Gloria Arroyo Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was swept to power in 2001 after a popular movement ousted her predecessor, vowing to end corruption and bring economic stability. But her time in office has been plagued with charges of graft and vote rigging. She survived a 2003 mutiny and an impeachment attempt last September. Friday the 58-year-old leader declared a state of emergency, claiming rogue elements in the armed forces were plotting to bring her down.
In an ironic twist, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared the state of emergency on the day the country was set to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the four-day "people power" revolt that toppled the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Mrs. Arroyo says during the past months her political opponents have conspired with extremists on both the right and the left to bring down the elected government. She warns those who threaten "treason" will feel the full weight of the law.
Mrs. Arroyo, a former economist who attended Georgetown University in Washington, has vowed to stay in office until her term ends in 2010.
But Sheila Coronel, author and expert on politics in the Philippines says the state of emergency will further hurt her already unpopular presidency.
Student protesters shout slogans as they block a busy street to call for the ouster of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in Manila on Tuesday Feb. 21, 2006
"People here have a very visceral reaction to anything that smacks of martial law, or of dictatorship. And today, of all days, to do that," Coronel said. "She issues a proclamation in the same way that Marcos issued a proclamation. It's read out on television in the same way Marcos's was read out. There are just too many parallels. She's not popular to begin with."
Mrs. Arroyo, the daughter of the popular late president Diosdado Macapagal, won a landslide victory in 1998 to become vice president.
Mrs. Arroyo's problems began as soon as she became president in 2000, when supporters of the ousted Joseph Estrada stormed the presidential palace demanding she resign.
Mrs. Arroyo survived but then had to put down a mutiny by around 300 soldiers who seized a Manila hotel in 2003 in an attempt to topple her.
Mrs. Arroyo's first term was also plagued by allegations of corruption and a failure to ensure economic stability.
"She's basically not a reformer, and, I think, the first year… it was a very lackluster presidency marred by the same charges of corruption and patronage that hounded Estrada…. What made it worse was the allegations of cheating in the 2004 elections," Coronel said.
Elected to office in 2004 after finishing Estrada's term, Mrs. Arroyo faced calls of cheating almost immediately. Her popularity plummeted.
Then, a year later, a recording surfaced of a phone call she had allegedly made to an election commissioner during the presidential polls. Mrs. Arroyo admitted calling the official, but denied attempting to influence the vote.
The allegations led to a failed impeachment attempt in September by her opponents in the lower house of Congress.
Sheila Coronel says although Mrs. Arroyo is only barely holding on to power, it is unlikely she will resign willingly.
"She feels very besieged; she's always been a very insecure president," Coronel said. "She knows that she's not popular; she knows that the military is very restive, she's used every means to hang on to power and she will continue to do that. She's very determined to survive. She fears that if she shows any sign of weakness she's going to lose hold - her hold on power is very tenuous at this point."
Mrs. Arroyo was quoted Friday as saying, "As commander in chief, I control the situation." But many analysts agree Mrs. Arroyo's decision to impose a state of emergency may backfire, costing her the presidency she has so staunchly defended.
Filipino president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of emergency Friday following reports from security forces on a foiled coup attempt. Arroyo's emergency powers allow arrests without warrants and the extended detention of prisoners without charges.

Brigadier General Danilo Lim, the commander of the 1st Scout Ranger Regiment, an elite military unit, is being held following accusations that he intended to join his troops with anti-Arroyo protestors. The troops were reportedly planning to inform protesters that the soldiers were no longer supporting Arroyo hoping that this news would foment an uprising against the president.

Arroyo has forbidden protest rallies, but more than a thousand Filipinos attended rallies anyway ( Bloomberg.com says "thousands of Filipinos"), and police broke up a couple of rallies on Edsa, the main street of Manila, as they were heading downtown (to Makati), with shields and nightsticks. The Filipino peso dropped 1.1% vs. the US dollar, its biggest decline since 2002. 

The crisis comes during the weekend when the country is recognizing the 20th anniversary of the "People Power" revolution that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who fled and stayed in exile in the United States.

This is not the first time Ms. Arroyo's regime has survived attempts at deletion. At the beginning of her presidency, supporters of the ousted President Estrada stormed Malacanang and demanded Arroyo's resignation. Later, in 2003, 300 soldiers took over a hotel in Manila in another bid to topple Arroyo. People have alleged that the Arroyo administration engaged in corruption and failed to keep the economy stable. Arroyo won the 2004 election, but some people accused her of doing so by cheating. Those allegations led to an attempt to impeach Arroyo in September 2005, which failed.