Mobile Alerts  Newsletter  Archives  About Us  Advertise with Us Twitter GMANews.TV Facebook GMANews.TV RSS GMANews.TV
National

Finally, Arroyo talks to Obama

MANILA, Philippines - President Arroyo on Tuesday got an early dawn phone call from US President-elect Barack Obama, the first time the two leaders were able to talk after the US elections early this month.

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said Obama phoned President Arroyo at 3:17 a.m. to reassure that the US will continue its good relation with the Philippines.

“The call took place early dawn and generally, the President said it was more of a reassurance from the President-elect about the continuing good relations and the cooperation that would take place between the Philippines and the US,” Dureza said.

Dureza did not mention the other topics discussed during the phone conversation, saying he was not able to ask President Arroyo since she was about to board a helicopter for an appointment in Laguna.

To recall, President Arroyo had tried to communicate with Obama several times to no avail. In her first attempt, the President tried to reach Obama by calling Washington.

President Arroyo was also not able to meet Obama while she was in Chicago, Obama's hometown, during her recent visit to the US for the UN conference on interfaith dialogue.

Dureza said that aside from President Arroyo, Obama also called President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia and President Abdullah Gul of Turkey to return their congratulatory messages. - GMANews.TV
Other Nation stories
Gordon wants to abolish term limits for local officials
03/18/2010 | 12:17 AM
Bagumbayan presidential candidate Richard Gordon intends to scrap term limits for local government officials, through Constitution amendment, in case he’s elected in the May elections. More
Villar has most TV airtime so far - poll watchdog
03/17/2010 | 11:59 PM
Three presidential candidates have already used more than half of their allowed television airtime in two networks, a coalition monitoring campaign expenses bared Wednesday. More
Interfaith dialogue kicks off; IP group urges RP to be ‘sincere’
03/17/2010 | 11:05 PM
Addressing a conference of over 200 countries, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said interfaith dialogue has always been a reality for the country as it struggles towards fostering peace. More
Puno takes sabbatical leave, names acting chief justice
03/17/2010 | 10:16 PM
Outgoing Chief Justice Reynato Puno will start Thursday his two-week sabbatical break ahead of his retirement and has designated Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio as acting head of the... More
Sorsogon lawmaker appeals ruling convicting him of graft
03/17/2010 | 09:08 PM
A Sorsogon lawmaker was convicted of graft and falsification of public documents, which may put him behind bars for at least six years and derail his bid to become governor of the same province. More
Five presidential bets oppose SC decision on chief justice issue
03/17/2010 | 08:18 PM
Five presidential aspirants on Wednesday expressed opposition to the Supreme Court (SC) decision allowing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to appoint the next chief justice. More
ERs to be delivered before May 13 - Comelec
03/17/2010 | 07:45 PM
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has ordered all its provincial supervisors to deliver the printed election returns (ERs) to the poll body’s main office in Manila and the Congress not later... More
Maguindanao massacre victims' kin to fly to Jakarta for human rights meet
03/17/2010 | 07:29 PM
Hoping to speed up the wheels of justice, the families of the journalists killed in the November 23 massacre in Maguindanao are set to fly to Indonesia next week to personally meet officials from... More
Absentee voters fewer than those who sought to vote offsite in 2007
03/17/2010 | 07:01 PM
Local absentee voters who registered for the May elections — including police and military personnel assigned to areas outside their poll precincts — are far fewer those who did the same during the... More
Mindanao calamity funds ‘overpriced,’ Erap says
03/17/2010 | 06:54 PM
The government budget to address the power shortage in Mindanao is overpriced by about P3 billion, raising fears of another “graft scheme" by the Arroyo administration. More
ADVERTISEMENT
No funds for artificial birth control under my presidency — Gordon
2010-03-16 23:54:54
Presidential aspirant Sen. Richard Gordon on Tuesday said he would not provide funds for...
Report: NKorean leader may not survive past 2013
2010-03-17 12:56:52
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il may die within three years, a senior U.S. envoy said in Seoul...
David Beckham’s surgery completed
2010-03-16 16:02:14
TURKU, Finland — David Beckham’s left Achilles’ tendon was “totally torn," and the doctor...
Butuan fire razes two barangays; one dead, 900 homeless
2010-03-16 21:59:06
BUTUAN CITY - Barely a week after a conflagration razed 100 houses in Barangay New...