EDSA III

May 1 Riots
EDSA III
A still from an episode of The Probe Team that features Estrada loyalists marching toward Malacañang Palace, calling for the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Note that the Philippine flag is flown with the red field upwards, a Philippine flag usage during a state of war.
DateApril 25–May 1, 2001
Location
Caused byArrest of newly deposed President Joseph Estrada
MethodsProtest
Resulted inRiots suppressed; declaration of a state of rebellion and arrest leaders of the opposition.
Parties

Opposition, Estrada loyalists

Lead figures
Number
50,000
Casualties and losses
3 officers wounded
4 dead, many injured

The May 1 Riots, or EDSA III (pronounced as EDSA Three or EDSA Tres, the Spanish word for "three"), were protests sparked by the arrest of newly deposed president Joseph Estrada of the Philippines from April 25 to May 1, 2001. The protest was held for 7 days on a major highway in Metro Manila, Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), which eventually culminated in an attempt to storm the Malacañang Palace.

Taking place four months after the Second EDSA Revolution, the protests were considered as a more populist uprising in comparison to the previous demonstrations in the same location in January 2001. The protests and the attack on the presidential palace, however, failed in their objectives. Participants continue to claim that it was a genuine People Power event, a claim disputed by the participants and supporters of EDSA II. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has acknowledged the divisive nature of the two terminologies by saying in one statement that she hoped to be the president of "EDSA II and EDSA III".