Arroyo admits wooing masses

President Arroyo admitted yesterday that she has been actively trying to woo the masses in a bid to make them understand and appreciate the achievements of her administration in the past 14 months.

The President, however, clarified that popular movie actresses Nora Aunor, Vilma Santos and Rosanna Roces volunteered their help and were not hired by the Palace to assist in her public relations blitz.

"It is true that I am wooing the public because it is the duty of a President to gain public support for his programs," Mrs. Arroyo said in Filipino during her weekly radio "Panawagan ng Pangulo."

"If movie stars like Nora and Vilma are ready to help, then we will accept their help... including Rosanna," she added.

In her recent public appearances, Mrs. Arroyo has been noticeably accompanied by show business personalities, bolstering observations that she is aggressively trying to eclipse the mass appeal of disgraced former President Joseph Estrada, himself a former action star.

Estrada’s supporters have since criticized the actors and actresses for shifting their support from Estrada to Mrs. Arroyo but the celebrities insist they consider it their patriotic duty to support the programs of the incumbent President.

The first to support Mrs. Arroyo was Aunor, an estranged friend of Estrada, who recently agreed to appear pro bono in a two-minute television infomercial produced by the Palace.

Mrs. Arroyo had supported Aunor’s failed bid for the governorship of Camarines Sur. Aunor is reportedly set to appear in her own regular television program on government-owned Channel 13.

Two weeks ago, Roces performed before thousands of urban poor in what used to be one of Estrada’s bailiwicks and publicly criticized Estrada for his failure to deliver on his promises to the poor.

Last week, Santos, mayor of Lipa City and wife of administration Sen. Ralph Recto, volunteered her services pro bono to the President who admitted asking the actress to appear in one of the Palace-produced infomercials.

Mrs. Arroyo said she asked Santos to join the government’s anti-poverty program "Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan" (Kalahi) conducted by the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC).

Other movie celebrities who are expected to help the President in her public relations blitz are spouses Aga Muhlach and Charlene Gonzales, who are the President’s wedding godchildren, and former Makati Vice Mayor Edu Manzano.

The celebrities are expected to appear in Palace-produced series of infomercials, dubbed "Ina ng Bayan" (Mother of the Nation), which the President admitted was aimed primarily at the masa.

Mrs. Arroyo, however, belied observations that she was using religion in her public relations blitz by stepping up appearances in religious assemblies, like her Palm Sunday appearance before an assembly of the El Shaddai Catholic renewal movement.

The President explained that she has been joining El Shaddai assemblies, up to thrice every year, since she entered public life in 1993.

She said she simply advanced this year her usual Easter appearance because she planned to spend the weekend with her family in Baguio City. — Marichu Villanueva