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PRIMARY PROBLEMS

• Graft and CorruptionGraft and corruption was pretty eminent not just during Estrada’s administration. Obviously, we all know Estrada was sanctioned to have been getting or robbing money from the governments’ fund to use for his own personal interest. That is why he was impeached due to his plunder and perjury case.

• Asian Financial Crisis

The Central bank raised interest rates by 1.75%. The BSP was forced to intervene heavily to defend the peso raising the overnight rate from 15% to 24%. The pesa fell from 26 per dollar to 28 pesos to 40 pesos by the end of the crisis.

• El Nino

The El Nino led to too many problems in the country. One of which is the serious drought of lands in the rural areas that cause the unemployment of the farmers and the rise of the prices of rice.

• Poverty

Of the 14.37 million families, 5.75 million belonged to the lowest 40% income group while 8.62 million in the highest 60% income bracket. In terms of percentage to total families, families in the highest 60% income strata got the biggest percentage in almost all indicators. But in terms of the percentage to the total families within each income strata, families in the lowest 40% income strata are not far off from families in the highest 60%.

Promises during the elections and inauguration

• “As far as resources permit, to the best of our ability and the limit of our energy, we will put a roof over their heads, food on their tables, and clothes on their backs. We will educate their children and foster their health. We will bring peace and security, jobs and dignity to their lives. We will put more infrastructure at their service, to multiply their productivity and raise their incomes.”

Laws and Programs

• Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 (Republic Act No. 8749)Designed to protect and preserve the environment and ensure the sustainable development of its natural resources.

Incentives for Regional Headquarters of Foreign Multinationals (Republic Act No. 8756)The measure grants a host of incentives to multinational firms establishing their regional hubs in the country. It also provides a tax- and duty-free operating environment for them, and multiple entry visas to expatriates and their families, as well as a flat income tax rate of 15%.

• Retail Trade Liberalization Act (Republic Act No. 8762)The bill dismantles 40 years of state protectionism over the country’s retail trade industry and opens the sector to big foreign players. With the retail trade liberalization, well-known foreign players like France’s Carrefour and Casino Group as well as the U.S.’ Wal-Mart and JC Penney are already in the process of negotiating with local partners.

• New General Banking Act (Republic Act No. 8791)

The measure opens up the local banking industry to foreign players after almost 50 years of having it exclusively reserved and protected for Filipino nationals. With the industry’s liberalization, at least 10 foreign banks have already established their presence in the Philippines.

• Electronic Commerce Act of 2000 (Republic Act No. 8792)

Outlaws computer hacking and provides opportunities for new businesses emerging from the Internet-driven New Economy.

• New Securities Act (Republic Act No. 8799)

This law liberalizes the securities market by shifting policy from merit regulation to full disclosure. With its strengthened provisions against fraud, the measure is expected to pave the way for the full development of the Philippine equities and securities market.

• Agrarian ReformThe Estrada administration widened the coverage of

the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) to the landless peasants in the country side. The latter’s administration distributed more than 266,000 hectares of land to 175,000 landless farmers, including land owned by the traditional rural elite. On September 1999, he issued Executive Order (EO) 151, also known as Farmer’s Trust Fund, which allows the voluntary consolidation of small farm operation into medium and large scale integrated enterprise that can access long-term capital. President Estrada launched the Magkabalikat Para sa Kaunlarang Agraryo or MAGKASAKA

• Anti-Crime Task ForcesIn 1998, by virtue of Executive Order No.8, President Estrada created the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) with the objective of minimizing, if not totally eradicating, car theft and worsening kidnapping cases in the country. With the help of this task force, the Philippine National Police for the first time in history achieved a record-high trust rating of +53 percent. Panfilo Lacson was its first head.

• Death PenaltyThe death penalty law in the Philippines was re-enforced during the incumbency of Estrada’s predecessor, Fidel Ramos. This law provided the use of the electric chair until the gas chamber (method chosen by government to replace electrocution) could be installed. The Estrada administration peddled the death penalty as the antidote to crime. The reasoning was that if the criminals will be afraid to commit crimes if they see that the government is determined to execute them.

• Charter ChangeUnder President Joseph Estrada, there was a similar attempt to change the 1987 constitution. The process is termed as CONCORD or Constitutional Correction for Development. Unlike Charter change under Ramos and Arroyo the CONCORD proposal, according to its proponents, would only amend the ‘restrictive’ economic provisions of the constitution that is considered as impeding the entry of more foreign investments in the Philippines.

• RP-US Visiting Forces AgreementOn 1999 a Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States, which was ratified in the Senate.The first Visiting Forces Agreement was actually signed under President Ramos in 1998, and the second was subsequently signed under President Estrada. The two agreements came to effect a year later. The primary effect of the Agreement is to require the U.S. government (1) to notify RP authorities when it becomes aware of the apprehension, arrest or detention of any RP personnel visiting the U.S. and (2) when so requested by the RP government, to ask the appropriate authorities to waive jurisdiction in favor of RP, except cases of special interest to the U.S. departments of State or Defense

Issues and controversy

• War between MILFDuring the Ramos administration a cessation of hostilities agreement was signed between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in July 1997. This was continued by a series of peace talks and negotiations in Estrada administration. However the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a Islamic group formed in 1977, seeks to be an independent Islamic State from the Philippines, despite the agreements, a sequence of terrorist attacks with the Philippine military and the civilians still continued.

• PlunderThe plunder case consisted of four separate charges: acceptance of 545 million pesos from proceeds of Jueteng, an illegal gambling game; misappropriation of 130 million pesos in excise taxes from tobacco; receiving a 189.7-million-peso commission from the sale of the shares of Belle Corporation, a real-estate firm; and owning some 3.2 billion pesos in a bank account under the name Jose Velarde.

• PerjuryThe minor charge of perjury is for Estrada underreporting his assets in his 1999 statement of assets and liabilities and for the illegal use of an alias, namely for the Jose Velarde bank account.

• BW ResourcesBW Resources, a small gaming company listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange and linked to people close to Estrada, experienced “a meteoric rise” in its stock price due to suspected stock price manipulation. The head of the compliance and surveillance group of PSE resigned which led to the confusion of the investigation. The events created a negative impression. “The BW controversy undermined foreign investor confidence in the stock market” and “also contributed to a major loss of confidence in the Philippines among foreign and local investors on concerns that cronyism may have played a part.”

• Impeachment TrialThis was the first time Filipinos would witness, through radio and television, an elected president stand in trial and face possible impeachment with full media coverage. During the trial, the prosecution presented witnesses and alleged evidences to the impeachment court regarding Estrada’s alleged involvement in jueteng. The existence of secret bank accounts that he allegedly used for receiving payoffs was also brought affront. Singson stood as witness against the president during the trial and said that he and the President were alleged partners in-charge of the countrywide jueteng operations. Singson’s testimony was one of the vital pieces of evidence that led to Estrada’s subsequent conviction.

What president did?

• With Erap’s plunder and perjury case, he did not do anything about it to prove that he is not doing some illegal acts. He just made a way to erase the thought in people’s minds. Because his market is the masa and the masa does not care about how their president act as long as he is doing something to uplift their sufferings, they do not keep in mind what Erap is doing may it be against the law or not. He just let the government take away his position by the impeachment trial. Erap’s perjury case was different. The Jose Velardo account was obviously one case which Estrada together with his supporters .