SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE TIME OF FORMER PRESIDENT GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO

1. Synchronized Barangay and Sanguniang Kabataan (SK) elections were held for the first time in
the Philippines on July 15, 2002. The elections were now synchronized after the passage of Republic Act No. 916 which was approved on March 19, 2002 by the 12th Congress of the Philippines. During the voter's registration from May 21 22 2002 had poor turnout, prompted calls for the abolition of SK. Philippineson July 15, 2002.

2. The 2002 Zamboanga bombings were a series of attacks perpetrated on the 2nd, 17th and 21
October, 2002, around the southern Philippine port of Zamboanga City, Mindanao Island. Eleven people died and over 180 others were wounded in the four bomb attacks allegedly perpetrated by Islamic extremists with connections to the Abu Sayyaf insurgent group

3. The 2002 Mindanao earthquake struck the Philippines on March 5, 2002. The sixth most powerful
earthquake of the year, it registered a magnitude of 7.5 and was a megathrust earthquake. It originated near the Cotabato Trench, a zone of deformation situated between the Philippine Sea Plate and the Sunda Plate. The entire country is characterized by a high level of volcanic and seismic activity. The earthquake was responsible for 15 deaths and roughly 100 injuries. Up to 800 buildings were damaged as a result, many from a flood generated by landslides and falling debris. A tsunami followed the earthquake.

4. The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, (Republic Acts of the Philippines) R.A. No. 9208, is a
consolidation of Senate Bill No. 2444 and House Bill No. 4432. It was enacted and passed by Congress of the Philippines' Senate of the Philippines and House of Representatives of the Philippines (12th Congress of the Philippines, 20012004) assembled on May 12, 2003 and signed into law (List of Philippine laws) by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on May 26, 2003. It institutes policies to eliminate and punish human trafficking, especially women and children, establishing the necessary institutional mechanisms for the protection and support of trafficked persons. It aims "to promote human dignity, protect the people from any threat of violence and exploitation, and mitigate pressures for involuntary migration and servitude of persons, not only to support trafficked persons but more importantly, to ensure their recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration into the mainstream of society.

5. The Overseas Absentee Voting Act, officially known as Republic Act No. 9189, is a lawin
thePhilippines passed on February 13, 2003 which provides for a system for citizens of the Philippinescurrently residing or working outside of the Philippines to vote in an election. This act was a consolidation of Senate Bill No. 2104 and House Bill No. 3570, the first draft was authored

in congress on July 22, 2002. The act is implemented by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) with the help of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

6. The trial of former Philippine president Joseph Estrada (People of the Philippines vs. Joseph
Estrada, et al., 26558 Sandiganbayan, September 12, 2007) took place between 2001 and 2007 at the Sandiganbayan. Estrada, popularly called Erap, was ousted from office in 2001 during a popular uprising in Metro Manila after an aborted impeachment trial in which he was charged with plunder and perjury. Soon after his ouster, the same charges were filed against him at the Sandiganbayan.

7. The Oakwood mutiny occurred in the Philippines on July 27, 2003. A group of 321 armed soldiers
who called themselves "Bagong Katipuneros" (Filipino: New Katipuneros) led by Army Capt. Gerardo Gambala and LtSG. Antonio Trillanes IV of the Philippine Navy took over the Oakwood Premier Ayala Center (now Ascott Makati) serviced apartment tower in Makati City to show the Filipino people the alleged corruption of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration. They also stated that they saw signs suggesting that the President was going to declare martial law.

8. The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, (Republic Acts of the Philippines) R.A. No. 9208, is a
consolidation of Senate Bill No. 2444 and House Bill No. 4432. It was enacted and passed by Congress of the Philippines' Senate of the Philippines and House of Representatives of the Philippines (12th Congress of the Philippines, 20012004) assembled on May 12, 2003 and signed into law (List of Philippine laws) by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on May 26, 2003. It institutes policies to eliminate and punish human trafficking, especially women and children, establishing the necessary institutional mechanisms for the protection and support of trafficked persons. It aims "to promote human dignity, protect the people from any threat of violence and exploitation, and mitigate pressures for involuntary migration and servitude of persons, not only to support trafficked persons but more importantly, to ensure their recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration into the mainstream of society.

9. A special election for Isabela's 4th district seat in the House of Representatives of the Philippines
was held on May 12, 2003. Held due to the death of Antonio Abaya, Giorgidi Aggabao won the special election, beating Abaya's widow Asuncion, to succeed him in the House of Representatives.

10. Presidential elections, legislative elections and local elections were held in the Philippines on
May 10, 2004. In the presidential election, incumbent president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo successfully won a full six-year term as President, with a margin of just over one million votes over her leading opponent, highly popular movie actor Fernando Poe, Jr. The elections were notable for several reasons. This election first saw the implementation of the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003, which enabled Filipinos in over 70 countries to vote. This is also the first election

since the 1986 People Power Revolution where an incumbent President ran in the presidential election. Under the 1987 Constitution, an elected president cannot run for another term. However, Arroyo was not elected president, but instead succeeded ousted President Joseph Estrada, who was earlier impeached with charges of plunder and corruption in 2000 and later convicted on the plunder charge but received conditional pardon from Arroyo).

11. Executive Order No. 464 (popularly known as E.O. 464) is a controversial executive order issued
in the Philippines on September 26, 2005 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that prevents cabinet members, police and military generals, senior national security officials, and "such other officers as may be determined by the President" to attend congressional hearings unless the President gives permission to those who will attend the said proceedings.The order was created as two officers from the military appeared during the hearings of the Senate Committee on National Defense on the Hello Garci scandal. It also comes a week after National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales appeared in a Senate hearing regarding the contract of the government with the Washington-based law firm Venable LLP.Arroyo revoked the order on March 5, 2008.

12. The Hello Garci scandal (or just Hello Garci) was a political scandal and electoral crisis in the
Philippines.The scandal involved former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who allegedly rigged the 2004 national election in her favor. The official results of that election gave Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Noli de Castro the presidency and vice-presidency, respectively. Hundreds of national and local positions were also contested during this election. The scandal and crisis began in June 2005 when audio recordings of a phone call conversation between President Arroyo and then Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano allegedly talking about the rigging of the 2004 national election results, were released to the public. This escalated, when the minority of the lower house of Congress attempted to impeach Arroyo. This was blocked by Arroyo's coalition in September 2005.[1] No trial has taken place thus far. Allegations against Arroyo and her accomplices in government are many, including electoral fraud and a subsequent cover-up. The administration has denied some of the allegations and challenged others in court. The House of Representatives, which is dominated by Arroyo's coalition allies, blocked attempts for an impeachment trial. Arroyo's most well-known alleged accomplice from the electoral commission, Virgilio Garcillano, was missing for a few months, but has returned to the capital in late 2005. Allegations persist regarding possible conspirators from the government who helped in his escape, and another alleged cover-up. Garcillano denied any wrongdoing, before his disappearance, and after his return. In December 2006, Garcillano was cleared of perjury charges by the Department of Justice. A Senate investigation is ongoing.

13. The oil tanker M/T Solar 1, carrying more than two million liters of bunker fuel, sank on August 11,
2006 at the Guimaras Strait off the coast of the Guimaras and Negros Occidental provinces, causing some 500,000 liters of oil to pour into the strait. Siphoning the remaining 1.5 million liters

from the sunken tanker, at a depth of more than 600 meters, was scheduled for MARCH 2007. It has been said that the recent oil spill which has now adversely affected marine sanctuaries and mangrove reserves in three out of five municipalities in Guimaras Island and reached the shores of Iloilo and Negros Occidental. The oil spill occurred in the Visayan Sea which is considered a rich fishing ground that supplies most of the fisheries demand for the entire country. (NDCC, August 2006)Haribon sent its two biologists to Guimaras to rapidly assess the damage and talk to the affected communities regarding their immediate needs. Definitely Haribon will be providing assistance to the area particularly for the long-term rehabilitation of the area. Finally, the government has evacuated the affected families who have already been exposed to the toxic elements of the crude oil. According to reports gathered in the field, people have already contracted skin diseases.

14. The Dinagat Islands creation plebiscite was a plebiscite on the creation of the Province of Dinagat Islands from Surigao del Norte province in the Philippines. The plebiscite was held on December 2, 2006, and the results were announced on December 5, 2006.

15. The Batasang Pambansa bombing occurred on the night of November 13, 2007, at the Batasang Pambansa (National Assembly) Complex in Quezon City, Philippines. The blast killed Congressman Wahab Akbar and Marcial Taldo, a staff member of Congresswoman Luzviminda Ilagan, and wounded Ilagan, Congressmen Pryde Henry Teves, and two others.[

16. The Manila Peninsula rebellion occurred on November 29, 2007 at The Peninsula Manila hotel in
Makati City, Philippines. Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Brigadier General Danilo Lim, and 25 other Magdalo (mutineers) officers walked out of their trial and marched through the streets of Makati City. The mutineers called for the ousting of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and seized the Rizal function room on the second floor of the Manila Peninsula Hotel along Ayala Avenue. Former Vice-President Teofisto Guingona, Jr. as well as some of the soldiers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines joined the march to the hotel.After several hours, Trillanes and Lim surrendered to government forces after a military armored personnel carrier barged into the glass door of the hotel lobby and the hotel walls and windows sustained weapons damage. Trillanes and the mutineers were arrested while several journalists covering the event were detained. The journalists were subsequently released.

17. The 11th President of the Philippines, Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino, died on August 1, 2009 at the
Makati Medical Center in Makati City, after having suffered from colorectal cancer for over a year. Her official cause of death was cardiorespiratory arrest. Aquino was first diagnosed to have cancer in March 2008, and was hospitalized from June 2009 until her death.The Aquino family declined an invitation by the government for a state funeral.[1] Her funeral was held on August 5, 2009, and her body was buried at the Manila Memorial Park in Paraaque City. She is

the first female lay person to have her wake at the Manila Cathedral and is the second president after Carlos P. Garcia to have their body lay at state there

18. Ricky Hatton vs. Manny Pacquiao, billed as The Battle of East and West, was a boxing match for
The Ring light welterweight championship. The bout was held between Manny Pacquiao of General Santos, Philippines and Ricky Hatton from Manchester, United Kingdom.

19. The fight was held on May 2, 2009 at the MGM Grand Las Vegas at Las Vegas, Nevada, United
States. Hatton was knocked down by Pacquiao twice during the first round, and again in the second round to lose by KO in the 2nd round. Pacquiao's win makes him one of only two (the other being Oscar De La Hoya) to win six world titles in six different weight divisions at that time (he won his seventh world title in seventh weight division on November 14, 2009 against Miguel Cotto).

20. The Philippine Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez was impeached by the House of Representatives on charges of the office's alleged underperformance and failure to act on several cases during the presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. She became the second official after President Joseph Estrada in 2000 to be impeached.While the first impeachment complaint against her was filed in 2009, it was dismissed later in that year in a 14th Congress dominated by Arroyo's Lakas Kampi CMD party. In 2010, with the election of Benigno Aquino III of the Liberal Party as president and the concurrent elections to the House of Representatives and the subsequent political realignment, two impeachment cases against her were voted as sufficient in form, substance and grounds, and the House of Representatives Committee on Justice had found probable cause on alleged betrayal of public trust as based on the two complaints.On March 22, 2011, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Gutierrez, sending the committee report as the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate which will act as an impeachment court. A vote of at least two-thirds (16) of all senators (24) is required to convict Gutierrez and remove her from office. However, Gutierrez resigned on April 29, 2011, thereby canceling the impeachment trial of the Senate.