‘Energetic’ Arroyo impresses Enrile

For Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who has spent four decades in government service, outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is among the most hardworking leaders the country ever has. Comparing her performance with the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, Enrile said President Arroyo has been more “energetic." “Kahit si Marcos, di kagaya ni Gloria. Parating nasa labas, si Gloria ay very energetic (Even Marcos is not like Gloria. She is always making rounds outside of Malacañang and very energetic)," Enrile told dzBB radio in an interview. President Arroyo, who would bow out of office on June 30, would serve as Pampanga’s second district representative in the 15th Congress. Busy Arroyo As if proving Enrile’s observation, President Arroyo will be busy on her last days in office. For the next 10 days, the President would attend testimonials by government agencies and her supporters, launch her two books, deliver a farewell message to the nation, and head the last meeting of her Cabinet, according to Presidential Management Staff director general Ma. Elena Bautista-Horn. Horn said President Arroyo would be gracing this week the remaining testimonials of government agencies — including last-minute project inaugurations and a report of their achievements in the past nine years — which has been ongoing since the first week of June. On Monday night, President Arroyo would have a farewell dinner with members of the Malacañang Press Corps at Clark Freeport Zone. On Tuesday, she would have a Cabinet meeting and would launch her two “legacy" books, entitled “Beating the Odds" and “BEAT THE ODDS: Another Stone for the Edifice." Rocky nine years President Arroyo assumed office in 2001 after an uprising toppled the then two-and-a-half-year-old administration of Joseph Estrada following corruption charges. Her reign, however, has been equally rocky. Controversies that hounded her include the “Hello, Garci" scandal in 2005 where she is accused of manipulating the results of the previous year’s electons, the P728-million fertilizer fund scam where money for poor farmers was allegedly diverted to her campaign kitty in the 2004 polls, and the $329-million broadband deal that the government scuttled after whistleblowers alleged the First Couple and other administration allies received millions in kickbacks. Enrile said accusations against President Arroyo never gained ground and was never proven to be true. “Maraming lumabas na iskandalo (Many scandals erupted), but whether she was involved is another matter. You have to prove that," he said. — with Sophia Regina Dedace/KBK, GMANews.TV