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Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, President of the Philippines. Author: Copyright by World Economic Forum, swiss-image on

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a Filipino academic and notable politician who is currently serving as the representative of Pampanga’s second district. She was born Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal on 5th April 1947 in San Juan, Rizal Philippines.

Gloria’s father was known as Diosdado Macapagal and her mother was Evangelina Macaraeg Macapagal. Her father was a renowned politician.

Gloria is the sister of Diosdado Macapagal Junior. She also has older step-siblings from her father’s first marriage, Arturo Macapagal and Cielo Macapagal. Gloria is a skilled polyglot and is fluent in several languages including English and Filipino.

She came into the limelight for her HELLO GARCI SCANDAL whereby she bought votes that is for FPJ Fernando Poe Jr. Gloria previously served as the 14th president of the Philippines from 2001 up to 2010. She is the longest-serving president of the Philippines since former President Ferdinand Marcos.

Gloria served as a Senator as well as a vice-president other than being the president of the Philippines. Her tenure in the government has always been a success and will always be remembered by the people of the Philippines. Other than being a national leader, Gloria is also a family woman who has her children.

Below are the top 10 Fascinating Facts about Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo:

1. Gloria is the Daughter of Former Philippines President

Gloria Macaraeg seems to have followed in the footsteps of her father in politics. She is the daughter of former Philippines president Diosdado Pangan Macapagal Senior.

Diosdado served as the ninth president of the Philippines. He served from 1961 to 1965. He was also the sixth vice-president from 1957 to 1961.

Diosdado also held a top position in the Philippines government before he retired. Gloria got her inspiration from her successful father.

2. She was a Friend of Bill Clinton while at University

Former US President alongside Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Photo by Malacañang Photo on

Gloria Macaraeg has the best opportunity to study at good schools around the Philippines. She attended Assumption Convent for her elementary and high school education.

She graduated in 1964 and went to study at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service in Washington DC. This is where Gloria created a lasting friendship relationship with Bill Clinton, who became the President of the United States.

3. Gloria is a Skilled Polyglot

Gloria Macaraeg is a very skilled person in several aspects. She is a skilled polyglot.

Gloria Macaraeg is fluent in several languages. She knows English, Filipino, Spanish, French and several other Philippine languages.

Some of the Philippine languages Gloria knows to include Kapampangan which is her mother tongue, Ilokano, Hiligaynon, Bicolano, Pangasinense and Cebuano.

4. Macapagal Married Lawyer Jose whom she had met while still a Teenager

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s official portrait during the 19th Congress of the Philippines. Photo by Einahr on

The life surrounding Gloria Macaraeg has always been amazing. She has been meeting several people while growing up who came to make an impact in her later life.

Gloria Macaraeg met lawyer and businessman Jose Miguel Arroyo of Binalbagan, Negros Occidental while she was still a teenager. Later on, in 1968, Gloria got married to Jose Miguel Arroyo.

The two have three children namely Juan Miguel, Evangelina Lourdes and Diosdado Ignacio Jose Maria. This is a beautiful family from the Philippines leader.

5. Gloria Filed Over 400 Bills after becoming Senator of the Philippines

In 1992, Gloria joined politics and vied to become a Senator. She came in position 13 during her first year as a politician and served for three years before a major win of 16 million votes in her second bid.

During her spell as a legislator, Gloria was so intense in pushing for changes in the Philippines. She filed over 400 bills and also authored 55 laws.

Among the laws that Gloria sponsored include the Anti-Sexual Harassment Law, the Indigenous People’s Rights Law and the Export Development Act. Some of the laws that Gloria sponsored were criticised by several people in the country.

6. Macaraeg became the First Female Vice-president after Winning with a Huge Margin

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo gestures as she delivers her speech. Photo by MARCELINO PASCUA on

In the 1998 elections, Gloria Macaraeg had decided to vie for the presidency, but she was persuaded against this. She became the running mate of House speaker Jose de Venecia Junior who lost the presidential elections.

However, Gloria won the vice-president’s seat easily. She garnered more than double the votes that her closest opponent had received.

Gloria became the first female vice-president of the Philippines. She officially began her term on 30th June 1998.

7. Macapagal became the Longest-serving President of the Philippines

In the Philippines, a president is supposed to serve for one term only but Gloria Macaraeg served more than that. In January 2001, the Philippines was faced with major corruption with the sitting president, Estrada being faced with legal issues.

Gloria Macaraeg officially got into office succeeding the ousted president as his corruption case was being heard. This was a tough moment for the Philippines.

After this major tussle, Gloria Macaraeg remained to be president and severed for two terms. She then became the longest-serving president of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010.

8. Gloria was Accused of Facilitating Rigging to Win Second Term Elections

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo tours the facilities of Startek International Limited. Photo by MARCELINO PASCUA on

In the 2004 presidential elections, the voting and the whole process never ended well. There were several allegations against Gloria Macaraeg who was seeking her second term.

One year after the elections, a former deputy director of the National Bureau of Investigation came out with an allegation that Gloria rigged the elections. The NBI official released a recording which alleged that Gloria agreed with an official of the elections to facilitate rigging.

Gloria denied these accusations and revealed she never influenced the elections commission. The matter was taken to the supreme court which threw it away with a lack of tangible evidence.

9. Three Impeachment Cases were Filed Against Gloria

After being sworn in for the second term as President of the Philippines, Gloria faced several challenges. Several people were not satisfied with her getting to the office. Three impeachment cases were filed against her in various years.

In 2005, the first impeachment was filed after the Hello Garci controversy. This never went through.

Later that year another impeachment case was forwarded but did not succeed. Lawyer Alan Paguia filed another impeachment case in 2005 in connection with the bribery issue. This case was referred to the House of Representatives Committee on Justice.

10. Gloria Beat Covid-19 after Testing Positive Twice

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo prays before the image of the Our Lady of Sorrows. Photo by MARCELINO PASCUA on

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Gloria contracted the disease. On 15th July 2022, Gloria tested positive for the disease.

On 24th July, Gloria Macaraeg tested positive again for Covid-19. This prevented her from attending President Bongbong Marcos’s first state of the nation address physically.

Gloria Macaraeg Arroyo is one of the most celebrated and decorated female leaders in the world. She will always be a motivation for everyone who wants to be a huge success.