September 12, 2007 - Former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada is convicted of plunder by the Sandiganbayan, the anti-graft court and is sentenced to 40 years imprisonment. He is the first former president ever convicted of any crime in Philippine history. Six weeks later, on October 26, Estrada was pardoned by President Arroyo. Because of the pardon, Estrada was able to run for Mayor of Manila and won. He is presently the city mayor of Manila.
Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III, affectionately called "Noynoy" and "Pnoy", a former senator is the son of former President Corazon C. Aquino and the late Senator Benigno Aquino. He won the May 10, 2010 presidential elections and was proclaimed president on June 30, 2010 at Rizal Park in Manila. Former President Gloria Arroyo, was elected congresswoman for the second district of Pampanga. This was the first computerized national elections in Philippine history. Aquino is generally perceived as honest with high public satisfaction ratings. Under his presidency, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Renato Corona was impeached in 2011 for non-declaration of assets and prominent politicians like Senators and Congressmen is being charged of corruption. Aquino continues his anti-corruption crusade. Under the present constitution, Aquino cannot run for a second term. Presidential elections were held in May 9, 2016. Strong candidates were Mary Grace Sonora Poe-Llamanzares, Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Manuel "Mar" Araneta Roxas II and Jejomar Cabauatan Binay.
On June 30, 2016, Rodrigo "Rody" Roa Duterte (a.k.a. Digong), the former mayor of Davao City in Mindanao who is known for his strong stance against illegal drugs and crime, assumed the presidency succeeding Benigno Aquino III after receiving an overwhelming win in the May 9 elections. On the same day but separately, former congresswoman Maria Leonor "Leni" Santo Tomas Gerona-Robredo (Leni Robredo for short) who belongs to a different party, takes oath as vice-president succeeding Jejomar Binay. Both Duterte & Robredo serves a single term limit of six-years (till 2022). Duterte is advocating a change of government from presidential to a federal form of government. Unlike previous presidents, the tough-talking Duterte is antagonistic towards the United States, which has been a long time ally of the Philippines. Remarkably, he is more friendly with China, a country which the previous administration filed a case against at The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague for occupying several islands within the Philippine 200 mile exclusive economic zone. The court decided overwhelmingly in favor of the Philippines in July 2016, China refuses to accept the verdict. Duterte has been criticized by human rights groups and some in the international community for his hard handed tactics against illegal drugs which has lead to the killings of thousands (including innocent bystanders) allegedly involved in the drug trade.
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