Saludo: Arroyo farewell message likely next week

Amid preparations to usher in her successor Benigno Simeon Aquino III on June 30, outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo may give her farewell message to the nation this coming week, her spokesman said Saturday. Outgoing presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo indicated Mrs. Arroyo’s final message to the nation may come in the form of a speech, but he did not give further details. “Baka next week may talumpati siya kung saan ang panghuling pahayag, ilalathala niya, ilabas niya at yan antabayanan natin (Perhaps this coming week, she will deliver a speech that will contain her final message as president. We will be waiting for it)," he said on government-run dzRB radio. In the meantime, he said Mrs. Arroyo will continue to visit ongoing government projects as well as communities until her term ends. Earlier, outgoing Presidential Management Staff head Elena Bautista-Horn said Mrs. Arroyo will preside over her last Cabinet meeting on June 29. On the other hand, Saludo and outgoing deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar will launch two books on the Arroyo administration this coming Tuesday. The books, “Beat the Odds" and “Beating the Odds," seek to inform the public on the challenges the Arroyo administration faced and what it did in response. “If other administrations find something useful in it or some lessons it’s good, pero ang pakay natin magbigay ng inpormasyon sa ating nagawa (but our objective is to inform the public of what the Arroyo government did)," Saludo said. ‘Smart, hardworking’ Saludo said he will remember Mrs. Arroyo as smart and hardworking president, who would call any official any time of day to follow up on government projects. “Matalino ang pangulo at dahil dyan dapat alam mo rin ang iyong trabaho, di aanga-anga, o hindi ka tatagal. Talagang masipag, kahit anong oras sa araw at gabi pwede ka tawagin para usisahin (The president is smart so you should know your job. You won’t last long at your post if you are clueless. And she is hardworking, she will call anyone to follow up on government projects)," he said. — LBG, GMANews.TV