Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Even before 9/11, the Philippines was already fighting terrorism in southwestern Philippines. That's why when 9/11 happened, we could understand the pain.
I feel that if I am freed of the burden of politics, then I can do more, and I can take more unpopular decisions.
It's never right to fight terror with terror.
My responsibility as president is to take care to solve the problems we are facing now and to provide a vision and direction for how our nation should advance in the future.
As the leader of the nation, I say in behalf of the Filipino people to the world: we are strong and principled believers in democracy.
The Philippines has no policy that demands sacrifice of human lives.
I want to create economic opportunity at home and abroad. I don't want just one or the other. I want both.
Chronic deficits drastically reduce government's ability to make those infrastructure investments that business needs to grow and create jobs.
Our investments in social justice and basic needs are as vital to our future as fiscal and macroeconomic reforms. A nation deeply divided will not stand. And it certainly will not move forward.
We will downsize the government, motivate excess employees to become entrepreneurs, and increase the pay of a lean and mean bureaucracy.
By and large, our political system has betrayed its promise to each new generation of Filipinos, not a few of whom are voting with their feet, going abroad and leaving that system behind.
I shall work with Congress, civil society groups and local government executives who are convinced that charter changes are needed to enable the country to surmount the unprecedented challenges of the 21st century.
In the area of national security, I urge the swift passage of an anti-terrorism law that will protect rather than subvert, enhance rather than weaken, the rights and liberties that terrorism precisely threatens with extinction.
We may disagree among ourselves, but let us never lose sight of that greater battle for one people, one country, one Philippines.
The people want government that works for them at every level.
To our men and women in the armed services, the huge and deep core of your loyalty has earned the nation's accolade.
Central Philippines has the competitive edge in tourism in its natural wonders and the extraordinary hospitality of its people.
In the harshest possible terms, I condemn political killings.
Camiguin, Romblon and Camarines Norte got out of the list of poorest provinces in 2003. With tourism, these provinces can become rich.
We have scaled the heights of Mount Everest, dominated the Southeast Asian games, we have won international beauty titles, and of course punched our way to triumph in the boxing world. Our people compete and win every day in every imaginable job throughout the world.
Individually, we've taken the world on and won; together, we must take on the challenge of creating a new, peaceful, humane and competitive nation and prevail.
The Philippines ranks among top off-shoring hubs in the world because of cost competitiveness and, more importantly, our highly trainable, English proficient, IT-enabled management and manpower.
We fight terrorism. It threatens our sovereign, democratic, compassionate and decent way of life.
We must weed out corruption and build a strong system of justice that the people can trust.
I stand in the way of no one's ambition. I only ask that no one stand in the way of the people's well being and the nation's progress.
I will not stand idly when anyone gets in the way of the national interest and tries to block the national vision. From where I sit, I can tell you, a president is always as strong as she wants to be.
Nature did not gift us with a mighty Mekong like Thailand and Vietnam, with their vast and naturally fertile plains. Nature instead put our islands ahead of our neighbours in the path of typhoons from the Pacific.
Better talk than fight, if nothing of sovereign value is anyway lost. Dialogue has achieved more than confrontation in many parts of the world.
As your president, I care too much about this nation to let anyone stand in the way of our people's wellbeing.
Our children are our most cherished possession. In their early years, we must make sure they get a healthy start in life. They must receive the right food for a healthy body, the right education for a bright and inquiring mind - and the equal opportunity for a meaningful job.
Our educational system should make the Filipino fit not just for whatever jobs happen to be on offer today, but also for whatever economic challenge life will throw in their way.
As a country in the path of typhoons and in the Pacific Rim of Fire, we must be prepared as the latest technology permits to anticipate natural calamities when that is possible, to extend immediate and effective relief when it is not.
However much a president wishes it, a national problem cannot be knocked out with a single punch. A president must work with the problem as much as against it, turn it into a solution if she can.
There isn't a day I do not work at my job, or a waking moment when I do not think through a work-related problem. Even my critics cannot begrudge the long hours I put in. Our people deserve a government that works just as hard as they do.
A president must be on the job 24/7, ready for any contingency, any crisis, anywhere, anytime.
I am falsely accused, without proof, of using my position for personal profit. Many who accuse me have lifestyles and spending habits that make them walking proofs of that crime.
As I have shown, I will defend democracy with arms when it is threatened by violence; with firmness when it is weakened by division; with law and order when it is subverted by anarchy; and always, I will try to sustain it by wise policies of economic progress so that a democracy means not just an empty liberty, but a full life for all.
Its never right to fight terror with terror.Collection: Fighting
A president can be as strong as she wants to be.Collection: Strong
Over the years, our political system has degenerated to the extent that it's difficult for anyone to make any headway, yet keep his hands clean.Collection: Hands
The people want government that works for them at every level. They want good government that begins at their doorstep in the barangay, and does not end before the closed door of a bureaucrat in Metro Manila.Collection: Government
Before September 11, we were fighting terrorism in our southwestern Philippines, and it was a lonely fight. However, we were able to contain it now in one island in that part of the Philippines. But after September 11, and after the creation of the global coalition against terrorism, now we have allies, and I believe now it will easier with allies.Collection: Lonely