Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
I was invited by President Bush to come to the United States on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the mutual defense treaty.Collection: Anniversary
The power of one, if fearless and focused, is formidable, but the power of many working together is better.Collection: Power
I ask the educational system, the parents, the church, and pillars of the community to help shape a new culture of honesty, patriotism, respect, discipline and service for young Filipinos.Collection: Patriotism
The Philippines and the U.S. have had a strong relationship with each other for a very long time now. We have a shared history. We have shared values, democracy, freedom, and we have been in all the wars together in modern history, the World War, Second World War, Cold War, Vietnam, Korea, now the war on terrorism.Collection: Freedom
We have to be bold in our national ambitions. First, we must win the fight against poverty within the next decade. Second, we must improve moral standards in government and society to provide a strong foundation for good governance. Third, we must change the character of our politics to promote fertile ground for reforms.Collection: Politics
Agrarian reform should not merely subdivide misery, it must raise living standards. Ownership raises the farmer from his, but productivity will keep him on his feet.
Optimism is infectious, and opportunity irresistible. Progress follows progress. Someone, even government, just has to get it started.
We have the hardest working people in the world, the most adaptable and the most congenial to employ.
I will follow my father's footsteps by doing what is right, and God will take care of the rest. My father is my role model. My living role model is Cory Aquino.
We've supported the U.S. every step of the way. The Philippines was the first government in Asia after September 11, in fact, the night of September 11; it was nighttime for us then. It was daytime here. We were the first government in Asia to come out and say that we're supporting the U.S.
I did not become president to be popular. To work, to lead, to protect and preserve our country, our people, that is why I became president.
Real government is about looking beyond the vested to the national interest, setting up the necessary conditions to enable the next, more enabled and more empowered generation to achieve a country as prosperous, a people as content, as ours deserve to be.
College education is the great Filipino dream. But in a world of rapid technological change, getting a job or keeping it depends as much on how well one reasons as how well one uses his hands.
I follow my father's philosphy; 'Do what is good, do what is right, and God will take care of the rest.'
Over the years, our political system has degenerated to the extent that it is difficult for anyone to make any headway yet keep his hands clean.
The Philippines was with the U.S. in the Second World War, in the Korean War, in the Vietnam War, and now in the war against terrorism.
I sow; my successor reaps. This is the majesty of democracy.
For those who want to pick up old fights, we're game, but what a waste of time. Why not join hands instead? Join hands in the biggest challenge of all, where we all win, or we all lose: the battle for the survival and progress of our one and only country.
We're working with our neighbors Indonesia and Malaysia to fight terrorism in our own common seas.
I'm not worried. I'm in control.
The roof cannot collapse when the value pillars of government and society are sound and strong.
I can't do everything alone. I need all Filipinos to unify.
I want justice to be so pervasive that it will be taken for granted, just as injustice is taken for granted today.
I want ordinary people to enjoy a decent standard of living, with ever increasing security, comfort and joy.
In the time one is given, the steward must make the most of the talents one is given by the Lord.
Now I ask you to make your sacrifice. Take a gamble. I took the plunge and I'm glad of it.
It is simply the truth that the political system that I am part of has degenerated to the point that it needs fundamental change.
While there's been much progress on terrorism, there's still much work to do and it is very important that the countries work together in order to address this threat together.
I can say that I have not done any culpable violation of the constitution.
In all the things I've gone through as a politician, I have seen that in this system it is really very difficult to make any headway without being somehow tainted. And let me say, 'Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.'
The military is very constitutionalist, and I have my faith in them and in the cooler heads of the people.
It is the civilian part of the politics that is very, very bad, and we have to change that.
On the economy, the U.S. cumulatively is our most important investor, most important trading partner, most important sort of tourists, and we have now a tie that will... a link that will be here for many, many years to come, and that is the big Philippine-American community in the United States - three million of them.
I am very grateful to our Muslim population. One of the things we've been doing is stepping up our inter-faith dialogue with the Muslim population. And I think that helped very much in their support for me.
We must promote solid traits such as work ethics, a dignified lifestyle, matching actions to rhetoric, performance rather than grandstanding.
In a global arena, what our businessmen need in order to be competitive is transparency and a level playing-field.
Our political system needs changing. It needs to move away from personalities and patronage to a system of party programs and consultation with the people.
Filipino businessmen must have the ability to compete freely in the global economy.
The military is faithful to the constitution. They will come in only to protect the people from the enemies of the state.
In 1995, we had evidence of the brother-in-law of Osama bin Laden being in the Philippines, living in the Philippines. We had evidence of front organizations set up in the Philippines. And we uncovered evidence about, which would help the U.S. with - about the perpetuators of the World Trade Center bombing.
The Constitution says that troops can be in the Philippines if there's a treaty that provides for it, and we have two treaties with the United States.
I believe that the war against terrorism and the war against poverty in these times of turmoil go together. So you - when you fight one, you have to fight the other.
The contracts for Iraqi rebuilding are commercial contracts. I think being in the coalition of the willing puts us in the radar screen, but we also have to compete with other countries that are in the coalition of the willing, but the Philippines is a country that has produced world-class skilled workers that we have seen all over the world.
I feel that if I am freed of the burden of politics, then I can do more and I can take more unpopular decisions. I can have as my guidance for decision whatever is right, not whatever is popular.
We look at the world and analyze the world, and see what we can do that is in line of our mutual interest and also in line with, you know, what the whole world needs, because this is a world where we really have to all work together.
We have our own home-grown terrorism, and to the extent that we can obliterate terrorism all over the world, then our own terrorism will be much easier to neutralize.
You have 60 countries in the world with a terrorist problem. That's two-thirds of the world. We have this group in Basilan, which is a small island in the far south of the Philippines, and the island itself has a population of - what? - 300,000.
In my presidency I've been guided by what's right, not what's popular.
I know the pain of having to deal with terrorism. And that's why, after 9-11, I was one of the first to join the international coalition to fight terrorism.
The Iraqi regime was supporting terrorist cells all over the world. We had to expel three Iraqi diplomats from the Philippines because of evidence that they were either in touch with Abu Sayyaf or doing their own espionage.