Arroyo Declares Rebellion: EDSA III Uprising Begins

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared a "state of rebellion" on May 1, 2000, hours after thousands of supporters of her imprisoned predecessor, Joseph Estrada, stormed toward the presidential palace during the EDSA III uprising. The demonstration was the culmination of months of political turmoil that had begun when Estrada was ousted from the presidency in January 2001 through the second "People Power" revolution, known as EDSA II. Estrada, a former movie star who had won the 1998 presidential election on a populist platform promising to help the poor, was accused of receiving millions of pesos in payoffs from illegal gambling syndicates. His impeachment trial in the Senate collapsed when pro-Estrada senators blocked the opening of a crucial bank envelope that prosecutors said contained evidence of his hidden wealth. The blocked vote triggered massive demonstrations that brought millions into the streets. The military withdrew its support from Estrada, and the Supreme Court declared the presidency vacant. Arroyo, who had been Estrada's vice president, was sworn in. Estrada's supporters, predominantly from Manila's poor neighborhoods, viewed his removal as a middle-class coup against a leader who represented their interests. The EDSA III march on the presidential palace was an attempt to replicate the people-power formula that had brought Arroyo to office. Arroyo's declaration of a state of rebellion enabled the security forces to conduct mass arrests and disperse the crowd. Order was restored within days, but the episode deepened political divisions that haunted Philippine democracy for years. Estrada was later convicted of plunder but pardoned by Arroyo, and he eventually served as mayor of Manila.