Forbes: GMA fourth most powerful woman, but…

SINGAPORE (AP) — Scandal-tainted President Arroyo was fourth on the Forbes magazine list of the world’s most powerful women.

However, the President "could soon be off" that list if she fails to survive impeachment proceedings brought against her amid allegations she cheated in last year’s presidential election, the magazine said.

According to the website www.chinaview.cn, Mrs. Arroyo jumped five places in the 2005 poll.

In Manila, Mrs. Arroyo said she is putting to good use her influence or power for the good of the Philippines, which she said is torn between politicking and an economic takeoff.

"Power should be used only to serve our countrymen, especially in the Philippines where our conditions are difficult," the President said in an interview last night on ABC-5 television.

Asked to reconcile her high Forbes magazine ranking with her plunging popularity ratings, Mrs. Arroyo said the presidency is not a popularity contest.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said Mrs. Arroyo’s ranking in the Forbes list "is a recognition of the President’s qualities as a leader and her achievements, particularly in driving our economic growth up to 6.1 percent, even in the face of adversity."

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tops the Forbes list, having beaten 99 female heads of state, chief executives and celebrities for the second year in a row.

The magazine’s gauge of a "composite of visibility, measured by press citations and economic impact" placed China’s Vice Premier Wu Yi second, followed by Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoschenko.

Rice won last year’s inaugural rankings when she was US national security adviser.

"With her steely nerve and delicate manners, Rice lately has reinvigorated her position with diplomatic activism," Forbes said on its website. "Rice has played a key, behind-the-scenes role in all of President George W. Bush’s major decisions."

It said the Chinese vice premier has helped China deal with disgruntled textile manufacturers since the lifting of World Trade Organization (WTO) quotas and made a bold call for an end to politicizing economic issues.

Oprah Winfrey, the magazine’s most powerful celebrity, was ninth on the list.

Like magic, "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling shot up the list to No. 40 from No. 85 last year following the mid-July release of the latest book in the popular series. Rowling is the top British woman in the poll, ahead of 62nd-ranked Cherie Blair, British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s wife, and Queen Elizabeth II, who ranked 75th.

Among the notables who made the 2004 rankings but disappeared this year include former Indonesian leader Megawati Sukarnoputri and ex-Hewlett-Packard chief Carly Fiorina, illustrating "how fleeting power is," Forbes said.

Myanmar Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been in jail or under house arrest for much of the past 15 years, placed 15th. Singapore’s Ho Ching, who helms the city-state’s investment arm Temasek Holdings and is married to Prime Minister Lee Shine Loong, is 20th. — AP, Paolo Romero