On June 30, 2010, a new President will take over the Philippines. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s term has come to an end. She’s been our president from 2001 to 2010. That’s around 9 years of being the Chief Executive of the country. I was in Grade 5 when she took over the presidency from Estrada. I graduated college when her term ends. That covers my high school and college years. I literally grew up with Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the president.
This is no joke. I admire how Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo stood strong amidst all the issues and problems thrown at her. I know that she is wrapped in controversies and scandals but we can’t deny how strong a president she is. She never stepped down. She’s one strong woman.
Along with her leaving the highest seat in the government, is a book by Renato Velasco and Ricardo Saludo entitled Beating The Odds. No, this is not about how she broke the tradition by having her oath taking here in Cebu; this is about the most major issues during the Arroyo term and how she managed to swerve the country through each and every problem.
From the synopsis of the book:
…the authors have been able to consolidate a portrait of leadership around six issues that stalked the Philippines at the turn of the century—terrorism, the Mindanao peace process, the drug threat, the global emergence of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), an attempted coup d’etat against the government and a hounding budget deficit.
