Palace bent on hiring Giuliani despite criticisms

Despite the hue and cry for the government to hire Filipino, President Arroyo is bent on tapping the services of former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as peace and order consultant.

In an interview shortly after her arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s Centennial terminal from a 10-day, three-nation trip, Mrs. Arroyo said she has asked Ambassador to the US Alberto del Rosario to convince Giuliani to accept the job.

"He (Giuliani) has retired as mayor so he’s available as a consultant so we will tap him as consultant for peace and order," the President said. "We will get him if he agrees (to our proposal) and if we can afford it."

She said she has not yet personally spoken with Giuliani on the matter.

She denied criticisms that tapping Giuliani’s services would be a slap on the face of the country’s law enforcement agencies.

"It’s always better to have more heads than one. It’s not a question of ineffectivity; we want to have maximum effectivity," she said.

Asked to comment on some senators’ statements that hiring Giuliani would be expensive, Mrs. Arroyo said: "How did they know? How did they know how much is the fee? I don’t even know."

The President however said that the hiring of Giuliani was not yet final, much less the figure for his consultancy fee, so the opposition has no reason to raise hell yet.

Senators Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Panfilo Lacson, Vicente Sotto III and Robert Barbers criticized the plan the other day, with Pimentel saying it would damage the national psyche if it pushed through.

The possible hiring of Giuliani, Time magazine’s Man of the Year for 2001 for his handling of the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in his city, was suggested to repair the country’s image battered by lawlessness.

The Philippines suffers from an image of lawlessness and disorder with communist insurgents and Muslim armed groups active in the countryside and criminal gangs engaged in kidnapping for ransom in Manila.

Mrs. Arroyo said hiring Giuliani was recommended to her by some international advisers during her recent trip to New York, recalling the ex-mayor had "turned New York around."

"So they suggested I get him as a consultant," she said.

Mrs. Arroyo said she did not know what it would cost to hire Giuliani, who has plans to form a management consulting firm after he stepped down as mayor on Dec. 31.

Giuliani won worldwide acclaim for his handling of the Sept. 11 terror attacks in New York.

National Security Adviser Roilo Golez cited Giuliani for fighting crime and poor sanitation in New York during his years as mayor.

Opposition legislators have criticized Mrs. Arroyo’s move, saying it would be an insult to Filipinos to hire a foreigner to advise her on a local matter.

However she said while Filipino consultants were effective, it was better to have different viewpoints.

Meanwhile, opposition Rep. Abraham Mitra (LDP, Palawan) suggested that Malacañang instead get Marikina’s Bayani Fernando instead of Giuliani.

Mitra said the three-time Marikina City mayor can rid Metro Manila’s streets of trash, traffic and criminals better than the former New York mayor.

"If she’s looking for someone to fix Metro Manila’s problems, then she doesn’t have to look far, or import one, because there’s a world-class Filipino mayor who can be plucked out of retirement," he said.

He said Fernando, an engineer, used his gung-ho attitude to enforce law and order in Marikina and beautify it with the full cooperation of city residents.

The rare feat he had achieved in his city has been recognized not only here but also abroad by international organizations, Mitra added.

He stressed that the "miracle" Fernando did in Marikina can be duplicated in the entire Metro Manila "if the President gives him the right powers and resources". — With Jess Diaz