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GMA to Obama: I'm out by June 30, 2010
(The Philippine Star) Updated August 27, 2009 01:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - President Arroyo continues to be coy about her political plans for 2010, but she has categorically told US President Barack Obama that she is stepping down as scheduled on June 30, 2010.

“Yes, we have elections in 2010. I will leave office on June 30. But I will be working until the last minute on issues that matter,” President Arroyo told Obama at their White House meeting last month, according to a highly reliable government source.

This developed as Malacañang submitted to Congress yesterday what was described as President Arroyo’s “final” budget proposal, amounting to P1.5 trillion for 2010.

The source said the White House meeting, which lasted 45 minutes, started with welcome remarks by Obama, in which he dwelled at length on the “important elections coming up in 2010 in the Philippines.”

“You are Asia’s oldest democracy. It’s important that your election process proceeds in a way that will solidify the democratic process and be a model of transparency and democracy in the region,” Obama told President Arroyo, according to the source, who asked not to be named since there are spokesmen designated to talk about the visit.

Malacañang did not mention to the media this aspect of the meeting. Instead the Palace touted Obama’s supposed designation of the Philippines as its coordinator with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

In fact it was President Arroyo, the source clarified, who had mentioned to Obama that ASEAN had picked the Philippines as the grouping’s coordinator for the United States.

ASEAN designates country coordinators for each of its dialogue partners. The role is rotated among ASEAN members every three years. The Philippines takes over from Singapore as US coordinator in 2010.

The Philippines will also be chairing the ASEAN review conference next year on the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which was repeatedly mentioned by Obama during the White House meeting, according to the source.

President Arroyo flew to Washington shortly after delivering her final State of the Nation Address at the joint session of Congress, in which she gave no categorical statement that she would be stepping down or that she would ensure the holding of the general elections in May 2010.

During the press briefing at the end of the White House meeting, the two presidents did not mention Obama’s opening remarks on the elections.

Given one chance to ask a question, a Filipino journalist asked the two presidents their impressions of each other. An American journalist asked about US issues.

US Ambassador Kristie Kenney, who was at the meeting, later told The STAR that Obama was glad that Filipinos would elect new leaders in 2010 in an exercise that “would solidify the democratic process.”

This was confirmed by the official note-taker of the Philippine delegation to the meeting, Ambassador to the US Willy Gaa.

President Arroyo has avoided stating categorically in the Philippines that she intends to hand over power as scheduled at noon of June 30, 2010.

She has been a frequent visitor to her eldest son’s district in Pampanga, fueling speculation that she plans to seek his congressional seat next year in preparation for a shift to a parliamentary system, wherein she could become prime minister.

This plan would require amending the Constitution, which her allies in the House of Representatives appear to have abandoned.

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pustaanay mga taga TB modagan sa congress nis dwende. unja mag chacha for parliamentary form of gov't unja sija maoy mahimong prime minister.

mao niy klase sa tawo nga laug sa gahum. himoon ang panglimbong para sa gahum!

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hahaha moot dwende

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Senator Miriam Santiago, who was with Arroyo's US entourage, explains the context of Arroyo's statement to Obama, and says there is no guarantee that Arroyo really intends to bow out of power:

'GMA may linger beyond 2010'
(The Philippine Star) Updated August 28, 2009 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said yesterday she believed that the pronouncement of President Arroyo to US President Barack Obama that she would be out of office by June 30, 2010 could not be taken as an assurance.

Santiago, chair of the Senate committee on foreign relations who was with Mrs. Arroyo during the meeting with Obama at the White House, said her impression was that Mrs. Arroyo’s statement about her stepping down in 2010 was like a trial balloon.

“She said it because the US President was talking about the global war on terror. And she was saying, in effect, I will help as long as I can, and that is the context (in which) she added the statement: I’ll be out of office by July 2010. But President Obama did not have any particular response at that point,” Santiago told reporters.

She described it as a trial balloon because it was said like she was out to elicit a reaction from the American president.

“I (referring to Mrs. Arroyo) think I am going to run, what do you have to say about it and he (Obama) did not address it at all,” Santiago said.

Asked if it was an assurance that Mrs. Arroyo would indeed step down in 2010, Santiago said: “No, she did not say it categorically.”

“It was part of a sentence. It’s like saying I will help in your global war on terror as long as I can do so and then she added in effect but only until July so maybe she was, for example, waiting for President Obama to say, well if you can help us farther than that,” Santiago said.

But Obama had no response to that, she said, noting “in effect he (Obama) was non-committal.”

Santiago said Mrs. Arroyo was not bound by her statement and she will insist that it be interpreted in its context.

The senator said she was not sure if that meant the Philippines was no longer important to the US or that America would not interfere in the country’s elections.

“Well, you know, I think she wanted to preempt President Obama in some indirect way. Do you have any plans? In my view I’m supposed to step down but she did not say I am supposed to leave public office,” Santiago said.

“So she can step down as president (but) she can still run for congresswoman and then run maybe for prime minister,” Santiago said.



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pila may kasado?

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aw luto na ni kaajo. ibotang na lang ni sa lamesa, unya magsalosalo ang mga buwaya.

kanus-a kaha patilawon ug gaba ni si duwende?

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