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Saturday, October 04, 2003
Gloria ‘almost sure’ of running in 2004
MANILA — Talks are rife that President Arroyo is almost certain to run in next year’s elections and that she is set to make the announcement today, a close aide said.
If she seeks the presidency, she will renege on her Dec. 30 decision that she will no longer join the presidential race so that she could concentrate on solving the country’s problems.
Arroyo said she has been seeking “divine guidance” on whether she should run in 2004.
The big announcement is expected to take place at 3 p.m. at the White House, the equivalent of the presidential residence at the Clark Special Economic Zone.
Prior to the event, Arroyo will convene all her Cabinet members at 10:30 a.m.
“I really don’t know on the timing (of an announcement), but I know she has more or less made up her mind and she will run for election,” Norberto Gonzales, the President’s adviser on special concerns told a wire agency.
ABS-CBN TV Patrol, citing a draft of her speech in Angeles City, Pampanga yesterday, reported that Arroyo will say that she accepts the challenge to lead the country for the youth, the poor, those lacking in privileges, and the elderly.
She is also expected to say that she leaves her fate to God and the Filipinos, and that if they don’t need her, she will accept it.
She will reportedly say that she has decided not to turn her back on calls of her partymates to lead.
Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo has informed all Cabinet members that “urgent matters” will be taken up in the meeting in Clark, but he refused to elaborate.
“These will be very important subject matters— important enough to call the entire Cabinet,” Bunye said.
Asked why there would be a meeting when the Cabinet just had one Tuesday, he said: “There were still some
unfinished business which are just as important. These items need to be tackled as soon as possible.”
The suspicions about the big announcement was further bolstered later in the afternoon when Ricardo Salu-do, deputy presidential spokesman, sent a text message to several Palace reporters to cover the event and to pass on the message to their colleagues in media.
Gonzales said he is “99 per cent sure” that Arroyo will run in 2004. He said the announcement was urgent, especially in the light of the endorsements and resignations.
Arroyo is unfazed by the latest Social Weather Stations survey showing her in third place among possible presidentiables, after Sen. Noli de Castro and former education secretary Raul Roco.
“The stand of the Palace on surveys is that it is one of several indicators. We are not driven by surveys.
The President works according to what she thinks is needed by Filipinos and this is peace and development.
We’re not very concerned really with ratings. The President really goes for what is substantial work done for the benefit of Filipinos,” Bunye said.
Arroyo was in Isabela yesterday, where she showered local folk affected by typhoon Harurot with livelihood as-sistance, seeds, and medicine.
In Ilagan town, she inaugurated government projects, including classrooms. Isabela suffered P1 billion worth of damage in crops and infrastructure projects.
In Echague town, where 80 percent of crops were ruined by the tropical cyclone, she announced the release of P18 million for relief and rehabilitation of Isabela, on top of the P35 million she released last July. Sunnex/ST
(October 4, 2003 issue)
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