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Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Arroyo, Loren meet in bishop's party in Ilocos Sur
By Harley Palangchao
VIGAN -- President Arroyo and Sen. Loren Legarda came face-to-face with each other but had no chance to talk during the birthday party Monday of Bishop Edmundo Abaya in Vigan, Ilocos Sur.
The celebration also turned into a reunion of sorts between Legarda and former Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson, who was a state witness during the prosecution of deposed President Joseph Estrada, while Legarda was one of the prosecutors.
Arroyo and Legarda were both invited as Abaya's special guests and both politicians, according to their aides, accepted the invitation not to indulge in politicking but as acknowledgement to the authority wielded by one of the most influential bishops north of Manila.
Arroyo and Legarda also attended mass together with Abaya and sat on either side of Sison and Ilocos Sur Gov. Deogracias Victor Savellano at the presidential table during lunchtime.
The two, however, did not have the opportunity to talk. It was also Legarda who first stood up to accommodate a requested photo session with Ilocos Sur residents.
It was a rare occasion for Arroyo and Legarda to meet in a party after the former Senate majority leader bolted out from the administration to run as vice president of movie actor Fernando Poe Jr., standard-bearer of the opposition Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP).
Arroyo, on the other hand, picked Sen. Noli De Castro to be her running mate in the 2004 elections.
Legarda and De Castro were both top rated broadcast journalists before throwing their hats in the political arena.
Reporters tried to interview Legarda but one of her staffers said the senator would not answer issues regarding politics. Legarda was with running mate Fernando Poe Jr. in Baguio on Saturday to meet with their supporters.
Arroyo, on the other hand, also refused to be interviewed about politics during the press conference with reporters at the Vigan Airport before her departure that afternoon.
She instead talked about the programs of her government in addressing the plights of millions of farmers in the country, including the tobacco farmers in the Ilocos Region.
(January 20, 2004 issue)
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