My United Nations ‘essay’was correct, but many years too late: Yes, GMA’s on ‘Impact’ ANC-21 at 9 p.m. tonight

By golly. Got all that information into one long headline (above). Now the rest of the column doesn’t matter.

Anyway, President Macapagal-Arroyo arrive yesterday morning from her weeklong sortie to the United Nations where she successfully chaired the UN Security Council meeting in which every member voted unanimously to fight terrorism, et cetera. Now, we had better pass that long-delayed anti-terrorism law in our Congress, derailed for months by the "Hello, Garci" brouhaha and the "impeachment" tussle.

A jet-lagged Press Secretary Ignacio "Toting" Bunye sent me a resumé of the highlights of GMA’s trip to the UN containing the pertinent details.

These and other matters, more controversial and immediate, will be discussed in a frank "IMPACT" interview, one-on-one, with the President to be aired tonight at 9 p.m. – domestically and worldwide – on the ANC Channel (Channel 21) of ABS-CBN, with portions carried on "TV Patrol."

I’m coming out of "retirement" for this one-shot exclusive program, then taking off for Cebu City to deliver the "Press Freedom Day" speech there.

This is written to reassure our friends and media colleagues over there that I’ll get to the conference there on time tomorrow, Tuesday.

* * *

Here’s what GMA, having surmounted her "impeachment" woes (maybe the Opposition will resurrect the attack in a year’s time), did in New York:

(1) GMA presided over the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting and addressed the 60th session of the UN general assembly in New York City.

(2) The President is the first woman, the first Philippine president, and the first Asian leader ever to preside over the UNSC meeting.

(3) The President joined 170 world leaders, including US President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chinese President Hu Jintao, in the UN World Leaders Summit at the UN headquarters in New York.

Presiding over the 15-nation UNSC, Mrs. Arroyo:

(A) endorsed the United States Proliferation Security Initiative

(B) called on the UNSC Counter-Terrorism Committee to coordinate with the US in the areas of intelligence and information-sharing to reduce, if not eliminate, the threat of terrorism

(C) also called for global cooperation in addressing the problems of terrorism, the unprecedented rise in the price of world oil prices, the worsening debt burden of poor countries, widespread poverty and conflict in poor and developing nations

(D) batted for debt-for-development swap to finance the anti-poverty programs under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the 99 most-heavily indebted countries

(E) called for collective action to address and ease the effects of the unprecedented oil price increases in the global market through the use of alternative, indigenous, and renewable sources of energy

(F) also met, encouraged, and reassured the international financial community that the Philippines remains investor-friendly.

Her meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi in New York, reported Toting Bunye, presaged the breakthrough in the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace talks in the quest for lasting peace in Mindanao.

Since our friend Secretary Bunye, struggled through it despite his Sunday "jet lag," I’m quoting his "instant synopsis" of GMA’s "triumph" in the Big Apple:

For three days last week, President Macapagal-Arroyo showed the world that she could hold her own among world leaders. The President chaired the United Nations Security Council Summit, achieving the distinction of becoming the first Asian and first woman head of state to do so. The summit was held only for the third time in the UN’s 60-year history.

In this group of world leaders which included, among others, Kofi Annan, George Bush, Vladimir Putin, Tony Blair, and Hu Jin Tao, the President successfully steered the summit meeting through the discussions and adoption of two very important Security Council resolutions. One resolution proposed to impose sanctions on inciting to terrorism while the other dealt with conflict prevention, especially in Africa.

We were there at the UN Security Council floor when it happened. Secretary Alberto Romulo, RP representative to the UN Larry Baja, Speaker Joe de Venecia, Gina de Venecia, Congressmen Antonio Cuenco, Congressman Raul del Mar, Mrs. Beth Day Romulo, first gentleman Mike Arroyo, PCGG Chair Camilo Sabio. We all justifiably felt very proud that at the helm of this very important body was our very own president. Others watched from the gallery but the rest of the world watched the proceedings live on CNN."

"Diplomats from all the world swarmed over the President right after she banged the gavel to announce the summit’s adjournment. During the lunch at the UN cafetorium, Secretary Romulo, Speaker De Venecia, Ambassador Baja, Congressman Cuenco and I basked in reflected glory as other delegates approached our table to congratulate us for the President’s superb handling of the summit," said Bunye.

On her first day at the UN, the President presided over the meeting on interfaith dialogue. She also attended the UN-Asean meet. On the third day, she presented her policy recommendations during the UN plenary session.

The discussions in the different sessions covered a broad range of issues. Such as the fight against terrorism, the use of interfaith dialogue as a tool for combating terrorism, addressing the galloping price of oil in the world market, and debt relief not just for the highly indebted poor countries but also for middle income countries.

GMA explained the need for rallying behind the United States in the global fight against terrorism. She described how the RP’s Bishop-Ulama model has helped in resolving religious tensions in Mindanao.

She proposed a collective UN approach in easing the energy problems. She also proposed various models which could provide relief to debtor nations.

The President met in formal bilateral talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi and Brunei’s Sultan Bolkiah.

With President Hu, she discussed the progress of the North Rail Project. She thanked Prime Minister Badawi for their very important role of Malaysia in brokering the peace process with the MILF and for heading an international monitoring team. She also thanked Sultan Bolkiah for Brunei’s contribution to the peace process as well as in the training of Islamic teachers.

* * *

There was a naughty headline in another newspaper yesterday which bannered: "US ENVOY WARNED OF COUP."

If you didn’t read farther down, you wouldn’t have noticed that the story was about an "intelligence assessment" which had been received by then US Embassy Charges d’affaires Joe Mussomeli (who’s long ago gone away to Phnom Penh to take up his new post as American Ambassador to Cambodia. The report had been dated April 15, 2005 – or almost half a year ago.

The fact is that there’s no coup rumor, neither any perceived coup plot of planned "mutiny" today. I checked my usual military sources, even among the disgruntled "young officers," and they assured me yesterday there was nothing brewing – despite the restiveness over the surprise appointment of close-to-retirement Lt. General Edilberto Adan to the vital post of SouthCom Commander in Zamboanga, which entails command of almost 60 percent of our Armed Forces. (Adan is retiring next January 27th, mandatorily on his birthday).

The best proof of "All Quiet on the Eastern Front" is the fact that Philippine National Police Chief and Director General Arturo C. Lomibao left late last night on KLM (for Berlin, via Amsterdam).

He’s headed for the German capital to attend an Inter-Pol conference involving Police Chiefs and Directors of police from more than 100 countries. I spoke to Art Lomibao before he boarded his flight to Europe, and he said there was "nothing in the wind" although his police intelligence and special PNP officers had been keeping track of any possibility.

In short: No coup, despite those planted "coup@coup" (cuckoo?) rumors.

* * *

There was an Associated Press (AP) report yesterday datelined United Nations, which underscored that "a summit billed as the largest gathering of world leaders in history achieved far less than UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had hoped in the fight to overhaul the United Nations and alleviate poverty, terrorism and human rights abuses."

"After three days in which Syria was the only one of 191 member states not to give a speech before the General Assembly, the leaders adopted a 35-page document that commits their governments to achieving UN goals to combat poverty and creates a commission to help move countries from war to peace."

That’s what the report revealed.

"Another commission?" More talk, more speeches. After 60 years, that’s what the UN seems to amount to.

When this writer was a Second-Year college student, the UN sponsored an essay contest in which Filipino students nationwide participated. The prize was, naturally, an all-expense—paid trip to the UN Headquarters in New York.

I entered the contest, writing, as dictated, under a pen-name. I chose Pedro Bukaneg as my nom de plume, in honor of the Ilocano epic poet who had written the song of Lam-Ang, the legendary Ilocano warrior who had leaped over mountains to battle with the "painted" Igorots.

I lost the competition. Many years later, I bumped into one of the American judges of the essay contest. (It had been judged here by a mixed jury of Filipinos, Americans, and other foreign nationals). The American recalled my name, and I knew he wasn’t bluffing because he even remembered my pen-name, "Pedro Bukaneg." He grinned and informed me: "Did you know? You actually won the nationwide competition. The judges unanimously agreed you had written the best essay, and the most eloquent. The trouble was we couldn’t give the Prize to you, because your essay, to begin with, was entitled: "Why the united Nations will fail" and in your text you argued that, even worse than the old League of Nations, the UN would end up only a debating society, unable to enforce anything."

He chuckled again: "Now you see why we couldn’t give you the Winner’s ‘laurel’, we needed an essay boosting the UN, not one downgrading it. But I must say that at this stage, you’re beginning to be proven right."

Today, 60 years into the UN’s debating and speechifying role – what do you think?