Have you heard of this? Wala lang. Saw in the news earlier. She's not gonna run daw in 2004.

I think if ever tatakbo sya, hindi rin naman siya mananalo e. Wise decision I guess. Nakatipid pa siya sa pera.

Oo nga, pero sa tingin ko hindi lang wais yung ginawa niya, nakakagulat at nakakbilib din. Pero ayan...sunod sunod pa rin an pagbatikos sa kanya.

paminsan ganyan naman talaga. no matter what you do, it'll always get detractors. you can't please everybody! might as well do what your conscience tells you. . .

i'm still processing what this means for our country in 2004. hopefully, this "sacrifice" will be worth it. count on the punters to churn out all this commentary the next few weeks.

From today's issue of the Inquirer. I thought it would be interesting reading to see how she actually said it:

Following is the full text of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Rizal Day speech in which she announces her decision not to run for President in 2004.

Chief of Staff Gen. Santiago and other officers of the Armed Forces, Mayor Vergara and other citizens of Baguio City, Congressman Domogan and the other national officers who were here, Assistant Secretary Katindig, co-chairman of the Rizal Day celebration; PNP Director Gen. Ebdane, happy birthday to you; Ladies and Gentlemen, my beloved countrymen.


Today, we are honoring Rizal. Our national hero is the most gifted Filipino who ever lived, truly the pride of the Malayan race.

A century ago, he made the ultimate sacrifice for the Filipino people, giving up his life at Luneta field. Jose Rizal's martyrdom led to the creation of the Philippine Republic in 1898.

In the hundred years that have passed since Jose Rizal was martyred, the world has undergone rapid change.
Throughout the world, it is now clear the transparent, open and democratic societies give to the fullest opportunities for individual merit and effort to bloom.

These societies have created a culture that allow their citizens to use the advances that technology and Information Age have brought in order to create a better life for both individuals and collective society. In these societies, the result has been the development of mature politics, strong government institutions, and the generation of the material benefits undreamed of during Jose Rizal's time. These are the main elements of a strong and modern society, the Strong Republic that I dream of for the Philippines. We're still far away from that dream but it is within our reach.

Indeed, it's ironic, that ours is the first Republic in Asia. But over the last decades, it has become one of the weakest, steadily left behind by its more progressive neighbors. The fundamental reason is the persistence of an outdated social system wherein vested interests and traditional politics have stunted development towards a strong and modern society. Thus, our country is now only a bit better but the category of backward countries wherein powerful, selfish interests are able to exploit poverty and ignorance to maintain the status quo or impede open progressive development.

Throughout the world, we see sad examples for these countries and, invariably, they are in economic decline, becoming breeding grounds for strife, conflict and even terrorism, but I am optimistic that this will not become our national fate.

I believe this because I see around me the emergence of a new generation of dynamic and progressive leaders, whether in politics, in business or in civil society. They will be our agents of change.

Thus, I believe that we can create a strong and modern Philippine Republic, but it will take personal sacrifice from each one of us.

As we honor Jose Rizal today, it is fitting that I ask each Filipino to make also sacrifice for our country. Our country needs our help.

In recent years, our fundamental weaknesses have been revealed in ways that are worrisome to broad sectors of our citizenry.

In the economy, ever since the Asian crisis in the 1997, our public revenues have been steadily declining in relation to the size of our economy. This has led to persistent budget deficit.

In society, we have become a nation deeply divided, symbolized by the polarity between EDSA II and the May 1 siege barely three months after EDSA II.

And in governance, there is now too much politics hampering good, productive governance.

The convergence of the national stresses such as these has led to the sense of gloom that many of our citizens now talk of. There is a feeling of too much negativism and conflict in our society.

In the coming weeks, we will be launching a series of powerful, positive actions that will improve the life of our people.
Major announcements will be made in January.

However, we also know that we will soon enter the political period leading up to the elections in 2004. My reading on the political winds tells me that the 2004 election may well go down in history as among our most bitterly contested elections ever. This is because of the deep social and political division that we now have.

If this is true, then sincere efforts to launch programs will run the risk of being derailed by political fighting leading up to the elections.

The government in place after 2004 may merely end up inheriting a country as deeply divided as ever. Consequently, we may end up stalling national growth for a few years more as a result of lost momentum.

In view of all these factors, I have decided not to run for President during the election of 2004.

If I were to run, it will require a major political effort on my part. But since I'm among the principal figures in the divisive national events for the last two or three years, my political efforts can only result in never-ending divisiveness.

On the other hand, relieved of the burden of politics, I can devote the last year and half of my administration to the following:

First, strengthening economy; to create more jobs and to encourage business activities that is unhampered by corruption and red tape in government.

Second, healing the deep divisions within our society.

Third, working for clean and honest elections in 2004.

If we achieve these, my successor as President will be in a good position to lead the Philippines through the next decisive steps for the strong and modern society. United, we can see this dream come true within our lifetime.

Thus, I appeal to each Filipino to help in this endeavor. Following the example of Jose Rizal, let us think of country and not just of self.

Thank You and Happy New Year.

Hmmm buying GMA's sincerity...giving up political aspirations for the sake of unity and upgrading of the country?

That's something new.

It was a self-serving position not to run. Sincerity was long lost ever since she abandoned her NGO-left wing sentimentalities, roots, and psyche (not that i support left-wing causes but i admire those who stick to their guns and don't sell-out). When she slayed the ogre, she became an ogre herself. But she's an intelligent ogre who knows when to pick her fights. This time she knew there was no way for her to win 2004 polls. The Filipino electorate is simply hard to please and gets too impatient too quickly (and rightfully so)w/ leaders who don't deliver. This doesn't mean that the Filipino electorate is a mature body. On the contrary, the ballot is a reflection of the people. And indeed, the nation deserves the leaders it elects.
A lame duck GMA presidency can be either good or bad for the country. Good: no political pressure to deliver the goods. Bad: she can opt to be a do-nothing president. Since she's quite the self-serving type, I think she will choose the former because it's LEGACY-building time. You don't want to exit with a stink bomb. Thus, at least in terms of political maturity, I give her a 9.5 out of a poss. 10.
So who's the next sacrificial lamb-- raul roco? believe you me, he's going to be an ogre too. he may be immaculate for now, but he who desires the highest office that much is definitely no angel.

i think it is a loss to our country... in my opinion, she was the best man (woman) for the job in 2004. now we can only hope a candidate of equal competency will replace her in 2004. sayang talaga. nakakapanghinayang.
i admire her willingness to sacrifice her personal ambitions for the good of the country.
however, as of the moment i find no other suitable replacement other than former president fidel ramos.
i find this historical moment a sign of a certain weakness in pres gma. if she had noble intentions for the country, and i know she has, she should had known better that she is the best person for the job, as of the moment... di naman sa pagmamayabang on her part, but she is a whole lot more worthy than her current batch of competitors which include lacson, fpj and erap? (not sure)
sayang talaga, its insignificant but she would had gotten my vote in the next elections... :confused:

Hehe. She's backing out so everyone can put their support behind one candidate who'll oppose FPJ and Ping Lacson.

I think at this point it's practically impossible to gauge her intentions. So I find it just a bit funny when people seem to give the impression that they can read her like a crystal ball.

Anyway, just to add to the discourse, there's this interesting article by Chikiamco I came across.


Chikiamco's article for Jan 2, 2003

Person of the Year
By Calixto V. Chikiamco

There’s no doubt about it. President Gloria Arroyo’s Rizal Day speech earns it as the Story of the Year and for herself, the status of the Person of the Year.
Her stunning announcement that she’s not running for 2004 only goes to show that politics is full of surprises. No seer could have predicted what President Arroyo did.

However, I did see positive omens prior to her Rizal day speech, which are the reasons why my own normally dark mood begun to lift and I proclaimed myself cautiously optimistic heading toward the New Year.
The recent cabinet changes she effected indicated that she was no longer taking 2004 election into consideration. She sacked Heherson Alvarez, a former secretary general of her own Lakas party, as Environment and Natural Resources Secretary and replaced her with Elisea Gozun. Gozun is a former martial law activist turned environmental activist. She’s honest and competent, but has no political backing like Alvarez had. President Arroyo appointed her nonetheless.
Leonardo Montemayor was a former Congressman and head of the Federation of Free Farmers. It would have been politically expedient for President Arroyo to maintain him as Agriculture Secretary until at least 2004. But the agriculture department needed dramatic policy leadership that Montemayor couldn’t provide, so President Arroyo replaced him.

President Arroyo’s appointment of former Congressional Planning and Budget Director Romulo Neri also came as a welcome surprise, indicating her newfound willingness to tackle politically sensitive reforms. Neri was (and is) talking about transport and port liberalization, tariffying rice imports, and boosting mining - all politically incorrect but necessary reform measures. That she had allowed Neri to do so meant that 2004 was no longer in her mind.
For making the ultimate sacrifice, I salute President Arroyo. She has given this country a priceless gift: a window of opportunity to make historic changes.
Unburdened by political ambition, she’s now free to undertake reforms. She would no longer be constrained by powerful, vested groups that are using the threat of withdrawal of support for 2004 to hamper reforms.

Her not running would place her in a unique position of effecting positive changes. She’s unburdened of both the past and now the future. She’s unburdened of a past because she became president by historic accident. She didn’t have to pay the fat cats and the political entrepreneurs to win an election. Now, she’s unburdened of a future as well, because she doesn’t have to cater to them. She won’t have to incur financial and political debts going to 2004.

More importantly, by this one political masterstroke of not running in 2004, she has magnified her political capital a million times. All her actions henceforth won’t be distilled by the prism of her perceived political ambition, but would be seen as what she thinks are good for the country. It would therefore be easier for her to create a “government of national unity,” one that would get the cooperation of the opposition.

Although her remaining term is short, she may yet fulfill her potential. She’s, after all, the most qualified of all our presidents. She has studied both here and abroad and has a doctorate degree in economics.

It would, however, be gross naivete to believe she’s now capable of parting the Red Sea. The risk is that she will be perceived as a “lameduck” president. The rats inside her own ship will start abandoning her, thinking she will be out of power in a few months. They will start making deals with putative candidates and vested groups, hoping to outlast her last minute drive for reforms.

The challenge for her is to institutionalize the positive changes she seeks so they can’t easily be reversed. While she has said that she’s going to focus on the economy, she should focus more on political reforms. Her act of shedding her political ambitions for 2004 gives her an unprecedented political capital to make reforms in the political sphere. After all, the reason why the country is lagging behind is not so much a lack of economic reforms as it is “bad governance.”

Her withdrawal leaves the 2004 presidential race wide open. It’s highly likely that many candidates will jump in and we will have another minority president in 2004.

It’s also likely that the next president and vice-president would come from two different parties. The infirmities of our political system will show once again and negate whatever statesmanlike moves President Arroyo makes in her last months in office. It’s imperative, therefore, that she presses for political reforms in the remaining months of her presidency.

I hope that having an elected constitutional convention in 2004 will be one of the political initiatives she says she’s going to announce in the next few months. Only Charter change can tackle some of the structural political and economic weaknesses the country is suffering from. However, Charter change by constituent assembly won’t be accepted by the people. Congressmen, unlike her, haven’t made a pledge not to run again.

President Arroyo may yet surpass the achievements of her late father, former President Diosdado Macapagal. By her unselfish act, she indeed could heal the wounds of the nation and set the stage for the country’s economic takeoff.
For her sacrifice, President Arroyo gets my nod as Person of the Year.

i always thought gma was interested only in getting re-elected. on sunday(or was it monday?)she proved otherwise. her decision not to run in 2004 is a very admirable one. As the article said she can finally take care of crucial reforms without thinking of politics.

but,the doubter that i am, i wouldn't trust her too much. malay mo baka kaya nya sinabing di na sya tatakbo e magdedeclare pala sya ng martial law. wag naman sana. hehe

too true. here she blindsides the opposition, the political analysts, the detreactors; but some people still think they can read her like an open book. fascinating.

for me, this makes the 2004 elections all the more crucial. and possibly all the more aggressive. hope GMA gives us a manager's check on that 'honest and clean elections' bit.

i think its good she's not running for next elections. instead of concentrating on campaigning (and making a 'good impression' on important people, and the 'masa' for votes) she would not be limited in her actions (i hope). she'd be able to run the country without thinking whether people will approve of her job.
kc if you are campaigning while doing a job..you have to make sure what u do makes everyone happy, even if it means not doing the job right.

aaahhh..oh well..its only good if this means she'll be able to fight 'bad things' kasi wala na yung fear that they might not support her next elections.
this is everythign from corruption to squatters to garbage....

i think its just a case of reverse psychology... she wants to win the sympathy of the people especially that her ratings her down...

Ü

:cool:

i admire this act by the president, now she and the government can focus on the things that really matter instead of wasting time trying to win votes... sana lang, totohanin niya...

personally. ayaw ko ng female na president. ewan. basta. ganun lang talaga

Sexist remarks like yours should be deleted. No reason at all for you to post a defamatory statement like that. I call on the moderator to attend to this. Thank you.

President Arroyo's announcement proves that she is sincere in making good governance work for this country. Setting aside her political ambitions for the sake of national unity is the greatest sacrifice she could make. I think her decision is praiseworthy but at the same time I can say too bad she won't be president for long. She could still do many things to improve the country.


We should set aside thinking about conspiracy theories as well. We should recognize the President's efforts as a move towards putting a stop to too much politiciking.

me kanya kanya tayong papanaw. ako babae din ako. pero ewan, ganun lang talaga. alam mo yun?

I really don't get why you say that. Sorry.

i don't understand some people. parang there's no sense really doing what is right because most people have this mentality "damn if you do, damn if you don't"

why don't we give the president a chance!

iNFRA

"Damn if you do, damn if you don't."

I say taking that kind of negative attitude does not do any good for the country. Nobody's good enough anymore. If we set such a high standard for the president, how come we set a low one for ourselves? Having to resort to making false accusations against her is setting that low standard.

[ January 21, 2003: Message edited by: catherine ]

If Pres GMA has not changed her decision to this day, THEN
what's the latest about our working president.


A formal groundbreaking ceremony was held recently for the reconstruction of the North-Luzon Expressway (NLE).

The President said that the NLE modernization is a significant milestone in her administration's continuing mission to generate economic growth and create opportunities by opening up avenues for trade, tourism and investments in Central and Northern Luzon.

The NLE modernization project is laudable in the sense that risk is borne by the private sector and not by government and that there is no additional debt burden, contingent liabilities or guarantees on the part of the government, according to Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri.

In case you wanna know.

Morning.

" If you are an unbeliever, no amount of explanation can convince an unbeliever."
(Palace spokesman on the Ibon survey)

That's great news. Thanks for sharing that. Strong infrastructures are what we need to convince more investors that it is worth doing business in the country. And President Arroyo knows it.

GMA has made it clear...she wouldn't be running in the next elections...not because of her ratings but because it is her rightful decision.

siguro narealize niya na super hirap ng trabaho at baka di niya kayanin