Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

Opposition groups demanding that Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo step down were preparing a mass rally in the capital as police and the military went on alert, warning of possible attacks on the protesters by Muslim extremists and communist rebels. The political crisis erupted last month over allegations that Arroyo rigged the May 2004 election, a charge she denies.

Ousted Philippine President Joseph Estrada declared his intention to run in next year's presidential election despite legal challenges and immediate objections to his political comeback. The onetime action film star announced his plans before thousands in Manila's Tondo slum district. Estrada railed at the poverty that afflicts a third of the Philippines' 90 million people as well as at government corruption, crime and untamed Muslim rebellion in the country's south. He introduced his vice presidential candidate, Jejomar Binay, who is mayor of Manila's central business district, Makati.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo asked prosecutors to investigate allegations that her husband used funds from a government charity to finance campaigns for May's senatorial elections. In a nationally televised news conference, Arroyo said Ombudsman Aniano Desierto, who investigates wrongdoing by state employees and officials, has refused to investigate the allegations against Jose Miguel Arroyo because he is not a government official.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo pardoned her predecessor, a move that drew both praise as an olive branch toward political reconciliation and scorn as an opportunistic maneuver that endorses corruption. Former action film star Joseph Estrada, 70, was arrested shortly after he was forced out by the Philippines' second "people power" revolt in 2001. He was convicted last month of graft and sentenced to life in prison.

The Philippine Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the legitimacy of the presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and denied her predecessor, Joseph Estrada, immunity from prosecution. Arroyo was hastily sworn in Jan. 20 after huge protests over corruption allegations forced Estrada from office. He denies wrongdoing. Estrada had asked the court to declare Arroyo the acting president, saying that he never quit and still has claims on the presidency.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo moved to reduce pressure on her government, saying her scandal-prone husband had agreed to leave the country. She did not say how long her husband, Jose Miguel, would be gone. A source said he would go to San Francisco. Opposition lawmakers have said he and some relatives were involved in payoffs from gambling syndicates, but nothing has been proved.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was hospitalized after reporting abdominal pain. Philippine officials blamed fatigue and said her situation did not appear to be serious. Police in the capital, in a heightened state of alert because of concerns of possible bomb attacks, were put on full alert after Arroyo fell ill, Manila Police Chief Vidal Querol said. Meanwhile, a car bomb killed five people in a southern town.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo suspended military operations against Muslim separatist rebels in a bid to kick-start stalled peace talks. But Arroyo said there would be no withdrawal of government forces, as demanded by the rebels, from dozens of guerrilla bases seized by troops last year in the country's south. She also ruled out establishing a separate Islamic state on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo promised to arrest more opposition leaders and crack down on any new protests after clashes between security forces and backers of her jailed predecessor killed at least six people. She threatened a swift response to any attempt to rekindle violent demonstrations in support of former President Joseph Estrada. Arroyo declared a "state of rebellion" in Manila on Tuesday, giving police power to arrest without warrants.

The Philippine Congress proclaimed incumbent Gloria Macapagal Arroyo the winner of last month's presidential election after an all-night session. The opposition repeated claims that massive vote fraud stole the May 10 election from action film star Fernando Poe Jr. and warned of a "people power" revolt like those that toppled dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos in 1986 and President Joseph Estrada in 2001. "To my detractors, I appeal for unity," Arroyo told reporters.

Opponents of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo have taken an early lead in races for the Philippine Senate, according to preliminary midterm election results. Monday's election was marred by political killings, allegations of vote buying, missing ballot boxes and other incidents. Bomb threats and other problems forced election officials to postpone voting in 14 towns, with more than 100,000 eligible voters, in the mainly Muslim south.

Lured by ladies' underwear, herring, free insurance and other gifts, millions of voters cast ballots today in a midterm election the opposition hopes will strengthen efforts to impeach President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. In Tondo, one of Manila's poorest districts, hundreds of people streamed into a busy polling station, fanning themselves with sample ballots handed out by dozens of campaign workers on the street.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was hospitalized after reporting abdominal pain. Philippine officials blamed fatigue and said her situation did not appear to be serious. Police in the capital, in a heightened state of alert because of concerns of possible bomb attacks, were put on full alert after Arroyo fell ill, Manila Police Chief Vidal Querol said. Meanwhile, a car bomb killed five people in a southern town.

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo lifted a week-old state of emergency today after her security advisors assured her that the threat of a coup had eased. "I am happy to report that we have dismantled the sabotage efforts," Arroyo said in a nationally televised address. "I strongly believe that law and order has returned." Arroyo declared the emergency last Friday to quash a coup plot allegedly involving disgruntled soldiers, communist rebels and civilian backers.

Leaders of an attempted coup planned to assassinate President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and other top officials before the plot was broken up and the country placed under a state of emergency, military officials said Monday. Prosecutors filed rebellion charges against 16 military officers, members of Congress and other political figures, including a hero of the "people's power" protest that ousted President Ferdinand Marcos 20 years ago. Most of them remain at large.

Thousands of Filipinos had planned to gather Saturday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the "people power" revolt that ousted President Ferdinand Marcos. Instead, they were left to ponder what had become of the freedoms they had won. With the declaration of a state of emergency a day earlier, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo granted her government sweeping powers to ban public protests and control the media. Arroyo said she needed greater authority to defeat a plot to remove her from office.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo pardoned her predecessor, a move that drew both praise as an olive branch toward political reconciliation and scorn as an opportunistic maneuver that endorses corruption. Former action film star Joseph Estrada, 70, was arrested shortly after he was forced out by the Philippines' second "people power" revolt in 2001. He was convicted last month of graft and sentenced to life in prison.

Ousted Philippine President Joseph Estrada declared his intention to run in next year's presidential election despite legal challenges and immediate objections to his political comeback. The onetime action film star announced his plans before thousands in Manila's Tondo slum district. Estrada railed at the poverty that afflicts a third of the Philippines' 90 million people as well as at government corruption, crime and untamed Muslim rebellion in the country's south. He introduced his vice presidential candidate, Jejomar Binay, who is mayor of Manila's central business district, Makati.

Thousands of Filipinos took to the streets in protest Friday, hours after beleaguered President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a nationwide state of emergency and banned public rallies. Arroyo also ordered the arrest of military officers who were allegedly plotting a coup to oust her on the eve of a commemoration today of the "people power" protests that forced President Ferdinand Marcos to step down 20 years ago.

His resume was impressive: decorated U.S. Marine sergeant; aide to Vice Presidents Al Gore and Dick Cheney; FBI intelligence analyst. He bragged that he had attended meetings of the National Security Agency for Cheney, then briefed the vice president on what was said. Leandro Aragoncillo, one of the highest-ranking Filipino Americans in the U.S. government, liked to say that what set Philippine employees apart was "our integrity and loyalty."