Former Georgetown student Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo became the 14th president of the Philippines after a bloodless coup Jan. 20 in which President Joseph Estrada, facing wide corruption charges, was stripped of his powers by a supreme court order.
Macapagal-Arroyo, the former vice-president, gained power Jan. 22 but doubts remain about the constitutionality and legality of her position because Estrada never officially resigned.
Estrada has significant popular support despite charges of corruption and embezzlement, according to a Jan. 23 article in the Bangkok Post.
After two years at Georgetown Macapagal-Arroyo went back to the Philippines where she earned a PhD in economics.
In 1992 Macapagal-Arroyo became a senator and remained a senator until 1998 when she became vice-president with more than seven million votes over her closest political rival.
