GMA calls anew for responsible press

President Arroyo called on the Philippine press anew last night to exercise responsibility, citing the power of mass media to topple a government or make or break the economy.

If the military has the power to topple governments in other countries, in the Philippines, that power belongs to the media, the President said.

Mrs. Arroyo also sought the media’s help in boosting the economy further as she claimed that the Philippines is no longer a Third World country because its people "will be enjoying a per capita income of $1,400 this year."

"Right now, we’re not Third World anymore. At $1,400, we are now Second World, a middle class country… if we are able to continue the trajectory of one percent decline in the poverty level, we can reach hopefully the First World status by the year 2020," Mrs. Arroyo said during the annual Gridiron of the National Press Club.

The President also appealed to the media to report good news.

"I’m counting on the press to help people become more hopeful of their future because indeed there is much to be hopeful for," she said.

Mrs. Arroyo emphasized that a better economy would also impact on the Philippine media, which she described as "one of the freest presses in the whole world."

"You have the power to make or break an economy. You are so powerful that your prophecies become self-fulfilling and I hope that the friendship and goodwill in this fine evening will beckon us to gather around the nation’s brighter future," the chief executive said.

Mrs. Arroyo challenged the media to be more responsible in the face of the country’s economy that she claimed is showing strong signs of health as seen through the performance of the stock market, the strong peso and impressive per capita income.

"But let us always uphold fairness and justice, duty and responsibility. I hear you well when you ask me for things that promote the freedom of the press. I hope you can hear me just as well when I ask you to promote the responsibility of the press," she said.

Mrs. Arroyo also thanked the media for supporting the Melo Commission she formed to look into the killings of journalists and activists. — Aurea Calica