Arroyo presses alternative agenda

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga – Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo vowed yesterday to continue discussing with her allies "an alternative national agenda" in the event President Estrada resigns or is convicted in a Senate trial.

She also asked the public to understand her position, and not look at her as a "power-hungry official eager to assume the presidency."

Arroyo explained that as the highest elected opposition leader, she has no choice but to exercise her leadership.

Cutting short her trip to Mindanao to speak before a top-level conference of the Kapisanan ng mga Brod-kasters ng Pilipinas (KBP) at the Holiday Inn here, Arroyo said it was her duty at this time of uncertainty to discuss the agenda, even in the face of criticism from various sectors.

"With the combination of a right national agenda and its implementation through good governance, we can win the struggle of today against poverty and tomorrow’s struggle for our nation’s proper place within the 21st century," she said.

The Vice President noted that when she initially chose to be silent amid the mounting calls for the President’s resignation, "I was accused of being too coy and inscrutable by those who wanted to know my concrete plans and intentions."

"But when I did propose the core outline of an alternative national agenda, they began accusing me of being too shrill and precipitate," Arroyo said.

She said there is a need to pursue good governance based on three pillars, namely: a social-moral foundation to guide the leadership, a philosophy of transparency in government action, and an ethic of effective implementation throughout the bureaucracy.

"There is a need for the government to win the confidence of all the population through its integrity," Arroyo said.

The Vice President likewise identified the four components of her national agenda, namely: the economic philosophy of free enterprise, social and sectoral bias to guard a thriving economic development plan, a modernized agricultural sector founded on social equity, and improved moral standards in government and society.

She explained that in the process of pursuing free enterprise and world-class Internet capabilities, the government should still focus on the main battle to eliminate the inequity and poverty within society.

"Here, our weapons are structural reforms, safety nets for sectors affected by globalization, and safeguards for the environment," Arroyo said.

She pointed out, however, that without modernized agriculture, "we will never win the struggle against poverty in the countryside."

Media warned vs witch-hunt

The Vice President expressed concern over an apparent Malacañang witch hunt against members of the media that are perceived to be critical to the Estrada administration.

"I am alarmed by the news of a draft memo from the National Telecommunications Commission requiring all television and radio stations to preserve tapes of public events such as (pro-resignation) rallies," Arroyo told officers of the KBP. "I am aware and deeply concerned by the pressure on Philippine media to bring its most critical voices into line and limit or pervert its functions."

The Vice President denounced the witch-hunt, and asked broadcasters "to resist the blandishments of untruth."

"We must not allow ourselves to be cowed. Like the rest of our beleaguered people, media must fight for its freedom and independence.

Meanwhile, Arroyo said she was not a bit surprised by the results of a recent Pulse Asia survey which showed a significant drop in her "public trust" ratings as well as those of other national leaders.

She attributed the drop from 49 percent to 27 percent to the lack of understanding by people on the true reason why she left the Estrada Cabinet.

"I am not surprised because many still do not understand why I had to resign form the Cabinet. That’s the price you pay for following your conscience," she told reporters in Koronadal, South Cotabato earlier.

She explained that those who had voted for an Estrada-Arroyo leadership in 1998 took her resignation as a negative point against her.

The Vice President said the drop in ratings will not prevent her from continuing to consolidate forces with various sectors "in discussing what is right for the country." – With Liberty Dones, Allen Estabillo