Arroyo, Gloria Macapagal (1947–)

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Arroyo, Gloria Macapagal (1947–)

President of the Philippines. Born Gloria Macapagal, April 5, 1947, in San Juan, a suburb of Manila, Philippines; dau. of Diosdado P. Macapagal (president of the Philippines, 1961–65); studied economics at Georgetown University in Washington, DC; graduated magna cum laude from Assumption College, Manila, 1968; Ateneo de Manila University, MA in economics, 1978; University of the Philippines, PhD in economics, 1986; m. Mike Arroyo; children: 3.

Was a university professor when appointed undersecretary of trade and industry by Corazon Aquino (1986); won a seat in the Senate (1992); was reelected (1995) and wrote 55 laws on economic and social reform; following election to the vice presidency (1998), was named secretary of social welfare and development; when scandal began to embroil the president, Joseph Estrada, resigned the Cabinet post to oppose him (2000); when Estrada resigned, became the 14th president of the Philippines (2001).