Joseph Estrada facts for kids
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Joseph Estrada
KGCR
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Estrada in 1998
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| 13th President of the Philippines | |
| In office June 30, 1998 – January 20, 2001 |
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| Vice President | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| Preceded by | Fidel V. Ramos |
| Succeeded by | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| 9th Vice President of the Philippines | |
| In office June 30, 1992 – June 30, 1998 |
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| President | Fidel V. Ramos |
| Preceded by | Salvador Laurel |
| Succeeded by | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| 26th Mayor of Manila | |
| In office June 30, 2013 – June 30, 2019 |
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| Vice Mayor |
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| Preceded by | Alfredo Lim |
| Succeeded by | Isko Moreno |
| 18th Secretary of the Interior and Local Government | |
| In office June 30, 1998 – April 12, 1999 |
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| President | Himself |
| Preceded by | Sonny Collantes (OIC) |
| Succeeded by | Ronaldo Puno |
| Chairman of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission | |
| In office 1992–1997 |
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| President | Fidel V. Ramos |
| Senator of the Philippines | |
| In office June 30, 1987 – June 30, 1992 |
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| Mayor of San Juan | |
| In office August 5, 1969 – March 26, 1986 |
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| Preceded by | Braulio Santo Domingo |
| Succeeded by | Reynaldo San Pascual |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jose Marcelo Ejercito
April 19, 1937 Tondo, Manila, Philippine Commonwealth |
| Political party | PMP (1991–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
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| Spouse | |
| Children | 11 (incl. Jose Jr., Joseph Victor, Jude and Juan Emilio) |
| Residence | Santa Mesa, Manila |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation | Actor, politician |
| Profession | Businessman |
| Signature |  |
Joseph Ejercito Estrada KGCR (Tagalog: [ɛhɛɹˈsɪtɔ ɛsˈtɾada]; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th President of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th Vice President of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998, and the 26th Mayor of the City of Manila, the country's capital, from 2013 to 2019. In 2001, he became the first Chief Executive in Asia to be formally impeached and resigned from power. At the age of 87, he is currently the oldest living former Philippine president.
Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over a hundred films in an acting career spanning some three decades. He also worked as a model, beginning as a fashion and ramp model at the age of 13. He used his popularity as an actor to make gains in politics, serving as mayor of San Juan from 1969 to 1986, as senator from 1987 to 1992, then as vice president under President Fidel V. Ramos from 1992 to 1998.
Estrada was elected president in 1998 with a wide margin of votes separating him from the other challengers and was sworn into the presidency on June 30, 1998. In 2000, he declared an "all-out-war" against Moro Islamic Liberation Front and captured its headquarters and other camps. Allegations of corruption spawned an impeachment trial in the Senate, and in 2001 Estrada was ousted by EDSA II after the prosecution walked out of the impeachment court when the senator-judges voted not to open an envelope that allegedly contained incriminating evidence against him. After his arrest on April 25, 2001 on charges of plunder, his supporters rallied and marched to Malacañang Palace and attempted to storm the premises in EDSA III.
In 2007, Estrada was sentenced by a special division of the Sandiganbayan to reclusión perpetua under a charge of plunder for the embezzlement of the $80 million from the government but was later granted a pardon by the president and his former deputy, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He ran for president again in the 2010 presidential election but was defeated by Senator Benigno Aquino III by a wide margin. He later served as mayor of Manila for two terms, from 2013 to 2019.
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Early life and education
Jose Marcelo Ejercito was born at 8:25 pm on April 19, 1937 in Tondo, an urban district of Manila. His family later moved to the wealthy suburb of San Juan, then a municipality in the province of Rizal. He belonged to a wealthy family and was the eighth of ten children of Emilio Ejercito Sr. (1898–1977) and his wife, Maria Marcelo (1905–2009). After graduating from the Ateneo Elementary School in 1951, he was expelled during his second year of secondary studies at the Ateneo High School for disciplinary conduct. Later during college, he enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering course at the Mapúa Institute of Technology to please his father. He would leave once again and later transferred to Central Colleges of the Philippines College of Engineering but dropped out.
In his twenties, he began a career as a drama actor, usually playing the role of the villain/antagonist. He adopted the stage name "Joseph Estrada", as his mother objected to his chosen career and his decision to quit schooling multiple times. He also acquired the nickname "Erap" (a play on the Tagalog slang "pare", meaning 'buddy') from his friend, fellow actor Fernando Poe Jr.
Career
Film actor
Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over a hundred films in an acting career spanning some three decades.
In 1974, Estrada founded the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation (Mowelfund), which helps filmmakers through medical reimbursements, hospitalization, surgery and death benefits, livelihood, alternative income opportunities, and housing. Its educational arm, the Mowelfund Film Institute, has produced some of the most skilled and respected producers, filmmakers, writers, and performers in both the independent and mainstream sectors of the industry since its inception in 1979. He also founded, together with Guillermo de Vega, the first Metro Manila Film Festival in 1975.
Entry into politics
Mayor of San Juan (1969–1986)
Estrada entered politics in 1967, running for mayor of San Juan, failing and only succeeding in 1969 after winning an electoral protest against Braulio Sto. Domingo. His administration achieved many infrastructure developments. These included the establishment of the first Municipal High School, the Agora complex, a modern slaughterhouse, a sprawling government center with a post office, a mini-park, and the paving of 98 percent of the town's roads and alleys.
As mayor, he paid particular attention to the elementary education of children by improving and renovating school buildings, constructing additional school structures, health centers, barangay halls, and playgrounds in all barangays, and providing artesian wells to areas with low water supply. He relocated some 1,800 squatter families out of San Juan to Taytay, Rizal, at no cost. He was also the first mayor to computerize the assessment of the Real Estate Tax at the Municipal Assessor's Office. When Corazon Aquino assumed the presidency in 1986, all elected officials of the local government were forcibly removed and replaced by appointed officers-in-charge, including Estrada
Senator of the Philippines (1987–1992)
In 1987, Estrada won a seat in the Senate under the Grand Alliance for Democracy (GAD) placing 14th in the elections (out of 24 winners). He was appointed Chairman of the Committee on Public Works. He was Vice-Chairman of the Committees on Health, Natural Resources and Ecology, and Urban Planning.
In the Senate, Estrada sponsored bills on irrigation projects and the protection and propagation of the carabao, the beast of burden in the rural areas.
Estrada and eleven other senators (dubbed the "Magnificent 12" in media coverage) voted to terminate the RP-US Military Bases Agreement in 1991, leading to the withdrawal of American servicemen from the Clark Air Base in Pampanga and the Subic Naval Base in Zambales.
In 1989, the Free Press cited him as one of the Three Outstanding Senators of the Year. He was conferred the degree of Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa by the University of Pangasinan in 1990, and by the Bicol University in April 1997.
Vice presidency (1992–1998)
In 1992, Estrada initially ran for president under the Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), with Vicente Rivera Jr. as his running mate and fellow actor Fernando Poe Jr. as his campaign manager. The Philippine film industry called for a 60-day "moratorium" on all film projects by March for industry figures to help Estrada's presidential campaign. However, Estrada reluctantly withdrew his bid on March 30 due to financial issues and instead became the running mate of Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. under the Nationalist People's Coalition; Estrada expressed that the decision was "very painful, if not traumatic". Though Cojuangco lost to former National Defense Secretary Fidel V. Ramos for the presidency, Estrada won the vice-presidency garnering more votes than his closest opponent Marcelo Fernan, Ramon Mitra Jr.'s running mate.
As vice president, Estrada was the chair of President Ramos' Presidential Anti-Crime Commission (PACC). Estrada arrested criminal warlords and kidnapping syndicates. He repeatedly topped surveys on government officials' performance conducted by the Social Weather Stations within his first two years as vice president and was named "Man of the Year" by ABS-CBN for 1993. He resigned as chair in 1997.
In the same year Estrada, together with former president Corazon Aquino, Cardinal Jaime Sin, Senator Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and other political leaders, led an anti-charter change rally that brought in an estimated half a million people to Rizal Park against the charter change moves by Ramos and his supporters.
In early 1993, Estrada established Club 419 in Cafe Ysabel within San Juan as a private men's club for him and his friends, including Poe.
Presidency (1998–2001)
| Presidential styles of Joseph Ejercito Estrada |
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| Reference style | His Excellency |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Alternative style | Mr. President |
On June 30, 1998, Estrada took his oath of office at the historic Barasoain Chruch in Malolos, Bulacan. He also gave his inaugural address at the Quirino Grandstand where he promised to bring peace and harmony to the people and pledged to fight corruption and continue the economic reforms of the previous Ramos administration. The elected vice-president was Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from the LAKAS-NUCD.
"Erap Para sa Mahirap" became the campaign slogan of the presidency. He drove his election campaign vehicle JEEP, which meant Justice, Economy, Environment, and Peace.
Estrada was the first president to use a special name as his official address name, combining his real family name, Ejercito, with his screen name, thus forming "Joseph Ejercito Estrada". Estrada was inaugurated on June 30, 1998, in the historical town of Malolos in Bulacan province in paying tribute to the cradle of the First Philippine Republic. That afternoon the new president delivered his inaugural address at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta. He assumed office amid the Asian Financial Crisis and with agricultural problems due to poor weather conditions, thereby slowing the economic growth to −0.6% in 1998 from 5.2% in 1997. The economy recovered by 3.4% in 1999 and 4% in 2000. .....
On January 19, 2001, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Angelo Reyes, seeing the political upheaval throughout the country, decided to "withdraw his support" of Estrada and pay his allegiance to the vice president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Resignation
The following day, the Supreme Court declared the presidency vacant, saying that Estrada had resigned the office. At noon, the chief justice swore in Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as president of the Philippines. The Supreme Court on March 2, 2001, upheld the constitutionality of Estrada's resignation in a unanimous 13–0 decision in Estrada vs. Desierto.
Administration and cabinet
Post-presidency (2001–present)
Estrada returned to his old home in San Juan. He maintained that he never resigned, implying that Arroyo's government was illegitimate.
The new government created a special court and charged him with plunder and had him arrested in April. His supporters marched to the EDSA Shrine demanding Estrada's release and his reinstatement as president but were dispersed by high-grade teargas and warning shots from automatic rifles. On the morning of May 1, the protesters marched straight to Malacañang Palace. Violence erupted and the government declared a state of rebellion. Many protesters were injured and arrested, including politicians. The government called out the military and was able to quell the demonstration with tear gas and automatic rifles. The uprising came to be known as EDSA III.
Estrada was initially detained at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City and then transferred to a military facility in Tanay, Rizal,[1] but he was later transferred to a nearby vacation home, virtually under house arrest. Under Philippine law, plunder had the maximum penalty of death; the death penalty was eventually repealed.
2010 presidential election
During the 2010 presidential election, Estrada stated in interviews that he would be willing to run for the opposition if they would be unable to unite behind a single candidate. Fr. Joaquin Bernas and Christian Monsod, members of the constitutional commission that drafted the 1987 Constitution, stated that the constitution prohibited any elected president from seeking a second term at any point in time. Romulo Macalintal, election counsel of President Arroyo, clarified that the constitutional ban did not prevent Estrada from attaining the presidency if he were to be elevated from the vice-presidency, for example. Rufus Rodriquez, one of Estrada's lawyers, claimed that Estrada was within his rights to do so because the prohibition banning re-election only applied to the incumbent president.
On October 22, 2009, Estrada announced that he would run again for president with Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay as his running mate.
His senatorial lineup included Francisco Tatad, Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, Joey de Venecia, and Miriam Defensor Santiago. He lost to Senator Benigno Aquino III in the election.
Other activities
In 1972, Estrada starred in Blood Compact.
In October 2010, the magazine Foreign Policy included Estrada in its list of five former heads of states/governments who did not make "a positive difference in the world", but "faded away into obscurity." Also included in this "Bad Exes" list were Thailand's Thaksin Shinawatra, Spain's Jose Maria Aznar, and Germany's Gerhard Schroder.
Estrada announced in November 2010 that he would be selling his 3,000-square-meter (32,000 sq ft) home in San Juan for about 200 million Philippine pesos to pursue his real estate business. Agence France Presse reported that Estrada "has put up two high-rise residential condominium buildings and plans to build a third soon."
Mayor of Manila (2013–2019)
In May 2012, Estrada announced his intention to run for mayor of Manila in the 2013 elections to continue his political career.
Around noon of May 14, 2013, the day after the conduct of the 2013 Philippine mid-term elections, Estrada and his running-mate and re-electionist Vice Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso were proclaimed mayor-elect and vice mayor-elect, respectively, by the City Board of Canvassers for the City of Manila. When Estrada assumed office on June 30, 2013, the city government coffers were practically bankrupt as his administration inherited as much as ₱5 or 8 billion in debts. During his first term as mayor of Manila, Estrada implemented a city-wide bus ban, truck ban, and revival program especially on Escolta Street. In 2015, Estrada declared the city debt-free after instituting various fiscal reforms.
Originally planning to serve for one term only, he changed his mind and ran for reelection in 2016. This time, his running mate was former 4th district Councilor and city social services head Dr. Honey Lacuna. Estrada won in a tight race over former Mayor Alfredo Lim by around 2,000 votes, while Lacuna was elected vice mayor as well. Estrada best described his accomplishments as Mayor of Manila as having been able to provide the basic needs of Manileños “from womb to tomb.” He boasted of comprehensive public services from free hospital and medical care services to all residents of Manila starting from mothers giving birth, free books, uniforms, and health snacks for public school students, all the way to free burial and cremation.
Estrada has also shown support for the controversial Manila Bay reclamation, with the fourth reclamation project approved on June 7, 2017. Estrada, however, was widely criticized for a publicity stunt at a clean-up drive in Manila Bay on July 21, 2017. On September 28, 2018, Estrada settled the city's ₱200 million tax liabilities, left unpaid by former mayors Lito Atienza and Alfredo Lim, to the Bureau of Internal Revenue.
After serving two consecutive terms as mayor, Estrada intended to run for a third term in 2019, competing against former Manila vice mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso and former Manila mayor Alfredo Lim; Estrada chose former 5th District Representative Amado Bagatsing as his running mate for vice mayor. Estrada lost to Domagoso, who beat him by more than 100,000 votes in a landslide victory. Estrada conceded defeat on the evening of May 13 and stepped down on June 30.
Electoral history
San Juan mayoralty elections
- Estrada won every mayoralty election in San Juan from 1969 to 1984.
Senatorial election, 1987:
- Joseph Estrada (GAD) – 10,029,978 (14th, 24 candidates with the highest number of votes win the 24 seats in the Senate)
Vice Presidential election, 1992:
- Joseph Estrada (PMP) – 6,739,738 (33.00%)
- Marcelo Fernan (LDP) – 4,438,494 (21.74%)
- Emilio Osmeña (Lakas-NUCD) – 3,362,467 (16.47%)
- Ramon Magsaysay, Jr. (PRP) – 2,900,556 (14.20%)
- Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. (PDP–Laban) – 2,023,289 (9.91%)
- Vicente Magsaysay (KBL) – 699,895 (3.43%)
- Eva Estrada-Kalaw (Nacionalista) – 255,730 (1.25%)
Presidential election, 1998:
- Joseph Estrada (LAMMP) – 10,722,295 (39.86%)
- Jose de Venecia (Lakas-NUCD-UMDP) – 4,268,483 (15.87%)
- Raul Roco (Aksyon Demokratiko) – 3,720,212 (13.83%)
- Emilio Osmeña (PROMDI) – 3,347,631 (12.44%)
- Alfredo Lim (Liberal) – 2,344,362 (8.71%)
- Renato de Villa (Reporma-LM) – 1,308,352 (4.86%)
- Miriam Defensor Santiago (PRP) – 797,206 (2.96%)
- Juan Ponce Enrile (Independent) – 343,139 (1.28%)
- Santiago Dumlao (Kilusan para sa Pambansang Pagpapanibago) – 32,212 (0.12%)
- Manuel Morato (Partido Bansang Marangal) – 18,644 (0.07%)
Presidential election, 2010:
- Benigno Aquino III (Liberal) – 15,208,678 (42.08%)
- Joseph Estrada (PMP) – 9,487,837 (26.25%)
- Manny Villar (Nacionalista) – 5,573,835 (15.42%)
- Gilbert Teodoro (Lakas Kampi CMD) – 4,095,839 (11.33%)
- Eddie Villanueva (Bangon Pilipinas) – 1,125,878 (3.12%)
- Richard Gordon (Bagumbayan-VNP) – 501,727 (1.39%)
- Nicanor Perlas (independent) – 54,575 (0.15%)
- Jamby Madrigal (independent) – 46,489 (0.13%)
- John Carlos de los Reyes (Ang Kapatiran) – 44,244 (0.12%)
Manila Mayoralty Elections 2013
- Joseph Estrada (PMP) – 349,770
- Alfredo Lim (LP) – 307,525
Manila Mayoralty Elections 2016
- Joseph Estrada (PMP) – 283,149
- Alfredo Lim (LP) – 280,464
- Amado Bagatsing (KABAKA) – 167,829
Manila Mayoralty Elections 2019
- Isko Domagoso Moreno (Asenso Manileño) – 357,925
- Joseph Estrada (PMP) – 210,605
- Alfredo Lim (PDP–Laban) – 138,923
Personal life
Estrada is the first president to have previously worked in the entertainment industry as a popular artist, and the first to sport any sort of facial hair during his term, specifically his trademark acting mustaches and wristbands.
Marriage and family
Estrada is married to former First Lady-turned-senator Dr. Luisa "Loi" Pimentel, whom he met while she was working at the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) in Mandaluyong, and has three children with her:
- Jinggoy Estrada, mayor of San Juan (1992–2001); senator (2004–2016; 2022–present) (married to Precy Vitug)
- Jackie Ejercito (formerly married to Beaver Lopez)
- Jude Estrada (married to Maria Rowena Ocampo)
Other relatives
Several of Ejercito's relatives became prominent figures in politics and show business.
- Jorge Ejercito ("George Estregan"), brother; actor
- E.R. Ejercito ("George Estregan Jr."), son of George Estregan and nephew; actor, Mayor of Pagsanjan, Laguna (2001–2010) and Governor of Laguna (2010–2014)
- Gary Ejercito ("Gary Estrada"), nephew; actor, and board member of Quezon province
- Gherome Ejercito, nephew; basketball player
Approval ratings
| Date | Rating |
|---|---|
| Sep 1998 | +60 |
| Nov 1998 | +61 |
| Mar 1999 | +67 |
| Jun 1999 | +65 |
| Oct 1999 | +28 |
| Dec 1999 | +5 |
| Mar 2000 | +5 |
| Jul 2000 | +13 |
| Sep 2000 | +19 |
| Dec 2000 | +9 |
| Average | +33 |
Awards and honors
National Honors
: Order of the Knights of Rizal – Knight Grand Cross of Rizal.- 1975 Metro Manila Film Festival Best Actor for Diligin mo ng Hamog ang Uhaw na Lupa
- 1962 FAMAS Best Actor for Markang Rehas
- 1964 FAMAS Best Actor for Geron Busabos
- 1965 FAMAS Best Actor for Ito ang Maynila
- 1966 FAMAS Best Actor for Sapang Palay
- 1969 FAMAS Best Actor for Galo Gimbal
- 1971 Outstanding Mayor and foremost Nationalist by the Inter-Provincial Information Service
- 1972 One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) in Public Administration by the Philippine Jaycees
- 1981 FAMAS Best Actor for Hoy, Tukso Layuan mo Ako
- 1981 FAMAS Hall of Fame
- 2007 Most Outstanding Citizen of San Juan
- 2014 GMMSF Box-Office Entertainment Awards Government Service Award
Honorary Doctorates
- Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa by the University of Pangasinan (1990)
- Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa by Bicol University (April 1997)
See also
In Spanish: Joseph Estrada para niños In Spanish: Joseph Estrada para niños
