Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
probably for sixty percent of the population of nearly one hundred million. After
standing down as president, Macapagal-Arroyo defied convention and remained in
politics. She currently serves as member of the House of Representatives for the
second district of Pampanga.
The return of the Aquinos
The presidential election of 2010 was typically dramatic. In 2009, Cory Aquino died
from colon cancer, aged 76, sending the country into a five-day period of deep
mourning - the former president was genuinely loved. Following her funeral many
voters appealed to Cory's son, senator
Benigno Aquino III
(“Noynoy Aquino” or just
“PNoy”; b.1960), to stand for president; the “Noynoy Phenomenon” posed a special
dilemma because Aquino's Liberal Party had already chosen a candidate for the
presidency, Manuel “Mar” Roxas (grandson of the first president), and the former
leader's son had until then not been expected to run. Driven by nostalgia as much as
politics, support for Benigno Aquino grew so fierce that Roxas withdrew from the race.
Aquino's rival in the election was none other than Joseph Estrada, the convicted and
now-pardoned ex-president, who seemed as feisty as ever. After a keenly fought
campaign Aquino became president after winning 42.08 percent of the vote; Estrada
came second with 26.25 percent.
Benigno Aquino is a fascinating character, respected for his family connections,
obsessed over in the tabloids for his love life (the president is the first to be a
bachelor), a teetotaller, and self-styled fighter of corruption; one of his first acts was
to establish a truth commission to investigate corruption allegations against
Macapagal-Arroyo. He's also made some progress in Mindanao: the island has been
generally peaceful since 2010 and Aquino signed a
peace deal
with the MILF in
2014. In return for finally withdrawing their demands for independence, a new
Muslim autonomous entity called
Bangsamoro
is to be created by 2016 (replacing
the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao).
More controversially, Aquino supports the promotion of contraceptive use
enshrined in the
Reproductive Health Bill
, which in various forms was debated in
Congress for years and finally passed in 2012: however, in 2013 the Supreme Court
voted to delay implementation of the law until various petitions calling for its
repeal can be heard. In a sign of what he's up against, the vice chairman of the
Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said that Aquino's support for the
bill was a declaration of “open war”- this despite a huge body of research linking
a fast-growing population and poverty.
The vulnerable state of much of the population was highlighted in November
2013 when Typhoon Haiyan (known as
Yolanda
in the Philippines) devastated the
Visayas, killing at least 6268 people - bodies were still being found three months
later (see box, p.359). Full recovery will take many years, with places like Tacloban
City virtually destroyed and infrastructure shattered throughout the region.
Aquino's administration was heavily criticized for its slow reaction and in the
following weeks over four million people were displaced. Damages are estimated to
be around P40 billion.
2012
2012
2013
Peace plan signed with the
Muslim rebel Moro Islamic
Liberation Front
Congress votes
for state-funded
contraception
Typhoon Yolanda devastates the
central part of the country, killing
over six thousand
