Both Southeast Asian archipelagic nations saw their democratically elected presidents prematurely replaced by daughters of former rulers.
The first one to go was the former movie star.
Joseph Estrada was born in a Manila slum but rose to moviestardom in the 1970s, earning the nickname "Erap" -- "buddy" spelled backward in Tagalog. He won the presidential elections in 1998 by a huge margin, but two years later found himself impeached for alleged corruption.
In January, Estrada attempted to subvert the impeachment proceedings, prompting defections by Cabinet members and military generals as well as sparking the second "people power" uprising. As "Erap" refused to resign, the Supreme Court declared the presidency vacant, paving the way for Estrada's deputy, Gloria Arroyo, to take over.
The daughter of former president Diosdado Macapagal now battles an economic slump and Muslim guerrillas while the jailed Estrada fights corruption charges in court.
The next one off the stage was the near-blind cleric.
Abdurrahman Wahid became Indonesia's first democratically elected president in 1999 although it was the party led by Megawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of founding president Sukarno, that won the most votes in a parliamentary election. The Muslim cleric's tenure should have been a time to consolidate democratic reforms and economic restructuring, but it was more often marked by erratic rule. He had alienated parliament early on by calling it a "kindergarten."
As parliament moved to impeach Wahid for corruption and incompetence, he tried to declare a state of emergency and even called for a jihad. Chaos and bloodshed were averted mainly thanks to the army siding with parliament, which on July 23 swore in Megawati as the first female president of the world's largest Muslim nation.
Like Arroyo, Megawati faces economic stagnation, separatism and the pressure of showing there's more to her than her family name.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
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The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
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