Remember Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Philippine president and the great Manila Folder whose troop withdrawal and ransom payout bankrolled terrorists in Iraq to the tune of $6 million and who wants to buddy up to China’s military? Well, it seems she suddenly has a few problems of her own.
Arroyo Son, Relative Took Gambling Payoff, Woman Says
A witness in a Philippine Senate investigation today said she delivered illegal gambling payoffs to President Gloria Arroyo’s son and brother-in-law, who are both congressmen. Stocks, bonds and the peso slumped.
Philippine president hit by electoral tampering claims
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines could face fresh political turmoil following the release of recordings of telephone conversations she made in the weeks after the hotly contested May 2004 elections.
Alan Paguia, a lawyer for Joseph Estrada, former president, admitted preparing compact discs containing excerpts of Mrs Macapagal’s phone conversations, and said she was talking to a senior member of the independent electoral commission about keeping her lead over rival candidate Fernando Poe Jr, the film actor who died last December.
Damage control fails as Arroyo’s scandals grow
It began as a coffee-shop rumor four weeks ago. Then it started circulating in telephone text messages, which, in this SMS-obsessed part of the world, usually indicates something is afoot. This week, the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo decided to step in and take control of the situation. Or so it thought.
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Analysts and politicians say the latest scandal, which they deem to be potentially more damaging than the jueteng problem, could plunge the Philippines into political chaos similar to uprisings in 1986 and 2001, when presidents were removed from office.
Analysts and politicians are predicting massive protests, and businessmen have warned of “dire economic consequences.”
It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person. Reap the whirlwind, babe.