GMA staying on with Estrada's team

Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo affirmed yesterday that she would "stay the course" in the Cabinet and not make plans until the end of President Estrada's term in the year 2004.

She repeated "the year 2004" twice, once during her prepared speech and another time in the open forum following the address entitled "The End of the Second Year."

She appeared at the affair of the Greenhills Walking Corp. forum immediately before leaving for the airport to begin a six-day official visit to China.

In the dialogue which took place at the Ristorante La Dolce Fontana in Greenhills, San Juan, the Vice President sidestepped pointed questions from the audience about what she would do if anything were to "happen" while she was away.

With a smile, she countered that she didn't expect any trouble to occur, whether in the form of a "coup" or mishap. It was clear Arroyo wanted to douse any speculations that she was contemplating any sort of break with the President.

When asked whether she intended to run for President as a member of the Lakas-NUCD or the President's ruling party LAMP, the Vice President coyly said that she belonged to the opposition Lakas party although she later admitted that the political merger between Lakas and her own political party KAMPI had never been formalized.

"We sort of neglected to formally confirm that union," she explained.

Instead of lashing out at recent "scandals," as many in the crowd of listeners who filled the hall --including some prominent politicians -- had hoped or expected, the Vice President indicated she remained firmly in Mr. Estrada's corner by declaring that "at the start of his presidency, President Estrada established the correct national agenda, taking strength from the largest presidential mandate in our history," she said.

"[President Estrada] picked up where his immediate predecessors left off, from President Cory's restoration of democracy at Edsa in 1986, and ... President Ramos' restoration of our economic competitiveness in the 1990s," Arroyo said in her speech.

"Building on the momentum of these achievements, President Estrada correctly refocused the country's national agenda towards the goal of eliminating poverty," she added.

She praised the Chief Executive's efforts while calling for an "improvement of moral standards in government and in society."

She urged the people to "pick up from his (Estrada's) admonition and unite against corruption."

"Only with the right agenda and its implementation through good governance can we win the struggle today against poverty, and in time, tomorrow's struggle to find the Filipino nation's proper place in the 21st century," Arroyo said.

"Good governance rests on three pillars. First, a sound moral foundation to guide our leadership at all levels. Second, a philosophy of transparency in all government actions. Third, an ethic of effective implementation throughout the bureaucracy."

The only reference she made to the BW Resources scandal was to declare that "BW was an act of economic savagery perpetrated on our stock market, the same stock market which should be serving as the leading edge of the country's access to the world's capital markets. "For this reason, I will condemn any attempt at genteel or clubby settlements that will let those responsible off the hook."

The message to the world, she stressed, "must be that the Philippines can clean up its act, and if heads must roll in the process, so be it."

In her speech, Arroyo told her audience: "We must adopt a philosophy of free enterprise by the private sector appropriate to the 21st century. By this I mean the ability of the Filipino entrepreneur to freely compete in today's globalized economy, wherein transparency and a level playing field are indispensable aspects."

Among the audience were Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez, former Sen. Alberto Romulo, former Batangas Rep. Hernani Perez, Caloocan City Mayor Reynaldo Malonzo, while the Greenhills club members were headed by their chairman, businessman/industrialist Leo Owyong and vice chairman Tony Bida. The group's president, STAR chairman and publisher Max V. Soliven emceed the forum.

The Vice President was accompanied by her husband, businessman Mike Arroyo.

In Beijing, she will meet with Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Prime Minister Zhu Rongji and Vice President Hu Jintao, her official host and counterpart.

Arroyo's 48-member delegation, including top Filipino-Chinese businessmen, is in China to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Beijing and Manila.

Accompanying the Vice President and her husband are Ignacio Arroyo, Edgardo Manda, Col. Carlos Holganza, Isabel de Leon, Generoso Miranda, Efraim Genuino, Angeles Quimson, Severo Tuason, Ma. Lourdes Tuason, Catalino Tan, Henry Yao Kasin, Lioni Ngo, Lapaz Ngo, Charito Ong Lee, Dr. Charles C. Chang, Ramon A. Syhunliong, Jose Averia, Erwin Tan, Atty. P. Arthur L. Villaraza, Salvacion L. Villaraza, Manuel Dy, Cong. Harry Angping, Franklin F. Fuentebella, Aurora Fuentebella, Elizalde Diaz, Ernest Villareal, Alfonso Cusi, Jaime Dumlao, Ramuel Agoncillo, Wilson Tecson, Julie Tecson, Olive Ng, Domingo Chua, Benjamin Chua, John Ng, Simon Chuabe, Dunga Lim, Felix Guanzon, Manuel Guanzon, Edmund Go, Joselito Lim and Mary San Juan.

From Hong Kong, Arroyo will fly on to Israel on March 31 for a trip to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Galilee and Haifa. She said her trip was scheduled to coincide with the "Holy Year" commemoration.

"All my three trips to China, Hong Kong and Israel are official and working visits where I will try to look into the possibility of attracting more foreign investors into the country to help shore up our economy," Arroyo said.

She will also discuss with Chinese officials increased cooperation between the Philippines and China in combating drug trafficking and smuggling.

She will also bring up the Philippines' contentious dispute with China on the Spratly Islands, particularly over Scarborough Shoal, located 232 kilometers off Luzon in the South China Sea.

"The dispute on the Spratlys should be resolved peacefully through diplomatic negotiations. It cannot be resolved through the use of force," she said.

But an unidentified Filipino diplomat at the Philippine embassy in Beijing told Agence France Presse that Arroyo will avoid the issue and instead talk about President Estrada's possible visit to China later in the year.