April 25, 2001 – Acting on the plunder case, the Sandiganbayan released an arrest warrant for former President Estrada. He was apprehended in the following hours from his residence in Greenhills North subdivision in order to be taken to Camp Crame for detention.

In immediate response, pro-Estrada supporters began to flock to the EDSA Shrine, accumulating to a critical mass over the next six days. According to reports, they vowed to launch an “EDSA 3” uprising.

April 27, 2001 – Concerned over the safety, security and the need for better accommodations for the Estradas, the Sandiganbayan granted the request of the police to transfer Estrada to Fort Sto. Domingo in Laguna.

The masses continued to swell at EDSA, and the government was put on alert due to reports that pro-Estrada rallyists we exhorting the armed forces to join them in a full-blown EDSA revolt.

April 28, 2001 – Malacañang heightened security and former EDSA Dos supporters assembled at Mendiola after an opposition plot to overthrow the Arroyo administration was allegedly uncovered by the military.

As the ousted president and his family were being brought to Veterans Medical Memorial Center for a check-up prior to their transfer to Laguna, opposition personalities such as Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, Miriam Defensor Santiago and Vicente Sotto III attempted to agitate the crowd at EDSA. Senator PanfiloLacon declared to rallyists that “victory is nearly ours.”

April 29, 2001 – The government quickly gathered an anti-coup task force as fears of a possible coup d’état spread across the city. Cardinal Sin pleaded for Catholics to join Arroyo supporters in guarding Malacañang.

April 30, 2001 – Galvanized by the Iglesia ni Cristo, the El Shaddai movement and the political opposition throughout the Estrada impeachment trial, hundreds of thousands of Filipinos from the lower classes gathered at the EDSA shrine. At its apex, the crowd purportedly numbered 3 million strong protesters, collectively demanding the release of Mr. Estrada. Accusations of ‘elite’ bias were made against mainstream media outfits (GMA 7 and ABS-CBN). Only Net 25 and DZEC, media arms of Iglesia ni Cristo, extended 24-hour coverage to the unfolding events at Mendiola.

May 1, 2001 – Mr. Estrada and son Jinggoy were airlifted from Veterans Hospital in Quezon City to Fort Sto. Domingo in Sta. Rosa City, Laguna, as an estimated 150,000 pro-Estrada supporters marched towards Malacañang.

Violence escalated at the gates of Malacanang, with police purportedly responding with force after being attacked by rioters.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo released Proclamation No. 38, which declared a State of Rebellion in the National Capital Region. Several leaders of the protest action such as Enrile were arrested without warrant but were later freed on bail.

After the dispersal of the mob, most Estrada leading supporters in government disowned the attack. Estrada himself called for an end to the violence, even while attacking the Arroyo government for not attending to the masses’ needs, which were alleged as the roots of the crisis.

Six were left dead from the twelve-hour confrontation, and 113 injured. Several arrested rioters allegedly tested positive for drug use.

May 7, 2001 – With the urban unrest dispersed, Arroyo lifted the State of Rebellion.

Sources for the Timelines of EDSA 1986, Dos and Tres

  • Doronila, Amado. The Fall of Joseph Estrada: The Inside Story. Makati City: Anvil Publications, 2001.
  • Stuart-Santiago, Angela. Chronology of a Revolution. Manila: Foundation for Worldwide People Power, 1996.
  • The EDSA Revolution Website. 2000. Think Quest. 6 April 2011
  • Pedroso, Kate V. “The Estrada Trial: A Timeline” Philippine Daily Inquirer. 12 September 2007. 6 April 2011