Recent surveys may have indicated she is not well liked but that has not stopped Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from continuing her post as the 14th President of the Philippines.
She was sworn in as president on January 20, 2001 when her predecessor Joseph Estrada, a former movie actor, was forced from office by protesters. According to reports from that time, Estrada had been accused of taking bribes from illegal gambling syndicates.
Arroyo is the daughter of the Philippines late president and Diosdado Macapagal and his wife Dr. Evangelina Macareg-Macapagal. She did well under their care and reportedly excelled in school. Upon completing high school, she was valedictorian of her class and while attending university in Washington, DC with Bill Clinton, was said to be consistently on the Dean's List. The magna cum laude graduate later obtained a Master's degree in Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University and a doctorate degree from the University of Philippines.
She joined the Philippine government in 1986 as the Undersecretary of Trade and Industry. During this time, she wrote 55 laws on economic and social reformed and was recognized as an outstanding senator on many occasions.
Arroyo became a Senator in 1992 and was re-elected in 1995 with nearly 16 million votes which was said to be the highest number of votes in the country's history at that time.
When she was elected Vice President in 1998 with almost 13 million votes, 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. Arroyo has been married to Jose Miguel Tuason Arroyo since 1968 and the couple has three children Mikey, Luli, and Dato.