“If Al-Qaeda is here, then its presence is limited. The Abu Sayyaf group that operates in Mindanao likes to say it has Al-Qaeda links, but it is really not much more than a hated criminal gang. Add to this that the Philippines has been a leader in the fight against terrorism,” Gloria Macapaqal-Arroyo told Al Hayat in an exclusive interview conducted in her office in Malacanang palace, Manila. The president, whose term of office ends at 12 noon on June 30, gave emphasis to the fact that the problem with the Muslims in the south of the country is “not a question of one religion versus another, but a question of peace in Mindanao, as this area is poised for peace, but the question remains when.” President Arroyo defended her record in office, saying “I want to be remembered for leaving office with a very different Philippines than the one I inherited 9 years ago – a country with a strong economy, and an administration that has invested heavily in a modern infrastructure.” NoyNoy Aquino, the son of the late president Cory Aquino, is expected to become the new president. However, he is yet to be proclaimed a winner of the elections, after accusations of rigged elections were leveled by several candidates. * Madam President, I must start with this question: What is the first thing you will be doing after leaving office on June the 30th, at 1:00 pm? - I will probably be taking my oath of office as congresswoman of my district. *Is this the first thing you will be doing? - Yes, because as my term as president ends, my term as congresswoman begins. *Interesting… so you will have no rest or vacation. - I haven't decided. No, I haven't done my schedule yet, because as congresswoman of my district, I will have some legislation that I have to prepare for. *So, work as usual? - Yes, yes. That's right. *Are you a workaholic? - Ah, so they say. Certainly, I am a hardworking person. * Most of us want to leave a legacy in whatever we do and want to be remembered for something special we have done. What is it you think you want to be remembered for? - Well, first let me say how honored I feel to have been able to serve the country as President of the Philippines. And I am really gratified that we were able to make improvements on a wide range of fronts. The Philippines that is today is very different from the Philippines that I inherited nine years ago. Let's start with the most recent achievement: the automated elections that we had for the first time in history. This has been something that empowered our people in a democratic society in ways that were never possible before. But of course, we have other achievements on a very wide variety of fronts. These past elections were automated and also very peaceful. And let me also say that our country is enjoying more peace and stability. The Philippines is, in fact, safer and more secure than ever before. Now, not only are the people safe and secure, but also the economy is stronger. We were able to survive quite well the global economic crisis. We were able to invest in new and modern infrastructure that will make our country more competitive. We were able to create millions of new jobs and provide health and education services to millions who did not have access to them before. Moreover, we're also meeting our fiscal obligations all the while. So I believe we have achieved a great deal, although more remains to be done. Our country as a whole must continue to translate our gains into real benefits for the people. Our country as a whole must continue to invest in what I call the three “E”s -- Economy, Education, and Environment. But I am happy to say that I will be able to leave the nation in a better shape than I found it. *Let me pick up two points here. You mentioned the automated elections that are obviously a very good point. However, these elections are being questioned, and people are talking about rigging and about the imperfection of the system. How do you answer such allegations? - Yes. Well, as far as the elections are concerned, let me say there is a process for finding out whether the allegations are true or not. But it's certainly a better system than the one that was before. *You talk about prosperity and economic stability while the country is obviously still poor. - As far as the country's poverty rate is concerned, at least during my administration, we graduated from being one of the poorest countries to being a middle-income country. In the past, we had boom-and-bust cycles. Now we have had nine years of continuous growth and our poverty rate has gone down, both in terms of objective measures and self-rated poverty. * How would you describe the highs and the lows of your presidency? What would those be? - Well, I don't want to dwell into the lows because I really think it is very counterproductive to be negative. But as far as being gratified is concerned, I feel great satisfaction that I was able to deliver what I feel the people of the Philippines deserved, which is economic progress, permanent change in their lives, opportunities for the future – this has been the focus of my administration. We have succeeded in very big ways. We've been able to do this while turning around our fiscal situation. And as I said, we've been able to build a better foundation for sustainable economic growth – not the boom-and-bust that always kept the people in a poverty trap, because when you have sustainable economic growth, this is the most important step to be able to get out of poverty. And we have been able to create more jobs and better prospects for our people. * Madam President, I've interviewed all your presidents since Marcos, and every time I find myself asking about the Muslim problem in Mindanao and the lack of peace, even though you have been making good efforts regarding this issue. Nevertheless, it remains unsolved. Is this an unsolvable problem? What can be done to finally achieve peace in that area? - Well, first of all, this is not a question of one religion versus another. It is really a question of finding peace in Mindanao. And from what I can see, Mindanao is poised for peace. It remains to be seen whether it will be achieved very soon or not. Certainly, there's more work to be done. But I think the efforts we have made over the last nine years have brought us closer to achieving lasting peace in the region. For one thing, I can say that we have a working ceasefire since 2003. Of course, it has been broken a little sometimes by skirmishes, but there was never a major break in that ceasefire, which continues to hold until now. How have we broken down barriers? We've broken down barriers by encouraging the people to concentrate on building better lives, not on destroying lives. We've done this through the use of “soft power” by building or providing economic opportunity, healthcare, education, basic necessities like water, food, and housing for the people of Mindanao. We also recognized from the start that this requires a two-way dialogue, and it cannot be achieved only through the barrel of a gun. Hence, it is this commitment of ours to this belief that has made significant progress in the peace process. And as I said, we have a working ceasefire on the ground. What I think is needed now is recognition by all parties that this working ceasefire should be translated into a political settlement so that the peace will be just, long-lasting and permanent. * What is the main obstacle to reaching the peace? - Well, as I said, there is peace on the ground. But what we need is a political settlement, i.e. the political settlement that has to be agreed on. * Do you think there are other factions interfering, and this is why you are not achieving peace? - Well… * Like regional or international or...? - If you want to talk about regional and international factors, they are all veering towards peace. They have been very, very helpful to us. And I'm very, very grateful to our Arab brethren for having supported the peace process so much. So what is the correct formula for the political settlement? That is what we have to look for. And we have made much progress, as I said, on peace on the ground, so at least now we can concentrate our efforts on finding that formula for the just and lasting peace political settlement. * You have visited many Arab countries. How would you describe relations with these countries? - Oh, the relations are very strong. First of all, we have millions of Filipinos who live and work in the Arab world. So we have a mutual interest in having good labor relations. Secondly, the Arab world is, as I said earlier, a key element to support our peace process. And we are very grateful for the Arab community that is giving diplomatic, material and moral support to our quest for a comprehensive and long-lasting peace in Mindanao. Then thirdly, as the trade and economic relations improved between our regions, the Arab countries have become now a very important source of foreign direct investment. And my visits to the many Arab countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, U.A.E, and Libya have brought about... * …And Syria recently…. -… Syria recently, yes, have brought about a lot of progress and cooperation in these areas, as well as trade and economic partnership between the nations. So I am very glad and very gratified, and I believe that one of the key elements of my foreign policy has been the strengthening of our relations with our Arab brethren. And I am very happy about the fruits of that relationship. * I am sure you must have discussed the Arab-Israeli peace process. How do you view this peace process or lack thereof? -Well, of course, as far as we are concerned, peace in the Middle East is very important to us. We have so many Filipinos there. Also, because we have Muslim brothers in our country, in fact, our region is a Muslim region; Southeast Asia is a Muslim region. To us, peace and development in the Arab world and the Muslim world are very important. * What are the impressions that linger from these visits? I remember you were present at the opening ceremony of King Abdullah University…. - Yes, yes... Oh, what a great university. It is going to be the Harvard of the future, and I am very proud that we have some Filipino scholars who are there. They're very happy, and it really establishes Saudi Arabia as a center for academic excellence in the world. You have come from Bahrain. HRH Prince Khalifa Ben Salman Alkhalifa visited the Philippines many times and we visited Bahrain also a few times. Bahrain is a very very good friend of the Philippines. You know, occasionally we had for instance hostage problems in the Middle East, but not in Bahrain. Bahrain has helped us a lot to solve those problems. And then we also had problems sometimes with a few of our Filipinos who got into trouble with the law in the host countries. Some of them have been convicted and sentenced with the death penalty, and Bahrain has really helped us to have the death penalty commuted. So we received a lot of help as far as our overseas Filipinos are concerned, and even Filipinos outside Bahrain. Because of course their life is very nice within Bahrain, the Filipinos' lives are very nice there. Therefore, the Bahraini government has helped us even outside of Bahrain. Also, we now have stronger economic, trade and investment relations, so we have some Bahraini investments here in the Philippines, especially in agriculture. * Are you satisfied with the work conditions that Filipino workers enjoy in the Arab world? - Yes, yes. Certainly, in general, I'm very happy. I mean we have two million and a half Filipinos in the Arab world, so by and large they are making a good contribution to the Arab world and they are making a good contribution to our country as well. And of course, we honor our Filipinos who are working abroad because of their devotion to their country, their families and their work. But we hope that the Philippines will be one day rich enough so that going abroad will be for a hardworking Filipino a career choice rather than the only option. * Madam President, you are a woman president, and I a woman journalist, and we women still feel we have not really gotten all what we want from our societies at large. So I wonder how were you able to serve women's causes as President? And did you feel intimidated at all by being a woman president in a nearly only-men club? How did you feel? - Well, you know, men and women bring their own strengths to the table. I would say that there is a natural tendency for women to be more compassionate, and certainly, that is a very important character for leadership. You are right about many women feeling aggrieved. However, in terms of women empowerment, I am very proud that the Philippines has one of the best track records. In fact, in the UN and World Economic Forum assessments, the Philippines ranks number six in gender parity in the whole world. The only countries that beat us are the four Scandinavian countries and New Zealand, and then we rank in at number six. So we have a very good track record there. Having said that though, I recognize this is not the way it is in all cultures. There are many cultures and many societies where the contribution of women to economic and social development is undervalued. So if a society is truly to become prosperous and modern, it is very important that policies be in place to ensure that the rights and welfare of women are protected and promoted. *How is the participation of Filipinas in the Senate and in Congress as CEOs, etc.? - Very high, and this is why we rank number six in the world. *But what have you done personally for women? Did you do anything specific to improve their welfare? -Well, when I was doing legislation, I worked on the economic empowerment of women and on having laws, to give them for instance affirmative action rights towards credit, and I also worked on legislation against domestic violence. So when I became president, I signed a number of laws also to protect the rights of women, against trafficking for instance. *I was the last journalist to interview Indira Gandhi before she died. I remember she told me that she thought women make better rulers than men. They have this ability to see details; they are also more compassionate and loving mothers. Do you agree? -Well, as I said, males and females bring their own strengths to the table, but I do agree about women having a natural tendency to be more compassionate, which is very important for leadership. *Let us talk a little about the presence of Al-Qaeda in your country, as there have been reports to suggest this. The Philippines has also been a victim to some of the acts of violence by Al-Qaeda. So, do they exist? How strong are they? Where are they? What are you doing to tackle this problem? - If Al-Qaeda is here, then its presence is limited. The Abu Sayyaf group that operates in Mindanao likes to say it has Al-Qaeda links, but it is really not much more than a hated criminal gang. Add to this that the Philippines has been a leader in the fight against terrorism. We've strengthened our intelligence gathering, our sharing with allies, and the professionalism and training of our soldiers, so that we can eliminate any room for terrorists to breed in our country. Also, I believe strongly that poverty breeds terrorism, so therefore, aside from aggressively pursuing terrorists like the Abu Sayyaf group, we have also pursued soft power, which I mentioned earlier: building schools and basic infrastructure, providing food, security, shelter and access to healthcare and better social services. So this paradigm for peace combining soft and hard power has narrowed down the lair of hardcore terrorists in the South, and the people are safer than ever. * How strong is the Abu Sayyaf group...? - As I said, very limited if ever they... *Limited… are they in the hundreds? In the thousands? - Oh, I don't think they're in the thousands. * About one hundred? - Yes, yes. * Why is the military unable to sort them out and finally rid the country of them? - Well, certainly, the military has narrowed down their whereabouts. * So, you are rather optimistic that you can overcome this Al-Qaeda problem if it indeed exists? You're not even sure that it does exist? - As I said, if it exists, it is very limited. The Abu Sayyaf group members are the ones claiming that they're connected. But they're really looked upon more as a criminal gang than anything else. * Does the Philippines suffer from Islamic Militancy or Fundamentalism at large? - What I can say is that we've gone a long way with regard to interfaith dialogue, and interfaith dialogue is one of the achievements that have brought us closer to peace on the ground in Mindanao. And, hopefully, it will bring us closer to a political settlement. * I want to talk a bit about ASEAN. The Philippines is a member of ASEAN. What role does Philippines play in ASEAN? And how do you see the future of this organization? It seems to me that it is moving rather slowly… - But we have a timetable: 2015. * Yes, I know. Are you able to meet that? - In fact, it was supposed to be 2020, but when we had the ASEAN Summit here in the Philippines, we moved it forward to 2015. What I can say about ASEAN is that it has really made significant progress towards integrating our economies, bringing down trade barriers even having macroeconomic... more control over our macroeconomics of our country with our agreements on the multilateral Chang Mai Initiative and the surveillance system, in order to avoid being contaminated by the global economic crisis. So it's because of this dedication to create a strong regional economic bloc that we as a region in fact, are able to withstand the global economic crisis. Now, it's very important to continue on this track that we have started so that we can become an ASEAN community by 2015. And this will bring unprecedented growth opportunities in our region. * How do you perceive cooperation as far as foreign policy is concerned? - Well, as far as the Philippines is concerned in my administration, one of the eight points of my foreign policy was that more and more of our foreign policy should be done in the context of ASEAN. And I think, we moved... * So there is visible coordination between the ASEAN countries? - Yes, yes. We have moved very much in that direction. * Madam President, is there anything you really wanted to do during your presidency and were not really able to achieve? - As I said, I do not want to dwell on the negatives. I am very... * Do you still have hopes for a leadership role in the future...? -Well, certainly, as I said earlier, much work still remains to be done. No President can achieve everything by herself. And certainly, what we have to continue is to try to keep translating our economic gains into real benefits for the people. And as a country, we have to continue investing in the health, the economy and environment and education. And when I talk about the economy, I don't only mean the infrastructure and the macro economy, but also services like health. * My last question must be: do you see another big role for you, Madam President? For example, if the system changes from a presidential to a parliamentarian system, do you see yourself becoming the first Prime Minister of the Philippines? - I've always left my political career to what we call divine providence in my religion and maybe kismet in your culture. So what will be, will be. But right now, until the last minute of my term as President, I have to work for the country. I have to be active in my governance, and then after that, I have an obligation to the people of my district. *I don't think we have seen the last of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. No, you still have great ambitions. -As I said, my political future, and even my personal future is always in the hands of divine providence.
