PSEL 30 – Test

Garcia, Keith Nicole V.

BAPS – 4
201900090
Former Presidents’ Estrada and Arroyo’s Impeachment Cases: The Analysis
Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The 13th and 14th presidents of the Philippines, who just so
happened to be the once owners of the two highest executive seats in the State. The former was impeached while
the other was put into his position, and then enjoyed another 6-year term. It is safe to say that the other had more
time in the executive seat than the other. But why?

Joseph Estrada, born on April 18, 1937, was a well-known actor before he entered politics in 1968 as the
mayor of Manila. Since then, he started moving up the ladder; in 1969, he was elected to the Senate, in 1992, he ran
for the Vice Presidency and won. 1998 was when he ran for the Presidency and won.

The three years of Estrada’s administration was filled with scandals, with claims that Estrada had been
accepting millions of dollars’ worth of bribes, claims that he had committed graft and corrupt practices, betrayed the
public trust, which had all been violations of the constitution. According to the verified complaint for the impeachment
of respondent of Joseph E. Estrada,

(1) November 1998 to August 2000, respondent has received P10 million a month as bribery from jueteng
lords as protection money channeled through Luis C. Singson, provincial governor of Ilocos Sur as may
be seen from his affidavit dated September 14, 2000.
(2) President Joseph E. Estrada violated the Constitution and stands guilty of graft and corruption when he
directly requested or received for his personal benefit P130 million out of the P200 million released by
Secretary Benjamin Diokno of the Department of Budget and Management allocated under R. A. 7171
in violation of Section 3(c) of R. A. 3019, as may be seen from the affidavit of Luis C. Singson,
provincial governor of Ilocos Sur, dated September 25, 2000.
(3) President Joseph E. Estrada violated the Constitution and stands guilty of graft and corruption when he
participated directly in the real estate business thru family-controlled corporation which constructed 36
townhouses in Vermont Park, Executive Village, Antipolo City, as shown in the PCIJ in the article on
President Joseph E. Estrada's family and financial interest. He also violated the Anti-Graft Law he is
sworn to uphold. He filed his Statement of Assets and Liabilities for the year 1999, stating therein that
he and his wife and children have business interests in only three (3) corporations. The President by
that sworn statement also committed perjury and the offense of unexplained wealth because records
show that he and his wife and mistresses and their children have other interests in other companies
outside of the firms listed in his Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

The senate had begun an impeachment trial on November 2000 which was abandoned when some
senators blocked the admission of evidence. Even so, on January 20, 2001, Estrada had been ousted due to mass
protests, and his then vice president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, ascended to presidency.

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, born in April 5, 1947, a product of political dynasty as his father, Diosdado P.
Macapagal, was also president of the Philippines from 1961 to 1965. Arroyo was appointed by then president
Corazon Aquino as her undersecretary of trade and industry in 1986. Arroyo then secured a seat in the Senate in
1992, and reelected in 1995. She was then elected as vice president in 1998, with votes more than the winner of the
presidency, Joseph Estrada, who made her the secretary of social welfare and development. When the corruption
scandal against Estrada came to light, Arroyo resigned from the cabinet post to rally against him. And on January 20,
2001, Arroyo assumed presidency.
 PSEL 30 – Test
Garcia, Keith Nicole V.
BAPS – 4
201900090
Arroyo’s administration was plagued with political unrest due to the recent impeachment. It got so bad that
about 20,000 Estrada supporters stormed the gates of the palace, which is why Arroyo declared a state of rebellion
that lasted five days. Her administration was also filled with other separate political unrests like the terrorism of Abu
Sayyaf, whom sought for a separate Islamic state in the Southern Philippines, who was also responsible for the 2004
bombing of a ferry boat that killed a hundred people.

But the real battle for Arroyo was in her full 6-year term, where the Hello, Garci scandal came to be. It was
said that an audiotape sounding like Arroyo’s was telling a senior poll official to “fix” the outcome of the polls. This
had been the strong basis for doubt for the previous electoral results. Arroyo denies having done anything wrong and
refuses to resign. This had caused mass cabinet resignations, even her allies urged her to step down.

There were attempts of People Power protests in the streets, but they never succeeded.

Arroyo and Estrada, the two presidents had been exposed their crimes to the masses, both caused political
and civil unrests, but the difference is evident; that Arroyo’s alleged crime of rigging the polls was never proven, while
Estrada’s plunder, has been.