent these killings, and his public comments suggest that he is, in fact, supportive. Human Rights Watch reported that in 2001–2002, Duterte appeared on local television and radio and announced

2610-619: The Anti-Sexual Harassment Law, the Indigenous People's Rights Law, and the Export Development Act. The 1995 Mining Act, which allows 100% foreign ownership of Philippine mines, has come under fire from left-wing political groups. Arroyo was also openly against the implementation of capital punishment in the country, advocating instead for better criminal rehabilitation during her time as Senator. Arroyo considered

2697-661: The Arroyo administration's economic reform agenda, was implemented in November 2005, aiming to complement revenue-raising efforts that could plug the country's large budget deficit. Her administration originally set a target to balance the national budget by 2010. The tax measure boosted confidence in the government's fiscal capacity and helped to strengthen the Philippine peso , making it East Asia's best performing currency in 2005–06. The peso strengthened by nearly 20% in 2007, making it one of Asia's better performing currencies for that year,

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2784-514: The EDSA Shrine, and staged what they called, EDSA III – comparing their actions to the People Power revolution of 1986 and January 2001. Thousands of protesters demanded the release of Estrada. Eventually, they also called for the ouster of Arroyo and the reinstatement of the former. On May 1, 2001, they marched towards Malacañang to force Arroyo to give in to their demands. Violence erupted when

2871-552: The English language. There are conceptual parallels between the medieval aristocratic custom of private war or vendetta and the modern vigilante philosophy. Elements of the concept of vigilantism can be found in the biblical account in Genesis 34 of the abduction and rape (or, by some interpretations, seduction) of Dinah , the daughter of Jacob , in the Canaanite city of Shechem by

2958-555: The New People's Army's Sparrow Unit . Tan-Gatue allegedly used the late Juan "Jun" Pala, a known anti-New People's Army propagandist and radio commentator, to report stories about the death squad, which allegedly curbed executions perpetrated by the Sparrow Unit. By mid-1997, the DDS were deemed responsible for more than 60 unsolved murders in the city. It is believed that the original members of

3045-689: The Philippines having withdrawn from the ICC two years prior, because it continued to have jurisdiction over crimes committed when the country was still a member. Duterte had withdrawn the country just one month after the opening of the investigation. A film depicting vigilante killings in the Philippines Engkwentro ("Square Off"), premiered in July 2009 at the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival , where it received strong reactions. The film

3132-642: The Philippines on July 27, 2003. A group of 321 armed soldiers who called themselves " Bagong Katipuneros " led by Army Capt. Gerardo Gambala and Navy Lt. Antonio Trillanes IV took over the Oakwood Premier Ayala Center (now Ascott Makati) serviced apartment tower in Makati to show the Filipino people the alleged corruption of the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo administration, believing that the president

3219-594: The Senate hearing on extrajudicial killings on September 15, 2016, Edgar Matobato , a former member of the "Lambada Boys" (later renamed the DDS) testified that then-Davao City Mayor Duterte ordered the group to bomb a mosque and to kill the Muslim brethren therein in 1993, an event that another report on this so-called bombing placed as having been perpetrated by so-called "Christian militants" eight hours after Matobato's testified-to time of

3306-521: The Senate, including Franklin Drilon , Francis Pangilinan , and Pia Cayetano , condemned the proclamation as it contravenes "the fundamental guarantees of the Constitution, particularly the basic civil liberties enshrined therein." The state of emergency existed for about one week with the purpose of curbing further violence, illegal rallies, and public disturbance throughout the Philippines. The police and

3393-631: The State of the Nation Address by Benigno Aquino III. Doctors performed a five-hour spine surgery on July 29, 2011. Two more surgeries occurred in August 2011, which aggravated her hypoparathyroidism . The House of Representatives, under the leadership of Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. , issued a travel permit allowing her to have treatment in Germany despite the Department of Justice hold departure order. Arroyo

3480-436: The Supreme Court. On May 4, the high court declared the proclamation constitutional; however, it also ruled it was illegal for the government to implement warrantless arrests and seize private institutions and companies. Arroyo spearheaded a controversial plan for an overhaul of the constitution to transform the present unitary and presidential republic with a bicameral legislature into a federal parliamentary government with

3567-686: The administration, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), the latter led by Panfilo Lacson , also withdrew their support for President Estrada. Days after leaving Malacañang Palace, President Estrada's lawyers and allies questioned the legitimacy of Arroyo's presidency before the Supreme Court, with Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago among the more outspoken politicians to call for his reinstatement as president. Estrada reiterated that he had not officially resigned as president and that at most, Arroyo

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3654-509: The areas of jurisdiction of the officers' precincts. The officers ranged in seniority from police chief inspector to police senior superintendent. In 2017, hermit "biking" priest Amado "Picx" Picardal, CSsR , published “Davao Death Squad” 1998-2015 report, reportedly sent to the International Criminal Court . As the Coalition Against Summary Execution, spokesperson , he also assisted the Commission on Human Rights and

3741-561: The conclusion of the 2013 Philippine mid-term elections on May 13, 2013, defeating the ruling Liberal Party 's Vivian Dabu, who was the provincial administrator under former Governor Ed Panlilio . She was re-elected in 2016 for her third consecutive term, running unopposed. In early 2011, Arroyo was diagnosed with cervical spondylosis or cervical radiculopathy . She was rushed to the St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig on July 25, 2011, minutes after

3828-507: The country's ninth president from 1961 to 1965. She studied economics at Georgetown University in the United States, where she became friends with her classmate and future U.S. president Bill Clinton . 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

3915-477: The death squad included former members of the Sparrow Unit. Initially the death squad had around 10 members but this had increased to around 500 by 2009. Members of the death squad were managed by police, according to Human Rights Watch. These officers provided the assailants with training, weapons and ammunition, motorcycles, and information on the targets. Lists of targets were drawn up by police or barangay (village or district) officials. Information might include

4002-475: The death squads. On one such occasion the National Commission on Human Rights created an inter-agency task force to look into the matter. However, no real action was forthcoming. Later, in 2008 the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Philip Alston, pointed out that the fact that the killers made no effort to hide their identity and threatened parents with the murder of their children, suggested

4089-656: The eponymous son of the ruler, and the violent reaction of her brothers Simeon and Levi , who slew all of the males of the city in revenge, rescued their sister and plundered Shechem. When Jacob protested that their actions might bring trouble upon him and his family, the brothers replied "Should he [i.e., Shechem] treat our sister as a harlot?" In the Western literary and cultural tradition, characteristics of vigilantism have often been vested in folkloric heroes and outlaws (e.g., Robin Hood ). During medieval times, punishment of felons

4176-454: The former mayor's lawyer against cases linking the latter to the death squads as well as the lawyer of a policeman who owned a quarry site turned into a firing range where remains of supposed victims of these alleged death squads were believed to have been buried. Aguirre helped argue against the CHR's investigation of the said quarry site, succeeding in having an earlier search warrant quashed. During

4263-459: The government as assistant secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry . She was promoted to undersecretary two years later. In her concurrent position as executive director of the Garments and Textile Export Board, Arroyo oversaw the rapid growth of the garment industry in the late 1980s. Arroyo entered politics in the 1992 election , running for senator . At the first general election under

4350-510: The government. Arroyo resigned from the Cabinet in October 2000, distancing herself from Estrada, who was accused of corruption by a former political supporter, Chavit Singson , Governor of Ilocos Sur . She had initially resisted pressure from allies to speak out against Estrada, but eventually joined calls for Estrada's resignation. The last quarter of 2000 up to the first week of January 2001

4437-501: The incident, with no casualties reported. Because of other inconsistencies in Matobato's allegations, Senator Panfilo Lacson invoked the legal principle of falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus (false in one, false in everything). On December 14, 2016, Senator Leila de Lima reminded the people that the president's admission to committing murder is grounds for impeachment under the country's current constitution. De Lima said this in response to

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4524-619: The initial criticisms hurled against Arroyo centered on her lack of word of honor. As predicted by SWS exit polls, Arroyo won the election by a margin of over one million votes against Poe. However, the congressional canvassing was quite contentious as opposition lawmakers in the National Board of Canvassers argued that there were many discrepancies in the election returns and that insinuations of cheating were raised. On June 23, 2004, Congress proclaimed Arroyo and Noli de Castro as president and vice president, respectively. On June 30, 2004, in

4611-534: The issue of bribery. Paguia's complaint was based on the revelation of Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio that various governors received half a million pesos from Malacañang. The impeachment case, as of the middle of October 2007, has already been referred to the House of Representatives Committee on Justice. On February 24, 2006, a plot to take over the government was uncovered by authorities, allegedly headed by Gen. Danilo Lim and other rightist military adventurists. General Lim and some of his men were arrested. To face

4698-952: The mayor, you are a legitimate target of assassination." Duterte then responded to a reported arrest and subsequent release of a notorious drug lord in Manila. Referring to the arrest of a suspected rice smuggler, Duterte also spoke out at a Senate hearing, saying: "If this guy would go to Davao and starts to unload (smuggled rice)… I will gladly kill him." For these comments Duterte was attacked in an editorial in The Manila Times , which condemned "the mentality of lawlessness and vigilantism." The newspaper argued that this culture of impunity enabled those in power, including officials, "private warlords and businessmen vigilantes" to take retribution against those they felt had acted against their interests: "They kill journalists exposing corruption and human rights activists exposing abusive police and military men." Following Duterte's comments in relation to killing

4785-460: The mayorship of Rodrigo Duterte while a leaked cable observed a lack of public outrage among Davao residents. According to Amnesty International and local human rights groups, death squads killed over 300 people in Davao City between 1998 and 2005. The rate of killing accelerated after this so that between 2005 and 2008 death squads were responsible for between 700 and 720 executions. According to

4872-414: The military dispersed demonstrators and protesters, especially those along EDSA. Aside from General Lim, prominent personalities were also arrested in connection with their alleged participation in the attempt to overthrow the government. Presidential Proclamation 1017 was lifted on March 3, 2006, but members of the opposition, private lawyers, and concerned citizens challenged its constitutionality before

4959-475: The names of "criminals", some of whom were later executed. In July 2005 at a crime summit in the Manila Hotel the politician said, "Summary execution of criminals remains the most effective way to crush kidnapping and illegal drugs". In 2009, Duterte said: "If you are doing an illegal activity in my city, if you are a criminal or part of a syndicate that preys on the innocent people of the city, for as long as I am

5046-477: The net satisfaction rating ("satisfied" rating minus "dissatisfied" rating") of President Arroyo. She began her presidency in the first quarter of 2001 with a net satisfaction rating of +24. Her rating first dipped into the negative in the first quarter of 2003, making Arroyo the only president to achieve a negative net satisfaction rating in SWS opinion polling. Her rating rebounded well into the positive in 2004, in time for

5133-402: The position of SB 2294; he said this will "give everyone an equal chance to succeed" and "have quality education and profitable jobs." Arroyo, who earned a master's degree and doctorate in economics, made the Philippine economy the focus of her presidency. Annual economic growth in the Philippines averaged 4.5% during the Arroyo administration, expanding every quarter of her presidency. This

5220-437: The presidency in 2004. She emphasized that she would devote her remaining months in office to serving the people and improving the economy of the Philippines. In October 2003, Arroyo changed her mind and announced that she will run in the May 2004 presidential elections and seek a direct mandate from the people. She explained, "There is a higher cause — to change society...in a way that flourishes our future". With her decision,

5307-474: The president publicly commenting that he had killed drug suspects when he was Mayor of Davao. De Lima was arrested in March 2017 due to allegations that she was accepting bribes from prisoners while she was Justice Secretary. Many international organizations and Filipino citizens voiced their concern regarding the arrest of Senator De Lima. Since she is an outspoken critic of Duterte and his war on drugs many believe that

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5394-487: The presidential election where she won election to a new six-year term. However, net satisfaction sunk back into negative territory in the fourth quarter of 2004, and has remained negative since, dipping as low as −38 in the second quarter of 2008. Her net satisfaction rating in the first quarter of 2009 was −32. In November 2009, Arroyo formally declared her intention to run for a seat in the House of Representatives representing

5481-427: The pressures coming from various sectors of society. The Hello Garci controversy became the basis of the impeachment case filed against Arroyo in 2005; attempts to impeach Arroyo failed later that year. Another impeachment case was filed against Arroyo in 2006 but was also defeated at the House of Representatives . In October 2007, lawyer Alan Paguia filed an impeachment complaint against Arroyo in connection with

5568-411: The protesters attempted to storm the presidential palace and the military and police were ordered to use their arms to drive them back. Arroyo declared a state of rebellion because of the violence and prominent political personalities affiliated with Estrada were charged and arrested. The so-called EDSA III was the first serious political challenge to the Arroyo presidency. The Oakwood mutiny occurred in

5655-466: The quality of teachers, the medium of instruction used and the evaluation of students' aptitude, among other aspects. It mandates the effectivity of K–12 four years later on April 24, 2012 during the administration of Arroyo's successor Benigno Aquino III which increase in the number of years in basic education, from 10 years to 12 years as consistent with global standards. On January 7, 2010, senator and presidential candidate Benigno Aquino III adopted

5742-443: The second largest city in the Philippines. In its 2009 report Human Rights Watch criticized authorities for failing to act against the death squads. It condemned the then president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for tolerating the lawlessness, saying that she had, "largely turned a blind eye to the killing spree in Davao City and elsewhere." In 2004 Arroyo had announced Rodrigo Duterte as her special advisor on crime, an appointment which

5829-828: The sister of Rogelio de la Rosa , Arturo Macapagal and Cielo Macapagal Salgado. She was raised mostly in Lubao , Pampanga and during summer vacations, she lived with her maternal grandmother in Iligan City . She moved with her family into Malacañang Palace in Manila when her father became president. A municipality was named in her honor, Gloria, Oriental Mindoro . She attended Assumption Convent for her elementary and high school education, graduating valedictorian in 1964. Arroyo then studied for two years at Georgetown University 's Walsh School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C. where she

5916-417: The standard tactics of the killers was to arrive in small groups of two or three on unlicensed motorbikes. Victims would be stabbed or shot without warning during daytime in public areas such as bars, cafes, markets, shopping areas, jeepneys or tricycles and in the presence of numerous witnesses. Assailants were generally paid between PHP5,000 and PHP50,000 (US$ 114 – US$ 1,147) for an assassination, depending on

6003-479: The streets in masses to continue the clamor for President Estrada's resignation. From January 17 to 20, 2001, hundreds of thousands of Filipinos gathered at Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), the site of the original People Power Revolution . The clamor for a change in the presidency gained momentum as various sectors of Philippine society – professionals, students, artists, politicians, leftist and rightist groups – joined what became known as EDSA II . Officials of

6090-498: The summary killing in Davao City is an indication of gross neglect of duty and inefficiency and incompetence in the performance of official functions." When the four officers were suspended, the mayor of Davao, Duterte, directed the four officials to file a petition for certiorari , on the basis that the penalty would demoralize the police, reportedly claiming, "I have pledged to help [the police] especially when they are prosecuted for simply performing their duties," The suspension order

6177-621: The target. There appears to have been a certain degree of public approval among citizens of Davao City for the actions of the death squad, primarily fueled by public discontent at "the arduous and ineffective judicial system" that created an environment where extrajudicial executions seemed to be a "practical resort" to suppress crime in the city. There were subsequent reports of death squads operating in other cities, including General Santos , Digos , and Tagum City in Mindanao as well as in Cebu City ,

6264-547: The term was adopted by Duterte supporters during the President's campaign in 2016 and used "as a rallying point to consolidate the Duterte political base." Vigilante A vigilante is a person who practices or partakes in vigilantism, or undertakes public safety and retributive justice without commission. The term is borrowed from Italian vigilante , which means 'sentinel' or 'watcher', from Latin vigilāns . According to political scientist Regina Bateson, vigilantism

6351-472: The threat posed by enemies of the state, Arroyo issued Presidential Proclamation 1017 and used it as basis in declaring a state of emergency throughout the Philippines. According to Arroyo, this declaration was done to quell the military rebellion, stop lawless violence, and promote peace and stability. Presidential Proclamation 1017 also empowered the government to enforce warrantless arrests and take over strategic private utilities companies. Several members of

6438-419: The votes of her closest opponent, Estrada's running mate Senator Edgardo Angara . Arroyo began her term as vice president on June 30, 1998, becoming the first female to hold the post. She was appointed by Estrada to a concurrent position in the cabinet as secretary of social welfare and development . As vice president, she was noted by political observers to continuously take a neutral stance on issues facing

6525-483: Was a classmate of future United States president Bill Clinton . She then earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Assumption College San Lorenzo graduating magna cum laude in 1968. In 1968, Arroyo married lawyer and businessman Jose Miguel Arroyo of Binalbagan, Negros Occidental . They have three children: including Juan Miguel (born 1969), and Diosdado Ignacio Jose Maria (born 1974). She received

6612-429: Was a period of political and economic uncertainty for the Philippines. On January 16, 2001, the impeachment trial also took a new direction. Private prosecutors walked out of the trial when pro-Estrada senators prevented the opening of an evidence (a brown envelope) containing bank records allegedly owned by President Joseph Estrada . With the walkout, the impeachment trial was not completed and Filipinos eventually took to

6699-560: Was arrested on November 18, 2011, after a Pasay court issued a warrant of arrest against her, following the filing of a complaint for electoral sabotage by the COMELEC. The arrest warrant was served at the St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig where Arroyo had been confined. Days earlier, the Supreme Court had issued a resolution enjoining attempts by the Department of Justice to prevent her departure from

6786-689: Was assassinated in 2023. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo 14th President of the Philippines Policies First term Second term Senator of the Philippines Vice President of the Philippines Post-Presidency Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo ( Tagalog: [ˈɡloɾja makapaˈɡal ʔaˈɾojo] ; born April 5, 1947 ), often referred to as PGMA or GMA , is a Filipino academic and politician who served as

6873-640: 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, she abolished capital punishment in 2006 after commuting the death sentences of over 1,200 prisoners. On November 18, 2011, Arroyo was arrested and held at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City on charges of electoral sabotage but released on bail in July 2012. These charges were later dropped for lack of evidence. She

6960-454: Was going to declare martial law . Article VII Section 4 of the 1987 Constitution explicitly states that the president of the Philippines can only serve for one term. However, the same provision also implicitly states that a president's successor who has not served for more than four years can still seek a full term for the presidency. Although Arroyo fell under this category, she initially announced on December 29, 2002, that she would not seek

7047-428: Was influential as merely the head of her party. On her first day as a lawmaker, Arroyo and her son Dato filed a resolution calling for Congress to call a constitutional convention to propose amendments to the existing constitution. While still confined in the Veterans Memorial Medical Center for hospital arrest, Arroyo successfully earned a second term as congresswoman for Pampanga's second congressional district at

7134-494: Was just serving in an acting capacity. The high court, however, voted unanimously to uphold the legitimacy of Arroyo's succession. As a consequence, Estrada no longer enjoys immunity from charges being filed against him. In the last week of April 2001, the Sandiganbayan ordered the arrest of Estrada and his son, then mayor Jinggoy Estrada , for plunder charges. A few days later, Estrada supporters protested his arrest, gathered at

7221-748: Was later selected for the 66th Venice International Film Festival where it won the Best Picture award in the Orizzonti (New Horizons) program. At the same festival director Pepe Diokno won the Luigi de Laurentiis Venice Award for a Debut Film, also known as the "Lion of the Future" prize. The initialism DDS has been adopted by hardline civilian supporters of Duterte in order to stand for ' Diehard Duterte Supporters '. According to political science Professor and Manila Times columnist Antonio Contreras of De La Salle University ,

7308-523: Was rearrested in October 2012 on charges of misuse of $ 8.8 million in state lottery funds. She was given hospital arrest due to life-threatening health conditions. During the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte , the Supreme Court acquitted her by a vote of 11–4. Also, the Supreme Court declared the Department of Justice 's 'hold departure orders' unconstitutional. Arroyo's lawyers stated afterward that she no longer needed her medical paraphernalia. Arroyo

7395-809: Was sometimes exercised by such secret societies as the courts of the Vehm ( cf. the medieval Sardinian Gamurra later become Barracelli , the Sicilian Vendicatori and the Beati Paoli ), a type of early vigilante organization, which became extremely powerful in Westphalian Germany during the 15th century. In some regions of Mexico, mainly in the state of Michoacan , people affected by criminal groups like Los Zetas and La Familia Michoacana , created vigilante groups called Grupos de autodefensa comunitaria in 2013. Their most notorious leader Hipólito Mora ,

7482-543: Was subsequently reversed by the Court of Appeals after the police officers filed a petition. In 2012 the Office of the Ombudsman charged 21 police officers with a charge of simple neglect of duty over the vigilante killings. The charge provided for penalties of 1-month suspension or a fine of 1 month's salary. Investigators from the Ombudsman's office found that there was an "unusually high number of unsolved killings" from 2005 to 2008 in

7569-593: Was viewed as signifying her approval of extrajudicial killings . Human Rights Watch also highlighted the inaction of the Philippine National Police and national institutions such as the Department of Justice, the Ombudsman's Office, and the Commission on Human Rights. This official tolerance of vigilantism had created, they said, an environment of "widespread impunity". From 2009 Philippines government institutions periodically stated their intention to investigate

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